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Stack Finder: best line and PP1 stacks for Thursday, Apr 23

Every forward line and first power-play unit on the Thursday, Apr 23 slate, ranked by expected goals tonight against the opponent's defense, penalty kill and likely goalie. Top stack: CAR L2 (Hall–Stankoven–Blake) vs OTT.

Data updated:

Stacks with a player who is

Top 10 stacks

  1. #1CARL2vs OTT0.72 xG

    Taylor Hall27%, Logan Stankoven68%, Jackson Blake70%

    Matchup factors →
  2. #2CARL1vs OTT0.64 xG

    Sebastian Aho100%, Andrei Svechnikov97%, Seth Jarvis94%

    Matchup factors →
  3. #3LAKL1vs COL0.60 xG

    Anze Kopitar0.4%, Adrian Kempe97%, Artemi Panarin98%

    Matchup factors →
  4. #4LAKL2vs COL0.58 xG

    Trevor Moore8.9%, Quinton Byfield85%, Alex Laferriere67%

    Matchup factors →
  5. #5BUFPP1vs BOS0.57 xG

    Jason Zucker22%, Tage Thompson100%, Josh Norris37%, Rasmus Dahlin100%, Jack Quinn51%

    Matchup factors →
  6. #6BOSL1vs BUF0.56 xG

    Elias Lindholm43%, David Pastrnak100%, Morgan Geekie95%

    Matchup factors →
  7. #7OTTL2vs CAR0.55 xG

    Drake Batherson97%, Brady Tkachuk100%, Tim Stützle100%

    Matchup factors →
  8. #8COLL3vs LAK0.49 xG

    Artturi Lehkonen78%, Nathan MacKinnon100%, Martin Necas100%

    Matchup factors →
  9. #9CARL4vs OTT0.45 xG

    Jordan Staal19%, Jordan Martinook4.3%, Nikolaj Ehlers92%

    Matchup factors →
  10. #10BUFL1vs BOS0.44 xG

    Josh Norris37%, Josh Doan59%, Zach Benson55%

    Matchup factors →

By game

BUF @ BOS

CAR @ OTT

COL @ LAK

How it works

  1. Lines and PP1 come from each team's last three games of shift data: the forward trio with the most 5-on-5 time together, and the power-play five with the most time together.
  2. Unit strength is expected goals for per 60 minutes, recent games plus the season, shrunk toward league average so a hot two-game sample does not dominate.
  3. Matchup: the opponent's 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 (for lines) or its penalty-kill rate and shorthanded minutes (for PP1), relative to the league.
  4. Goalie: the likely opposing starter from our goalie start model, weighted by probability, with his save % shrunk toward league average; shot-class save % when available.
  5. Stack score = rate × minutes × P(unit intact) × matchup × goalie, in expected goals for tonight, so lines and power plays rank on one scale.

Methodology: How we detect lines · Expected goals · Goalie shot classes · Goalie start model

Frequently asked questions

What is a stack in fantasy hockey?

A stack is a group of teammates who play together, usually a forward line or the first power-play unit, so one goal pays several of your players at once. It is the main strategy in daily fantasy hockey.

How are stacks ranked?

Each unit gets an expected-goals number for tonight: how many chances it creates per 60 minutes (recent games plus season, shrunk toward league average), how many minutes it plays, how likely it is to stay together, how leaky the opponent is at 5-on-5 or shorthanded, and how good the likely opposing goalie is.

Where do the lines come from?

From the NHL shift charts of each team's last three games: the three forwards who share the most 5-on-5 ice time form a line, and the five skaters with the most power-play time together form PP1.

Why does it say "shot-based"?

While a season is being reprocessed with our expected-goals model, unit rates fall back to shots on goal times a league-average 0.075 xG per shot. The ranking logic is the same.