NHL Daily Plays: Saturday, October 18th
Happy “Backup Saturday” Grinders! Last Saturday only 3 of the 15 games produced less than 5 total goals and I expect that trend to continue tonight with roughly 10 backup goalies likely in net. Because of this my general strategy tonight will be focused on tournament action with so much uncertainty between the pipes. With 11 games on the schedule tonight, let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Saturday, October 18th:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Kari Lehtonen – Dallas Stars – After stealing a game in a tough matchup against Pittsburgh, Dallas returns home with high spirits tonight against the Flyers. One of the few established starting goaltenders I’ll be targeting tonight is Kari Lehtonen, who is remains undefeated in regulation and has enjoyed a strong start to the season with a 1.95 GAA to go along with a .933 SV%. The new-look Dallas Stars are no longer a one-line team and home ice advantage will give head coach Lindy Ruff the ability to take advantage of Philadelphia’s slow and unathletic defensemen throughout this game. Plenty of goal support and an added bonus of shots faced should allow Lehtonen to easily pay off his reasonable price tag tonight.
Niklas Svedberg – Boston Bruins – Despite how surprisingly horrendous the Bruins have looked in the early part of the season, a matchup against the lowly Buffalo Sabres is too good to pass up tonight. With Tuukka Rask struggling mightily, Boston will turn to Niklas Svedberg in net tonight, making him a solid option if you’re looking for value at the goalie position. Buffalo was historically bad last season and the trend has continued into this season as they are being outshot by their opponents by nearly 20 shots per game. Because of this, Svedberg is almost a must-start in your cash games but because he likely won’t see many shots in this game, I would recommend looking elsewhere in GPPs.
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Victor Hedman, Zdeno Chara, and P.K. Subban are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins – One defensemen I’ll try my hardest to pay up for tonight is Letang, who is fully recovered from a heart condition and playing at an elite level for the Penguins this season. With 3 assists in his last two games, Letang is also featured on one of the league’s best power play units and should be very active tonight in a game that should be high scoring. He won’t be cheap, but he is one of the league’s preeminent offensive scoring threats from the blue line.
John Carlson – Washington Capitals – If you can’t afford Letang’s steep price, another defensemen with extreme scoring potential that I like tonight is Carlson, who is the quarterback of Washington’s top power play unit and has a nice home matchup against the Panthers who are one of the league’s worst penalty kill units. I expect the Panthers to be heavily focused on Alex Ovechkin tonight which should free up space for Carlson to take plenty of quality shots on the power play.
Top Value Plays: Tim Erixon (CLB), Trevor Daley (DAL)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, Henrik Zetterberg, Alex Ovechkin, John Tavares, Patrick Sharp, and Patrick Kane are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars – After being held pointless in his first two games to open the year, Seguin has responded with 4 goals in his last two games. Paired alongside his best buddy Jamie Benn, the Seguin-Benn duo was one of the most prolific scoring lines in all of hockey last year. With some key additions on forward, the Stars now have multiple scoring lines which should take some of the pressure of the young superstar and tonight’s matchup against a Flyers team that is allowing 32 shots per game will have me paying up for Seguin tonight.
David Krejci – Boston Bruins – After missing action due to an undisclosed injury, Krejci is back for the Bruins and has 3 points in his last two games. Skating on the first line and top power play unit, Krejci should be heavily involved in Boston’s scoring tonight as the B’s aim to right the ship and get back to their Eastern Conference excellence.
Top Value Plays: Brandon Sutter (PIT), Seth Griffith (BOS)
Wing
Patric Hornqvist – Pittsburgh Penguins – In his inaugural campaign with Penguins, Hornqvist has looked incredible skating on the Pens’ top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. He has 5 points and 16 shots in his first three games and is making Penguins fans quickly forget the loss of James Neal. Hornqvist is an excellent way to get exposure to Crosby and should have plenty of opportunities to continue his scoring streak tonight against the Islanders.
Gustav Nyquist – Detroit Red Wings – After an unbelieve second half of last season in which Nyquist scored 23 goals and carried the Red Wings to the playoffs, Nyquist has picked up right where he left off with a goal in each of his first 4 games this season. Tonight he will be taking on the Maple Leafs in the second game of a home-and-home series and should have no problems finding the back of the net yet again. His price has still yet to reflect his insane scoring production, so get him while he’s hot!
Troy Brouwer – Washington Capitals – A guy you’ll likely see on a lot of lineups tonight is Brouwer, who has been bumped up to Washington’s top line alongside playmakers Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Most of Brouwer’s goals are of the ugly variety, but if you’re looking for some cheap exposure to Ovechkin, taking Brouwer is a wise strategy that will allow you to load up the rest of your lineup. He already has 3 points since being moved up to the top line, so jump all over him while he’s still under-priced.
P.A. Parenteau – Montreal Canadiens – After struggling out of the gate for the Habs, Parenteau has settled in nicely on Montreal’s second line and scored a pair of goals in his last game against Boston. Tonight he’ll be taking on his former team which should give him extra motivation to get on the board again. “Narrative Street” aside, Colorado has been abysmal this season from a puck-possession standpoint and have been dealing with injuries from their goaltending corps, making Parenteau an excellent value option with tremendous upside.
Top Value Plays: Matt Nieto (SJ), Cory Conacher (NYI), Blake Comeau (PIT)