Daily Fantasy Hockey Stacks for 8/14/20
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.
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.
Let's jump in and look at some stacks to target for goals and plenty of fantasy points.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have the highest implied goal total (3.17) on the slate and are the largest favorite (-210). They should be one of the chalkier stacks in action.
Game 1 of this series was truly a lopsided outing in favor of the Avalanche. At even strength -- 5-v-5 on ice -- Colorado held a +21 Corsi Advantage (Shot Attempt Differential), overwhelming the Arizona Coyotes' defense for the entire game. They were able to pour in three goals in a very short span and came away with the win. We should be seeing much of the same today, and that means loading up on the Avs' top stars.
The four forwards from the top power play are spread out among the first two forward lines, with two skaters on each. They don't have 100% ice-time correlation, but they still bring immense upside to your lineups with their goal-scoring ability. Those four forwards are Nathan MacKinnon ($8,600), Mikko Rantanen ($7,800), Gabriel Landeskog ($7,000), and Nazem Kadri ($5,900). They are one of the most expensive stacks on the entire slate, but given the fact there are five games, there will be enough value available that you will be able to stack them.
If you want to differentiate your stacks, add either defender Cale Makar ($5,700) or goalie Philipp Grubauer ($8,800), which should make your four-man stacks a bit more unique.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are down 1-0 in their series against the New York Islanders and need a big offensive performance to get back on track.
After grabbing a 2-0 lead in Game 1, the Capitals surrendered four unanswered goals en route to a loss. On top of that, they also lost Nicklas Backstrom due to an injury, which opens up a spot on their top forward line and first power-play unit. We should see Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7,200) move from the second forward line to the first to play alongside Alex Ovechkin ($8,200) and T.J. Oshie ($6,800). Those three will continue to see time on the first power-play unit together and are a fantastic stack to target. You can also add elite defender John Carlson ($6,800), giving you a high-upside stack.
But, if Kuznetsov moves up to the first forward line, that leaves a hole at center for the second forward line. This is where Lars Eller ($3,000) comes into play, and he could be the best value on the entire slate. He was away from the team but has cleared quarantine and is set to take that spot on the second forward line.
The idea of going to a second forward line stack with Eller, Jakub Vrana ($4,300), and Tom Wilson ($4,600) is very interesting for tournaments since they shouldn't be as chalky as the top stack and are significantly cheaper.
