3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Thursday 12/1/22
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 -- if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists, as well.
Ideally, we want players who 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.
Thursday's NHL slate is a large one, with 11 games on it. Let's see if we can find the three best stacks to attack this slate.
Dallas Stars
Gone are the days of the boring Dallas Stars and their defensive style. Under new coach Pete DeBoer, they are second in the league in goals per game (3.83). It's made one of the best lines in hockey from a year ago even better this year.
The Stars' top line has been the most productive in hockey to this point in the season. Jason Robertson ($10,100) has been so good that he has people talking about him for the MVP. He leads the league with 19 goals and is tied for second with 36 points. Roope Hintz ($8,000) and Joe Pavelski ($8,000) are each scoring at better than a point per game, with both having 24 points. This line has all three guys playing on the top power play, and the team ranks third overall with a 28.8% power-play percentage.
This Stars' line is in play nearly every night with how good they've been, but it's especially true today. They'll play the Anaheim Ducks at home in one of the best matchups you can ask for. Anaheim allows the most goals per game and the most shots on goal per game.
Dallas is set up perfectly, and this is clearly the best stack on the board. They have the highest implied team total of the slate and look like they have a chance to be a slate-winning stack.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche haven't been their dominant selves quite yet this season. They are third in the Central Division in both points and points percentage. They also haven't been one of the better offensive teams yet this season but still have the talent that we want to roster.
The duo of Mikko Rantanen ($10,000) and Nathan MacKinnon ($10,300) have been one of the best for the last handful of seasons. They rank 11th and 12th, respectively, in points in the NHL. They play with Artturi Lehkonen ($6,800) at both even strength and on the power play. On these large slates, we want to focus a lot on correlation, because we need all of our players to contribute to help us take down a tournament.
The Avs are on the road to face the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres played last night and allowed four goals against the Detroit Red Wings. Buffalo has allowed 3.61 goals per game, the fifth-most. After playing an overtime game on the road last night, they are in a position to allow a bunch of goals in this one.
Colorado's implied goal total trails only the Stars' clip, and they are definitely a top stack on this slate.
Los Angeles Kings
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings played one of the craziest games of the season so far. It was a 9-8 overtime loss against the Seattle Kraken. While the Kings clearly have things to work out on defense and at goaltender, they are able to score goals and should be able to do so tonight.
The Kings have a nicely correlated top line that is affordable. Anze Kopitar ($6,700) is still a capable top-line center at age 35. He's second on the team in points, behind only Kevin Fiala ($7,000). Fiala has been great since becoming a King, with 26 points in 25 games. A 35-goal scorer a year ago, Adrian Kempe ($5,700) has been in a slump this season, but he did score in the last game and is listed at a very nice salary today.
The best reason to look at the Kings is that they face the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes are in the bottom three in the league in most defensive metrics, including shots against per game. They can be picked on in most matchups, and this is definitely a good spot for that.
The Kings are one of the best value stacks on the board, and they have the upside to justify rostering them on this large slate.
Others to Consider: Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils
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.
