3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 10/4/19
When playing NHL DFS -- much like MLB DFS -- stacking is key. Having multiple players from the same team, who correlate together, can bring your lineup upside and help you maximize potential points.
You can roster up to four players from the same team in NHL and you should look to have players from the same forward line or power-play unit together. Shared ice time is the key, as it will maximize their ability to contribute to real-life goals with each other, ultimately leading to more fantasy points for us.
Generally, we don't see late scratches in the NHL, and the team's lines are confirmed at practice or before the game. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com or DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team.
New Jersey Devils
I'm a firm believer in sample sizes and looking at data through the proper lens, since we don't want to jump to conclusions too soon.
With that said, the Winnipeg Jets defense is horrible -- even after seeing just one game -- and you want to stack against them tonight. It's a bit odd that we see a team on a back-to-back to open the season, but it's minimal travel for the Jets, who were at the New York Rangers last night and now on the road to take on the powered up New Jersey Devils.
If you want a clear picture of how bad the Jets are on defense, see this, which shows all three of their defensive pairings are 26th or worse in the league. They had a 52.43 Corsi Against last night, but that's only one game. This presents us with a fantastic opportunity to rack up some fantasy points, so let's take a look.
As mentioned, the Devils have made some serious improvements to their lineup. They have Taylor Hall ($7.8K) back after missing most of last season with an injury, they traded for defender P.K. Subban ($5.6K), who will be on the first power-play unit, drafted number one overall pick Jack Hughes ($5.5K), and added a bit of grit with Wayne Simmonds ($4.3K).
The Devils were flat out bad last year -- hence having the number one pick -- but things are looking completely different this season. Of those players mentioned, they are all on the first power-play unit except Hughes, which makes them a viable stack tonight. You can also add in Kyle Palmieri ($5.9K) to the stack, as he is also on the first forward line with Hall. This is looking to be one of the prime stacks of the night, and they should only see their prices rise as the season goes on.
Toronto Maple Leafs
On opening night, the Toronto Maple Leafs showed us why they are one of the best teams to stack in DFS, and we are going right back to them tonight.
While the top unit has the big names you would expect, the second unit offers the necessary salary relief on a small four-game slate. The Leafs come in with an implied team total sitting at 3.49, which is the highest on the slate, so we are expecting plenty of scoring from them. It can also help to go to the second unit for lower ownership, something that can be tougher to find on a slate this size.
The second power-play can get a bit confusing when it comes to where the players are, so let's break it down. Alexander Kerfoot ($4.2K) is the center on the third forward line, William Nylander ($5.6K) is a winger on the second forward line, Kasperi Kapanen ($4.4K) is a winger on the first forward line, Jason Spezza ($3.3K) is the center on the fourth forward line, and Tyson Barrie ($6.3K) is on the second defensive pairing.
This could be the most jumbled group in the entire league and lack the correlation we usually look for. Sacrifice the correlation for lower ownership, though, because this is still a legitimately good spot against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are going to be taking a significant step back from the playoff team they were last season.
The Leafs racked up an insane 78 Corsi For in the first game, but they played the Ottawa Senators, so take it with a grain of salt.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights are playing a home-and-home to open the season, with San Jose playing host tonight. These new rivals squared off on Wednesday night to open the season, with Vegas coming away with a solid 4-1 win. They now head up to the Shark Tank, where San Jose will have their home-opener.
The Sharks top line/top power-play unit has been known to disappoint from time to time, but you can't get punched in the mouth by your rival two games in a row to start the season. It also helps that the Sharks are very solid team all-around and come in with an implied team total set at 3.18 tonight, which is the fourth-highest on the slate.
The first power-play is where you should be focusing in on for a stack tonight, and they have good, but not great, correlation overall.
Sharks captain Logan Couture ($7.5K) leads the way on the first forward line alongside winger Timo Meier ($6.4K), who should be good to go after suffering a minor injury during the third period on Wednesday. Those two are on the first forward line together, who then see Tomas Hertl ($6.6K), the center from the second line, and Kevin Labanc ($5.1K), a winger on the third line, join them on the top power-play unit. Those four players are also joined by defender Brent Burns ($7.4K) on the first power-play, who is one of, if not the absolute most consistent player in NHL DFS.
