NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, November 8th
Happy Saturday Grinders! We’ve already seen plenty of scoring to date and I don’t expect that trend to change tonight with several great matchups to exploit. With the exception of one or two games, goals will be aplenty which makes this Saturday’s slate a GPP night for me. Let’s take a look at some of my top plays to help you take down a big tournament tonight:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Marc-Andre Fleury – Pittsburgh Penguins – Fleury is one of the most polarizing goalies in the NHL because of the drastic discrepancy between his regular season numbers and his performance in the postseason, but he’s once again in play tonight as he draws the lowly Buffalo Sabres for the second Saturday in a row. He earned a shutout the last time he faced the Sabres and compiled a perfect 3-0 record including a shutout and compiled a .971 SV% against the league’s worst team last year. Fleury also enters tonight’s game at the top of his game; undefeated in his last 5 outings, which includes 3 shutouts and a stellar .955 SV%. There is always merit to fading Fleury in tournament play since we don’t anticipate him seeing many shots, but he is my clear-cut #1 option in net tonight in cash games.
Craig Anderson – Ottawa Senators – If you’re looking for a high-risk, high-reward option in net tonight, Anderson is your guy. Fresh off a brilliant 35 save shutout on Thursday, Anderson appears to have put his terrible season from a year ago behind him with a 4-2 record to go along with a 1.84 GAA and a sparkling .948 SV% in 7 starts this year. Tonight Anderson will be taking on the Winnipeg Jets, who are averaging under two goals per game. He remains a GPP-only guy for me because of Ottawa’s inconsistent defensive play, but if he’s able to stand on his head, he will likely carry you to the top of a tournament tonight.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Shea Weber, Keith Yandle, Duncan Keith, Brent Burns, P.K. Subban, and Kris Letang, are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Kevin Shattenkirk – St. Louis Blues – If you’re in the mood to pay up for defense tonight, Kevin Shattenkirk is one of my top options. He leads the Blues with 10 assists and is a beast on the team’s top power play unit that will be taking on a Nashville Predators team that has the third-worst penalty kill percentage in the NHL. He enters tonight’s game with 8 points in his last 10 games for the surging St. Louis Blues, and should have no problem paying off his steep price tag with plenty of scoring opportunities against a Predators team that has been historically bad away from home ice.
Lubomir Visnovsky – New York Islanders – If you’re looking for a great mid-range option tonight, consider taking the veteran Lubomir Visnovsky. At the ripe age of 38, Visnovsky is the quarterback of the Islanders’ 6th ranked power play unit and will be taking on Arizona’s 27th ranked penalty kill. In a game that should be very high scoring, there’s no reason to assume Visnovsky won’t be involved in some capacity, and his moderate price tag will give you the ability to load up the rest of your lineup.
Top Value Plays: Cody Franson (TOR), Christian Ehrhoff (PIT)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, Tyler Seguin, Ryan Johansen, Logan Couture, and Jeff Carter are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
John Tavares – New York Islanders – An often forgotten superstar because of the team he plays for, Tavares is a guy that I really like tonight in what will likely be a shootout in Phoenix. Tavares enters tonight’s game with 15 points in 13 games and will have the luxury of taking on a Phoenix Coyotes team that narrowly escaped with a victory against the Ducks in Anaheim last night despite being outplayed for the duration of the game. On the tail-end of a long west coast roadtrip, the Isles will rely heavily on their captain, who should have no problem finding his way in the score sheet, especially if Mike Smith is in net for the ‘Yotes.
Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers – In addition to Tavares, another high priced center who is riding a hot streak that I’ll be paying up for tonight is Giroux, who is second in the NHL in shots on goal and has 15 points in 13 games to open the year. Tonight, the Flyers will be taking on the Avalanche, who are one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL. In what could be a very high-scoring game, I expect Giroux to be heavily involved in his team’s scoring tonight.
Top Value Plays: Chris Vande Velde (PHI), Jori Lehtera (STL)
Wing
Disclaimer: Patric Hornqvist, Jamie Benn, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Rick Nash, and Phil Kessel are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals – Perennially one the most productive forwards in all of hockey, Alex Ovechkin is my top play across the board tonight with a nice home matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes who allow the third-most goals on the road. This sets up nicely for Ovechkin, who has amassed a whopping 27 goals and 43 assists in 57 career games against the Hurricanes. Ovy is a hat-trick waiting to happen seemingly every time he steps foot on the ice and has the ability to burn you bigtime if you decide to fade him.
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 gorgeous matchup against a Sabres team that is allowing close to 40 shots per game this season. In a game that Pittsburgh should dominate entirely, it will take a miracle for Buffalo to keep Kunitz off the scoresheet tonight.
Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – Skating alongside playmakers Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz on the Blues’ second line and top power play unit, Tarasenko has taken the NHL by storm with his highlight-reel goals. For fantasy purposes, the Blues’ third line is their best scoring line, and with 9 goals, 7 assists, and 55 shots on goal already this season, Tarassenko is poised for a breakout year. Home ice advantage will give head coach Ken Hitchcock the ability to keep Tarasenko away from lockdown defenseman Shea Weber, which should give him ample opportunities against Nashville’s weak complimentary defensemen.
Mikkel Boedker – Arizona Coyotes – If you’re looking for a sneaky winger for GPPs tonight, Boedker is my guy. I’ve already alluded to extreme scoring potential in this game against the Islanders, and with the ‘Yotes being a one-line team, Boedker is an easy bet for production tonight with 6 goals in as many home games this season. The talented young Swede is also featured on Arizona’s top power play unit and should get plenty of opportunities against the Islanders’ 29th ranked penalty kill.
Top Value Plays: Marcus Johansson (WSH), Nikolai Kulemin (NYI), Tommy Wingels (SJ), Tom Wilson (WSH)