3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 3/17/21

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.

Wednesday's slate should look familiar to you if you played on Monday, as five of the six games are the same. Let's dive into how we can use the information we have from Monday's games to our advantage when it comes to stacking.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers got a much-needed win on Monday as they fight for a playoff spot in the East.

They are playing a different style of hockey this season. Last season, when they finished second in the Metropolitan division, they used the strength of their defense. This season, they haven't been as good at keeping the puck out of their net, as they have allowed the seventh-most goals per game. They've been able to keep their head above water by scoring the fifth-most goals per game. So Flyers games seem like ones we want to target for fantasy this year, more so than last year.

The Flyers' first line had been rolling along nicely but hit a bit of a bump in the road. It still consists of their three leaders in points per game. Sean Couturier ($7,600) hasn't scored in his last six games but does have six assists in his last five. James van Riemsdyk ($6,100) isn't quite scoring at the pace he was earlier in the season, but he still leads the team with 29 points and has goals in back-to-back games. Joel Farabee ($5,200) also had a goal in the last game, giving him 12 on the season.

Unfortunately, this line no longer fully correlates on the power play, as only Couturier and Van Riemsdyk are on the first unit and Farabee is on the second. This is only a slight knock against them, as Farabee still plays on the second unit and scored from there in the last game. If you want a player who will play on the top power play, Shayne Gostisbehere ($4,400) is a good way to do it, as he is an offensive defenseman who can put up points and comes at a very fair salary.

The Flyers will face off against the rival New York Rangers again on Wednesday night. The Rangers are surprisingly not a terrible defensive team this season compared to the past few years, but that hasn't slowed down the Flyers when playing against them. Philly has scored 11 goals in their three meetings with the Rangers. The Rangers' best defenseman, Adam Fox, missed Monday's game due to being on the COVID list, and if he misses again, that's a big boost to all of the Flyers' players.

Philadelphia has the third-highest implied team total on the slate, so they are definitely a stack we can use tonight.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights mostly let us down on Monday night after they were definitely one of the best stacks on the board. They only put up two goals in a winning effort. Digging deeper into the game, they easily could have had more. They had 40 scoring chances and 3.48 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. They are the fourth-best team in shot attempt differential, so this was nothing new, as they mostly have been doing this all season. Even if they could only pot two goals in that game, they'll have an opportunity to do more on Wednesday.

The good news is that the top guys had a hand in both goals in the last game. Max Pacioretty ($8,000) continued his good form with a goal and an assist, and Mark Stone ($7,700) also had a goal and assist. The only thing disappointing was that these two didn't have as many shots or shot attempts as they normally do, but that shouldn't be something to worry about.

Cody Glass ($3,300) was the center for this line, and he was disappointing because he didn't get in on either of the goals and didn't get a shot himself. He also didn't play on the first power play with them. However, his salary is so low that you can use him as a cheap piece who will play with two of the best wingers in the game.

Vegas' second line was humming most of the game even though they didn't score. William Karlsson ($5,400), Reilly Smith ($4,600), and Jonathan Marchessault ($6,400) combined for 25 shot attempts on Monday. These guys have played together for years, so the chemistry is good. They will also likely be less popular than the first line, so this is a unique way to get exposure to the team with the highest implied total on the night.

The Golden Knights again face off against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The Sharks allow the second-most goals per game in the league and have lost all four meetings with the Knights this season. This game sets up well for Vegas again, especially if they are able to convert on their chances more than they did the last time.

Vancouver Canucks

Even though the Vancouver Canucks won on Monday, their overall performance left a lot to be desired. They got dominated in the shot battle by the Ottawa Senators, who were playing on the second night of back-to-back games. This is the same Senators team that is dead last in the North and 30th overall in the NHL. Vancouver should be able to play better against Ottawa considering how poorly the Senators have played all season. Ottawa has allowed 3.97 goals per game, which is by far the most in the league.

The thing that is unfortunate about the Canucks is that they will be without their best player, Elias Pettersson, for a while. This has caused their lines to be different than what we had been used to since last season.

J.T. Miller ($6,100) has moved from wing to center and has picked up his production after a slow start, with 27 points in 29 games. His right wing is Brock Boeser ($7,200), who has cooled down from the start of the season but is still tied for sixth in the league with 14 goals. Boeser possesses one of the best wrist shots in the league, so he is always capable of potting a few goals, and the chances should be there in this game.

These two will play together on the power play, and at even strength, they are joined by rookie Nils Höglander ($3,600). Höglander doesn't have much production of late but has impressed with his talent and shoots at a higher rate than Miller and Boeser, so he's definitely a fine piece to add to a stack.

If you want to play Boeser and Miller with a power play mate, Quinn Hughes ($5,100) is a great option. Hughes leads the Canucks and all defensemen in assists with 23.

Vancouver was able to pummel Ottawa to the tune of 16 goals in three games during a stretch in January. They have an implied goal total of 3.54 tonight, so the oddsmakers like their chances of putting some pucks in the net in this game. They may have left a bad taste in the mouths of those who stacked them on Monday, but they are definitely worth going back to tonight.

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.