3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Wednesday 12/28/22
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.
There are just five games on this Wednesday slate, but we've got some great spots to stack.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are serious contenders in the Eastern Conference once again, just like they have been for the last handful of seasons. They are up to third in goals per game, and their offense is set up perfectly for tonight's game.
Many people questioned the price Tampa paid to acquire Brandon Hagel ($6,400) last season, but it's worked out for them so far this year. He has 26 points in 32 games and joins the duo of Nikita Kucherov ($10,100) and Brayden Point ($8,600) at both even strength and on the power play. Kucherov is fifth in the NHL in points with 49 and has 14 in his last 10 games. Point leads the team with 17 goals, including 7 in his last eight games.
Tampa will face the Montreal Canadiens at home tonight. Montreal's underlying defensive metrics have not been good. They allow the second-most expected goals and fourth-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
The Lightning have by far the highest implied team total on this slate. They should be able to rack up the goals against this Canadiens team and are the best stack on the board.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were on a nice run and then abruptly lost 5-1 last night. They've still won 7 of their last 10 games and can't take it easy tonight in a tough Metropolitan Division playoff race. Luckily, they're in a good matchup for a bounceback.
The Penguins' top line has been great since being put together. Sidney Crosby ($9,400) hasn't slowed down at age 35, as he's second in the NHL in even-strength points. Jake Guentzel ($8,100) missed four games earlier in the season but still sits second on the team in goals (15) and points (33). Rickard Rakell ($6,500) is just behind him with 13 goals and offers a good salary discount despite producing in fantasy for most of the season. This line is fully correlated on the first power play unit as well as being good at five-on-five.
Pittsburgh returns home tonight to play the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit ranks as a pretty average team defensively, ranking 15th in goals against per game. They are capable of getting blown up for big numbers, though, as they've allowed at least five goals in 7 of 32 games played this season.
The Penguins have the second-highest implied team total and have the potential to be the team you need to stack on this slate.
Vegas Golden Knights
Things did not go according to plan for the Vegas Golden Knights last night. They lost 4-2 and allowed the Los Angeles Kings to gain some ground on them in the standings. They get the perfect game to try to rebound.
The first line was as we expected, and Michael Amadio ($4,100) was able to score for the third game in a row. He played on the top power play with linemates Chandler Stephenson ($6,900) and Mark Stone ($7,100). Stone had an assist on that goal, giving him six points in his last three games. Stephenson was quiet, but there's nothing too concerning for him moving into tonight's game, especially in this matchup.
Vegas is playing against the Anaheim Ducks tonight. The Ducks continue to be the worst defensive team in the league, allowing both the most goals per game and shots per game. Vegas put up four goals in their last game against Anaheim and could score even more tonight.
The salaries for the Golden Knights' top line players are the exact same as last night when we liked them, and tonight they are in a better spot. This stack could be considered the best value available 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.
