4 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 12/17/19

When playing NHL DFS -- much like MLB DFS -- stacking is key. Having multiple players from the same team, who correlate together, can give 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.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning boast a slate-high 4.19 implied goal total, and you want plenty of exposure to them tonight.

Tampa might not be the same team they were last season, but their offense can certainly put up big fantasy numbers -- especially in this matchup. They are facing the Ottawa Senators, who are on the second night of a back-to-back and allowed six goals yesterday to the Florida Panthers. The Senators are a team we've attacked time and time again, and there is no reason to stop now. They are holding the fourth-worst Corsi Against this season, along with allowing the 10th-most High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60 minutes.

The Senators defense presents one of the best matchups on the slate, and you can look to stack Tampa in cash games and/or tournaments tonight.

There is a bit of injury news for the Lightning tonight as star winger Nikita Kucherov ($8,200) is a game-time decision after leaving their most recent game early. If he plays, he is a top option in this matchup and will be on the first power-play unit. If he doesn't play, then we get a bit of value in his spot. The second forward line is now Steven Stamkos ($8,600), Alex Killorn ($5,100), and Anthony Cirelli ($4,500), with the first two players on the top power play together.

It's a great stack either way -- just a matter of getting the status of Kucherov.

Boston Bruins

It feels like it's been a few weeks since we've had a classic spot for the Boston Bruins at home, but we have one tonight.

Boston hosts the Los Angeles Kings, which gives the Original Six team an implied total sitting at 3.29 -- the fourth-highest on the slate. The Kings are by no means a good team, but they actually come in with the third-highest Corsi For this season. They don't have a good offense, but they enable a faster-paced game, which is great for fantasy.

If you are looking to stack the Bruins, you go straight to their top line, and you don't really consider anyone else.

Why their top line? Well, it's the number-one rated line in hockey, and they bring an insane amount of production anytime they are on the ice. Patrice Bergeron ($8,200), Brad Marchand ($8,200), and elite goal-scorer David Pastrnak ($8,900) are that top line, and as you can tell, they are very expensive. With that price, you are getting 14 NHL points and 59 shots in their last five games -- borderline video-game numbers.

Buffalo Sabres

With a 6.5 over/under, the Buffalo Sabres-Toronto Maple Leafs game is a clear spot to target for fantasy production.

The Sabres are +170 road underdogs, with an implied goal total set at 2.78 -- which is too low tonight. Jack Eichel ($8,900) has a 16-game point streak going right now and comes in with nine total points in his last five games, along with 14 shots. He is carrying this Sabres' offense and will need every bit of that against an always-dangerous top power play from the Leafs. Alongside Eichel on the first forward line, we have Victor Olofsson ($7,100) and Sam Reinhart ($5,400), both of whom have six points in their last five games, benefiting from having an All-Star on the same line.

With just a 2.78 implied goal total, Buffalo shouldn't see too much ownership, making them intriguing when it comes to tournaments. The aforementioned Lightning are the best high-dollar stack for all formats, but the Sabres should be in the mix when it comes to tournaments.

Arizona Coyotes

I'm not saying I coined this nickname -- I saw it on Twitter dot com multiple times yesterday -- but Arizona is now known as Hall and Yotes.

That is due to the fact they have traded for Taylor Hall, who joins the Coyotes in the biggest trade of the season to date. Hall and Yotes are here for the rest of the season, and they have a decent landing spot for his first game. They are on the road to take on the San Jose Sharks, who will have Aaron Dell in net. He's not good -- I mean, he is flat out terrible. He is currently rated as the 66th-best goalie in the NHL. There are 31 teams in the league plus one back up for each team; that equals 62.

Hall is set to play up on the first forward line and the first power-play unit with Phil Kessel ($6,800), Christian Dvorak ($4,400), and Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($4,500). They are very fairly priced tonight and in a great spot since the Sharks are in the bottom-four in expected goals against and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60 minutes this season. Hall isn't in the player pool due to the timing of the trade, but the rest of the line needs to be on your radar.