NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, April 4th
Happy Saturday, Grinders. It’s a busy day in the NHL today, and I hope that my picks can help lead you to the money tonight. I will disregard the afternoon games, and focus on the games starting at 7 PM or later, as these are the focus of the big contests across the industry.
Goaltenders
Goaltending looks like an easy position to fill out tonight. With four goalies with a likely 70%+ chance of winning tonight, I think it’s safe to say that you should take the win, and not worry about targeting high upside GPP goalies. Let your skaters do the dirty work.
Tuukka Rask – Rask is at home, in a must-win game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This game has every sign of Boston blow out over the Leafs, and they have three lines that can score, while the Leafs have just one. Rask is dominant at home this year, and with this game being everything to Boston, they should easily walk all over the Leafs in this one. This pick is about as simple as it gets. Yet, with all the other options it will probably fly under the radar.
Jonathan Quick – Quick is another goalie that is playing on a team that is fighting for their playoff life. Quick is an absolute beast, and the Kings are peaking at the right moment. The woeful Avalanche, and their disgustingly low puck possession numbers, on a back to back, should be no contest for LA. LA just won 8-1 against Edmonton, and they are clicking on all cylinders. While Varlamov should keep this close, the only way I see Quick losing is if Varlamov handles 40+ shots with ease.
Other Options – Antti Niemi, Jaroslav Halak, Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne
Forwards
With so many big favourites tonight, you’re going to have to spread out your picks in cash games. Let’s get into some of the picks.
John Tavares – Tavares gets the benefit of facing the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo is on a back to back, and if you don’t know to target players against the Sabres by now, it probably hasn’t been a great season for you. The Sabres are dead last in every offensive and defensive category, and their goaltending is putrid. Tavares is a point per game player, and he really likes to up the pace. Playing with Ryan Strome and Kulemin is not ideal, and it makes Tavares harder to get exposure to. Tavares should be able to dominate this game and take a lot of shots, and there’s no reason not to use him besides his hefty salary. Buffalo and New York combine for the highest two Corsi pace teams playing tonight if you combine their paces together. Expect some fireworks.
Jeff Carter – Carter has recorded multiple shots in ten straight games, and he finally got rewarded for his efforts last game with two goals against the Oilers. He faces a similarly inept team tonight, and there’s no reason why the Carter line won’t go off again tonight. The 70s line play at one of the highest Corsi Pace60 rates in the NHL, and they also dominate possession at the same time. This makes them a high-upside play on DraftKings, and a safe play on FanDuel as well for +/- scoring.
Jordan Eberle – Eberle has been a silent assassin since the All-Star break. Since February 1st, Eberle has 31 points in 28 games, and while a lot of that is due to a slightly inflated shooting percentage, he is also averaging over 2 shots a game during that span. Eberle sees a lot of power-play minutes, and is really clicking with Nugent-Hopkins and Pouliot. Is this streak luck? I don’t think so. Since Pouliot starting playing on the first line, Eberle and him have combined to have a 55% Corsi For, and are attempting 64 shot attempts per 60 minutes. This is very impressive. Combine that with the fact that the Calgary Flames are not actually good, and I think Edmonton plays spoiler tonight. If you want to know why Calgary is not good, feel free to leave comments and I can explain it in further detail.
Loui Eriksson – Eriksson gets the benefit of playing with good linemates, getting top power-play minutes, and focusing exclusively on offense. With Bergeron saddled with the Kessel line, I expect Eriksson and Soderberg to be the ones seeing the Leafs third line, which is most farm team’s third line. Eriksson’s great even strength matchup, and big minutes, along with the PP time against the brutal Leafs make him a great sleeper tonight. The Leafs struggle to contain other teams of late, and are giving up a terribly high amount of scoring chances. Eriksson will be a great GPP play along with the rest of his line.
Other Options – James Neal, Logan Couture, Alex Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar, Ryan Strome
Defense
Torey Krug – With no Dougie Hamilton, Krug will once again be the focal point of the power play at the point. He is a much better skater than Chara at this point, and Krug will quarterback the powerplay, and take as many shots as possible against this Leafs’ penalty kill. Krug is very offensive minded and not afraid to jump into the play. He’ll be able to take some risks against the weaker competition of the Leafs, as mistakes don’t end up in the back of the net against the depth players of the Leafs. Look for Krug to stay hot tonight in a must-win game.
John Carlson – Carlson continued to put up incredible powerplay numbers as a defenseman by notching 3 assists with the big unit last game. He faces a Senators team desperate for their playoff lives, and Ottawa can ill-afford to take penalties. Carlson is second among NHL defensemen in power-play points per 60, and the Senators penalty kill has been giving up way too many shot attempts for their own good. Look for Carlson to fly under the radar, but give you great exposure to one of the top powerplay matchups of the night.
Other Options- Nick Leddy, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Seth Jones, Justin Schultz