3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Tuesday 12/28/21
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.
The NHL is back from its hiatus and returns with only three games on Tuesday. Let's see which stacks are the best tonight.
San Jose Sharks
Many people had the San Jose Sharks as one of the worst teams in the league. They certainly haven't been that, even after a recent stretch in which they've struggled. Tonight, they'll get a great chance to bounce back.
No one questioned the fact that the Sharks still have talented forwards, and it was mostly their defense and goaltending coming into question. This season has seen another step taken by Timo Meier ($9,700), who leads the team with 29 points and is sixth in the NHL with 111 shots on goal. He's centered by Logan Couture ($5,500), who's having a solid season with 25 points in 29 games and is a good value. The third member of this line is also a good value, as Alexander Barabanov ($4,600) is now playing up on the top line and has seven points in his last 10 games.
The Sharks get a great matchup to return from the break. They'll face the Arizona Coyotes at home. Arizona still sits at the bottom of the league standings and has allowed the most goals per game in the NHL.
San Jose's implied team total ranks third on tonight's slate. Their top line is now fully correlated across the power play with some normal pieces of the top unit missing. This is important, as Arizona sports the second-worst penalty kill in the league, and this San Jose top line could do a lot of damage tonight.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been demonstrating why they are two-time defending Stanley Cup champions this season.
They have been without arguably their two most important forwards for a long stretch of the season, and they keep chugging along. They are first in a top-heavy Atlantic Division and are still 10th in goals per game. They'll get one of those forwards back tonight in a perfect matchup.
Tampa's lines have shaken out similarly for most of the season. The first line has had Steven Stamkos ($7,700) and Ondrej Palat ($5,300) on it for most of the season, and they are the two leading goal-scores for the Lightning. They've been joined by a rotating cast of right wingers, and in this case, it's Taylor Raddysh ($4,300).
The big news for Tampa is the return of Brayden Point ($7,000). The star center looks like he will slot into the second line, playing alongside Alex Killorn ($5,400) and Mathieu Joseph ($4,100). Killorn and Point will play with Stamkos and Palat on the top power play, and they are joined by Victor Hedman ($7,400) from the blueline. Hedman is tied for the lead in scoring for defensemen with 31 points, and he's clearly the best defenseman on the slate.
Tampa will face what's left of the Montreal Canadiens, as the team has been ravaged by injuries and COVID. They've been struggling mightily on the ice, losing 8 of their last 10 games, and they have now allowed the most goals in the league.
The Bolts are a massive -300 favorite tonight and have by far the highest implied team total on the slate, making them a priority stack tonight. Some combination of Stamkos, Palat, Killorn, Point, and Hedman would be the stack that offers the highest upside.
Vegas Golden Knights
Most people would have expected the Vegas Golden Knights to be in first place in the Pacific Division like they are currently. What people probably didn't expect was the journey they took to get there, as injuries had their lineup looking bleak at times. With their players back healthy, they've been playing well, and that should continue that tonight.
The first line for the Golden Knights has been great. Max Pacioretty ($10,500) has finally hit a bit of a cold run after being scorching hot. He still leads the league in goals and shots on goal per 60 minutes. His set-up man has been Mark Stone ($8,000), who's fourth in assists per 60 minutes. Their center Chandler Stephenson ($6,300) is experiencing a breakout season, with 31 points in 31 games. This line has full correlation and is currently one of the most dangerous lines in hockey.
Vegas will travel to play the Los Angeles Kings in this game. The Kings have been up and down this season but aren't an intimidating matchup by any means. They have allowed the third-most high danger chances per 60 minutes and the seventh-most expected goal per 60 minutes.
Stone and Pacioretty did miss practice yesterday with bumps and bruises, but it seems like they will play tonight. One player who won't play is Alex Pietrangelo, so Shea Theodore ($6,100) should see a lot of minutes, including power play time with this first line. This stack will eat up a ton of salary, but with the form they've shown in the past 10 games, they are worth rostering on tonight's three-game 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.
