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.
There are only three games today, but we have some fun stacking opportunities with some teams we don't normally consider on larger slates.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings appeared to be in the playoff race for a hot minute. They then lost their next six games, picking up just a single point in that stretch. They made some moves to sell some pieces but still have enough firepower left to excite us in this matchup.
One player that Detroit decided to hold onto was Dylan Larkin ($7,100), as they signed him to an eight-year contract extension. He continues to be their most important forward, leading the team in goals and points. David Perron ($5,200) is second on the team in points with 39. Lucas Raymond ($4,800) has returned from injury and joins this top line as the fourth-leading goal scorer on the team despite missing time. This line all plays together on the first power play, as well.
The Red Wings may not be true contenders anymore, but they are in much better shape than the current state of the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago is dead last in the Western Conference and traded away essentially anyone they could at the trade deadline. They've allowed the sixth-most expected goals and fifth-most scoring chances on a per-60-minute basis.
Detroit has the second-highest implied team total tonight and is the biggest favorite, so we should see them have success in this game.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks continue to make several puzzling moves that have put their future in jeopardy. They are already in a bad salary cap situation for next season, and the team isn't even close to being contenders. Luckily for us, we don't have to solve their problems, and we can just focus on stacking their better players in a matchup that should be fruitful for them.
A bright spot for the Canucks has been the play of Elias Pettersson ($9,800). He's again looking like the player who people thought could be one of the top centers in the game with 79 points in 61 games. He's helped Andrei Kuzmenko ($6,200) score 29 goals in his first NHL season. These two play together on Vancouver's first power play. Anthony Beauvillier ($4,700) has been solid since coming over in a trade, racking up 12 points in 14 games as a Canuck. He'll occupy the right wing on this first line.
The second line is also an option, as it has two members of the top power play. J.T. Miller ($7,100) was the subject of a lot of trade talk ahead of the deadline but ultimately stayed put. He's tied for third on the team in points, and he plays with Brock Boeser ($5,900) at both even strength and on the power play. Then if you need a punt,Phil Di Giuseppe ($3,800) is also on this line.
Vancouver will face the Anaheim Ducks at home tonight. The Ducks are the only team in the league that allows more goals per game than the Canucks. They are also coming off a loss last night in which they allowed five goals to the Seattle Kraken.
The Canucks have the highest team total on the board tonight. They may not be a good team, but they have more offensive talent than most of the bad ones in the league, making them a fun team to stack.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have not been a team we've often targeted this season. Things have gone mostly poorly, but they still have some exciting players and are in a game in which we can justify stacking them tonight.
Much of the Ducks' hope for the future relies on Trevor Zegras ($6,500). He's a human highlight reel and has backed that up by being the team leader in goals and points. Ryan Strome ($4,100) has not had a good year in his first season with the Ducks, but for this salary and his role on the first line and top power play, he is definitely someone you can roster. Brock McGinn ($3,700) was just acquired before the trade deadline and is getting a chance with this first line.
You can also consider the second line, as Troy Terry ($6,700) and Mason McTavish ($5,100) have both played well lately. Terry recently had a stretch of four straight games with a goal, and McTavish has five points in his last four games. They'll also play on the first power play together.
The members of the Ducks' power play get a matchup that is one of the best we've seen in a long time. Vancouver's penalty kill success rate is currently 67.9%. Since the 2004-05 lockout, the worst penalty kill we've seen is the 2020-21 New Jersey Devils (71.0%), who were over three percentage points better than this Canucks mark.
Vancouver's defensive personnel is lacking after the trade deadline, and even a team that has been as bad as the Ducks could potentially take advantage of that.
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.