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.
We go from four games yesterday to 11 tonight, and have a lot of good options we can use in a stack.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins were expected to fall off a bit this season. They have an older team and had injuries carrying over from last season. Well, they've made anyone who believed that look foolish, because they've been by far the best team in the NHL this season.
The Bruins did suffer a blow to their lineup when Jake DeBrusk got injured. They've had to make a shift to their lines after the injury, andCraig Smith ($3,500) has now moved up to play with Patrice Bergeron ($7,500) and Brad Marchand ($8,400). Smith hasn't been having the best year, but he has notched an assist in three straight games and has been a decent goal-scorer throughout his career. He's a good value who helps us get to two of the Bruins' best fantasy assets.
The second line is also stackable, with Boston's most productive player currently skating on the line.David Pastrnak ($10,500) is second in the league in goals and fourth in points. He's on a line with fellow Czechs David Krejci ($5,800) and Pavel Zacha ($4,700). This line will likely be less popular than the top line, but it is dangerous in its own right.
Boston will face thh Montreal Canadiens on the road tonight. Montreal has been one of the worst teams in the league of late and is allowing the most shot attempts per 60 minutes. They also surrender the fifth-most goals per game.
Boston is the biggest favorite on tonight's slate -- by some distance -- and also has the highest implied team total, so whichever way you want to stack them has some viability.
Arizona Coyotes
It's not a misprint -- the Arizona Coyotes are actually a team we can stack today. They are coming off an impressive win and are playing a team that they are actually favored against.
Sunday was a big game for Clayton Keller ($6,900), the team's representative in the All-Star game. He had a hat trick, which was his second of the season. He's playing with Nick Schmaltz ($5,600) and Barrett Hayton ($4,000) at both even strength and on the power play. Schmaltz had two assists on Keller goals last game, and they have correlated well in the past two seasons. The salaries are low enough to consider either Jakob Chychrun ($7,300) or Shayne Gostisbehere ($6,100) as defensemen who will play on the first power play.
Arizona has a matchup at home against the Anaheim Ducks. Arizona is 9-7-2 at home, taking advantage of the NHL's most unique home arena. Now they'll get to play against the league's worst defensive team and could really rack up the goals in this matchup.
The Coyotes have a certain stink on them that makes people not want to roster them in fantasy, but if there was ever a time to do it, it would be tonight.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a fairly average squad. They aren't in the playoffs at the moment but aren't one of the worst teams in the NHL. They are a team we can target in good matchups, and tonight is one of those matchups.
The Red Wings' top line has been led by Dylan Larkin ($7,300) for the last handful of years. He's the team's leading scorer and is joined by the third-leading scorer, Lucas Raymond ($5,700), at both even strength and on the power play. Michael Rasmussen ($4,400) is also a nice value option to use with this line.
The second line is also viable, as it contains two players from the first power play. Andrew Copp ($4,300) is one of the better low-salary plays on the slate, skating on this line and the top power play. The same can be said for Jonatan Berggren ($5,300), who looks to be making some progress in his first year as an NHL player. David Perron ($5,900) is also on this line and is still capable of having big games as one of the team's best goal-scorers.
Detroit is at home against the San Jose Sharks. Sharks' games have turned chaotic at times this season, so they are always a fun team to pick on. They've allowed the fourth-most goals per game due to shaky goaltending and poor defensive depth.
The Wings' implied team total is the fifth-highest on tonight's slate, which makes some of their key players look like great value options to stack up on Tuesday.
Others to Consider: Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues
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.