3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Wednesday 2/22/23
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 -- if one player on a line is scoring goals, it's likely that his linemates are getting assists, as well.
Ideally, we want players who 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.
Just three games tonight, but there are still three teams we can feel good about stacking on this small slate.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars haven't exactly been lighting the world on fire lately, going 3-2-5 in their last 10 games. They still sit in first place in the Central Division, though, and get a perfect matchup today to bounce back.
We've liked stacking the Stars' top line all season, and nothing has changed. Jason Robertson ($9,300) is still in the top 10 in both goals and points despite not being in great form in recent games. Roope Hintz ($7,400) is second on the team in goals and points. Joe Pavelski ($6,500) is tied with Hintz with 50 points and continues to be a great player at his advanced age. This line is fully correlated on the first power play and has been the most productive line in the NHL at five-on-five this season.
Dallas is hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago has won three games in a row but is still nearly dead last in the Western Conference. They've allowed the sixth-most goals per game and seventh-most shots per game in the league.
The Stars have the highest implied team total on the board, and their top line is likely to generate most of their goals.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames need a spark to push them into the playoffs. They currently are on the outside looking in. They are second in the NHL in shots on goal per 60 minutes and can break out in tonight's game.
The Flames have kept the lines pretty much the same for a while but have mixed up their power-play units. The first line is now fully correlated on the top power-play unit. Elias Lindholm ($6,300) is tied for the team lead in points with 49. The player he's tied with is his linemate, Tyler Toffoli ($7,400), who is the team leader in goals. Dillon Dube ($5,500) has four goals and four assists across his last five games and now gets to play on the power play with these two even-strength linemates.
The second line is also fully correlated on the power play. Newcomers Nazem Kadri ($6,600) and Jonathan Huberdeau ($5,200) are third and fourth, respectively, in points for Calgary. They are playing with rookie Jakob Pelletier ($3,800), forming an extremely modest-salaried full-line stack.
The Flames are facing the Arizona Coyotes on the road. Arizona is still holding its best defenseman, Jakob Chychrun, out of the lineup ahead of the trade deadline. They already rank as a bottom-three team in several key defensive metrics and are likely to be worse without Chychrun.
Calgary's implied team total is second on the slate behind Dallas', and their salaries make them very easy to fit into lineups.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are hot on the heels of Dallas for first in the Central. They've got talented forwards and should be better than 16th in goals per game, which is where they currently rank. Tonight's matchup may be a bit friendlier than people realize.
Winnipeg made a change to its top line. Their two leading goal scorers, Mark Scheifele ($7,300) and Kyle Connor ($8,900), are now playing together on the first line as well as the first power-play unit. They are joined by Mason Appleton ($3,900), who's very affordable. Playing Appleton might allow you to roster Josh Morrissey ($7,500) at defense, and he's second on the team in points this season.
The second line also has two members who play on the first power play. Pierre-Luc Dubois ($7,800) is on pace for a career-high in points. He's now skating with Nikolaj Ehlers ($7,800), who has been a point-per-game player when healthy this year. The third member of the line is Blake Wheeler ($6,300), who can also contribute despite not being on the first power play.
The Jets are facing the New York Islanders in what is a coin flip in terms of what the betting odds say. People think of the Islanders as a team that locks things down defensively, but that's not the case. They've allowed the sixth-most expected goals and fourth-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes.
These two Winnipeg lines have enough upside to be worth rostering on this slate, and they probably won't be as popular as a Calgary or Dallas stack.
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.
