NHL

4 Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 2/4/20

Thomas Vecchio  —  @Tom_Vecchio1 Feb 4th, 2020
The Avalanche have the highest implied total tonight, but they are very expensive. Should you pay up for them on this monster 13-game slate?

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.

Colorado Avalanche

We have 13 games on tonight's NHL slate, and the Colorado Avalanche have the highest implied goal total, sitting at 3.65.

There are going to be plenty of goals scored tonight across the slate, so you need to get as much upside as possible into your lineups. The Avalanche bring that upside, along with full ice-time correlation between their first forward line and their first power-play unit. Those skaters are Nathan MacKinnon ($8,800), Gabriel Landeskog ($6,700), and Mikko Rantanen ($7,400), who come in with 11 points and 49 shots combined in their last five games. They are clearly a very expensive stack, but we have 13 games, and there are heaps of value options across the board.

Colorado is on the road to take on the Buffalo Sabres, who are giving up more than three goals per game this season and sit around the league average in most defensive categories. Their shot attempt differential is as average as you can find this season, along with their expected goal differential being negative since October 16th.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames come in as the third-largest home favorites tonight -- -190 -- giving us a solid option for stacking.

The Flames are coming off a wild game over the weekend against Edmonton Oilers, as seen here.


They lost that game, but they are in a spot to get back on the right track versus the San Jose Sharks -- who are in the midst of a disaster of a season. We see the Flames coming in with an implied goal total sitting at a very solid 3.40, and you can look to them in all formats tonight. The Sharks are sitting in the bottom-10 or worse in both Expected Goals Against and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances allowed per 60 minutes. They aren't good! You can always stack against Aaron Dell, who is in net tonight and is the 65th-rated goalie this season. Not great, Bob.

The Flames have their first power-play split among the first two forward lines. Two players on the first and two players on the second. You can stack them all and grab a ton of goal equity based on their combined involvement in the offense. Those players are John Gaudreau ($7,400), Sean Monahan ($6,900), Elias Lindholm ($6,400), and Matthew Tkachuk ($6,100).

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are on the road to take on the lowly New Jersey Devils, and you should look to stack them.

The Devils have allowed the second-most goals this season overall -- giving up slightly more than 3.5 goals per game -- and near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. This is nothing new, as they have been a team we've stacked against all season, so there is no reason to stop now. This gives the Habs a 3.13 implied goal total, and they have plenty of options on offense for stacking.

Brendan Gallagher ($7,400) is back from his injury and has three points in the three games he has played since returning. He is back on the first forward line with Tomas Tatar ($6,700) and Phillip Danault ($5,900), who are both on the first power-play unit with him. This stack isn't as expensive as the Avalanche or the Flames tonight, which should help with roster construction.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild aren't a team I look to stack that often, but they are in good spot today.

The Wild sit around league average or worse when it comes to Corsi For, Expected Goals For, and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances For per 60 minutes. There is nothing about this team that jumps off the page, but what they have going for them are two things -- an elite matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks and very modest salaries.

Chicago is sitting in the bottom four or worse when it comes to Corsi Against, Expected Goals Against, and the number of High-Danger-Scoring-Chances allowed per 60 minutes. This is all great from a fantasy perspective since it allows a nice combination of a solid floor and a high ceiling for DFS points. The first forward line for the Wild stays together on the first power-play -- their only line worth stacking -- so look at Zach Parise ($6,600), Eric Staal ($6,000), and Mats Zuccarello ($5,300).