3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Tuesday 3/7/23
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.
The gap between the haves and have-nots is pretty wide in the NHL this season, and that is even more true after the trade deadline. There are definitely at least three haves playing against have-nots that we can stack tonight.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche aren't the same dominant team that they were for the past two regular seasons. They are currently holding on to the last wild card spot in the West. There's still time for them to improve their standing, and it can start tonight.
It's gone a bit under the radar how good Nathan MacKinnon ($10,400) has been this season. He's third in the league in points per game and has scored nine goals across his last 10 games. He's playing with Valeri Nichushkin ($6,700) at even strength and on the power play, and Nichushkin has been close to a point-per-game player when healthy this season. The other member of this line is Artturi Lehkonen ($6,300), who has also been able to chip in effectively.
You can also use the second line as a stack. It has Mikko Rantanen ($9,600), who has proven he can do just fine without playing with MacKinnon at even strength. His center is now J.T. Compher ($6,100), who has already hit a career-high in points this season. They play together on the first power play and have an affordable linemate in Matthew Nieto ($3,800).
Colorado gets a great spot tonight, as they'll face the San Jose Sharks at home. The Sharks will be flying in from Winnipeg after playing there last night and will have to quickly adjust to the altitude in Denver. They've already allowed the fourth-most goals per game, and most of that is before they sold off pieces at the trade deadline.
The Avalanche have the highest implied team total on tonight's slate, so getting pieces of the first line, second line, or a power-play stack definitely makes sense.
Pittsburgh Penguins
There was a lot of turmoil for the Pittsburgh Penguins last week with some of the moves they made. They are in a precarious position when it comes to the salary cap for next season. However, they still have a top line that is set up for success, especially in a matchup like they will see tonight.
Despite the team having middling results over the past few weeks, Sidney Crosby ($8,200) has still played well. He has 11 points in his last 10 games and leads the team in goals with 27. Jake Guentzel ($6,700) hasn't been too good lately, but he comes in at a great salary for someone who will play with Crosby on the first line and power play. The same can be said about Rickard Rakell ($6,300), but he's been a little better of late with nine points in his last 10 games.
Pittsburgh will face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Columbus has allowed the third-most goals per game and is dead last in the league's standings. They also traded away Joonas Korpisalo, who had been solid for them in goal, and will either be playing Elvis Merzlikins or Michael Hutchinson in net. Merzlikins has been the worst goalie in the league this season, so the Penguins would welcome seeing him in goal.
Like Colorado, Pittsburgh's implied team total is above four goals tonight, and they have the potential to be the best stack on the slate.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are pushing to make the playoffs for the first time ever. They won all four of their games on their recent road trip and return home for a great matchup.
Seattle's players continue to be fantastic values for how much they score. The forward with the highest salary is Jared McCann ($5,800), who leads the team with 30 goals. He'll play with the favorite for the rookie of the year, Matty Beniers ($5,500), who's fourth on the team in points. The team leader in points is Jordan Eberle ($5,500), who will also play on the first power play with Beniers.
The second line is also a great value. It includes two elements of the second power-play unit in Oliver Bjorkstrand ($4,600) and Alexander Wennberg ($4,500). These two played together during their time in Columbus and have carried over some chemistry. Then you'll also get Jaden Schwartz ($4,600), who will contribute on the first power play.
Seattle returns home tonight to play against the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim is on track to be the worst defensive team in the salary-cap era. They are currently the only team since 2005 to allow more than four goals per game.
Stacking the Kraken makes a lot of sense if you are trying to fit in other high-salary players from another stack in your lineups. They also have an implied team total above four but come at much lower salaries than players on Pittsburgh or Colorado.
Others to Consider: St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning
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.
