NHL Daily Plays: Monday, November 24th
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the NHL schedule is a little different this week. Let’s have a peek into the week ahead – we have a decent amount of action on both Tuesday (seven games) and Wednesday (nine games), which is a nice change. However, we have a rare, quiet night on Thursday (Thanksgiving), with only one game to be played. Friday is another rarity, as we have 11 contests on the board, but then Saturday will be its usual busy self with a 12-game slate. It actually makes for a very exciting week, as we have four out of five nights with at least seven games. Throw in a holiday and some turkey, and this should be one of the most enjoyable weeks of the NHL season.
Now we will turn attention to Monday evening. Tonight we have eight teams in action, as the NHL gives us a four-game schedule. More often than not, Mondays are a slow night, so we are happy to have four games in play tonight. For the first night in a long time, we don’t seem to have a huge favorite or a team playing on consecutive nights. This makes for a very fun and exciting night in the NHL. Now, here are your Daily Plays!
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 – Howard is off to a great start this year (2.03 GAA, .922 SV%) and is in a good spot to pick up his 9th win of the season tonight. The Senators are not a big threat offensively (23rd in the NHL in goals per game) and are basically a one-line team at the moment. Look for the Red Wings and Howard to shut down the Ottawa attack and come away with the win tonight. Howard is my #1 goalie tonight in both your cash games and your GPPs.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Darcy Kuemper
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Tuukka Rask, Jaroslav Halak, Roberto Luongo
FORWARDS
John Tavares, New York Islanders – Philadelphia continues to struggle on the back end, sitting 25th in the NHL in goals against per game (3.05). Neither of the Flyers’ goalies (Steve Mason and Ray Emery) has played well in 2014 and they are dead last in the penalty kill department this season. Look for another multi-point effort from Tavares this evening.
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild – Parise has three goals in his last three games, including 12 shots on net. Despite a decent showing so far this season the Panthers still rank in the bottom third in both penalty kill and shots against per game. Florida could be a tired team tonight in their first game at home after a grueling four-game road trip (Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose and Nashville). Parise is always amongst the league leaders in goals and shots per game and I think he makes a sneaky play tonight.
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Believe it or not, Voracek is leading the NHL in scoring with 29 points. Voracek has points in 12 of his last 13 games, a span that includes a ridiculous nine multi-point performances. The Islanders are a high-powered offense, but they also allow their fair share of goals as well. New York is ranked 25th on the penalty kill this season and the powerplay is where Voracek does a lot of his damage. Look for Voracek to keep rolling in what should be a high-scoring affair on Long Island.
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders – Nelson has three goals in his last four games and has taken a whopping 20 shots on net during that stretch. Nelson is now playing on the Islanders’ top line with superstar John Tavares and continues to see minutes on the top powerplay unit. At his price, Nelson is a great value play tonight.
Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings – With Pavel Datsyuk out due to a groin injury, Tomas Tatar has really picked up his game of late. In his last five games, Tatar has scored five goals, while racking up seven points and firing 21 shots on net. The Senators were a team that I thought was overrated after a hot start, and now they are starting to come back down to earth. Ottawa has lost five of its last seven games and are allowing almost 35 shots per game, which is the second most in the NHL this season. Tatar has a great price and I expect him to remain hot tonight.
Other Forwards To Target (Cash Games) – Claude Giroux, Patrice Bergeron, Henrik Zetterberg, Patric Hornqvist, Kyle Okposo
Other Forwards To Target (Tournaments) – Justin Abdelkader, Nick Bjugstad, Frans Nielsen, Jason Pominville, Brayden Schenn, Ryan Strome
DEFENSE
Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings – Ottawa is ranked 25th in penalty minutes per game (12.3 PIM/PG) and that could spell trouble versus a rested Red Wings squad. Kronwall is a powerplay specialist and this is a fantastic match-up for him to produce tonight. Kronwall is also a much better player when playing on home ice, with all 12 of his points being scored at the Joe Louis arena this year.
Johnny Boychuk, New York Islanders – Boychuk is back as New York’s powerplay quarterback and has been the Islanders’ best defenseman all season long. Boychuk is having a nice season with 13 points in 19 games and a plus seven rating, along with 46 shots on goal. This game could be a shootout tonight and I expect Boychuk to hit the scoresheet.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Kris Letang, Ryan Suter, Torey Krug
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Erik Karlsson, Mark Streit, Nick Leddy
Good Luck Grinders!
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