3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 3/23/21

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.

With a game postponed and a repeat game from Monday, this is a small five game slate. There are still some good options as far as stacks are concerned, so let's dig into them.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers lost their last game on Sunday but have been impressive all season long. They are tied for the fourth best points percentage in the league this season. Even after losing or trading away some offensive pieces over the last year, they have averaged the fifth most goals and the second most shots on goal per game.

If people expected anything from Florida this season, they probably expected Aleksander Barkov ($7,700) to be the driving force. That has certainly been the case, as he leads the team and is seventh in the league with 37 points in 31 games. He's been in especially good form of late, with nine points and 22 shots on goal in his last five games. He plays with Carter Verhaeghe ($5,200), who has been a good signing and is showing his talent now that he's getting his chance on the top line. Anthony Duclair ($4,100) hasn't shown much since returning to the lineup but is a decent value to play with these guys.

The tricky part of stacking the Panthers is that their best players don't correlate at even strength and on the power play. The second line of Jonathan Huberdeau ($7,400) and Patric Hornqvist ($6,200) do play together at both five-on-five and on the power play. But Alexander Wennberg ($4,100) doesn't, and he isn't a huge fantasy contributor. You could ignore the even-strength correlation dilemma and just roster Huberdeau and Hornqvist with Barkov in hopes that the Panthers' power play can connect on a few goals or that the team scores in bunches and these guys will have a hand in most of the offense. If doing this, playing defenseman Aaron Ekblad ($5,700) should definitely be considered. Ekblad has the most power play goals and second most total goals for a blue liner this season.

The Panthers will be popular today and for good reason as they are going up against the Chicago Blackhawks. Florida has scored at least four goals in four meetings with Chicago this season, netting 20 goals total. Barkov leads the way with nine points in four games against the Blackhawks, including two three-point outings just over a week ago. Florida's eighth-ranked power play matches up well with Chicago's poor penalty kill, which is the fourth worst in the league. The Panthers have an implied team total of 3.57 goals and are definitely one of the best stacks on the slate.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a dominant team in the regular season over the past four campaigns. They have 23 more wins and 66 more goals than any other team in that span, while also having the best power play. They've dealt with injuries and haven't missed a beat -- like this season, when they've been without 2019 scoring leader and league MVP Nikita Kucherov. Even sans Kucherov, the Lightning have the best points percentage in the league and have scored the most goals per game.

Some reconfigurations of the lines have made them easier to stack, which is great news as we can get exposure to a high-powered stack that will fully correlate.

The new lines have seen Steven Stamkos ($7,800) jump back up to the top line. He leads the team with 15 goals and hasn't shown any concerns after he had an injury that kept him out for nearly the entire playoffs a season ago. Brayden Point ($7,600) will be Stamkos' center, and Point has been his normal, reliable self of late, posting 11 points and 33 shots on goal in his last 10 games. The third part of this line will be Alex Killorn ($4,900), who has a solid 22 points this season. Playing on this line at even strength and on the power play makes Killorn salary a very good value. If you want to fully stack the Lightning, Victor Hedman ($6,900) is a great option, as he leads both the team and all defensemen with 32 points.

The matchup for Tampa Bay isn't the easiest against the Dallas Stars' robust defense. The Stars have allowed the seventh fewest goals per game this season, but the Lightning have had success against them. They've scored 11 goals in the three games against Dallas this season, so they can get to them. Tampa Bay has a team total of just slightly more than three goals because of the difficult matchup, but they are the type of team that can score goals against any opponent.

Nashville Predators

It's hard to say this season hasn't been a disappointment for the Nashville Predators. They sit in sixth place in the Central Division, two seasons after winning the old Central. But they are only four points out of a playoff spot currently. If they want to get back in the race, tonight is a good place to start, as they face the last-place Detroit Red Wings. Detroit has allowed the fifth most shots and the sixth most goals per game this season. Nashville has some talented players who can exploit this matchup.

The Predators' best forward all season has been Filip Forsberg ($7,300). He leads the team in every offensive category, with his 28 points being 12 more than anyone else. He also has been shooting a lot more this season, with his 113 shots on goal being tied for the fifth most in the league. Center Ryan Johansen ($5,200) finally had a good game against the Stars on Sunday, with a goal and an assist. His production has been disappointing this season, but playing with Forsberg at even strength and on the power play should help him get some points.

The third player on this line is talented rookie Eeli Tolvanen ($4,300), who has eight points in the last 10 games. These guys are all on the top power play, and they're joined by defenseman Mattias Ekholm ($4,100). Ekholm has been playing monster minutes with Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis both injured, and he has surprised with the offensive ability he's shown. At $4,100 with his role, Ekholm is one of the best values at defense on the entire slate.

Nashville's implied team total is just behind Tampa's, sitting at 3.02 currently. The Predators might not be a popular team -- even in matchups against the Red Wings -- because of how much they've struggled this season. They still could have a breakout performance against a team as poor as Detroit, and this line being fully correlated could provide the upside you need to win a tournament.

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.