3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for Monday 5/24/21

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've got a rare five-game playoff slate that we probably won't see for the rest of the playoffs, so let's take advantage of the options we have on this slate with some stacks.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 1 was not kind to the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they lost 2-1 and saw their captain John Tavares suffer a brutal injury. Game 2 saw them get back on track, evening the series at a game apiece. The best part for fantasy was the big players did most of the damage. This makes them a team that definitely has stacking viability and the upside we seek when targeting a team.

The Leafs' main man Auston Matthews ($8,500) had a big night in Game 2 after a quiet Game 1. He scored a goal on one of his 10 shot attempts, and also added 2 assists. Mitch Marner ($7,400) also chipped in with two assists. Zach Hyman ($4,600) was the member of the first line that wasn't able to get anything going, but he is still on the first line and top power-play unit so he's a good value for this salary. William Nylander ($6,100) doesn't directly correlate with any of these players, but did see some time with Matthews on the second power-play, and has been good enough in the first two games to consider playing in a different stack.

A player who has gained a lot of fantasy relevance in the past few weeks has been Rasmus Sandin ($3,500). He has inherited a role on the top power-play and scored in that role on Saturday. There isn't another defenseman on the slate for the minimum salary that offers the same upside, so he's definitely a piece to add in with your Leafs' stacks.

Toronto played very well in Game 2, dominating the Montreal Canadiens in all aspects. They created 4.6 expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. If they are able to generate that many good chances in this game, they could once again be the key to winning on this slate. The Leafs have the second-highest implied team total on this slate

Edmonton Oilers

Well, it's 'do or die' for the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. That's because of the blown 4-1 lead in the third period last night. The Oilers came into the series as significant favorites and now are looking like they are going home in the first round. The difference between Game 3 and the first two games was the fact that the Oilers were able to put up some goals. Their star players put up big games and could do the same again tonight.

It was the performance many were waiting for from Connor McDavid ($8,600) on Sunday. He had three assists and four shots on goal before the Oilers collapsed and lost the game. He had Leon Draisaitl ($7,700) on his wing at even strength and on the power-play for the entire game, and the two made their magic. Draisaitl had two goals and an assist with six shots on goal. Jesse Puljujarvi ($4,100) didn't get on the scoresheet in Game 3, but had four shots on goal and scored a goal in Game 1. Tyson Barrie ($6,100) has only one point in the series but led all defensemen in points in the regular season so he can fit in with this stack.

Things may not be going the way the Oilers' wanted in terms of the series, but they have carried the play in the series. They have more shot attempts, high-danger chances, and expected goals than the Winnipeg Jets. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Oilers get at least one win in this series, given the way the games have gone. If that's the case McDavid and Draisaitl could be up to their usual tricks, which would result in a big fantasy performance again.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the verge of moving on to the next round after another great performance on Saturday. They won 6-2 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. They've now scored 19 goals in the four games in this series. Their power-play is clicking at an outstanding 46.7% clip through the first four games, which has led to big games from players on the top unit. Let's look at how we can stack them tonight.

The return of Nikita Kucherov ($8,200) has been exactly what Tampa needed to jolt them back to life after they limped into the playoffs. Kucherov now has nine points in the four playoff games, including Game 4 where he had four points. He got banged up at the end of the game on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day, but looks to be good to go for this game. He's helped Brayden Point ($7,700) rediscover the form that saw him lead the playoffs in goals last season, as he has four so far. The third member of this line Ondrej Palat ($5,800) has picked up three points in the series and is fine to play with the two stars.

The other way to get exposure to Tampa's red-hot power play is through the second line. Steven Stamkos ($7,900) also returned from injury in Game 1 and has six points in this series. He also has at least 13 FanDuel points in every game, so he hasn't been letting down fantasy managers too much. Alex Killorn ($5,500) joins him on the second line and on the power-play, which paid off big time on Saturday. Killorn had two goals and two assists in Game 4, with one each on the power-play. It was his second straight multi-point game, and his position in front of the net on the power play is certainly one that will provide him with opportunities in every game. Victor Hedman ($6,600) has been great on the power-play as well and now leads the playoffs with seven assists.

Tampa is a slight favorite over the Florida Panthers to close things out tonight, sitting at -116. Their implied team total is a modest 2.79 goals, but they've scored five or more in three of the four games this series, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see them exceed that total. Their dangerous power play makes them one of the best targets to stack on any 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.