NHL Daily Plays: October 4, 2013
Happy Friday Grinders! I’m thrilled to be one of the newest members of the RotoGrinders team and I’m looking forward to what has already been an extremely exciting NHL season thus far. With only two CFB games and the MLB regular season over, the majority of the action in the industry tonight will be in NHL. I’ve decided to breakdown my picks for each position into three categories: Start, Avoid, and Buyer Beware.
Goalie
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalie listed below is starting prior to puck-drop
Start
Sergei Bobrovsky – Columbus Blue Jackets – Bobrovsky took the league by storm during the lockout-shortened season by posting a 2.00 GAA (2nd, NHL) and a .932 SV% (5th, NHL) for a Columbus team that many picked to be at the bottom of the standings. He went on to win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender and will look to build off of that success in the Blue Jackets’ home opener against the lowly Calgary Flames. Vegas has Columbus as -185 favorites, so don’t be afraid to spend on Bobrovsky tonight.
Semyon Varlamov – Colorado Avalanche – Varlamov looked sharp in Wednesday’s win over the Ducks, stopping 35 of 36 shots and coming one last second goal from recording a shutout. Tonight he gets a juicy matchup at home against the inept offense of the Nashville Predators. Varlamov has always been a solid goaltender but with the best goalie of all-time as his new head coach, Semyon should flourish this season. I’m not saying the Avalanche are suddenly Cup contenders, but Patrick Roy and this young team have created a buzz in Denver that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Varlamov is a great value play tonight.
Avoid
Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators – Rinne was clearly rusty in his first start of the season yesterday, allowing three goals in only six shots before being benched in favor of backup Carter Hutton. Rinne had offseason hip surgery, and has not played a full game since last April. He carries a high price tag and should be avoided at all costs tonight. While I do expect Rinne to have a bounce back year, I will not be paying for his high salary until he appears to be completely healthy.
Buyer Beware
Jimmy Howard – Detroit Red Wings – Many experts believe Jimmy Howard will be among the league’s best Goalies this season and I agree with that prognostication. But with the Red Wings having a tough matchup ahead on Saturday at Boston, I can see Detroit overlooking a solid offensive team in Carolina. With Howard likely being the most expensive goalie throughout the industry, I would be very cautious using him tonight.
Defense
Start
Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators – The league’s best offensive-minded defenseman has a great matchup against a terrible Buffalo Sabres team tonight. Erik Karlsson is hands down the best fantasy defenseman in the league, without question. He is a scoring machine and logs heavy minutes for a good team. He will be expensive, but you will not be disappointed with his production. Find a way to get him in your lineups tonight.
Dustin Byfuglien – Winnipeg Jets – Another solid all around defenseman gets the green light tonight. Byfuglien may be difficult to pronounce, but the decision to roster him is not. He had an excellent game on Tuesday at Edmonton, racking up three assists, six penalty minutes, two shots, and a +1 rating on 24 minutes of ice time. He is the quarterback of Winnipeg’s top power play unit and has an absolute howitzer of a shot from the blue line.
Avoid
Shea Weber – Nashville Predators – Although Shea Weber is a solid overall defenseman, Nashville is a team that looks like they will struggle mightily in the early portion of the season. Weber will log serious playing time for the Pred’s but they lake capable playmakers around him to warrant his high salary. Until Nashville gets their act together I will be avoiding Weber.
Buyer Beware
Lubomir Visnovsky – NY Islanders – Visnovsky tried desperately to get out of his contract and remain in Europe following the lockout last season. Once he returned however, he was able to help solidify a struggling Islanders defense. Because Visnovsky is up there in age, I expect the Islanders to pace him this season, which means fewer minutes and fewer opportunities to score. The Devils are a strong defensive team and scoring chances will be hard to come by regardless of whether or not the Islanders plan on limiting his ice time. If he does have any production, expect it to come on the power play.
Forwards
Start
Bobby Ryan – Ottawa Senators – Arguably the biggest offseason acquisition was made by Ottawa in trading for Bobby Ryan. He is a perennial 30 goal scorer and will help replace Daniel Alfredsson on Ottawa’s talented top line. Bobby has always been on the cusp of stardom but a few years of trade talks and uncertainty seemed to limit his potential. He has finally found a home in Ottawa and will be fired up playing alongside Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek against a weak Buffalo Sabres team.
Marian Gaborik – Columbus Blue Jackets – Plain and simple, Gaborik is a goal scorer. He is your prototypical “sniper” who won’t be in the middle of a fight but will put up numbers with a high volume of shots. After struggling for most of last season, the Rangers shipped him off to Columbus where he seemed to reclaim some of his superstar potential. He is no Alex Ovechkin, but you saw last night what a great playmaker is capable of against a porous Calgary defense and I think Gaborik is in a solid spot at a decent price.
Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings – Datsyuk is as good as it gets as both a real life player and a fantasy player. He is so consistent and always has a knack for creating scoring chances whenever he is on the ice. He is not cheap, but points will be scored in this game and I’m looking for a solid effort from one of the League’s top forwards.
Avoid
Thomas Vanek – Buffalo Sabres – Almost all of the production from the Sabres will be running through Vanek this season. He is a consistently good player but carries a high price and is going against a solid defensive team in Ottawa. He will not have very many opportunities and may fall victim to a minus rating for the evening. Look elsewhere for scoring tonight.
Buyer Beware
Daniel Alfredsson – Detroit Red Wings – He only appears in this section because he is nursing a sore groin. He says he will play but make sure you monitor his status. He looked like his old-self firing shots on the power play the other night and if he is cleared to play, he should be a great play in a high scoring affair.
Gabriel Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche – The Av’s captain missed practice yesterday and does not look good heading into tonight’s contest. He is an important part of the entire Avalanche offense however, so monitor his status and consider the impact it might have on a young team if he were to miss tonight’s game.