NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, December 16th
The NHL season continues to roll along, and we are finally starting to see the elite teams creating separation from those near the bottom of the standings. We witnessed our first coaching change of the season two days ago, as Dallas Eakins was fired by the Edmonton Oilers and replaced by general manager Craig MacTavish. It won’t be the last firing of the season however, as several other coaches throughout the league remain on the hot seat, which should make for some interesting headlines as we approach the midway part of the 2014-15 regular season. This Tuesday brings us another great slate of hockey action with 11 games on the schedule. There are several great matchups throughout the league tonight, so let’s take a look at some of my top plays:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens – One of the few established starting goaltenders with a plus matchup that I like tonight is Carey Price. After turning away 44 of 46 shots in his last home start against the Kings, Price now has an 11-3 record to go along with a 2.21 GAA and a .921 SV% in 14 starts at the Bell Centre this season. He will carry a two game winning streak into tonight’s matchup against a Carolina Hurricanes team that ranks 28 in the league in scoring and has lost five straight games. He won’t be cheap, but Price is an elite goaltender and is the safest option on the board for me, making him an excellent play in both tournaments and cash games tonight.
Ondrej Pavelec – Winnipeg Jets – If you’re looking for value in net tonight, consider taking Ondrej Pavelec, who also finds himself with a nice home matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite scoring a whopping five goals last night, Buffalo still ranks dead last in the league in goals per game and has had most of their success recently on home ice. Pavelec does have the propensity to blow up at times and likely won’t see many shots in this game, but his discounted price and great matchup make him a worthy GPP play for me tonight.
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Kevin Shattenkirk, Keith Yandle, Mark Giordano, Ryan McDonagh, and P.K. Subban are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning – After missing more than a month with a broken finger that required surgery, Hedman is back in action for the Bolts and is my top defenseman of the night. He has been rather inconsistent since his return from injury, but he is still logging heavy ice time and receiving top power play minutes, and he is a multi-point explosion waiting to happen on a nightly basis. Tonight Hedman takes on the Flyers, who enter tonight’s game with the second-worst penalty kill percentage in the NHL and do not have the athleticism to stop a player with the skill set that Hedman possesses. In a game that should be very high scoring, I’ll be doing my best to get as much exposure to Hedman as possible tonight, regardless of price.
Justin Schultz – Edmonton Oilers – If you’re looking for value on defense tonight, consider taking the young, offensive-minded Schultz. He is still getting top power play minutes and should be able to turn things around against a Phoenix Coyotes team that is a mess right now; entering tonight’s game having surrendered 22 goals during their current five game losing streak. Schultz is having a poor season by every statistical measure, but he is the only Oiler defenseman that is a capable scorer, and his cheap price tag and high upside makes him worth the risk for me tonight.
Top Value Plays: Andrei Markov (MON), Jay Bouwmeester (STL)
Center
Disclaimer: Steven Stamkos, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Johansen, Pavel Datsyuk, Claude Giroux, Jonathan Toews, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Backstrom are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit Red Wings – My top price play at the center position tonight is veteran playmaker Henrik Zetterberg. After struggling on the road in his last game, he returns home to Joe Louis Arena where he has 16 points in 18 games this season. He also averages more shots at home this year, which is a product of head coach Mike Babcock’s ability to use Zetterberg against the opposition’s weaker defensive lines with home ice advantage. The Wings will be taking on a streaky Columbus Blue Jackets team that has won six straight games. Don’t be fooled by their recent hot streak however; the Jackets have allowed 34.8 shots per game on the road this season and are in the bottom third in the league in penalty kill percentage. This sets up nicely for Zetterberg, who should be active on Detroit’s 8th ranked power play and should have no problems paying off his moderate price tag tonight.
Antoine Vermette – Arizona Coyotes – Another reasonably priced player I like from the EDM/AZ game is Vermette, who is starting to heat up with eight points in his last 10 games. Centering Arizona’s top line at top power play unit, Vermette should have no problems building off of his current three game point streak tonight against an Oilers team that is completely lost defensively. Taking Vermette gives you the salary relief needed to spend elsewhere in your lineup and he should be heavily involved in his team’s production tonight.
Top Value Plays: J.T. Miller (NYR), Mark Scheifele (WPG)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Sharp, Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Jakub Voracek, Zach Parise, and James Neal are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With a team-high 13 goals, and 112 shots on goal, Pacioretty has been Montreal’s most consistent scoring option this season. Similar to Carey Price, he is another Hab that benefits from playing on home ice where 18 of his 22 points have come this season. He won’t come cheap, but Pacioretty is a guy that you can take on his own, since most of his production comes from his teammates feeding him the puck. He has a great matchup against a struggling Carolina team that he torched for three goals in as many games last season.
Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – With 32 points in 30 games this season, Tarasenko is no longer a sleeper in the DFS realm. And with points in each of his last five games, there appears to be no end in sight for the extremely talented Russian superstar. A matchup against the Kings appears tough on paper, but L.A. has struggled on the road all season long and won’t have the ability to shadow Tarasenko with start defenseman Drew Doughty in this game. Tarasenko still gets ample power play minutes despite the emergence of the Blue’s first line, and should be heavily involved in his team’s production tonight in what should be a very physical game from start to finish..
Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Another young forward in the midst of an incredible breakout season is Forsberg. A solid all-around player with no real deficiencies in his game, the young Swede has taken advantage of his opportunity to play alongside playmakers Mike Ribeiro and James Neal on Nashville’s top line. He has 29 points in as many games this season, which also includes an astounding +24 rating, yet his price seems to never rise across most of the industry, making him an excellent mid-range play for me tonight.
Top Value Plays: Alex Killorn (TB), Rene Bourque (ANA), Jiri Sekac (MON), Tom Wilson (WSH)