NHL Daily Plays: Monday, January 19th
With the all-star break soon approaching, the NHL schedule is a little different this week. Monday gets a boost, as we have a six-game slate this evening. Note: the New York Islanders/Philadelphia Flyers is an afternoon game and for the purpose of this article will be ignored.
The St. Louis Blues are a huge favorite and they will be a popular team tonight. The Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild are also fairly big favorites tonight, and we should target these three teams in our cash games at the very least. As far as GPPs go, going the contrarian route seems to work best on a short slate. The Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs are sneaky teams to target in tournament play.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues – Elliott looked fantastic versus Toronto Saturday night in the Blues’ 3-0 win, stopping 27 shots to earn his third shutout of the season. Elliott has been superb in goal for St. Louis this season (1.90 GAA, .929 SV%) and the Blues are a strong team on home ice (17-4-2). The Avalanche have been a major disappointment on offense all year long, averaging only 2.04 goals per game on the road. Look for Elliott and the Blues to dominate this game from puck drop.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Jonathan Quick, Devan Dubnyk, Alex Stalock
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Cam Ward, Ryan Miller, Joni Ortio
CENTER
David Backes, St. Louis Blues – Backes had yet another multi-point performance against the Maple Leafs Saturday night and now has at least two points in five of his last six games. The Avalanche are somehow 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, even though they continue to be outplayed and badly outshot in most of these games. The Avs are allowing a league high 37.1 shots against per game in the month of January. Semyon Varlamov and Calvin Pickard have been outstanding in goal, but at some point, all these shots will result in more goals against. The line of Alexander Steen, David Backes and T.J Oshie is the hottest trio in hockey, and until this line cools off, you will want exposure to them on a nightly basis.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Logan Couture, Anze Kopitar, Mikko Koivu
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Ryan Johansen, Henrik Sedin, Nick Bjugstad, Tyler Bozak
WINGERS
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild – Parise has really picked up his offensive game in his last two outings (2 G, 3 PTS, +3, 11 SOG) and has started to resemble the stud that he is. We knew it was just a matter of time before Parise got going, and he finds himself in a great spot to produce again this evening. The Columbus Blue Jackets have allowed the fourth most shots per game (33.4) and the fifth most goals per game (3.16) this season. I expect Parise to keep rolling in this plus match-up tonight.
Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles Kings – Gaborik has points in 12 of his last 14 games and has scored eight goals during that stretch. The Kings have loaded up their top line (Marian Gaborik, Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter) and it seems to be working. Despite their inconsistencies this season, the Kings are still a dominant team on home ice (15-6-5), and Gaborik is in play in any format tonight thanks to his consistency and GPP upside.
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks – Marleau is starting to heat up, with a goal, two assists and 10 shots on goal in his last two games. I mentioned in my article Thursday that Marleau had been unlucky this season and was too good to struggle much longer. The Devils have lost three of their last four games and have allowed 14 goals during the process. Now that he has busted out of his slump, Marleau should continue to produce at nearly a point per game level the rest of the season, and he makes for a solid value play tonight.
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jason Pominville
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Phil Kessel, Johnny Gaudreau, Nick Foligno, Radim Vrbata
DEFENSE
Cody Franson, Toronto Maple Leafs – The Maple Leafs are back home after a four-game road trip. Toronto plays their best hockey at the ACC (15-9) and they are the number one scoring offense on home ice. The Hurricanes have played very well defensively of late, but I think the Maple Leafs are in a good spot and will score some goals tonight. Franson has 16 points and a +5 rating in 22 home games and mans the point on Toronto’s number one powerplay unit. Franson is inexpensive and makes a nice value play on defense.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Kevin Shattenkirk, Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, Aaron Ekblad
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Mark Giordano, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Faulk
Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7