NHL

4 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 10/10/19

The Blackhawks have their home opener tonight against the Sharks, who are lost to start the season. Which other stacks should you build around?

When playing NHL DFS -- much like MLB DFS -- stacking is key. Having multiple players from the same team, who correlate together, can bring your lineup upside and help you maximize potential points.

You can roster up to four players from the same team in NHL, and you should look to have players from the same forward line or power-play unit together. Shared ice time is the key, as it will maximize their ability to contribute to real-life goals with each other, ultimately leading to more fantasy points for us.

Generally, we don't see late scratches in the NHL, and the team's lines are confirmed at practice or before the game. Two of the best resources for that are LeftWingLock.com or DailyFaceOff.com. That is where you can find updated forward and power-play lines for each team.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a good spot tonight. The Blackhawks are going to be popular tonight. You should play the Blackhawks.

I'm trying to make this painfully obvious, so let me explain. Chicago is at home to host the San Jose Sharks, who are off to an 0-4 start, something no one saw coming. The Sharks actually aren't giving up a ton of shot attempts as they are 25th in the league in Corsi Against, but they come in allowing the fifth-most High Danger Scoring Chances per 60 to start the season. Goalie Martin Jones has been horrible so far, so Aaron Dell will be in net tonight. Dell holds a save percentage under .900 but has played less than two full games.

The over/under is set at 6.5, which is high if you are new to NHL DFS. Chicago also has an implied goal total set at 3.25, which is the sixth-highest on the slate, putting us in a spot for a barn burner. The top two lines of the Blackhawks are where you should be looking to stack. Patrick Kane ($8,400), Jonathan Toews ($7,400), and Alexander Nylander ($3,800) make up the first forward line, while Alex DeBrincat ($6,500), Dylan Strome ($5,000), and Andrew Shaw ($4,600) are the second forward line. Strome and Shaw are on the first power-play with Kane and Toews, which is one of the highest-upside stacks you can find on the slate.

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are on the second night of a back-to-back, but they're facing a rather weak Detroit Red Wings team.

Montreal is generally a good team to target in NHL DFS as they come in with a 60.17 Corsi For, which means they are generating over one shot attempt per minute this season. A team that can generate that type of pressure usually brings a solid floor of points to your fantasy lineup, since the volume of shots is something everyone aims for. Don't worry, I'm not the only one thinking this as we see the Canadiens coming in with an implied team total set at 3.37, the second-highest on the slate.

To start the season, all three of the Red Wings' defensive pairings are rated 24th or lower. This is a great spot to attack, and it should start with Montreal's top two forward lines, not necessarily the power plays. Each power-play unit is made up of players from three different forward lines. There is very little correlation, which is why sticking with the top line of Tomas Tatar ($6,600), Phillip Danault ($4,700), and Brendan Gallagher ($7,200) brings you the upside you are looking for.

Edmonton Oilers

When Connor McDavid is playing this well, you don't want to fade him or the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers have a solid 3.13 implied goal tonight and are on the road to take on the New Jersey Devils, who are another team off to a slow start this season. The top power-play group for the Oilers is where you should be focusing your stack as it has two players from each of the top two forward lines. Essentially, this gets you exposure to three different units -- the top line, the second line, and the first power play. Those are the players/lines who will be seeing the most ice-time, thus maximizing your scoring potential. Both teams are around the league average when it comes to shot attempts allowed per 60 minutes, so we should have a solid pace of play in this one.

In all honesty -- I'm not stacking this line without McDavid ($9,200) as he has been on fire to start the year, with eight points in three games. His linemate, Leon Draisaitl ($8,400), is right there with seven points in three games. Those two are on the first forward line, while the resurgent James Neal ($5,200) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($5,500) are on the second forward line. Those four plus Oscar Klefbom ($5,200) comprise the first power-play unit, which could be my favorite stack of the night.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have hit a buzzsaw to start the season, but they offer plenty of value tonight.

Two of the Penguins top-six forwards -- Evgeni Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk -- are on IR, while Patric Hornqvist is a game-time decision tonight. If Hornqvist ($6,200) does play, he should be on the third forward line and up on the first power-play unit with Sidney Crosby ($8.600), Jake Guentzel ($7,300), and Kris Letang ($6,900).

They are up against the Anaheim Ducks tonight, and the Ducks are the eighth-worst in the league when it comes to Corsi Against. That's the team Anaheim was last season -- they allow a ton of shots and expect their goalie John Gibson to bail them out. Gibson is a very good goalie, but at some point, he can only do so much.