3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Thursday 1/19/23
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.
We've got a massive 13-game slate in the NHL tonight. Let's see which stacks stand out with 26 teams in action.
Columbus Blue Jackets
It hasn't been the season the Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping for. They made a big splash in the offseason, but have taken a step backward rather than a step forward. But their top line has enough talent to play well in good matchups, and this is certainly one of them.
The Jackets' top forwards have missed a lot of games. Patrik Laine ($7,400) recently returned to the lineup and scored a hat trick earlier this week. He has been up to his normal style of shooting a ton, with 19 shots on goal in his last three games. Johnny Gaudreau ($7,200) has still been good despite perhaps not living up to lofty expectations, as he has 41 points in 44 games. Boone Jenner ($7,000) is in the same boat as Laine, having missed a lot of games, but he has 11 goals in 33 games, which is very respectable. This line makes up three elements of the top power play, as well.
The reason we can target Columbus tonight is because of their opponent. They'll take on the Anaheim Ducks, a team we always like to attack. Anaheim is allowing goals to any team, including five to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Columbus has the second-highest implied team total tonight and comes with a clean stack that's fairly affordable. That makes them one of the best options on the board.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights famously dealt with a lot of injuries last season. That led to one of the favorites in the West missing the playoffs entirely. They've had to overcome injuries this season, as well, but with a mostly healthy lineup now, they are a dangerous team.
Jack Eichel ($9,000) was one of the key injured players in both seasons, but he is back and playing well. He's the only player on the team averaging more than a point per game, with 33 in 32 games. Chandler Stephenson ($6,300) is on his left wing and leads the team in total points with 40. Phil Kessel ($4,400) is playing up on the first line with these guys and is a good value option to include in stacks.
Vegas will face the Detroit Red Wings at home tonight. Detroit is coming off a loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, and they have allowed the 11th-most goals per game in the league and are trending downward. They've allowed 3.84 goals per 60 minutes in 2023, which is the third-most in the NHL.
The Golden Knights have a 3.55 implied goal total in this game, and their top line should lead the way if they are able to exceed that.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have not been the same high-flying team that we saw last season. They set a salary-cap era record for goals per game, averaging a stunning 4.11 over the course of the regular season. This team still has the firepower to score goals, though, especially in matchups like today.
Aleksander Barkov ($7,800) has been great when in the lineup. He has 37 points in 36 games. His current linemates are Anton Lundell ($5,000) and Sam Reinhart ($6,100). Reinhart is having a decent year with 13 goals and will link up with Barkov on the first power play. This line does not include Matthew Tkachuk ($9,900), who is having an excellent debut season with Florida and can be substituted for Lundell in stacks to capture the most upside from the Panthers.
Florida is playing against the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Montreal has allowed the sixth-most goals per game and the fifth-most shots on goal per game. The last time these two teams played, Florida won 7-2 and Barkov scored a hat trick.
The Panthers have the highest team total by some margin tonight, and it makes sense to get a piece of them in lineups. You can also add in Brandon Montour ($7,100) or Aaron Ekblad ($6,500), as they are both defensemen on the first power play unit and have been effective this season.
Others to Consider: Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes
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.
