3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 4/6/21
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 good-sized nine-game slate on Tuesday, so let's look at which stacks stand out above the rest.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks haven't been having the best season, but things have been better of late. They've won four straight games and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. Surprisingly, they are still within reach of the last playoff spot in the West. If they want to do that, they'll have to win games in matchups as they have on Tuesday night. They'll face the Anaheim Ducks, the team at the bottom of the West. The Sharks have taken advantage of this matchup throughout the season, with wins in four of five games and 18 goals scored.
Evander Kane ($7,400) has been the team's best offensive player this season, as he leads them in goals, assists, points, and shots on goal. He's been good against the Ducks this season, with eight points in the five meetings this season. Logan Couture ($6,300) has been in a bit of a slump, with just three points in his last 10 games. He's still second on the team in goals and points and has been a point-per-game player against Anaheim this season. Kevin Labanc ($4,500) is the value portion of this stack, as he's fourth on the team in points and third in shots on goal yet has a salary of just $4,500. This trio makes up the Sharks' first line, and they also correlate on the power-play. Erik Karlsson ($4,700) has shown glimpses of his former self over the past week, and as the power play defenseman on this unit, is worth considering as a piece to add to the stack.
The Sharks haven't been favored often this season, but they are sizable -190 favorites tonight. Their implied team total is 3.11, the fifth-highest on tonight's slate. The Ducks have allowed the fourth-most goals per game in the NHL this season, so this is a great spot to use the Sharks, and they have salaries that won't break the bank and should allow you to fit in other high-upside pieces into your lineups.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, based on some of the players they had lost in the offseason and the way they had been trending over the past few years. They have been a surprise to most people, as they are still contending for the fourth playoff spot in the Central division. They've lost a bit of their luster of late, as they've gone 3-7 in their last 10 games and the buzz of them being the league's surprise has died down. That should keep their popularity down tonight, and they have an element that makes stacking them more interesting than at any point this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been carried offensively by two players this season. Obviously, Patrick Kane ($8,000) is the first one. The MVP talks have died down with Chicago's recent bad stretch, but no one can deny that his play has been impressive. He's third in the league in points with 49 and tied for the eighth-most shots on goal. Kane's great play has been accompanied by a resurgence of Alex DeBrincat ($7,100). DeBrincat's play fell off last season after he scored 40 goals in 2018-19, but this year he's scored 19 goals, which is tied for fourth in the league alongside superstars Alex Ovechkin and Leon Draisaitl.
The thing that has been missing from a Chicago stack this season was a center that we can use that will play at both even-strength and on the power play with their two best players, and also add in some fantasy value of their own. That changed recently when Kirby Dach ($3,600) returned to the lineup after his injury before the season kept him out. Dach showed promise last year and elevated his play in the postseason bubble. Now he's in his second season and will center a line with DeBrincat and Kane and play with them on the power-play, making him one of the best values on the slate.
The matchup for Chicago against the Dallas Stars is not an easy one, but it's not quite as tough as it was last season. Dallas has been dealing with many injuries all season long and is especially thin at the center position currently. They also have a penalty kill that ranks in the bottom 10 in the NHL, so Chicago's fifth-ranked power play could take advantage of that. With Chicago not having exploded lately and playing in this matchup that's perceived to be tough, they are a sneaky stack that could provide the upside to shoot lineups up leaderboards tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been quietly surging towards the top of the East division. They haven't been grabbing the headlines, but they have been solid for most of the season. They are seventh in the league in goals per game, which could be expected with the offensive talent they have, even if Evgeni Malkin has been missing from the lineup for a while. They've relied on their first line to do a lot of the damage, and they've upped their game in the absence of one of their best players.
The Penguins are still led after all these years by Sidney Crosby ($7,900). He's ninth in the league in scoring and has 14 points and 34 shots on goal in his last 10 games. He's one of the players in sports that has been so good for so long that even when they are having a great season, it doesn't get talked about because it's expected by the public. He's lifted the play of Jake Guentzel ($7,500), who has rebounded after a slow start and now is averaging a point-per-game. Bryan Rust ($5,900) hasn't been as good as in his breakout season last year, but he's definitely worth playing as a part of this stack as he showed his upside with a hat trick four games ago. Kris Letang ($5,800) is the last part of this stack that will all link up on the power-play, as this foursome correlates well and are the four leading scorers on Pittsburgh this season.
The Penguins will face the New York Rangers in a game that should be one of the better offensive environments tonight. It's one of two games with a total of 6.5. The Penguins have really taken care of business against the Rangers this season, winning five of the six games against them and scoring 22 goals in those games. If they are able to score a lot again in this game, it's likely that those four players will be doing damage, making them worth stacking on this 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.
