NHL Daily Plays: Friday, October 17th
Thursday was a crazy night in the NHL with some high scoring games and a lot of thrilling action. Hopefully tonight’s six-game slate can bring just as much excitement to the table. We have some of the weaker teams in the NHL playing (Edmonton, Florida, Buffalo & Calgary), so we will look to expose them. Now let’s get to the Daily Plays!
GOALTENDERS
Sergei Bobrovsky – Bobrovsky continues to play great hockey for the Blue Jackets (2.01 GAA, .927 SV%) and has a great matchup against the offensively challenged Flames tonight. Despite the fact that Calgary has won two straight games, they are not going to be a scary team offensively, and Columbus should be able to suffocate them tonight with their defensive system. The Blue Jackets are the biggest favorite on the board, and Bobrovksy is your safest bet in cash games.
Jhonas Enroth – If you are looking for a value goalie tonight, Enroth makes a great “Boom-Or-Bust” option. The Florida Panthers are winless on the season and have only scored a pathetic three goals in their three games this season. Enroth is seeing over 41 shots per game, and if the Sabres can pull out a win, Enroth will be fantasy gold.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Ryan Miller, Frederik Andersen
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Jonathan Bernier, Roberto Luongo, Michal, Neuvirth
CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf – Getzlaf continues to produce at a high level for the Ducks and now has six points in four games played. Getzlaf is one of the most consistent scorers in all of hockey and has the luxury of playing alongside superstar winger Corey Perry. Play him with confidence tonight.
Henrik Sedin – Henrik has been fantastic to start the season, and he should be able to stay hot tonight against this dreadful Oilers squad. Edmonton has now allowed a ridiculous 23 in just four games this season, and at his moderate price, Sedin makes a great value play this evening.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Johansen, Tyler Bozak
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Ryan Kesler, Mikael Granlund, Bryan Little
WING
Zach Parise – Parise is a fantasy stud! He is one of the best snipers in the game and is amongst the leaders in SOG annually. He seems to produce positive points on a nightly basis and is off to a terrific start this season (2 G, 2 A, + 5, 19 SOG in 2 GP).
Daniel Sedin – Like his brother Henrik, Daniel is also off to a great start with four points in his first two games, including three assists last game versus these same Oilers. Edmonton is averaging over five GAA per game, and I expect the Canucks to score a few more tonight. Pair the Sedin twins together tonight to double your points each time their line scores.
Phil Kessel – After a couple of sub-par games to start the year, Kessel has broken out in his last two games with two goals, five points and nine shots on goal. Kessel is a dangerous offensive weapon — I think he rolls out his third straight multi-point effort tonight against the Red Wings.
Gustav Nyquist – In Tuesday’s column I wrote “All Nyquist does is score goals”, and then he promptly went out and scored for the third consecutive game. Gustav is now playing on the Red Wings top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, which will only increase his fantasy value. Nyquist is a goalscoring machine and is underpriced across the industry.
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Perry, Radim Vrbata, Johan Franzen James van Riemsdyk, Matt Beleskey, Nick Foligno
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Taylor Hall, James Neal, Andrew Ladd, Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, Blake Wheeler, Cam Atkinson, Jordan Eberle, Drew Stafford
DEFENSE
James Wisniewski – Although he is off to a slow start, I still really like Wisniewski in this spot tonight. Wisniewski contributes across the board offensively, and logs a ton of minutes at both even strength and on the Blue Jackets’ powerplay. With the Flames’ inability to score, you don’t have to worry about plus/minus and I think we will see his first multi-point game of the season.
Alexander Edler – This one is simple. Edler is the powerplay quarterback for the Canucks, and by now you know I expect Vancouver to score some goals. Look for Edler to have his best game of the season tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Shea Weber, Niklas Kronwall, Ryan Suter, Sami Vatanen
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Mark Giordano, Dion Phaneuf, T.J. Brodie, Cody Franson
Good Luck Grinders!
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