NHL Daily Plays: Monday, March 9th
We have a decent NHL schedule on this Monday evening with five games on tap. We have just over a month left of NHL regular season action, as the season ends on April 11th. With 10 teams hitting the ice tonight, we will have plenty of options for our cash game lineups and an unlimited amount of combinations in our tournament play.
The Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and New York Islanders are the biggest favorites on the board, while the Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers are the only teams playing on consecutive nights.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings – It was a tough decision between Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne, but I ended up siding with the goalie playing at home, who also happens to be cheaper. The Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers both played last night and could be tired at some point during this game. That said, Jimmy Howard played sparingly, so he should be well rested and sharp. The Oilers are not a team that travels well (8-17-9) and Detroit is one of the NHL’s best on home ice (18-6-7). The Red Wings are a massive favorite in this game I expect them to dominate Edmonton from puck drop.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Pekka Rinne, Jaroslav Halak
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Eddie Lack, Jonathan Bernier, Marc-Andre Fleury
CENTERS
John Tavares, New York Islanders – Tavares followed up his multi-point performance against the Nashville Predators with a three-point effort versus the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, and he now leads the league in scoring with 70 points. Tavares has been an absolute beast over his last 21 games, generating 11 goals, 25 points and 78 shots on goal. Tavares has a great matchup against one of the worst defensive teams in hockey and I expect him to continue his assault on the NHL tonight in Toronto.
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Malkin has been one of the hottest players in the NHL since the all-star break, racking up nine goals, 16 points and 43 shots on net in 15 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins may very well be playing their best hockey of the season right now. Pittsburgh has won six of their past seven games, scoring 25 goals in the process. Geno and the Penguins offense is sizzling hot and I think they keep rolling tonight versus the Sharks.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Henrik Sedin, Logan Couture, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Tyler Bozak
WINGERS
Patric Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins – Hornqvist has been lighting it up of late, with three goals in his last two games and seven goals in last seven contests. During that seven-game stretch, Hornqvist has produced nine points and unleashed 24 shots on goal. The San Jose Sharks have struggled to keep the puck out of their net this season and they are clearly not the same team they were last year at the “Shark Tank”. Look for Hornqvist and the Penguins’ top line to remain hot tonight in California. Having exposure to both of the Penguins’ top two lines makes sense with the way they have been scoring recently.
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators – Like most of Nashville’s offense, Forsberg has been cold recently, but he is the Predators’ top offensive threat and has a plus matchup tonight in Arizona. The Desert Dogs have just one win in their past 12 games and are one the NHL’s weakest defensive teams. The Coyotes rank 25th in shots against per game (32.2), 29th in goals against per game (3.29) and have the league’s 26th-ranked penalty kill. Due to his mini-slump, we can enjoy Forsberg tonight at a discounted price.
Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings – In order to afford some of these studs tonight, we are gong to have to some find some value. Justin Abdelkader has now scored three goals and fired 11 shots on net in his past three games. Abdelkader remains on the Red Wings’ top line and number one powerplay unit. The Edmonton Oilers allowed seven goals to the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday and have now allowed the second-most goals against per game (3.29) this season. The Red Wings should control this game from beginning to end and Abdelkader is one of the top value plays on the board tonight.
Other Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Corey Perry, Anders Lee, James Neal, Joe Pavelski
Other Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Phil Kessel, Gustav Nyquist, Daniel Sedin, Tobias Rieder
DEFENSE
Nick Leddy, New York Islanders – Leddy has goals in back-to-back games and has taken over as the Islanders’ powerplay quarterback. After underachieving in Chicago, the 23-year-old Leddy is finally getting a chance to show case his offensive skills and he seems to be getting better each and every night. The Toronto Maple Leafs are a complete disaster right now and I don’t see them slowing down Leddy and the Islanders tonight.
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks – If you are paying up for a defenseman tonight, I really like Brent Burns. Due to his price, Burns may be a better GPP play than a cash play, but I like him as a sneaky play in all formats. Most owners with money to burn on defense will look to Shea Weber and Kris Letang to carry their defense, leaving Burns under-owned tonight. Burns has points in four straight games and he has tallied 14 points and a massive 66 shots on goal in his last 18 games. Burns has as much upside as any defenseman in hockey and I think he stretches his point streak to five games this evening.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Shea Weber, Kris Letang, Roman Josi, Niklas Kronwall
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alexander Edler, Cam Fowler, Morgan Rielly
Good Luck Grinders!
Pepsi7