NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, December 27th
Happy Saturday Grinders! I hope you all enjoyed the Holiday Season with friends and family. It’s back to business in the NHL however; and with a whopping 13 games on the slate tonight, there’s a lot to like as we approach the end of December. An extended break in all sports presents a little uncertainty, especially for teams that have been playing well heading into the Christmas break, but there are still some great matchups to exploit tonight so without further ado, here are my top plays for Saturday, December 17th:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers – The safest option on the board tonight for me is Henrik Lundqvist. With a 15-7-3 record, a 2.44 GAA and a mediocre .913 SV%, “King” Henrik has not lived up to his name this season, but he enters tonight’s game with an 8-2 record to go along with a 2.08 GAA and a .918 SV% in his last 10 games. Tonight he’ll be up against a New Jersey Devils team that has once again become “allergic to scoring;” averaging 1.58 goals per game in December. With plenty of expected goal support, do yourself a favor and pay-up in net tonight with Lundqvist/
Kevin Poulin – New York Islanders – If you’re feelin’ frisky tonight, Poulin will be getting the nod in net against the lowly Buffalo Sabres. With a career 18-25 record, a 3.08 GAA, and a poor .900 SV%, the “Poulin Wall” might be made of jello during his brief tenure in the NHL, but it appears that Islanders’ management will give him a legitimate chance to take Chad Johnson’s place as the team’s backup goalie moving forward. Even with a matchup against the Sabres I can’t recommend taking him in your cash games but he has a realistic chance at earning a win tonight, making him the perfect option to target in GPPs with his discounted price
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Victor Hedman, Duncan Keith, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Keith Yandle, and Mark Giordano are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Keith Yandle – Arizona Coyotes – The Coyotes entered the 2014-15 season with a new team name, but find themselves in a familiar place near the bottom of the Western Conference Standings. Arizona’s troubles have not been Yandle’s fault however; who enters tonight’s game with 7 points in his last 10 games, averaging 3 shots per game during that span. 7 points in 10 games is nothing to write home about, but Yandle enters tonight’s game 3rd in the NHL during the month of December in shot attempts per game and his PDO (on ice SH% + SV%) of 95 suggests he has been the product of bad luck recently. In a game I believe Arizona can win tonight, you can expect a big performance from Yandle, making him my top defenseman to pay up for.
Nick Leddy – New York Islanders – After never living up to the hype in Chicago, the Blackhawks traded the much-maligned Leddy to the Islanders in a cost-cutting move just days before the regular season began. I firmly believe that he never received a fair shake in Chicago, as he was buried down the depth chart and often criticized by head coach Joel Quenneville. There’s no mistake that Leddy will likely never end up as a top pairing defensemen in the NHL because of his unrefined skillset, but what people don’t understand is that he is still only 23 years old. Skating on the Islanders’ top power play unit, Leddy could be in for a big night taking on a Sabres team that allows the most shots per game in the NHL.
Top Value Plays: Dan Boyle (NYR), Brad Hunt (EDM)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Pavel Datsyuk, Claude Giroux, Tyler Seguin, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, Logan Couture, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Backstrom are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins – Arguably the league’s most underrated player (unless you’re a stats nerd), Bergeron is more known for his defensive abilities than his offensive prowess. Several key injuries have forced Bergeron into a more prominent role on offense however; and he has quietly scored 10 points in as many games for the B’s. A road matchup against Columbus may seem tough on paper, don’t be fooled by this team’s recent success; they are among the worst puck possession teams in the league and have been getting the majority of their production on the power play. Puck possession is Bergeron’s game, and I expect him to be active tonight as he looks to continue his terrific season as the Bruins look to turn their season around.
Derek Brassard – New York Rangers – In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Rangers are on fire, currently riding a 7 game winning streak and getting scoring from multiple lines. With 11 points in his last 10 games, Brassard has been a major component of his team’s recent success and will get a great opportunity to build upon his recent success against a Devils team that is a shell of their former self; entering tonight’s game 10th in shots allowed and remains near the bottom of the league in penalty kill percentage. Taking Brassard, provides you a cost-effective way to get exposure to the league’s hottest player in Rick Nash. And while Nash’s price has skyrocketed, Brassard still carries a very modest price throughout most of the industry, making him an excellent option in both cash games and tournaments tonight.
Top Value Plays: Mike Ribeiro (AZ), Jori Lehtera (STL)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alex Ovechkin, Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Jakub Voracek, Filip Forsberg, Jamie Benn, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Patric Hornqvist, Vladimir Tarasenko and James Neal are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks – No longer forced to skate alongside bums like Shaw and Bickell on Chicago’s third line, Sharp’s production has unsurprisingly increased now that he’s on the Blackhawk’s second line. Also featured on one of the most deadly power play units in hockey, Sharp should have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net tonight against an Avalanche team that is among the worst in the league in puck possession. “Sharpie” is the main guy to target in this game because of the high volume of shots he produces, and though he won’t be cheap, he should have no problems finding his way into Chicago’s scoring mix tonight.
Kyle Okposo – New York Islanders – The main beneficiary of prime scoring opportunities created by superstar John Tavares, Kyle Okposo registered nearly a point per game last season for the Islanders. With 29 points this season and 8 in his last 10 games, Okposo is once again proving he can be relied upon as a consistent option in a high-octane offense. Tonight he will have the luxury of taking on a Sabres team that is back to their losing style of hockey; losers of 4 straight games and allowing the most shots per game in the NHL. Okposo offers a cheaper way to get exposure to Tavares and has averaged close to 4 shots per game in his last 10 games, making him a perfect option to target in both GPPs and cash games tonight.
Alex Steen – St. Louis Blues – After an incredible breakout season last year in which he amassed 62 points in 68 games, many experts expected Steen’s production to tumble this year. And after a slow start to the 2014-15 regular season, the regression monsters rejoiced, if only for a short while. Now with 21 points in 33 games, Steen is starting to heat up, as the Blues are finally starting to get production outside of the Tarassenko line. With six points in his last 10 games, Steen has been a decent mid-range salary play, but he has averaged close to four shots per game during that span, which is why I’m all over him tonight against a Dallas Stars team that has allowed the 6th most goals per game during the month of December.
Top Value Plays: Justin Abdelkader (DET), Michael Raffl (PHI), Brett Connolly (TB), Brock Nelson (NYI)