3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Thursday 1/6/22
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, 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.
Even with two cancellations, we've still got 11 games on Thursday's slate. Let's look at some of the best stacks for tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the hottest teams in the NHL currently. They've won nine in a row, even with key players missing. Now with a fully-loaded top line, they form a dangerous stack.
Of course, the Penguins first line has been driven by Sidney Crosby ($7,700). Sid got off to a bit of a slow start but now has 15 points in his last 10 games.
He's back with his two wingers after they were both injured. Jake Guentzel ($9,500) was on an absolute tear before going down with injury and has returned with four points in two games. It's a similar story with Bryan Rust ($6,300), who has been on fire in his two games back, with five goals and eight points.
The Penguins take on their in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The Flyers have been hit hard by COVID and injuries, as they are down their top two centers and top two defensemen. They just got swept on a California road trip and allowed 13 goals in three games. They've struggled defensively all season long, allowing the most expected goals and most high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
Pittsburgh is coming off a back-to-back after playing Wednesday, but that is somewhat mitigated by Philadelphia traveling from the west coast after a game on Tuesday. The Penguins are also playing great while the Flyers are struggling.
Pittsburgh's implied team total is currently 3.76, which ranks second on the slate. Their top line offers full correlation, making it one of the best stacks on the board tonight.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are not exactly having a normal season for them, but they've started to right the ship. They've won three games in a row and now sit in the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference while playing fewer games than all but one team in the conference. They've made some changes to the lineup to help get back on track.
The "Perfection Line" has been split up for the past few games. Craig Smith ($4,400) has been bumped up to the top line now. He has 2 points and 11 shots on goal in the three games since joining this line and historically has had a high shot rate.
Patrice Bergeron ($8,200) disappointed many people last game. The spot was good for him, but he had just one shot and no points. He was coming off an eight-shot performance in which he scored a goal, so that off game on Tuesday can be chalked up to a random fluke. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand ($9,000) has been productive when focusing on hockey, with 10 points in his last 10 games and 37 shots on goal.
Smith won't join them on the power play, but with how dominant this line can be at even strength, he's certainly worth playing with these guys.
The Bruins will face the Minnesota Wild at home tonight. Normally, it's not a great idea to target stacks against the Wild, but this isn't actually too scary of a matchup. The Wild rank in the middle of the pack in most defensive metrics, and are playing without some key players. They are missing their best defensive center in Joel Eriksson Ek, their best defenseman Jared Spurgeon, and their top goalie Cam Talbot. We saw this Wild team allow six goals the last time they played, so they definitely can be exploited.
Boston's implied team total is up to 3.34 goals tonight. If you want another player to use with the stack, defenseman Charlie McAvoy ($5,800) is a nice piece to add for power play correlation.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils haven't been the surprise contenders that some people thought they could be after they improved in the offseason. They've won just 3 of their last 10 games and look set to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. This has made them an unappealing stack for most of the season, but they'll be in a good spot tonight.
One positive for the Devils has been the development of Jack Hughes ($7,800). The franchise center has been playing great since the holiday break, with 9 points and 20 shots on goal in four games. He's been playing well with Jesper Bratt ($6,100), who has surprised a lot of people with 30 points in 33 games. The new addition to this line is Tomas Tatar ($4,400), who scored a goal while playing on this line on Tuesday. With some absences, this line has become a fully-correlated power play unit, as well.
The Devils are in play tonight because of their opponent, taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets at home. The Jackets just allowed seven goals to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. They'll continue to be without their best defenseman, as Zach Werenski is on the COVID list. This is bad news for a team that already allows the most shot attempts and fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes.
Hughes and company have proven lately that they can have big games, so they should not be underestimated. The oddsmakers aren't doing that, either, as they currently have an implied goal total of 3.54, which is the third-highest tonight.
Others to Consider: Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers
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.
