NHL Daily Plays: Friday, January 30th
We have a solid five-game schedule in the NHL tonight, just the perfect amount of teams in play to validate playing daily fantasy for both cash games and GPPs. Tournament play is always exciting when you can have a piece of every team playing, as with only ten teams lacing them up, you can easily have exposure to all of them.
We have four teams playing on consecutive nights (St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres) and the Vancouver Canucks are the biggest favorite on the board. The Canucks will be a popular target in all formats, and for some of your GPP lineups, fading them instead could pay off big.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Ryan Miller, Vancouver Canucks – The Buffalo Sabres have lost 13 games in a row and have the worst road record in the NHL (4-19-1). I imagine the Sabres will be a tired group as well after playing last night in Edmonton. Buffalo is dead last in shots per game (22.9) and goals per game (1.76) this season. The Sabres are a joke offensively and could easily get shutout in Vancouver tonight. Look for the Canucks to dominate this game from puck drop.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Marc-Andre Fleury, Jake Allen
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Semyon Varlamov, Frederik Andersen
CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – Prior to going pointless in his last two games, Getzlaf had points in 16 of his last 18 games. Getzlaf is one of the most consistent scorers in the league and is in play on a nightly basis. The Ducks are one of the best teams on home ice (18-5-3) and I think they bounce back with a much better game tonight. Getzlaf is a cash game beast, play him with confidence tonight.
David Backes, St. Louis Blues – Backes kept his scoring streak alive last night and now has a point in eight consecutive games. During that eight-game span, Backes has racked up seven goals, 15 points, a +11 rating and five multi-point performances. The guy is smoking hot! Backes and his linemates are matchup proof and they seem to find the scoresheet every night. Look for Backes to keep his scoring streak alive tonight.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Paul Stastny, Mike Ribeiro, Tyler Ennis
WINGERS
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators – Forsberg has three goals in his last two games and continues to lead the Predators offensively. The Avalanche have allowed the second most shots per game (34.1) this season and really struggle in their own end. Despite their poor defensive play, Colorado has stayed competitive thanks to their strong goaltending. However, at some point all these shots and defensive zone breakdowns will result in more goals, as Semyon Varlamov can’t possibly make 35+ saves every night. I think this game could be a high scoring affair and having a piece of the Predators’ top line seems like a safe choice.
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks – The Sabres are clearly the worst team in hockey and will be playing their third game in four nights. Buffalo has allowed the most shots per game (35.0) and the most goals per game (3.53) this season. The Canucks’ top line will be very popular tonight and for good reason. Other than tournament play, fading this line will result in a losing night.
Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche – It has not been a very good season for Landeskog, but the talented 22-year-old is in a great spot to produce tonight. Landeskog has been reunited with linemates Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O’Reilly. This trio displayed great chemistry last year and I think it is just a matter of time before they start rolling again. Nashville is playing in back-to-back games, which is never an easy
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Perry, Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Eric Staal, Brandon Saad, Patrick Maroon
DEFENSE
Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks – Edler logs over 24 minutes of ice time per game and quarterbacks the Canucks’ top power-play unit. Edler is cheap and facing the Buffalo Sabres, what more do you need?
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Kris Letang, Sami Vatanen
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Tyson Barrie, Alex Pietrangelo, Justin Faulk
Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7