In everyday fantasy hockey, stacking is a key strategy in tournaments. We want to correlate our rosters with up to four players to maximize our advantage, as if a player on a line is scoring goals their teammates are likely to get assists as well. Ideally, we want players who will be spending a lot of time on the ice together on an even-handed line and a power line. LeftWingLock.com and DailyFaceoff.com are two good resources for row combinations. So be sure to check out these sites for up-to-date information on the lines.

With no Thanksgiving games, the NHL put 14 games on our plate Wednesday night. Let’s see which batteries stand out from the rest.

Pittsburgh penguins

The Penguins of Pittsburgh seem to be resuming their season on the right track. They have won three games in a row and most of their players are back in good health. The game is not going much better for them than what they will face on Wednesday night.

Pittsburgh’s top players haven’t left lately, so their salaries remain under control. Sidney crosby ($ 7,400) hasn’t produced a lot of points, but there isn’t much to worry about yet. Jake guentzel ($ 7,800) was good, leading the team with 8 goals and 15 points. Bryan Rust ($ 6,000) has 8 points in 11 games and is shooting just 3.2%, a number that should decline closer to his average of 12.4%. Kris letang ($ 6,000) is also a big part of this offense and would suit any stack perfectly.

The Penguins are back home against the Vancouver Canucks this evening. The Canucks have been in crisis lately, with plenty of talk about firing the GM, the coach, or both. They have allowed 26 goals in their last six games. They also have the worst penalty kick in the league, which only succeeded 62% of the time.

This is a great opportunity for the Penguins to use their power play as they struggled without Crosby in the lineup. They have the second implied team total of the night and face a team from Vancouver who have shown they can capitulate, so the Penguins have a huge advantage in this game.

Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals continue to thrive this season. They are fourth in goals scored despite the fact that some players have been out of the roster for much of the season. They have the ability to smash any slate, even one of this size.

When we want to stack capitals, we always look for the same main pieces. Alex Ovechkin ($ 9,300) is third in the league in points with 30, with 15 goals tied for second. Evgeny Kuznetsov ($ 8,000) continues his rebounding season and leads the club with 16 assists. John carlson ($ 6,400) has up to 16 points, fourth in defenders this season. The new addition to this stack is Aliaksei Protas ($ 3,000), who will climb on the top line and the first power play, according to reports skating this morning.

Washington to face the Montreal Canadiens tonight at home. It has been a brutal season so far for Montreal as they are 5-13-2 and have allowed the most goals in the league. Like Vancouver, they are also bad on the penalty kill, hitting under 70% over the season.

Washington’s front row gives us full correlation on even strength and on the power play, which is great for helping us in tournaments if they can connect on multiple goals tonight. Protas offers great pay relief and could be one of the best value items on the slate. This stack is certainly one of the best on the slate board.

San José sharks

There are a lot of good options on this massive slate, with the Edmonton Oilers certainly being one of them. The best have such high salaries, but certainly have the potential to pay them. However, we’re going to take a look at one that might go unnoticed. Sharks of San José are very well placed on Wednesday and enjoy affordable salaries.

The Sharks had a time when their roster was hit hard by COVID protocols, but they are now almost complete. Timo meier ($ 7,400) is one of the most underrated players in the league and leads the team with 15 points in 13 games. He’s also third in individual shot rate, as he’s always been a puck-loving player. Logan Couture ($ 5,200) is one of the lowest paid players on the list, as a productive frontline center with a great game. Rudolfs Balcers ($ 3,300) is the third member of this line, and he is basically free at his salary.

Sharks face Ottawa Senators in a good game. Ottawa had faced its own COVID issues and had its games canceled last week. In their first comeback, they were absolutely played off the ice by the Colorado Avalanche.. They allowed 4.11 expected goals and 17 high-risk chances and lost 7-5. Colorado are a better team than San Jose, but the Sharks have capable players who can capitalize on this game.

Erik Karlsson ($ 4,900) would be the defender to play with Meier and Couture, as he’s currently at the top of the power play with them. It’s not vintage Karlsson, but eight points in 12 games is good for a defender at this salary. The Sharks’ implied total is higher than some teams that may be more popular than they are. They also function as a secondary stack with another row that has players with high salaries.

Others to consider: Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs

Nicholas Vazquez is not an employee of FanDuel. In addition to providing DFS gaming tips, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. Although the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal opinions, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when participating in contests with his personal account. The opinions expressed in its articles are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of FanDuel.