NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, March 7th
Happy Saturday Grinders! With the MLB regular season rapidly approaching, there’s only about one more month before the NHL interest begins to dwindle down. Fortunately for us Grinders, there is still some nice action throughout the industry as we head down the final stretch towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With nine games on the slate tonight, there are some great matchups to exploit, so let’s take a look at some of the players I’m interested in tonight:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens – The league’s best goaltender this season, Carey Price, is in the midst of another remarkable season for Montreal. Despite dropping his last two decisions, Price has a 7-2-1 record with a 1.47 GAA and a .948 SV% in his last 10 games for the Habs. Tonight he’ll be up against an Arizona Coyotes team that ranks 29th in the league in goals per game at home this season and has averaged just 1.43 goals per game since the beginning of January. Aside from the easy matchup, one of the main reasons I’ll be targeting Price over some of the other established goalies tonight is because I expect him to face more shots than a player like Holtby. Price won’t be cheap, but he should have no problems securing an easy victory as he continues his MVP-caliber season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning – Pronouncing his name may seem like a tongue twister of sorts, but the young Andrei Vasilevskiy has been excellent in relief of Ben Bishop this season, entering tonight’s game with a 5-3-1 record, a 2.21 GAA, and a .921 SV% in 11 games this season. Tampa Bay has been one of the league’s best defensive teams at home this season, allowing the fewest goals per game in the NHL. Vasilevskiy remains a bargain throughout most of the industry, and in a game in which he should receive plenty of goal support, there’s no reason to assume why he can’t earn a cheap victory tonight.
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Drew Doughty, Victor Hedman, John Carlson, P.K. Subban, Kris Letang, Alex Pietrangelo, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks – After spending most of last season at forward, San Jose has moved Brent Burns back to the blueline this season where he has been among the league leaders in fantasy production. He won’t be cheap, but he has a knack for scoring and ranks in the top five in goals, points, and shots per game among all NHL defensemen. Tonight Burns and the Sharks will be taking on a banged up Vancouver Canucks team that has surrendered 13 goals in their last three games. Burns logs heavy ice time for Sharks and should be heavily involved in San Jose’s scoring tonight in a game the Sharks desperately need to win.
Jason Garrison – Tampa Bay Lightning – If you’re looking for value on defense tonight, consider Jason Garrison, who has recently been bumped up to Tampa’s top power play unit where he has 7 points in his last 10 games. An average all-around defenseman by most metrics, Garrison’s best attribute as a hockey player is his rocket shot from the point which creates rebound opportunities for the myriad of finishers Tampa Bay has at their disposal. I expect him to be very active on the team’s power play tonight taking on a Dallas Stars team that ranks in the bottom third of the league in penalty kill percentage.
Top Value Plays: Anton Stralman (TB), Nick Leddy (NYI)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares, Logan Couture, Tyler Johnson, Ryan Johansen, David Backes, and Nicklas Backstrom are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning – Entering tonight’s game with 11 points in his last 10 games, few players throughout the league are as hot has Stamkos has been recently. His even strength PDO of 95.1 suggests that his hot streak is only just beginning, especially given the fact he has been shooting the puck like crazy of late. In addition to his strong play of late, Stamkos has been a beast at home this season where head coach Jon Cooper likes to matchup his best pure goal scorer against the opposition’s weaker defensive lines. In a game where I expect the Bolts to score early plenty of goals, “Stammer” should have no problems getting involved in the scoring mix tonight.
Jeff Carter – Los Angeles Kings – Reunited with Tyler Toffoli on LA’s 2nd line, “That 70’s Line” which also features new member Dwight King has been the most dominant lines in all of hockey recently. Carter is the glue that holds the line together, and with 7 goals in his last 10 games, there appears to be no end in sight for him as the Kings make another trademarked late season run heading into the playoffs. A matchup against the Penguins isn’t ideal, but they will be playing on tired legs and home ice advantage will allow Kings’ head coach Darryl Sutter to pair Carter, who has 35 points in 34 home games, up against one of the weaker defensive pairings of Pittsburgh.
Top Value Plays: Jori Lehtera (STL), Sam Gagner (AZ)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alex Ovechkin (if starting), Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn,James Neal, Phil Kessel, Tyler Toffoli, and Vladimir Tarasenko are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With 10 points in as many games, Max Pacioretty continues to be an offensive force the for Montreal. His numbers suggest he is more effective at home, but a matchup against Mike Smith and the Coyotes is too juicy to pass up on tonight. The main reason I like Pacioretty tonight is because I believe the style Montreal plays as a transition team fits well against an inexperienced defensive corps of Arizona. Pacioretty should receive plenty of breakaway opportunities and odd-man rushes in this game to produce quality scoring chances to pay off his steep price tag tonight.
Alexander Steen – St. Louis Blues – Coming off his worst game of the season against the Flyers, Steen will look to take his frustration out against his former team in Toronto tonight. Pointless in his last six games, Steen has been a product of bad luck recently, entering tonight’s game with a 92.4 PDO over the last 30 days. The silver lining in Steen’s recent slump is that he is still shooting the puck at a decent rate, his price has dropped in some places across the industry, and he will be taking on a Maple Leafs team that surrenders close to 32 shots per game at home this season. Recency bias will likely drive his ownership percentage down as well tonight, so jump all over Steen in a game I expect the Blues to dominate tonight.
Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Another talented forward in the midst of a recent scoring drought is Forsberg, who can be had for a relative bargain tonight given his production this season. Similar to Steen, Forsberg’s 93.5 PDO is extremely low over the last 30 days, which means a breakout is imminent, especially since he’s been shooting the puck at a higher rate than he has all season. A home matchup against Winnipeg who leads the league in penalty minutes, should allow Forsberg plenty of opportunities to improve upon his team-leading 17 power play points in a game Nashville needs to win.
Top Value Plays: Marcus Johansson (WSH), Alex Killorn (TB), Josh Bailey (NYI), Melker Karlsson (SJ), Dmitri Jaskin (STL)