NHL Daily Plays: Friday, October 31st
Happy Halloween everyone!
We had another very exciting and profitable Thursday night in the NHL. Steven Stamkos came as advertised, the Avalanche finally woke up, the Sabres lost yet again, and our value goalie (Jake Allen) shut out the Ducks.
Friday slows down a little with only four games on the docket. However, it does not mean we won’t be playing. With eight teams in action, that is enough to play both cash games and GPPs on this spooky, scary Halloween night. Without further ado, here are your daily plays!
GOALTENDERS
Pekka Rinne – We have another night in which there are not a lot of safe options for the win in net. I am going back to well and putting my money on Pekka Rinne once again. Rinne looks his old self this season (1.71 GAA, .936 SV%) and is coming off a great performance Tues night versus the Oilers. The Calgary Flames have improved this year, but they still struggle to score goals. Look for another solid outing from Rinne and the all important win.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Jonathan Quick
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Jonathan Bernier, Jonas Hiller, Jimmy Howard
CENTER
Ryan Getzlaf – Getzlaf is the straw that stirs the drink in Anaheim and he is off to another solid start in 2014/15. The Dallas Stars can certainly score goals, but they also give up their fair share as well. The Stars are allowing 32.1 shots against per game and have been scored on 33 times in nine games. The Ducks have a very good powerplay and Dallas is ranked 25th in the penalty kill this season. This game could be a shootout.
Nazem Kadri – Kadri has played much better in his last two games, but has very little to show for it. He is now centering the Leafs’ top line and seeing plenty of time on the powerplay. Kadri and the Maple Leafs will face an injury riddled Blue Jackets team tonight in Columbus. One of the key injuries in Columbus is that of elite goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who is out with a fractured finger. Curtis McElhinney takes over in his absence and he is just not a great goalie (five goals allowed versus Ottawa in his last start. Playing with Phil Kessel is a huge upgrade for Kadri and he makes a tremendous value play this evening.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Jason Spezza, Ryan Johansen, Henrik Zetterberg
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Jeff Carter, Pavel Datsyuk, Tyler Bozak
RIGHT WING
Phil Kessel – There may not be a whole lot of teams to choose from tonight, but RW is loaded with stud options. Kessel has three goals and five points in his last three games and looks to be in a groove. Kessel is a streaky scorer and when he is hot, you want to ride him. The Blue Jackets are a depleted bunch and Kessel will take advantage of that tonight.
Tyler Seguin – If you are paying up tonight, I suggest you do it at right wing. Seguin has been on a tear of late (7 G, 8 A, 15 PTS, 35 SOG in 9 GP) and is now tied for the NHL scoring lead. The line of Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin is the most potent line in hockey and you are going to want exposure to them in all formats tonight.
Other Right Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Perry, Cam Atkinson
Other Right Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Tyler Toffoli, Justin Abdelkader
LEFT WING
Jamie Benn – Left wing is pretty much the opposite of right wing, there are some decent options, but no studs other than Jamie Benn. With five goals and eleven points, Benn is off to a nice start and seems to get better every game. Pairing Benn up with either Jason Spezza or Tyler Seguin is a winning strategy in your cash games tonight.
Other Left Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Joffrey Lupul, Scott Hartnell
Other Left Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, Matt Beleskey
DEFENSE
Trevor Daley – Daley is having a break out season (4 G, 4 A, 8 PTS in 9 GP) and is coming off a multi-point game against the St. Louis Blues. He has established himself as the Stars’ powerplay quarterback and in a game where we expect goals, Daley is a nice addition to our roster.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Sami Vatanen
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Niklas Kronwall, Cody Franson, Morgan Rielly
Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7