Playoff hockey is here! We’ve got a nice 3-game slate to kick it off, meaning there will be concentrated ownership on these stacks, but it doesn’t change what we’re trying to do in tournaments. These are a couple of our favorite stacks on the night, but on such a short slate, it makes sense to get a little bit creative with your stack — leave a guy off a stack, double d-man stack, power-play stack, etc. Awesemo will give his take, and then I (Tommienation1) will follow up with some more analysis.
PIT2: Hagelin-Malkin-Hornqvist ($18,800 DK/$19,600 FD)
“The second line for the Penguins should have plenty of chances tonight with Pittsburgh having the highest implied total on the slate and a solid power-play matchup.”
The Malkin line will likely avoid the Couturier line for the Flyers and instead get to go up against the 2nd and 3rd lines, which allow 29 and 33 Scoring Chances Against per 60 minutes at even-strength. Hagelin, Malkin, and Hornqvist have posted fantastic offensive numbers including 38.1 Scoring Chances For per 60 minutes and 17.4 High-Danger Chances For per 60 minutes. Malkin and Hornqvist will also be on the top power-play unit (on the Penguins top-ranked power-play) against the league’s 29th-ranked penalty-kill. Give them a shot in GPPs for some huge upside tonight.
VGK2: Neal-Haula-Tuch ($14,100 DK/$16,700 FD)
“The Golden Knights have the 3rd-highest team total, which is over 10% of their monthly average. Getting healthy at the right time, Vegas, and their second line specifically, provides some great value tonight.”
This line should have one of the most favorable even-strength matchups of the slate, likely seeing a lot of time against the Jeff Carter line, which has struggled mightily on the defensive end. The Kings 2nd line has allowed 33.6 Scoring Chances Against per 60 minutes and 13.2 High-Danger Chances Against per 60 minutes in their time together. With the Karlsson line going up against Kopitar and the opposing top line, Neal, Haula, and Tuch should be freed up at even-strength, and they all get power-play time as well. This is one of the best values on the night.
