4 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 12/19/19

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.

Winnipeg Jets

With a slate-high 3.58 implied goal total, the Winnipeg Jets should be one of the most popular teams on tonight's slate.

The Jets are the third-highest moneyline favorite on the slate, (-165) have a high implied team total, and have full ice-time correlation when it comes to their top lines. These are the three things we should always aim for, since it provides a solid floor of points along with a high ceiling.

The Jets are hosting the Chicago Blackhawks, who are on the second night of a back-to-back and are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Chicago ranks in the bottom-three in Corsi Against, expected goals against, and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances allowed per 60 minutes.

Winnipeg's top forward lines consists of Mark Scheifele ($7,600), Kyle Connor ($6,600), and Patrik Laine ($7,500), all of whom are on the first power-play line together. On this 10-game slate, you could make the argument that they are the top overall stack for either format. They come in with 19 points and 39 shots in their last five games.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are in one of the best spots of the slate against the Ottawa Senators. Let's take a look at why.

To be honest -- and I've mentioned this before -- I don't like stacking the Predators. They don't have a dominant forward line, are lacking ice-time correlation, and have about six forwards and three defenders who could contribute offensively. This might be great from a real hockey perspective -- but for DFS, their production isn't concentrated enough. You go with their top forward line, and for some reason, the goals come from the second line or the defenders, and boom, you're left with no points.

That is all true, but they still need to be considered tonight since they are playing the Senators, who are allowing the fourth-most shot attempts per game. They have a strong floor of points, but they might lack upside needed in tournaments. Yakov Trenin ($3,000), Ryan Johansen ($6,100), and Calle Jarnkrok ($4,600) are on the first forward line together, with the latter two on the first power play. Trenin isn't on a power-play, but he is the minimum salary tonight.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have a solid 3.16 implied team total tonight, but they could go overlooked.

The Flames are having a roller coaster of a season and are now facing a resurgent Montreal Canadiens squad. The combination of these two things is the reason they might go under-owned, along with the fact there are better teams who have lower implied goal totals but are a bit more consistent. If they do fly under the radar, the Flames make a good stack for tournaments -- but not for cash games.

Both of these teams find themselves in the top six when it comes to shot attempts created per 60 minutes, putting us in a spot for a faster-paced game and, hopefully, plenty of offense.

The second power-play unit for the Flames is actually bad, so don't go anywhere near them. Turn right to the top unit with Sean Monahan ($7,200), John Gaudreau ($7,800), Matthew Tkachuk ($6,300), and defender Mark Giordano ($5,500). Those three forwards have 10 points in their last five games, while Giordano brings 10 shots and 25 blocked shots in that same time.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes travel to the Mile High City to take on the Colorado Avalanche in what should be a high-scoring game.

Both teams are in the top-10 in goals scored this season and the top-10 in Corsi For. They each generate a ton of shot attempts and are able to turn them into goals and fantasy points. This is looking to be one of the best overall game environments on the slate, and I like this spot for a game stack. The Avalanche also have some of the best stacking options in the NHL, as we saw last night.

Andrei Svechnikov ($6,300), Sebastian Aho ($7,700), Teuvo Teravainen ($6,700) and Dougie Hamilton ($6,400) are on the first power-play unit for the 'Canes, which is where most of their production comes from. They have the upside you want, and they will likely need to show it tonight in order to keep up with the very dangerous top line from Colorado.