Daily Fantasy Stacking: 03-01-18
The DFS grind is always on in the NHL, with another eight games on the slate tonight. I’ve highlighted my top high-priced stack of the night, as well as a couple of middling options. Good luck!
High-Priced
Jamie Benn ($6,300)-Tyler Seguin ($7,200)-Alexander Radulov ($5,800)
Tonight the Stars’ top line is the beneficiary of some strange decision-making from Jon Cooper. Cooper opted to go with Vezina candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy last night against the lowly Sabres, leaving the much less reliable Louis Domingue to handle the Stars tonight. The unorthodox choice from Cooper to play his starter against the lesser team is even more questionable given the result of last night’s game, which was 2-1 in the Sabres favour. Regardless it makes for an excellent goaltending matchup tonight for Dallas 1. Not only do the three of them manufacture scoring chances at an elite rate, they’re also all sharp-shooters. Radulov leads the way with a 14.9 SH% on the year, with Seguin and Benn at 13.0% and 11.9% respectively. With his .906 career SV%, Domingue is outclassed by all three of them, and will certainly have his hands full tonight.
As far as the matchup goes, expect them to see the top line of Alex Killorn, Brayden Point, and Steven Stamkos. Though it is a very small sample size, the three of them have yet to click together and looked terrible last night in Buffalo. There’s obviously a lot of talent here that commands some respect, but I wouldn’t bet on them turning it around in such a small amount of time. Add in the fatigue of playing on a back-to-back, and there’s a lot of reasons to like Dallas 1 tonight. If you want to go all in on this stack, John Klingberg ($5,400) is an expensive but justifiable add.
Medium-Priced
Jonathan Huberdeau ($5,700)-Vincent Trochek ($6,500)-Radim Vrbata ($3,200)
The Panthers and Bob Boughner have the benefit of playing with the last change at home tonight against the Devils, which he should use to match his top unit against that of the Devils. While they’re sure to see a little bit of time tonight against Taylor Hall and company, the main assignment for Florida’s second line will be the depth of New Jersey.
While losing Denis Malgin was a blow to this unit, Trochek and Huberdeau are obviously the heart of Florida 2. They’ve controlled the pace of play consistently this year, with a 51.21 CF% and a 53.15 SF% to show for it. They lose some expected value with Vrbata in the place of Malgin, but at just $3,200 tonight, his value at least mitigates the problem somewhat. But my favourite part about this stack is that there are so many ways to play it, so don’t feel like you have to play Vrbata if you’re not comfortable with his low floor. If you want to spend a little more, feel free to make it a power play stack by adding Keith Yandle ($5,100) and/or Aleksander Barkov ($7,000). Keep in mind that Cory Schneider is making his return to the Devils’ crease tonight, adding some uncertainty to the matchup.
Kevin Fiala ($5,200)-Kyle Turris ($5,100)-Craig Smith ($5,500)
The Predators are all but certain to use their top line against Connor McDavid tonight, which will leave their second unit to go to work against the depleted depth of the Oilers. Turris, Smith, and Fiala have been phenomenal together at 5v5 this season, posting a 62.26 SCF% and averaging 38 scoring chances per 60. Those are already elite numbers, and they should be amplified by the poor defensive play of the Oilers tonight.
The Oilers second unit of Mike Cammalleri, Leon Draisaitl, and Ty Rattie certainly has some offensive upside, but they surrender scoring chances and shots at an above average rate, averaging 34 scoring chances against per 60. It only gets worse as you go down the lineup for the Oilers, so as long as they’re able to dodge McDavid, the Preds’ second unit could be in for a big night. Any of the Predators’ top three defenceman make for a fine add to this stack, so let your budget dictate the decision for you if you opt to go that route.