In daily fantasy hockey, stacking is a key strategy in tournaments. We want to correlate our lineups with up to four players to maximize our upside -- if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists, as well.
Ideally, we want players who will get a lot of ice time together on an even-strength line and a power-play line. Two good resources for line combinations are LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceoff.com, so be sure to check those sites for updated line information.
Most of the trade action has already taken place, so we shouldn't see any slate-altering news ahead of the six games on Friday night.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes were expected to swing for the fences and make a big splash at this year's deadline. They don't look like they will do anything drastic, but their lineup is certainly good enough to still want to stack them tonight.
Carolina's first line is centered by Sebastian Aho ($7,200), the team leader in goals and points per game. He'll link up with Andrei Svechnikov ($6,900) on the first line and on the power play. Svechnikov is third on the team in goals and points. Seth Jarvis ($5,700) had some big games in February and is looking like a potential breakout player for Carolina during the stretch run.
The second line can also be rostered. Martin Necas ($7,000) still leads the team with 53 points. He's on the second line with center Jesperi Kotkaniemi ($4,100), who also plays with him on the second power-play unit. Then you get Teuvo Teravainen ($5,600), who will play a role on the team's top power-play unit.
The Canes are on the road tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. As expected, the Coyotes sold off a lot of players at the trade deadline and have made their roster worse than it already was. This was already a team that allowed the second-most shots on goal per game and has the seventh-worst penalty kill in the NHL.
Carolina is a giant favorite tonight and has the highest implied team total on the slate, making them stand out as the best team to stack on the board.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are arguably the most fun team to watch in the NHL and one of the most important to pay attention to when they are on a DFS slate. That certainly applies on Friday.
The first player to talk about with the Oilers is obviously Connor McDavid ($11,000), who is practically breaking hockey at this point. He has scored two goals in five straight games and is now up to 52 on the season. He's also scored an astounding 24 points in his last 10 games. Stacking Edmonton around him is always a viable strategy.
If you want an even strength and power play linemate with McDavid, Zach Hyman ($8,300) is your best bet. He's already bested last season's career high in goals with 29 this season. The third member of this line looks to be a bit of a revolving door at the moment, but it seems like Derek Ryan ($3,500) will get the most time with them. For nearly the minimum salary, he's worth playing. The big beneficiary of Tyson Barrie being traded was Evan Bouchard ($4,200), who inherits the first power play role on defense and has all the skills to contribute to the league's best power play.
Edmonton is playing against the Winnipeg Jets tonight. Winnipeg has slipped of late from where they were a few months ago, having won just 4 of their last 10 games. They have been a fairly average defensive team and don't have a ton of hope to slow down McDavid with the way he's been playing.
The Oilers have the third-highest implied team total tonight, and anytime you can get McDavid into your lineup, you should try to do it.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken haven't been the busiest team in the trade market. They have a fairly deep roster already and have been exceeding expectations all year long. It's still surprising to people around the league that they've managed to score the sixth-most goals per game this season.
The Kraken don't have any superstars, but they have multiple scoring lines that can do damage. Matty Beniers ($5,600) might be a star in the future, as he is the current favorite for rookie of the year. He's fourth on the team in points and plays with the top two scorers in Jared McCann ($5,700) and Jordan Eberle ($5,500). Beniers and Eberle will play together on the first power play, while McCann is the main man on the second unit.
You can get a very affordable line stack if you use Seattle's second line. Oliver Bjorkstrand ($4,600) and Alexander Wennberg ($4,300) are both on the second power play as well as being on this line. They play with Jaden Schwartz ($4,600), who will see time on the first power play. The total salary for this line is $13,500, and it may be necessary to use them if trying to fit in McDavid and company.
The Kraken are playing against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. The Jackets are another that sold at the trade deadline and made a bad defensive team even worse. They allowed the third-most goals and shots on goal per game and have been getting some of the worst goaltending in the league from normal starter Elvis Merzlikins.
Seattle has the second-highest implied team total tonight, and their players have such affordable salaries that they are hard to not use when building lineups tonight.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.