3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 2/28/20
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.
Vegas Golden Knights
Viva Las Vegas!
If Elvis was still around, he'd probably love the Vegas Golden Knights. They score plenty of goals, the arena is always rocking, and they play fast and loose. We should be seeing all of that tonight with their slate-high 3.56 implied goal total, as they are set to hose the Buffalo Sabres. The Knights clock in at third-highest in the league when it comes to Corsi For (Shot Attempts Created) and the second-highest in the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances created per 60 minutes.
The shots we see from them bring the floor of points you want in cash games, while the upside comes from the fact they take plenty of attempts close to the net. It also helps that they have a good amount of shared ice time between their forward lines and their power-plays. They don't have full correlation, but there are two skaters on the first forward line on the first power-play and two from the second forward line. You have some options to pick from, but getting to all four players brings the most upside.
Those skaters are Mark Stone ($7,200), Jon Marchessault ($7,000), Paul Stastny ($5,300), and Max Pacioretty ($7,900), who come in with a very impressive 20 points and 56 shots in their last five games. Expensive, but you are looking at a solid base of points every night.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins made some savvy moves at the trade deadline and are looking even stronger.
No blockbuster trades for the team from the Steel City, but a few minor moves have solidified a roster that has been hit with a number of injuries this season. Despite all those injuries, the Penguins are just four points behind first place in the Metro Division -- with two games in hand. They are currently on a four-game losing streak but primed to turn that around tonight on the road taking on the Anaheim Ducks. A matchup of two birds tonight! Penguins versus Ducks -- even though the former doesn't really fly -- we should see the Pens offense take flight.
One player acquired at the trade deadline was Conor Sheary ($3,800), who is now on the top forward line with Sidney Crosby ($8,500) and Jason Zucker ($5,900). Crosby is the only player on the first power-play unit, while the other two are on the second unit. Yes, you are sacrificing some ice-time correlation -- but you get salary relief and actually get exposure to both power-plays this way.
Colorado Avalanche
If there is any game on this slate where you should be considering a game stack, this is the one.
The Colorado Avalanche are on the road to take on the Carolina Hurricanes, in what could be the fantasy game of the night. The over/under is sitting at 6.0, but this game could blow past that given the offenses we have on each side. Both teams are sitting in the top seven in the league for shot attempts created per 60 minutes. They have dynamic forwards who can move the puck, create offense, and enable plenty of fantasy points back and forth. We are truly in a spot where we could see a 5-4 or 5-3 final score.
The Hurricanes are a very solid option tonight, but we should be seeing the Avalanche come in at lower ownership -- given the other options on this slate. For that reason, I like them a bit more tonight in tournaments -- always aiming for lower-owned options. Nathan MacKinnon ($8,700) is the top-line center and on the first power-play with Gabriel Landeskog ($6,700), who are their two most expensive options. Right now, Valeri Nichushkin ($4,000) is on the first forward line for the Avalanche since Andre Burakovsky ($5,400) is listed as a game-time decision. Tyson Jost ($3,400) is very cheap and now on the first power-play unit, offering some salary flexibility tonight.
