NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, April 11th
The NHL season has sadly reached the end of the line, but not before all 30 teams hit the ice today. When playing DFS hockey at this time of year, it’s vital to account for the motivation level of both teams involved.
Today’s action sees plenty of teams with nothing on the line, while others are still battling for their playoff lives, division titles, and that highly sought-after #1 overall draft pick, among other things. We have four matinee games on the docket today, but since the big GPPs are all centered on the 10 evening games, these plays will do the same.
Goaltender
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens – With a 43-16-6 record and a 1.95 GAA and .934 SV% on the season, it would be surprising if Carey Price weren’t awarded the Vezina trophy this season. The Canadiens will need the 27-year-old goalie to be sharp tonight if they plan on locking up the Atlantic Division title and he should be happy to oblige. He has defeated this Toronto Maple Leafs in all three previous meetings this season and owns a 1.30 GAA and .953 SV% in the process. He has stood on his head since the All-Star break, posting a 19-6-4 record with a ridiculous 1.70 GAA and .941 SV% (with seven shutouts) in 29 starts.
Other Goalies to Target (Cash Games): Marc-Andre Fleury, Corey Crawford, Frederik Andersen
Other Goalies to Target (GPPs): Tuukka Rask, Jimmy Howard, Cory Schneider
Centers
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – There’s a lot on the line for Crosby here; not only would two points guarantee the Penguins a playoff berth, but Crosby also sits in a tie for first place in the NHL scoring race (with John Tavares). He’s definitely not a cheap option, but with the highly motivated Penguins taking on the Buffalo Sabres, he’s an extremely risky cash game fade tonight. Crosby has put up video game numbers against Buffalo this season as he’s already racked up eight assists in their two previous meetings. The Sabres own the league’s worst penalty kill (among other things) and Crosby is the owner of 31 power-play points. Unless you’re trying to be contrarian in a GPP, just find a way to get him onto your roster.
Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens – Montreal may very well need at least one point to hold off Tampa Bay for the Atlantic Division crown, and, luckily for them, they get to square off against a Maple Leafs team that has dropped 10 of their last 13 games. Plekanec has lit the lamp in three straight games and has now scored six goals and dished out eight assists over his last 13 games. He’s feasted on this Toronto team this season, scoring three goals and adding an assist in their three previous meetings. Plekanec centers both the Canadiens top forward line as well as their #1 power-play unit, and with Max Pacioretty sidelined, he’ll be leaned on heavily to keep things rolling offensively.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games): John Tavares, Ryan Getzlaf, Henrik Sedin, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin
Other Centers to Target (GPPs): Matt Duchene, Andrew Shaw, Ryan Kesler, Tyler Seguin (UPDATE: Seguin is out tonight), Eric Staal, Ryan Johansen
Wingers
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks – Daniel Sedin is heating up at the right time, as the talented winger has scored goals in three straight games and now owns five goals and eleven assists over his over his last 13 games. With Vancouver still needing at least one point to guarantee themselves home-ice advantage over Calgary in the first round of the playoffs, he should still be slated for his full complement of minutes tonight. He’ll take on an Edmonton team that has surrendered the most goals against in the NHL this season and he’s feasted on them in their four previous meetings, scoring one goal and dishing out seven assists. He’s reasonably priced and a rock solid option in all formats.
Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks – The offense seems to have dried up for the Blackhawks recently as they’ve only managed to score one goal in each of the last three games, however, they’ll need to get things going tonight to prevent the surging Minnesota Wild from overtaking them in the Central Division. Hossa has scored a goal and added five assists over the last seven games and has picked up points in both previous visits to the Pepsi Center this season. The Avalanche have allowed the fourth-most shots on goal against in the NHL this season and the Blackhawks own a distinct advantage in this contest by Corsi standards. Hossa is locked into 20+ minutes of ice-time along Jonathan Toews and sees plenty of run on the wing of Chicago’s #1 power-play unit.
Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings – After a solid rookie campaign last year, Tatar has really taken another step forward this season and established himself as a legit NHL sniper. He currently leads this Detroit team in goals and just need to put one more puck in the net to crack the coveted 30-goal plateau for the first time in his young career. He scored a pair of goals against the Hurricanes in his only other visit to Raleigh this season and started the scoring on Thursday against Montreal. Detroit needs at least one point to secure their spot as the third seed in the Atlantic Division and Tatar has clearly become a cornerstone of their offensive attack.
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games): Radim Vrbata, Patric Hornqvist, Kyle Okposo, Brendan Gallagher, Corey Perry
Other Wingers to Target (GPPs): Jamie Benn, Daniel Winnik, Michael Cammalleri, Jarome Iginla, Jordan Eberle
Defensemen
Nick Leddy, New York Islanders – With Travis Hamonic knocked out of last night’s game and unlikely to play tonight; Leddy should be preparing himself for a huge workload tonight. He’s picked up six assists over the last four games and is seeing nearly all of the playing time on the point of New York’s #1 power-play unit. He already owns three assists in three previous meetings against the Blue Jackets and should take advantage of the matchup against Columbus’ lackluster 80.0% penalty kill.
Jeff Petry, Montreal Canadiens – The move out of Edmonton has done wonders for Petry’s fantasy value, and the 27-year-old now brings a six-game point streak into tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs. He’s picked up three goals and four assists during his current streak and is averaging over 22 minutes of ice-time per game with his new team. While some users could be scared off by his -26 rating on the season, don’t be fooled as he was a -25 during his 59 games with Edmonton. His solid play has earned him a spot on the Habs #2 power-play unit where he’ll see a healthy dose of playing time against Toronto’s subpar 80.2% penalty kill.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games): Erik Karlsson, Paul Martin, Aaron Ekblad, P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov, Shea Weber (UPDATE: Weber is out tonight), Duncan Keith, Alex Edler
Other Defensemen to Target (GPPs): Jack Johnson, Marek Zidlicky, Torey Krug, Anton Stralman, John Klingberg, Sami Vatanen
I hope everyone had as much fun this NHL season as I did and I hope to see you back again in October!