NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, February 14th
Happy Saturday Grinders! With the NBA on hiatus for the All-Star Game, hockey is the only major professional show in town. If you’re new to the sport, being a member of the RotoGrinders community gives you a distinct advantage over the many people that are diving into hockey to get their fantasy fix during the week-long NBA break. It’s awesome to see the growth and interest in the sport growing year over year and I hope that the tremendous amount of advice RG provides brings you success. With that said, we have a healthy nine-game schedule on the slate tonight, so here are my top plays to help win you some money to go spend on your girlfriends for Valentine’s Day:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators – The safest option on the board for me tonight is Pekka Rinne, who is having a renaissance season for the Predators; entering tonight’s game first in the NHL in wins (32), GAA (1.99), and second in SV% (.930). He will have a great opportunity to improve upon his strong play against a Devils team that has struggled to find the back of the net throughout much of the 2014 season; ranking 27th in goals per game. After a brief stint on injured reserve prior to the All-Star break, Rinne has returned to form to post a 9-1 record for the surging Nashville Predators. Rinne likely won’t face many shots in this game which limits his upside, but he has the best opportunity at recording a shutout tonight, making him worth paying up for if you can afford him.
Jhonas Enroth – Dallas Stars – If you’re looking for a high-upside goalie at a bargain price, consider taking Jhonas Enroth, who will be making his first start in net for Dallas after being acquired from Buffalo on Wednesday. His numbers this season are unsurprisingly horrific, but they can be largely attributed to fact that his team was lost defensively as Enroth was constantly being bombarded with shots night after night. Dallas will be shorthanded on offense tonight after losing both Tyler Seguin and Patrick Eaves to injury last night, setting the stage for a wide-open, up-tempo style of game that Enroth is used to. We’ve seen him turn in some remarkable performances already this season and if he’s able to stand on his head, he has the upside to carry you to the top of a GPP if he’s able to get some goal support.
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dustin Byfuglien, Keith Yandle, and Mark Giordano are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Ryan McDonagh – New York Rangers – Back on the Rangers’ top power-play unit, Ryan McDonagh is my top price-play on defense tonight with a great matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. After a slow start to the season offensively, he now has 5 points in his last 7 games and will be taking on an Arizona team that ranks 26th in the league in penalty kill percentage. There’s also a good chance McDonagh won’t see much of Arizona’s top line at even strength, making him one of the safer options on defense to spend on tonight in a game that New York should have no problems finding the back of the net.
Travis Hamonic – New York Islanders – If you’re looking for value on defense tonight, look no further than Travis Hamonic, who has 8 points in his last 10 games for the red-hot Islanders. His strong play of late has earned a spot on the Isles’ top power-play unit, where half of his point totals have come over his last 10 games. He’ll be taking on a wildly inconsistent Columbus team that will be playing on back to back games on the road, further increasing Hamonic’s potential tonight. In a game where Columbus figures to get their scoring on the power play, Hamonic should have no problems maintaining a plus rating in addition to chipping in on the many goals the Islanders are expected to score tonight.
Top Value Plays: Jake Muzzin (LA), Lubomir Visnovsky (NYI)
Center
Disclaimer: John Tavares, Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Johansen, and Nicklas Backstrom are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit Red Wings – The center position is extremely thin tonight, leaving few options to choose from outside of those listed in the disclaimer above. Enter Henrik Zetterberg, who is quietly having another productive campaign for Detroit with 48 points in 53 games this season. Unsurprisingly, the veteran playmaker leads the Wings in points and shots, yet he enters tonight’s game against Winnipeg with a very reasonable price tag across most of the industry. Despite having just a handful of centers to choose from tonight, I expect Zetterberg to fly under the radar in a game many will overlook.
Jeff Carter – Los Angeles Kings – Outside of John Tavares, your de facto “chalk” play at center tonight is Jeff Carter, who is coming off a 3 point, 8 shot performance against Calgary on Thursday. Carter boasts some extreme home/road splits, with over three-quarters of his points coming at the Staples Center this season. Despite skating on LA’s second line at even strength, Carter is a fixture on the team’s top power play unit and will be up against a Washington Capitals team that has had their troubles killing penalties this season. With every game having meaningful impact for the Kings down the stretch, I expect Carter to carry the load offensively, making him an excellent option in cash games tonight.
Top Value Plays: Mike Ribeiro (NSH), Sean Monahan (CGY)
Wing
Disclaimer: Jamie Benn, Rick Nash, James Neal, Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With 46 points in 54 games this season, the U.S. born Pacioretty is having another productive campaign for the Canadiens. Similar to Jeff Carter, Pacioretty also boasts some of the most drastic home/road splits this season; with nearly three-quarters of his point totals coming in games he has played at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Because of the high volume of shots he takes each game, Pacioretty is always capable of lighting up the stat sheet and he should have no problems improving upon his production tonight against a hapless Toronto Maple Leafs team that allows close to 33 shots per game on the road.
Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Another talented young forward in the midst of a breakout season is Forsberg, who can be had for a relative bargain tonight given his production this season. A solid all-around player with no real deficiencies in his game, the Swede enters tonight’s game with 10 points in as many games for the first place Predators. Home ice advantage will allow head coach Peter Laviolette to match Forsberg and Nashville’s productive top line against one of the weaker defensive lines for the Devils, making Forsberg an excellent play at his moderate price.
Mats Zuccarello – New York Rangers – Another new face on New York’s top power play unit is Zuccarello, who enters tonight’s game with 9 points in his last 10 games for the Rangers. Skating alongside playmaker Rick Nash on New York’s top line at even strength, Zuccarello presents a cost-effective way to get exposure to Rick Nash and his steep price tag. His production relative to his shots has driven Zuccarello’s PDO through the roof, but there’s no reason to assume why he can’t keep it going and have a productive game against Mike Smith and the Coyotes tonight.
Anders Lee – New York Islanders – Currently featured on the Islanders’ top line and top power play unit, Anders Lee is a guy that will prominently be featured in most of my lineups tonight with his cheap price tag. He has 7 points in his last 10 games for the streaking Islanders, and should have no problems finding his way back on the score sheet tonight against a Columbus team that is among the worst puck possession teams in the NHL. Lee will likely be one of the most highly owned forwards throughout the industry tonight, but you can expect production from the young forward in a game that New York should dominate from start to finish.
*Top Value Plays: Justin Abdelkader (DET), Josh Bailey (NYI), Alexandre Burrows (VAN), Tobias Rieder (AZ)