NHL

3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Wednesday 10/27/21

Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are off to a hot start, and they should have plenty of chances to score tonight. What other stacks should we target on Wednesday?

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, as if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists as well. Ideally, we'll want players that 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 only got five games on Wednesday, but nearly every team has fantasy relevance. Let’s sort out the three best stacks.

Toronto Maple Leafs

It's been a rough start to the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They've failed to win any of their last four games, and the fans and media are in crisis mode already. This has caused them to make some changes to their lines, but they still are appealing from a stacking perspective.

Auston Matthews ($8,500) finally put the puck in the back of the net on Monday for his first goal of the season. His shot numbers have been good, though, with 19 shots in his first four games. It's only a matter of time before one of the best goal scorers in the world goes on a tear. He's now playing with William Nylander ($7,000), who was the Leafs' best player when Matthews missed the first three games of the season. Michael Bunting ($4,300) also joins this line and has impressed with four points in seven games in Toronto.

The Maple Leafs will face another team in crisis mode early in the season -- the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago has been an absolute mess on and off the ice, as they are 0-5-1 through six games. They are the worst adjusted expected goals team in the league and have allowed the second-most goals per 60 minutes. Now, they have five players in COVID protocol, including Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Their status for tonight's game is up in the air.

This is a total get-right spot for Toronto against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Morgan Rielly ($6,100) will play with Nylander and Matthews on the first power-play unit and can have big games if that unit gets clicking. Toronto has a high implied team total of 3.7, and even though that's not the highest on the slate, on many nights it would be. They are clearly a good stack tonight.

Washington Capitals

For the past few seasons, people have wanted to write off the Washington Capitals, and people have been wrong. The Capitals haven't lost a game in regulation yet, going 4-0-2 this season. Their 26 goals are the second-most in the league, and they have a great chance to add a few more tonight.

The machine that is 36-year-old Alex Ovechkin ($9,300) keeps on motoring. He scored two goals on Monday, to take him to a league-leading seven on the season. He's playing with Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7,800), who's seeing a bit of a renaissance in his career; he has nine points in the first six games. This pair is on the first line and first power play, so they are a must if stacking Washington.

There are a few ways you can go after the two Russians. A traditional stack would be to play Tom Wilson ($5,700), but he doesn't get on the power play with them and is very much a third wheel on this line. John Carlson ($6,400) is a power-play quarterback whose job is to set up Ovechkin, so he makes some sense. Another player to consider is T.J. Oshie ($6,300), who plays on the first power play, but scored a hat trick at even strength last game. He offers standalone value as well as power-play correlation.

The Capitals are at home against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have improved from being the worst team in the league, but they still have issues. They rank in the bottom half of the league in most defensive metrics and have allowed six or more goals twice in six games this season. Washington's implied team total is the second-highest on tonight's slate, so Ovechkin and company could run wild once again.

Edmonton Oilers

While a few Canadian teams are panicking over a bad start to the season, the Edmonton Oilers are certainly not one of them. They have started 5-0- and are averaging 4.6 goals per game. Their big guns have been firing, and after a nice five-day break, they'll look to keep firing tonight.

What is there left to say about Connor McDavid ($9,500)? He has at least two points in every game this season, leading the league with 13 in five games. Edmonton decided to change his line even in the middle of his torrid start, and he hasn't missed a beat. Zach Hyman ($6,000) moved up to his line two games ago and has two goals in each of those two games. He gets more power-play time than McDavid's other winger Jesse Puljujarvi ($5,800) as well.

On the new second line, we have Leon Draisaitl ($9,200) plays with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6,400). With these two playing on the first power-play together as well, you can play them with McDavid and Hyman for an Edmonton four-man forward stack. There are interesting defensemen to play instead of one of the forwards, too. Darnell Nurse ($5,900), Tyson Barrie ($5,500), and Evan Bouchard ($4,100) are all viable options.

The Oilers will play the Philadelphia Flyers tonight in a game that has a rare seven-goal total. Philly has not improved defensively as one would have hoped they would, allowing the second-most expected goals, third-most scoring chances, and third-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes. They'll be without Ryan Ellis in this game, too; Ellis was their main defensive acquisition in the offseason.

It will be very difficult for the Flyers to stop McDavid -- no different than every team he has faced this season. That makes Edmonton the top stack on the board once again.



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.