NHL Daily Plays: Friday, February 13th

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We have a solid five-game schedule on this Friday evening as we kick off the weekend.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the biggest favorite tonight, while San Jose and Dallas should also be popular teams. There could be a shootout in Columbus with Philadelphia visiting and the Florida Panthers are the only team playing on consecutive nights.

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GOALTENDERS

Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.

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Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks – Crawford has not had his best season to date, but he has looked great in four of his last five starts and should have no problem getting the job done tonight against the offensively challenged Devils. New Jersey is certainly not an offense to fear as they are ranked 29th in shots per game (23.9) and 28th in goals per game (2.20) this season. The Blackhawks are a massive favorite tonight and I think they dominate this game from puck drop. Crawford is a lock for the win and is your best chance for a shutout tonight.

Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Antti Niemi, Kari Lehtonen

Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Mike Smith, Tuukka Rask, Ryan Miller

CENTER

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Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars – The 23-year-old Seguin may be the most offensively talented player in the NHL right now. He is currently third in the league in goals and second in both shots on goal and overall scoring. Seguin has been a cash game beast this season and should feast on a Panthers team playing back to back road games tonight. Seguin is extremely consistent and has the highest ceiling of anyone playing tonight.

Ryan Johansen, Columbus Blue Jackets – Johansen is riding a three-game point streak and has racked up five points and a plus-six rating along the way. Johansen is having a great season (20 G, 50 PTS in 52 GP) for Columbus and he has been extremely consistent lately with points in 19 of his last 23 games. The Flyers not only struggle in their own end but will be without their starting goalie tonight, leaving Ray Emery (3.25 GAA, .891 SV%) to start in his place. Johansen has 20 power-play points this season and the Blue Jackets have the fifth-best power play in hockey. Meanwhile the Flyers sit in the bottom third of the NHL in most defensive categories and have the league’s 28th ranked penalty kill.

Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Claude Giroux, Jonathan Toews, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture

Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Patrice Bergeron, Henrik Sedin, Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette

WINGERS

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Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Kane had a monster game against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night (1G, 3 PTS, 5 SOG) and is currently leading the NHL in scoring. The Devils are old and slow and I can’t see them keeping up with the pace that Kane and company bring to the table. Look for Kane to have yet another multi-point effort tonight.

Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Voracek has cooled off a little recently, but he is still second in the league in assists and sits third overall in the NHL scoring race. Voracek and Giroux are a lethal duo and have a plus match-up tonight versus Columbus. The Blue Jackets are one of the weaker defensive teams in the NHL, and they seem to get outplayed and outshot on a nightly basis. The Blue Jackets have allowed the third most shots against per game this season (33.0), a number that has only increased in the month of February (35.3). Columbus is desperately missing Sergei Bobrovsky in goal and until he returns I think the Blue Jackets will continue to lose games and give up plenty of goals in the process. This game should be a high scoring affair and having exposure to both teams’ top line might be the best strategy.

Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks – Marleau had a multi-point performance against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday and finds himself in a great spot to produce again tonight. The Coyotes are just a plain mess defensively, as one of the league’s worst teams in terms of possession and scoring chances allowed. If Mike Smith is not on top of his game, the Desert Dogs tend to give up goals in bunches. Marleau could very well have another multi-point game this evening.

Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Jamie Benn, Patrick Sharp, Joe Pavelski, Nick Foligno

Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Daniel Sedin, Milan Lucic, Brandon Saad, Patrick Eaves, Tobias Rieder

DEFENSE

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Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks – Burns has been on fire the last two games, scoring three goals and adding a whopping ten shots on goal. Burns has also been more productive on the road this season with 26 points in 27 away games. Arizona has allowed the sixth most shots (32.1) and 4th most goals per game (3.18) this season and they have the league’s 26th ranked penalty kill. Look for the Sharks to dominate this game and for Burns to hit the scoresheet on the powerplay.

John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – Klingberg is currently riding a four-game point streak and has racked four goals and 11 points in his last seven games. The 23-year-old Swede has virtually come out nowhere to become one of the best young offensive defensemen in the game. The Florida Panthers played last night in Minnesota and will now have the difficult task of playing a high-powered offense on consecutive nights. Look for Klingberg to keep his point streak alive and don’t be surprised if he has a multi-point night.

Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Duncan Keith, Keith Yandle, Mark Streit

Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Dougie Hamilton, Brent Seabrook, Jack Johnson

Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7

About the Author

pepsi7
Chris Lowery (pepsi7)

Chris Lowery aka Pepsi7 has a long of history of proven success in fantasy sports getting his start in season long leagues where he won many high stakes expert leagues across baseball, football, and hockey. He made the jump to DFS in 2012 and dominated MLB in 2013 in a huge way by winning the FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship for a six-figure payday. The RotoGrinders Director of NHL content, Pepsi7 can frequently be found on RotoGrinders GrindersLive shows, videos, and written articles providing expert insight for hockey and baseball.