NHL Daily Plays: Monday, March 16th
As we start another week of Daily Fantasy Hockey, the NHL presents us with a solid four games on this Monday evening. We have three of the worst teams in hockey (Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers and the Arizona Coyotes) playing tonight and also a great matchup between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference (Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens) going toe to toe at the Bell Center.
As the two biggest favorites on the board, the Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals are going to be very popular in all game formats tonight and for good reason. The key to winning will be finding another team or players that can have a big night, to go with the Kings and Capitals.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings – Quick is 13-6-1 since the All-Star break and he has posted terrific numbers (2.03 GAA, .920 SV%) along the way. The Los Angeles Kings are a force to be reckoned with on home ice (21-8-7) and Quick has been great at the Staples Center (2.06 GAA, .921 SV%) this season. Unlike the Buffalo Sabres, the Arizona Coyotes fire enough shots on goal per game (29.4) to give Quick a decent amount of saves, yet they lack any kind of scoring punch (2.03 goals per game). The Desert Dogs have lost four consecutive games, scoring only three total goals combined. Look for Quick and the Kings to dominate this game from puck drop.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Braden Holtby
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Carey Price, Ben Bishop, Jonathan Bernier
CENTERS
Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings – Carter has scored goals in five of his last seven games and has produced solid numbers for the Kings since the All-Star break (12G, 19 PTS, 64 SOG in 21 GP). Carter has fantastic numbers on home ice this season (15 G, 36 PTS +15 in 36 GP) and he should only add to those numbers, facing the defensively challenged Arizona Coyotes tonight. The Desert Dogs are one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams, ranking 25th in shots against per game (32.4), 28th in goals against per game (3.26) and 26th on the penalty kill this season. Look for Carter to snipe at least one goal and fire three plus shots on goal tonight.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Nicklas Backstrom, Anze Kopitar
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, Tyler Bozak, David Desharnais
WINGERS
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – Ovechkin is riding a five-game point streak and he has scored in four of his last five games. During his five-game point streak, Ovi has racked up an impressive six goals, nine points and 29 shots on goal. The “Great Eight” has been the hottest player on the planet for many weeks now and I doubt Buffalo can slow him down tonight. The Buffalo Sabres have been the league’s worst defensive team all season long. They currently sit dead last in shots against per game (35.4), 2nd last in goals against per game (3.32) and they have the NHL’s worst penalty kill. The bottom line is Ovechkin is at home and facing the Buffalo Sabres. If there is ever going to be a “must play”, this is it.
Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs – Despite a terrible second half, Kessel remains an elite sniper and the biggest offensive threat for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kessel scored the Leafs lone goal against the Canucks on Saturday night and he is still firing plenty of shots on goal with 74 in his last 22 games. The Oilers have been a complete disaster in their own end all year long, allowing the most goals per game (3.36) in hockey this season. Edmonton has now lost seven straight hockey games and have allowed 32 goals against in the process. This is a great spot for Kessel to produce and he still has huge upside.
Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers – Eberle has points in four straight games, including three multi-point performances. The Oilers’ struggles have not affected Eberle’s offensive game as he has now generated 23 points in his last 22 games. The Maple Leafs have been a very poor defensive team throughout the 2014-15 season and they have been a terrible road team (8-23-5). The Leafs are ranked 29th in shots against per game (33.1) and 25th in goals against per game (3.13) this season. Toronto has now lost five of their past six games and they have given up 27 goals along the way. Eberle could very well roll out another multi-point effort and he is likely to be under-owned in all game formats.
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Max Pacioretty, Tyler Toffoli, Marian Gaborik
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Troy Brouwer, Brendan Gallagher, James van Riemsdyk, Marcus Johansson
DEFENSE
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – The Kings’ best overall player will be able to focus more on offense than his defense tonight for a change, with the pathetic Arizona Coyotes in town. The Coyotes have now lost 14 of their last 15 games and they have not had much success on the road this season (11-20-3). On the flip side, the Los Angeles Kings are one of the league’s best teams on home ice and I expect Doughty and the Kings’ powerplay to come up big against the Coyotes’ 26th-ranked penalty kill. Doughty has multi-point upside in this plus matchup tonight.
John Carlson, Washington Capitals – The Buffalo Sabres were last in Washington to face the Capitals back on Saturday March 7th and they were beaten 6-1 and outshot 45-17. A similar result can be expected tonight at the Verizon Center. Buffalo has lost six games in a row and have allowed 23 goals against in the process. The Sabres remain the NHL’s worst road team, with a 7-24-3 record away from the First Niagara Center. With the Sabres’ awful penalty kill (ranked 30th) facing off against the Capitals second-ranked powerplay, I expect at least two or three Washington goals with the man advantage tonight. Like Drew Doughty, I expect Carlson to do most of his damage on the powerplay tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Jake Muzzin, Mike Green
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – P.K. Subban, Justin Schultz, Morgan Rielly
Good Luck Grinders!
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