NHL Daily Plays: Friday, January 2nd
Happy New Year!
I have to be honest, I am a little sad to see 2014 leave us. If you have followed me on Rotoworld and RotoGrinders since the beginning of the NHL season, you know it was a very successful year (Oct-Dec) in daily fantasy hockey. Hopefully we can pick up right where we left off and have a great 2015 as well. Let’s start with a bang tonight!
Friday nights are usually a quiet night in the NHL, but thanks to the holiday season we have a solid eight-game schedule this evening. With 16 teams hitting the ice, there will be plenty of options available in all game formats tonight.
According to Vegas we only have one big favorite tonight and that is a team (Colorado Avalanche) that many will have a hard time trusting. So we have to dig a little deeper tonight to build our rosters.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens – Price is one of the league’s elite goalies and he has been outstanding in net for Montreal this season (2.19 GAA, .928 SV%). Price is having one of his better stretches of the year, winning six of his last seven games and only allowing nine goals in the process. The Devils have really struggled of late and have had issues scoring goals all season long. New Jersey has the 3rd worst goals per game average on the season (2.08) and the 2nd worst in the month of December (1.60). Look for another strong performance from Price tonight and the all-important win.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Frederik Andersen, Roberto Luongo, Semyon Varlamov
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Jhonas Enroth, Cam Ward
CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – With all the value on the wing, we can afford to pay up at Center tonight. Getzlaf has 42 points in 38 games this season for the Ducks, which is good enough for fourth in league scoring. With winger Corey Perry back from injury, he and Getzlaf form one of the best duos in all of hockey. The Blues have struggled on the road recently and Martin Broduer is not the same goalie he once was, despite coming off a shutout versus Colorado. St. Louis has dropped eight straight trips to the Pond and Anaheim is 17-2-1 against the Blues since 2003. I think Getzlaf and the Ducks roll again tonight.
Claude Giroux, Philadelphia, Flyers – Giroux is having another all-star season for the Flyers (13 G, 43 PTS, 143 SOG in 37 GP) and sits third in the NHL scoring race. Giroux has points in 11 of his last 13 games and is one of the more reliable point producers in the NHL. Claude Giroux and his linemate Jakub Voracek have combined for an incredible 90 points in 37 games this season. Giroux makes a great play in your cash games due to his consistency and he also has huge GPP upside. Feel confident playing Giroux in all formats tonight.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Matt Duchene, Mikko Koivu, Tyler Johnson, Nathan MacKinnon
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, Tyler Bozak, Sean Monahan
LEFT WINGERS
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild – Parise has points in four of his last five games and is one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL. Parise has quietly amassed 14 goals, 29 points and 112 shots on goal this season, despite missing several games due to injury. The Maple Leafs have struggled in their own zone all season long and have been even worse in December, allowing the 4th most goals in hockey. Parise is my top sniper tonight and should be in line for a multi-point game.
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames – Gaudreau was shut out Wednesday night versus Edmonton, but he is still one of the hottest players in the NHL. With six goals and seven points in his last five games, Gaudreau is still one of the best value options available. “Johnny Hockey” might be a better GPP play tonight with the way the Islanders are playing, but I would not talk you out of playing him in your cash games. He has clicked really well with linemate Jiri Hudler and I think they continue to have success together the rest of the season.
Other Left Wingers To Target (Cash Games) –Max Pacioretty, Chris Kunitz, Ondrej Palat, Gabriel Landeskog
Other Left Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Alexander Steen, Taylor Hall, Patrick Maroon
RIGHT WINGERS
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Kucherov had a monster game (2 G, 3 PTS, +4, 5 SOG) in Buffalo on New Year’s Eve and has put together a great season to date (17 G, 37 PTS, +25 in 39 GP). The Penguins have been absolutely decimated by injuries this season and are largely an AHL team at this point. I don’t think Pittsburgh can keep up with the speed that this so called 2nd line (Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov) brings on a nightly basis. Kucherov is hot with seven points in his last four games and continues to be one of the best bargains in daily fantasy hockey.
Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche – The Avalanche have really struggled on offense all season long, and currently rank 22nd in goals per game with 2.49. The Avs have a ton of young talent and I’m not sure anyone saw this type of letdown season coming. That being said, Colorado is in a great spot to produce this evening. Remember, this is daily fantasy hockey and we only care about tonight. O’Reilly has four points in his last four games and is starting to play like his old self. In a plus match-up against the pathetic Oilers, O’Reilly makes a great value play.
Other Right Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Perry, Jakub Voracek, Phil Kessel, Jason Pominville
Other Right Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Vladimir Tarasenko, Kyle Okposo, Jiri Hudler, Brendan Gallagher
DEFENSE
Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche – With six goals and seven points in his last eight games, Johnson has really picked up his offensive game recently. Johnson is playing the point on Colorado’s number one power play unit and he should only add to his total tonight against the Oilers. Edmonton remains dead last in goals against per game this season (3.40) and are playing their third game in four nights.
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers – Looking to load up on forwards and punt a defenseman? Dmitry Kulikov can help. Kulikov is seeing over twenty-two minutes of ice time per game and his share of time on the Panther’s powerplay. The Sabres continue to allow a ridiculous amount of shots per game (35.4, most in the NHL) and have given up the 2nd most goals per game (3.34) on the season. Kulikov is very cheap and makes a tremendous punt play on defense tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Mark Giordano, Victor Hedman, P.K. Subban, Aaron Ekblad
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Andrei Markov, Brian Campbell, Tyson Barrie, Johnny Boychuk
Good Luck Grinders!
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