NHL Daily Plays: Friday, March 6th
We have a solid six-game slate on this Friday evening as we welcome in the weekend. With 12 teams in action, there will plenty of options for building your cash game lineups and you can still get a piece of every game without breaking the bank in tournament play.
The Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks are massive favorites tonight, while the Detroit Red Wings are also heavily favored. Look for all three of these teams to be very popular in both your cash games and your GPPs. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild and the Calgary Flames are the only teams playing on back-to-back nights this evening.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Andrew Hammond, Ottawa Senators – Hammond has been absolutely lights out since the Ottawa Senators promoted him to the NHL. Known as the Hamburglar, Andrew Hammond has a 6-0-1 record and has posted an incredible 1.35 GAA and a .957 SV% so far this season. The Buffalo Sabres are not only the NHL’s worst offense, ranking last in both shots per game (23) and goals per game (1.81), but they also have the league’s worst road record (7-22-2) this season. Look for Hammond to continue his magical run tonight against a pathetic Buffalo Sabres team.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Crawford, Cory Schneider, Jimmy Howard
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Darcy Kuemper, Sergei Bobrovsky, Anton Khudobin
CENTERS
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks – As expected, Toews picked up his offensive game immediately after Patrick Kane went down with an injury. Toews had a huge game (2G, 3 PTS, 4 SOG) in the Blackhawks’ win over the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night and he has now scored in four of his last five games. The Edmonton Oilers have lost three of their last four games and are one of the NHL’s worst road teams (8-16-8). Toews has a superb matchup versus the defensively challenged Oilers tonight, and I expect another big game from him.
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings – Datsyuk has seven goals and 17 points in his last 15 games and continues to be a cash game beast. Detroit has won three games in a row and are one of the league’s best teams on home ice (18-5-7). The Flames are not only playing on back to back nights, but this will be their third game in four nights. I expect Calgary to be tired tonight and I think Datsyuk and the Red Wings will control this hockey game.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Kyle Turris
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Ryan Johansen, Sean Monahan, Tyler Ennis
WINGERS
Bobby Ryan, Ottawa Senators – Ryan has goals in back-to-back games and has been hot since the All-Star break. In his 15 games since the break, Ryan has produced 15 points and 48 shots on goal. Buffalo remains the worst defensive team in the NHL, ranking dead last in both shots against per game (35.3) and goals against per game (3.31). Sabres goaltender Chad Johnson will get the start in Ottawa tonight and has been awful most of the season (3.08 GAA, .889 SV%). I don’t see those numbers improving tonight. Ryan should snipe at least one goal tonight and he has hat-trick upside.
Michael Cammalleri, New Jersey Devils – Cammalleri has four goals and 20 shots on goal in his last five games, and he leads the Devils’ offensive attack on a nightly basis. The New Jersey Devils are playing great hockey right now and the Columbus Blue Jackets are certainly not. Columbus has lost seven consecutive games and they continue to be one the weaker defensive units in hockey. The Blue Jackets have allowed the third-most shots (32.9) and the fifth-most goals per game (3.16) in the NHL this season. Cammalleri is the Devils’ biggest offensive threat, and I love his upside tonight.
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Marian Hossa, Corey Perry, Patric Hornqvist, Justin Abdelkader
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Zach Parise, Eric Staal, Johnny Gaudreau, Gustav Nyquist
DEFENSE
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – This is a no-brainer if you can afford him. Karlsson is one of the best offensive defensemen in the game and Buffalo is by far the worst defensive team in hockey. Karlsson has generated 16 points in his last 16 games and he should only add to those totals tonight.
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks – The Edmonton Oilers have been an absolute mess defensively all season long. Both Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth have been awful in net this season, resulting in the Oilers giving up the third-most goals per game in the NHL. Duncan Keith is having an off year by his standards, but he is still one of the best defensemen in hockey. Keith is moderately priced and has an extremely favorable matchup tonight versus this lousy Oilers squad.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Kris Letang, Niklas Kronwall, Brent Seabrook
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Eric Gelinas, Cam Fowler, Derrick Pouliot
Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7