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.
Four games here on Wednesday, and some teams that will make for great stacks on this slate.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals were able to get back in the playoff race due to their recent run of good play. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and have some pieces back in the lineup who should help them keep things up.
Washington has good depth at center, and for now, that's allowed Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,500) to jump up to the top line with Alex Ovechkin ($9,900). These two have been hot of late, with Kuznetsov amassing 11 points in his last 10 games, and Ovechkin scoring nine goals in the same stretch. The new right-wing on this line is Sonny Milano ($5,900), and he can certainly be effective on this line. Erik Gustafsson ($5,600) is also a good player to stack with this line as he is a capable offensive defenseman who is now on the first power play.
The Capitals will face the Philadelphia Flyers on the road tonight. The Flyers are a bottom-10 team in shots against, expected goals against and high-danger chances against, so they are definitely a team to target.
Washington has exploded a few times recently, including a nine-goal performance less than two weeks ago. In this spot, they are capable of being the best stack on the slate.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers let us down on Monday in a weird game that saw them be shorthanded seven times and not score on six power plays of their own. That isn't likely to happen many times, especially in a matchup like tonight's.
We still get to play Connor McDavid ($10,600) with two low-salary wingers. Klim Kostin ($3,800) and Kailer Yamamoto ($4,000) have enough talent to capitalize on their chance to play with the best player in the world. You can roster either winger with Leon Draisaitl ($10,200) and capture exposure to a McDavid teammate at both even strength and on the power play. Tyson Barrie ($6,300) also makes for a great stacking option on defense.
The Oilers will play the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. Anaheim is the only team that allows more than four goals per game, and they also give up the most shots on goal per game. They have the third-worst penalty kill, and Edmonton has the league's best power play.
The matchup doesn't get much better than this for Edmonton, and they have an implied team total of 4.15 goals.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs once again look like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Whether or not that means they will be successful in the playoffs this time remains to be seen, but they should be able to do some damage in tonight's matchup.
Toronto will be without Auston Matthews, and it has caused some shifting with their lines. Mitchell Marner ($8,200) and John Tavares ($8,000) are still together on a line that will now be used as the first line, and they will play together on the first power play. Calle Jarnkrok ($4,900) skates with these guys at even strength and has been hot of late with four points in his last two games.
It will be tricky to stack the second line as William Nylander ($8,800) has moved to center but is still listed as a wing. You can stack him with Michael Bunting ($6,100) and Morgan Rielly ($6,100) to get three players correlated on the power play.
The Leafs will be at home against the Nashville Predators. The Predators are sneaky-bad defensively, allowing the third-most shot attempts and fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes. They recently allowed 67 shots on goal in a game and seem to be getting worse defensively as the year goes on.
With Matthews out, Toronto probably won't be as popular as Edmonton and Washington are, but they have enough talent and the matchup is good enough for them to warrant consideration.
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.