NHL Daily Plays: Sunday, October 19th
As excited as I am to have my first article on RotoGrinders, this four-game slate is bringing me down.
Still, usually Sundays are the perfect days to make some real money in NHL, because people tend to not pay attention to the GPPs with all of the NFL money to be won. There is often overlay and I’m going to help you take advantage of it, so let’s get to it.
Goalies
Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings – He’s going to be the highest-priced option tonight and I believe he’s worth paying up for. On this small four-game slate, it is essential that you nail the goalie position. The Kings only allowed 83 goals in the Staples Center last season.
Ondrej Pavelec – Winnipeg Jets – Pavelec is going to be my value goalie tonight if I want to get the elite players at the forward positions. I am not a huge fan of Pavelec, but the matchup with Calgary is hard to ignore on a day like today, where six of the eight teams playing should be playoff contenders. The discrepancy of offensive talent between the Flames and any other team on the slate today is enormous.
Centers
Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings – Nicklas Backstrom appears to be in net for the Wild tonight and this immediately pointed me in the direction of the Kings forwards. Backstrom has not been tested on the NHL level since January 30th of last season. I’m sure he is 100% healthy and feeling great, but there has to be some rust there. Backstrom had a .899 SV% when he played last season and allowed just over three goals per game. When the Kings score, look for Kopitar to be in on the action like he usually is.
Bryan Little – Winnipeg Jets – With the quality of the teams playing today, it is easy to pick on the Flames, and that is what we are going to do. The matchup is by far the best tonight, and Little is coming in with three goals in his first four games. The Jets had the day off yesterday and the reports out of practice show that Dustin Byfuglien will join the skating line with Bryan Little. This is a big upgrade from Michael Frolik, and should lead to more scoring chances.
Wing
Thomas Vanek – Minnesota Wild – I often will not even look at anyone on the team opposing my favorite goalie, but with only four games I have to make an exception. Do not roster them on the same team. As obvious as it seems, I have seen it multiple times and it blows my mind. Drew Doughty will shadow Zach Parise in this game and this could lead to opportunities for Vanek. He’s had a quiet start to the season with only one assist in three games, but we know the talent is there. Posting seven shots on goal in his last game is a good sign that he is hungry for that first goal of the year. I wouldn’t be shocked if it comes tonight.
Tanner Pearson – Los Angeles Kings – He’s on fire. There is no Stanley Cup hangover for this youngster. With four goals and two assists to start his rookie campaign, he is the early favorite for the Calder trophy. The only drawback to Pearson is the amount of time he is on the ice, having not played 15 minutes in a single game so far. This keeps his legs fresh though, and he should benefit as these two physical teams wear each other down. At $3,600 on DraftKings, his price is a bargain.
Defense
Mark Giordano – Calgary Flames – Giordano is a fantasy stud that is often underowned in GPPs due to his team’s lack of scoring. I am not usually looking to spend heavily on my defensemen, but Giordano is very much in play tonight. The matchup with the Jets will be the highest-scoring contest of the night in my mind, and Giordano is logging just shy of 25 minutes of ice time per game. This game should be very fast-paced with lots of scoring chances, and Giordano has been a point-per-game player through the team’s first six matchups.
Ryan McDonagh – New York Rangers – With many of the top forwards in very tough matchups and what are expected to be low-scoring games, I will be spending on both defensemen tonight. I don’t expect many goals in any game besides the CGY/WPG matchup, so I want the guys that have the best chance of being on the ice in the other games in which few goals are likely to be scored. If Antti Niemi is in net for the Sharks, I give a bump to the Rangers as well. Niemi is probable to play from the reports I am seeing, and he has looked very shaky in trying to hold onto the puck, giving a lot of rebounds. McDonagh should be able to create some rebounds, and hopefully his teammates can find the back of the net for him.