3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for 4/2/21
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.
We'll close this week with a six-game slate that features a lot of interesting teams, so let's see which ones make the most sense to stack.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs won a key game on Wednesday night, and it gave them a three-point cushion on top of the North Division. They were able to impose their will on the game, as they had 17 high-danger chances and 3.16 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. They will face the same Winnipeg Jets team that they did in that game on Wednesday. The first line had a great game in that one and will look to continue it in a good matchup again tonight.
It really all came together for the Leafs' first line in that game, especially in the first period. Auston Matthews ($8,500) had a goal and an assist in the first period and extended his goal streak to three straight games after going through a small slump. Mitchell Marner ($7,700) had his second straight multi-point outing and holds the fourth spot in the league in points with 46.
Perhaps the most impressive player was Zach Hyman ($4,700), who had a goal, an assist, and six shots on goal in the first period. He's proven that even without power play time, he can contribute and is worthy of playing with Matthews and Marner in a stack.
Morgan Rielly ($5,100) hasn't had too many performances that will win you tournaments but playing on the first power play with Matthews and Marner makes him a piece of the stack that you can definitely consider.
The Leafs are in a great spot against the Jets on Friday. Winnipeg allows the most high danger chances and the second-most expected goals per 60 minutes in the NHL. Matthews and Marner have feasted in this matchup so far this season, with 9 goals and 15 points between them. With Toronto having an implied team total of 3.48 in this game, they are definitely one of the best stacks of the night.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are coming off one of their most disappointing games of the season. On Tuesday, they lost 4-0 to the Montreal Canadiens and only mustered 17 shots on goal. That was on a back to back in which they had just played an overtime game, so that could have something to do with the poor performance.
On Friday, they'll be back home to face their provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, in another battle of Alberta. They'll go into this game with different lines, hoping to improve on their last outing.
Connor McDavid ($8,800) had his 11-game point streak snapped in that shutout loss. He'll look to start a new one tonight and could easily do it against Calgary. He's torched the Flames this season to the tune of 14 points in the six games against them. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($5,200) is back on McDavid's left wing and has seen his salary fall all the way down to $5,200. This is mostly the result of not playing with McDavid a lot of late, but now that he's back on an even strength line and on the power play with him, he's a great value.
Another great value playing with McDavid is Jesse Puljujarvi ($3,700). He's played with McDavid some this season and hasn't always produced, but being on the power play could unlock his potential fantasy value.
Tyson Barrie ($6,400) continues to look like a shrewd signing to do exactly what he is doing, racking up tons of points playing on the Oilers' talented power play.
It's rare that you can get the Oilers' first line at a very affordable average salary and also probably get them at lower popularity than on most nights. After what they did on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche will likely be the most popular stack, and not without good reason.
However, Edmonton has put up seven goals twice this season against Calgary and are capable of exploding just like Colorado did the other night. There are some other good stacks out there, as well, and with a goal total that doesn't stand out at just 2.97, it's a chance to get Oilers when they might be a bit under the radar.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are coming off a strange game on Thursday night. They lost to the New York Islanders 8-4 and lost goalie Ilya Samsonov 30 seconds into the game. He would return to the game after clearing concussion protocol, only to allow six goals.
This loss combined with the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins both winning made it a three-way tie for first in the East Division, with these teams all having 50 points. The Capitals will need to bounce back and should be able to do it in the matchup they have on Friday.
Washington will face the New Jersey Devils in this game. It wasn't all bad for the Capitals in the game last night. T.J. Oshie ($5,600) had a goal and four shots on goal. He continues to play with Alex Ovechkin ($8,300) at even strength and on the power play. Ovechkin himself had an assist, and he'll look to burn the Devils like he did last week, when he scored three goals in their two meetings.
John Carlson ($6,700) had the best game of any Capital yesterday, as he scored two goals. We know that he's a key component of any Washington stack, as he is either setting up Ovechkin's trademark one-timer or shooting himself.
Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,400) put up a donut last night, but being with Ovechkin on the first line and power play should make those games few and far between.
The Capitals have the highest implied team total on the slate. They are another team that may trail Colorado and Toronto in popularity tonight, so they offer good leverage on those stacks. The mismatch with Washington's seventh-ranked power play against New Jersey's penalty kill that's the second worst in the league makes this stack enticing. If the Capitals are able to score multiple power play goals, they could be the stack you need to win a tournament 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.
