NHL Daily Plays: Sunday, February 15th
We have an exciting five-game slate on tap on the ice tonight, and with the NBA on break, the hockey action has really picked up across the industry. I am hoping that some of these players giving NHL a shot will continue to play after the break and hopefully these picks will make your hockey experience a good one.
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Ray Emery, Philadelphia Flyers – I can’t believe I am looking at rostering Ray Emery for cash games, but the matchup is just too good on this shorter slate. The Sabres are all in on tanking this season to draft Connor McDavid and have no interest in winning games for the rest of this season. The price is just too low for Emery, who should be one of the safest goalies for those crucial win points.
Others to target (GPPs): John Gibson, Brian Elliot
Centers
Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues – If you want to pay up for the big names, Lehtera is another name you have to consider tonight. Coming in at $3,200 on DraftKings and skating with Tarasenko and Schwartz at even strength (and on the team’s second power play unit), there’s plenty of opportunity here. Lehtera is more of the setup man, but an assist would pay off this salary without question.
Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks – Kesler will provide the salary relief needed to roster the big guns in STL today. The Ducks are playing great at home this season with a 19-6-3 record, and Washington is a much worse road team than their record suggests. Washington is also coming into this game on the second night of a back to back, and may have tired legs after facing a very physical Kings team. Bruce Boudreau is likely to have the Ryan Getzlaf line on the ice to slow down Alex Ovechkin today, and this should create positive matchups for Kesler, who had a goal and an assist in the teams’ only meeting this season.
Others to Target: Claude Giroux, Tyler Johnson, Joe Thornton
Wingers
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks – Perry is heating up with four goals and six assists in his last 10 games. He should have plenty of chances to add to that total today. His line should be out there against the Ovechkin line, have score quite a bit but also allow their fair share of goals. Perry was able to light the lamp in the only meeting between these two teams earlier this season.
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – It is impossible to not roster him on DraftKings this evening. Voracek is second in the league in points this season, and this $5,900 price tag makes no sense to me. Voracek has 31 points in 29 road games this season and eight points in his last ten games. Pairing him with Claude Giroux will give you great upside against a team that is clearly tanking, and for a price that won’t break the bank. There aren’t many duos in the league with more of an upside on a night to night basis.
Others to Target: Patrick Marleau, Wayne Simmonds, Vladimir Tarasenko
Defensemen
Mike Green, Washington Capitals – Anaheim comes into this game having spent the seventh-most time on the penalty kill this season, and Green is always a threat on the power play for the league’s fourth-most successful team with the man advantage. Cue up the Washington defender tonight and get exposure to his team’s strong performance on the power play.
Others to Target: Mark Streit, Alex Pietrangelo, Matt Tennyson