NHL Daily Plays: Thursday, April 9th
We have got another fantastic Thursday night of hockey with 11 games on tap this evening. There are still a lot of teams fighting for a playoff spot or playoff positioning and that will make for a very entertaining night of NHL hockey action.
The Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers are the biggest favorites on the board, while the Boston Bruins are the only team playing on consecutive nights.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning – Bishop was outstanding in the Lightning’s 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers, stopping all of the 34 shots he faced. The Devils have lost six of their past seven games and are one of the NHL’s weakest offenses. New Jersey has struggled on the road this season (13-21-5), while Tampa Bay is nearly unbeatable on home ice. He may not see a lot of shots, but Bishop is a lock for the win and your best chance at a shutout tonight.
Other Goalies to Target (Cash Games) – Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Mason, Eddie Lack
Other Goalies to Target (Tournaments) – Jonathan Quick, Andrew Hammond, Ondrej Pavelec
CENTER
Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames – Monahan is riding a five-game point streak and is blossoming into a star for the Flames. Since the beginning of March, he has tallied 10 goals and 19 points in his last 18 games. Monahan has come up big game after game in Calgary’s playoff run and I expect him to lead the Flames into the playoffs tonight. Despite the difficult matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, look for Monahan to rise to the occasion yet again.
Other Centers to Target (Cash Games) – Claude Giroux, Henrik Sedin, Logan Couture
Other Centers to Target (Tournaments) – Tyler Johnson, Bryan Little, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
WINGERS
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Lightning – Any time the Tampa Bay Lighting are playing on home ice, I want a piece of their offense. Stamkos is coming off a monster game (2 G, 3 PTS +2 5 SOG) in the Bolts’ win over the Panthers on Saturday night, and he is in a great spot to produce again tonight. The Lightning lead the league in goals with 255 and they have the NHL’s best record on home ice (30-8-1). Look for Stamkos and the Lightning to have a big game tonight
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks – Sure, the Oilers may have defeated the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night, but they are still an awful defensive team to say the very least. I think San Jose wins this game and scores at least three goals tonight, and that makes Pavelski a safe option in both your cash games and your tournament play. Pavelski has produced four goals and five points against the Oilers in their four previous meetings, and I think he scores his 38th goal of the season tonight.
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Voracek has registered multi-point efforts in back-to-back games, and now sits third overall in the NHL scoring race with 81 points. The Hurricanes have lost five of their past six games and not looked good defensively in the process. Both the Flyers and Hurricanes have very little to play for, but Voracek has a shot at the scoring title and I think he comes out guns blazing in this one tonight.
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks – After a mini-slump, Sedin broke out in a big way in his last two games, racking up two goals, four points, six shots on goal and a +3 rating. Vancouver is a massive favorite at home to Arizona, and they will be popular in all formats tonight. They can be a hard team to project where their scoring will come from, but Daniel Sedin is their top option. Daniel leads the Canucks in points and he should be in your cash game lineup tonight in this plus matchup.
Other Wingers to Target (Cash Games) – Radim Vrbata, Patrick Marleau, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Callahan
Other Wingers to Target (Tournaments) – Jordan Eberle, Andrew Ladd, Nikita Kucherov, Mark Stone
DEFENSE
Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks – Edler has points in consecutive games, and he continues to man the point on the Canucks’ top power-play unit. Arizona is not only a disaster defensively, but they also have the NHL’s 27th ranked penalty kill. Edler has big game upside in this matchup and makes a solid play on defense tonight.
Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning – It appears Victor Hedman will return tonight, but I still expect Stralman to man the point on the Bolts’ number one power-play unit. The Lightning have the most explosive offense in hockey and I do not see the New Jersey Devils slowing them down tonight. Stralman has multi-point upside in this game versus the Devils tonight.
Other Defensemen to Target (Cash Games) – Brent Burns, Keith Yandle, Mark Streit
Other Defensemen to Target (Tournaments) – Erik Karlsson, Justin Schultz, Tyler Myers