NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, November 15th
Happy Saturday Grinders! Hockey Night brings us a healthy 9 game slate as part of the evening action in the NHL with some fantastic matchups to exploit. With the ridiculous amount of scoring witnessed throughout the league in the early part of the 2013-14 season, there’s no reason to assume why the trend won’t continue into tonight’s action. As the NHL grind continues, let’s take a look at some of my top players to help boost that bankroll tonight:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
James Reimer – Toronto Maple Leafs – You know the drill by now, anytime a goalie faces the Buffalo Sabres (except Darcy Kuemper), he’s in play. Reimer has done a serviceable job in relief of Jonathan Bernier for the Leafs this year, posting a 4-2 record to go along with a 2.65 GAA and a .925 SV%. The Leafs will be on a back-to-back away from home ice, but they have been playing better hockey of late, especially on the road where they have only lost one game in regulation this season. Reimer’s moderate price and cupcake matchup make him an excellent target for your cash games tonight.
Marc-Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh Penguins – After giving way to backup Thomas Greiss in last night’s game, Fleury will be back between the pipes tonight in a revenge game against the very same Rangers team that torched him for 5 goals back on Tuesday. Fleury has always been regarded as one of the best regular season goalies in the league and that trend has continued into this season with a 9-3 record to go along with a 2.16 GAA and a .924 SV%. Fleury has a history of bouncing back from poor performances and has not posted consecutive losses once this season. I expect Pittsburgh to dominate this game from start to finish, making Fleury and his steep price tag an excellent tournament play with his likely low ownership percentage.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Shea Weber, Mark Giordano, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brent Burns, P.K. Subban, and Kris Letang, are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Jason Garrison – Tampa Bay Lightning – Despite many high-profile defensemen having great matchups tonight, I will be looking to save on defense. Garrison, who is featured on Tampa Bay’s top power play unit is one guy I will have plenty of exposure to with his moderate price tag. He has a booming shot from the point and should get plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net against the Islanders 28th ranked penalty kill.
Cody Franson – Toronto Maple Leafs – Another moderately priced defensemen that I will targeting tonight is Franson, who has been on a tear of late with 9 points in his last 10 games. I typically only like to target Franson at home where he has historically fared much better over the course of his career, but the matchup against the lowly Buffalo Sabres presents an excellent opportunity to get him in your lineups tonight.
Top Value Plays: Jake Gardiner (TOR), Zach Redmond (COL)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Ryan Johansen, Logan Couture, and Claude Giroux are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche – The first overall pick in last year’s draft burst onto the scene last season, leading all NHL rookies in almost every statistical category. Despite playing on an under-performing Avalanche team, MacKinnon leads Colorado with 6 power play points. Tonight the young superstar in the making will look to add to those power play numbers against a New Jersey Devils team that ranks dead last in the league in penalty kill percentage. His moderate price makes him a strong play in both cash games and GPPs tonight.
Jori Lehtera – St. Louis Blues – Another young talent that has been absolutely on fire of late is Lehtera, who enters tonight’s game with 13 points in his last 10 games for the surging Blues. Centering what Blue’s fans have dubbed the “STL” line, Lehtera has shown great chemistry with talented playmakers in Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko at his side. His price remains criminally low despite his recent success and home ice advantage should allow head coach Ken Hitchcock the ability to match this line against one of Washington’s weaker defensive pairings.
Top Value Plays: Travis Zajac (NJ), Sean Monahan (CGY)
Wing
Disclaimer: Patric Hornqvist, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Rick Nash, and Jakub Voracek are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Phil Kessel – Toronto Maple Leafs – With 13 points in his last 10 games, Kessel is officially heating up and is one of the major reasons for Toronto’s recent success. One of the league’s most pure goal-scorers, I will be doing whatever it takes to squeeze Kessel into my lineups tonight against a Sabres team that has allowed close to 40 shots per game this season. Don’t overthink this one folks; Kessel torched the Sabres last year and posted a goal and an assist in his last meeting against the league’s worst team.
Chris Kunitz – Pittsburgh Penguins – Skating alongside the best player in the world on the most prolific power play unit in the game, it’s no surprise to see Kunitz among the league leaders in points each season. He currently leads the NHL with 5 power play goals and has a decent matchup against a Rangers team that will be without their top defenseman Ryan McDonagh for tonight’s game. After being routed in Madison Square Garden back on Tuesday, I expect the Penguins to go wild tonight back at home, making Kunitz a terrific option if you can’t afford Sidney Crosby tonight.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – Another prolific scorer that makes the list for me tonight is Pacioretty, who leads the Habs with 8 goals and 62 shots on goal this season. With points in three consecutive games, including two-goal performance against Boston on Friday, Pacioretty should get plenty of opportunities continue his scoring streak tonight against Ray Emery and the slow, unathletic Flyers defensive corps.
Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames – If you’re looking for some value at the forward position tonight, consider taking the talented Johnny Gaudreau. After a mediocre start to the season, “Johnny Hockey” has strung together 9 points in his last 10 games for the Flames and has worked his way onto Calgary’s top power play unit. His diminutive stature will likely become a problem for him moving forward, but he should have no problems weaving through a Senators defense that allows the most shots in the NHL on the road this season.
Top Value Plays: Nikolai Kulemin (NYI), Tommy Wingels (SJ), Nick Spaling (PIT), Michael Ryder (NJ)