3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Friday 12/3/21

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 updated line information.

We've got a fun Friday with five games on the slate, so let's look at the best stacks tonight.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights were a good stack on Wednesday, and they are in an even better spot tonight. Wednesday's game was the second time in the last three games in which they scored five goals. That's significant because it was the first game with the first line intact.

The first line produced some goals on Wednesday night. Max Pacioretty ($8,200) is definitely fine coming off the injury, as he had a goal and an assist on eight shots. Mark Stone ($7,500) had two assists and is up to 10 points in 10 games. Chandler Stephenson ($5,300) was a dud on Wednesday but still has 20 points in 22 games. This trio plays together at even strength and on the power play, so they have full correlation.

The Golden Knights will play the Arizona Coyotes for the first time this season. We know the drill with the Coyotes this season, as they continue to be one of the worst teams in the league. You'll want to get players against them on most nights, and when you can get a correlated, productive stack against them, it makes all of the sense in the world.

Vegas is both the biggest favorite and has the highest implied team total on tonight's slate. Shea Theodore ($6,200) is a great defenseman to play with the stack, as he is a talented offensive player that will be on the top power play unit, as well.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers continue to impress this season. They are 16-5-0 in 21 games and are solid contenders in the Western Conference. We all know that they dominate the popularity and decision points on every slate they are on, and tonight will be no different.

The Oilers' superstars have had big games separately and together this season. On Wednesday, it was a big Connor McDavid ($10,400) game. He put up a goal and three assists. He set up Zach Hyman ($6,600) for two goals, and it looks as if they will continue to play together in all situations.

It's interesting to note when looking at the draft percentages from Wednesday that Hyman came in at just 4.27%. This will likely jump up, but if players aren't playing Hyman with McDavid, it's a strategy we should deploy.

Zack Kassian ($4,100) is the third member of this line, and while he isn't anything to get too excited about, he does save salary.

The Oilers' second line has Leon Draisaitl ($10,500) with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6,700) and Kailer Yamamoto ($3,700). We've seen this season that while Draisaitl can get there when he doesn't play with McDavid, his floor is very low. There is a strong case to be made that you should only play Draisaitl with McDavid and try to fit in some other Oilers' power play forwards with them.

Edmonton will play against the Seattle Kraken tonight. The Kraken have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, mostly through goaltending. Now Mark Giordano is out, so the Kraken are down their top defenseman. That doesn't bode well against McDavid and company.

The Oilers only trail Vegas in implied team total on the night. Tyson Barrie ($5,600) continues to be the top play at defense on the Oilers, as he will get the role on the league's top power play. Edmonton will be popular once again, so playing some different combinations of their players makes sense.

Calgary Flames

If you want a contrarian option tonight, you can look at the Calgary Flames. They are coming off a win last night and didn't blow up, so they won't be top of mind for many people. They can be a great option if other more popular teams fail tonight.

The Flames' top line has been together all season and has been productive. Johnny Gaudreau ($7,600) seems close to his 2018-19 form, averaging 1.13 points per game and also shooting at a higher rate. Elias Lindholm ($7,700) has been a point-per-game player this season and leads the team with nine power play points. Matthew Tkachuk ($7,000) leads this group in goals with 11, and he leads the team in shots with 80.

The Flames will play the Anaheim Ducks on the road. The Ducks have been better than expected but have struggled defensively of late. They've allowed four goals or more in four of their last five games.

With Edmonton and Vegas being popular, and teams like the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets also probably finding their way into lineups, too, Calgary is likely to go overlooked. We've seen the Flames break slates this season, so it wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world if it happened again 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.