NHL

3 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 10/25/19

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Oct 25th, 2019
The Islanders are going to be one of the more popular teams on tonight's slate. Should you be sticking with the chalky option?

When playing NHL DFS -- much like MLB DFS -- stacking is key. Having multiple players from the same team, who correlate together, can give 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.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders aren't the best offensive team in the league, but they have a great matchup tonight.

They are facing off against the Ottawa Senators, who are a team we are going to continuously attack since they are so bad. The Senators are allowing an ominous 66.6 Corsi Against this season, which means they are allowing over one shot attempt per minute from the opposing offense. I shouldn't have to tell you, but that is beyond terrible. That volume for the opposing offense gives them a solid floor of fantasy points, which is what we are after. They are also allowing the seventh-most High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60, which is where the ceiling comes in for the Islanders.

What is also good about this Islanders' stack is that no player is over $7K, which is nice since we only have five games in action tonight and need a bit of value. Mathew Barzal ($6,500), Anders Lee ($6,500), and Josh Bailey ($5,400) are on the first forward line together, with the latter two on the first power-play unit. Throw defender Devon Toews ($4,600) on that stack, and you have a solid four-player core who are in a great spot to score fantasy points tonight.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 3.63 implied team total -- the highest on the slate -- so they are a clear team to target tonight.

The second forward line for the Leafs is certainly very interesting since they don't have any power-play correlation but are on the cheaper side and have a great matchup. I still like them tonight, but it's on the riskier end of things when looking at some other stacks tonight.

Mitchell Marner ($7,800) leads the way on the second forward line and is a near-lock for scoring at least one point a night. He is joined by Alexander Kerfoot ($4,800) and Ilya Mikheyev ($4,100), who are both cheap but have a lower floor of points.

Essentially, this stack is a way to get exposure to the high implied goal total at lower ownership -- hopefully -- which should give you plenty of leverage in tournaments. It's a clear risk-reward scenario, but it's still a good spot against the San Jose Sharks, who are allowing the second-most High-Danger-Scoring-Chances per 60.

Buffalo Sabres

I was big on the Buffalo Sabres last night, and they were a bit of a letdown, but we are right back on the horse tonight.

We have a chance to run it back with the Sabres, who are scoring nearly four goals a game to start the season and have a chance to rebound after a tough loss last night. They are on the road to take on the Detroit Red Wings, who are bottom-10 in both Corsi Against and Expected Goals (xGoals) this season. If you've followed the NHL in any capacity over the past few seasons, you know that the Red Wings aren't good and are a solid team to stack against when they are on the slate.

When it comes to stacking, I'll say this: the first forward line is great, and you should pay up for them if you can. I think that much is a given for the Sabres and their hot start.

But, I also really like the second forward line tonight with Jeff Skinner ($7,500), Marcus Johansson ($4,800), and Vladimir Sobotka ($3,500). Skinner is on the first power-play unit with Jack Eichel, getting you some exposure there, along with a bit of a higher upside. You get some savings, some upside, and a favorable matchup.