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.
Let's see if we can find three stacks we can fall in love with on this Valentine's day.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have been stellar all season as a surprise team this year. They've gone 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and sit comfortably in a playoff spot. They will still be without Jack Hughes tonight, but they look good enough to stack even without their young star.
The absence of Hughes has simplified the Devils' stacking situation. We know we want Nico Hischier ($7,500) and Jesper Bratt ($7,200) in our stacks, as they are the two highest-scoring forwards still in the lineup. They are now joined by Ondrej Palat ($4,600), who has been great lately. Palat has five points in his last three games playing on this line and now is on the top power play with his two even-strength linemates.
New Jersey will face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus has been a defensive disaster all season long, allowing the third-most goals per game. They also are holding Vladislav Gavrikov out of the lineup tonight, and he's been one of their better defensemen this season.
The Devils have the highest implied team total on tonight's slate despite missing their best player and are still a top stack on the board due to this matchup.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been up and down to start their road trip. They destroyed the Anaheim Ducks, 6-3, on Friday, getting 59 shots on goal. On Saturday, they were on the receiving end of a 6-0 beating by the Los Angeles Kings. Luckily for them, their opponent tonight is much more like the Ducks than the Kings.
Pittsburgh's top line continues to be a good stacking option, with three dangerous players who also play together on the power play. Sidney Crosby ($8,400) got his first career game misconduct on Saturday and will look to make amends tonight. He had a point in nine straight games before getting blanked last time out. Jake Guentzel ($7,700) is second on the team with 21 goals and continues to show great chemistry with Crosby. Rickard Rakell ($6,800) is the third member of this line and correlates across the board with both players.
Tonight, Pittsburgh is completing the third leg of the California road trip with a game against the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have conceded the fourth-most goals per game this season, so Pittsburgh should be able to create chances.
The Penguins have the third-highest implied team total on the slate, sitting at 3.55 goals. They were able to score four against San Jose just a few weeks ago, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them do the same tonight.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders round out a trio of Metropolitan Division teams for our stacks today. Their recent trade has made them an interesting team to stack, especially in a matchup like tonight's.
The Islanders' first line has been playing great since Bo Horvat ($8,600) joined the team. He has goals in each of his last three games, continuing the torrid pace he was on in Vancouver. Mathew Barzal ($6,600) has five points in the four games that he's been playing on the wing alongside Horvat. These two play on the top power play together, and you can stack them with value cog Josh Bailey ($4,000) at even strength.
New York's second line is definitely in play, as well. Brock Nelson ($7,200) is having a great season and has a 10-game point streak working. Anders Lee ($6,400) will play with him on the first power play and is just behind Nelson with 19 goals. Kyle Palmieri ($5,300) is also on this line and worth playing as the third piece.
The Isles get to face the Ottawa Senators at home today after Ottawa just played an overtime game last night. The Senators look to be starting third-string goalie Mads Sogaard for the second straight night. Ottawa allowed 85 shot attempts last night, and if they don't shore things up defensively, their inexperienced goaltender could be in for a long night.
With the Isles boasting an implied team total of 3.45, the Islanders are a great place to look for a stack today.
Others to Consider: Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes
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.