3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 2/8/21
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, as if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists as well. Ideally, we'll want players that 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 up to date line information.
Monday has a few rematches that we saw last week, with teams that we'll want to go back to today. Let's look at those teams and how to stack them on this slate.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are now on top of the North division after overtaking the Montreal Canadiens over the weekend. This is what most people expected given the talent on their roster, especially upfront. When starting a conversation about the Leafs' most talented players, it starts with Auston Matthews ($8,800). He continues to be on a goal-scoring run, after scoring two goals in each of the previous two games. That brings him to goals in seven straight games, with nine total during this streak. It helps that he plays with Mitchell Marner ($8,100), one of the best passers in the game. Marner is up to third in the NHL in points with 20. These two play together on even strength and on the power play and make for a good two-man stack as no other player correlates with them on the power play at forward. The best option for a third player to play with them would be the power play defenseman Morgan Rielly ($5,200), who has nine points in his last six games and has a salary that's more than fair for someone of his role and production.
The Maple Leafs will play the Vancouver Canucks for the third game in a row, and that's probably fine with them. They scored 12 goals in the last 2 meetings, with this trio combining for five goals and eight assists in those two games. It's been a brutal start for the Canucks, especially defensively. They've allowed four goals per game, and their underlying numbers aren't making things look any better. They are dead last in shots against per 60 minutes, expected goals allowed per 60, and high danger chances per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick. This is why the Leafs have the night's highest implied team total, sitting at 3.77 currently.
This Leafs' stack will likely be popular, but given what we've seen from them against the Canucks lately, it's worth playing them and trying to be unique in other ways in your tournament lineups tonight.
Edmonton Oilers
Last Tuesday, everyone was trying to get as much exposure to the Edmonton Oilers as they possibly could, after they came off an eight-goal performance. They scored four goals and people seemed to be disappointed with that. Connor McDavid ($8,900) has reached the status that we see of the true greats across sports, as he makes the extraordinary look ordinary. McDavid had two points in that game, but people were expecting more, holding him to the ridiculous standards that he's set by being great. He's still on a streak of multiple points in seven straight games and leads the league in scoring. Second in the league is Leon Draisaitl ($8,600), who's on a nine-game point streak himself. Playing these guys together breaks the traditional way to stack lines, but given how good they are on the power play and how coach Dave Tippett will use them both together at even strength late in close games, it is fine to play the Oilers' top two centers together. The third guy in the pecking order is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($7,400), who hasn't been as good of late but does have 11 points in 13 games and has two monster games of over 40 FanDuel points this season.
Besides the raw point totals from their top players, the other reason to get excited about the Oilers tonight is the matchup. They'll take on the same Ottawa Senators team that they scored 12 goals against in two games last week. McDavid and Draisaitl had seven points each in those two games, dominating the way the Oilers will need them to if they are going to have any success this season. Ottawa is the only team that allows more goals per game than Vancouver, conceding a massive 4.33 goals per game. If you want more Edmonton players in your lineup, you could add Tyson Barrie ($5,400), as the defenseman has gotten going with his new team, with points in five straight games.
The Oilers come in just behind the Leafs in implied team totals tonight, with their goal total being 3.64. People will be less excited to play the Oilers than they were on Tuesday against the same opponent, but the same upside remains with this stack.
Columbus Blue Jackets
With those two stacks listed above dominating most roster constructions on this slate, we are going to need some salary relief to fit in those high-salary players. A way to do it would be to play some Columbus Blue Jackets' in stacks, as most of their players are affordable. Max Domi ($4,200) has seen a better role of late after the lines have been shifting and has points in consecutive games. Alexandre Texier ($4,400) has cooled down since the hot start, but has shown talent and seems to have earned the trust of the coaching staff. These players play together on the top power play and are joined at even strength by Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5,100), who is an underrated sniper that scored at a 35-goal full-season pace last season. This stack would only require $13,700 and has reasonable upside.
Another way you could go is the first line, even if it's a little more expensive. The combination that came from the trade with the Winnipeg Jets, Patrik Laine ($7,400) and Jack Roslovic ($3,700), are playing together and look good so far. Laine has three goals in the last two games. Roslovic has multiple points in those two games and also has six points in his last four. They also correlate on the power play, where Laine is able to do most of his damage. Cam Atkinson ($5,700) also plays with them at even strength, and if he is ever able to find his 41-goal form from two seasons ago again, this salary would look like a huge bargain.
Players like Laine, Atkinson, and Bjorkstrand likely will not be popular because of all the salary that will be allocated to Oilers' and Maple Leafs' players tonight. You can use these guys to differentiate from what other people are doing, and also use the lower-salary options to fit in some of the higher-upside players that are available on this slate.
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.
