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.
Football season may have ended yesterday, but the NHL season still has months left. Both sports involve stacking in DFS tournaments, so let's find some stacks to use in hockey tonight.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are firmly in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. They currently occupy the first wild card spot and can move up into a Pacific Division spot with a few wins. They dominated on Saturday and will look to do the same in a good spot tonight.
The Kings won their previous game, 6-0, and it was a big game for Adrian Kempe ($7,000). He scored four goals and is now up to 26 on the season. This puts him well on pace to beat last season's career high of 35 goals. Anze Kopitar ($7,200) has also had big games in his last two outings, notching consecutive three-point games. The other member of this line is Quinton Byfield ($3,100), who is also on the top power play with these guys and is close to the minimum salary.
LA will be at home against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres got demolished last game, 7-2, and are questionable in goal. They've allowed the ninth-most goals per game and are in the bottom half of the league in most shot-prevention metrics.
The Kings have the third-highest implied team total and could explode again versus a weak defensive team.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames were the team that put seven goals past the Sabres on Saturday. They haven't been a dynamic offensive team for most of the season but have been able to get shots in volume. They are in a favorable situation tonight and could turn more shots into goals.
The Flames have used the same lines for a while now, something rare for a team that struggles to score goals. They have Elias Lindholm ($6,700) centering the first line, and he leads the team in points with 48. Tyler Toffoli ($6,900) paces the team in goals and will link up with Lindholm on the power play. Dillon Dube ($5,000) is fourth on the team in goals and comes at a modest salary.
Calgary's second line also is in play, as it has two forwards from the first power play. Nazem Kadri ($6,800) is having a good first season with the Flames, ranking second on the team with 20 goals. Jonathan Huberdeau ($5,300), unlike Kadri, has been a disappointment after being traded to Calgary in the summer. He can still be a good play today for this low salary, as he is still capable of scoring points at even strength and on the first power play. Jakob Pelletier ($3,700) scored his first NHL goal on Saturday, and the talented youngster has an expanding role that will see him playing alongside good players.
The Flames are on the road tonight to face the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa is having a goaltender crisis as Cam Talbot has been injured since January 25th and Anton Forsberg tore both of his MCLs on Saturday. They will turn to Mads Sogaard, who is playing in just his third NHL game. The Sens are a team that is weak defensively, and if their goalie is below average, it could spell disaster for them.
Calgary's implied team total is the second-highest on tonight's slate. Maybe they started to figure some things out last game in terms of line chemistry, and they could put up another crooked number tonight.
Detroit Red Wings
There aren't many teams in amazing spots on this slate, so we can look at a middling Detroit Red Wings team for an under-the-radar stack. The Wings are in the uncomfortable position of not being playoff contenders but not being in position to get a top draft pick. However, they'll get a weak opponent today, one they just played well against.
The Wings' top line is easy to fit into stacks, and you can play some dangerous players. Dylan Larkin ($7,200) once again leads the team points with 48. He's playing with Dominik Kubalik ($6,000), who's third on the team in points and goals. Tyler Bertuzzi ($4,300) is on this line and the top power play with Larkin. Bertuzzi has been stop-and-start all season long with injuries but is still a talented player whose salary is too low for what he is capable of producing.
Bertuzzi played 20 minutes last game with Lucas Raymond out, and his role should be secure. Moritz Seider ($5,700) has been picking up the production on defense lately, with seven assists in his last five games. He definitely is another piece you can play with this stack.
Detroit will play the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in three days. The Wings won 5-2 in this matchup on Saturday. Vancouver has allowed the second-most goals per game and has by far the worst penalty kill in the league. Their success rate while shorthanded is just 65.8%; no other team is below 70%.
The Red Wings' top line likely won't be a popular stack but can go off in this matchup and doesn't break the bank.
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.