NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, December 30th
Well, it certainly isn’t the 12-game slate we had last night, but as far as quiet nights go, a four-game schedule will do. With eight teams hitting the ice, we have just enough action to play both cash games and GPPs on this Tuesday evening. We have been riding hot the past few days and we will look to keep it going.
Here are my picks for tonight.
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to game time.
Jonathan Quick or Martin Jones, Los Angeles Kings – Whether it is Jonathan Quick or Martin Jones playing between the pipes tonight, LA’s starting netminder is your safest bet for a win. Edmonton might be the worst team in hockey right now – they have lost nine consecutive games and have dropped an unbelievable 20 of their past 21. The Oilers have only scored 1.83 goals per game in the month of December, good for 28th in the NHL. Look for the Kings to dominate this game from puck drop.
Other Goalies To Target (Cash Games) – Antti Niemi
Other Goalies To Target (Tournaments) – Roberto Luongo, Dustin Tokarski, Pekka Rinne
CENTER
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – Kopitar has points in five of his last six games, and has recorded 12 total points during that stretch. He also has a plus matchup tonight versus a pathetic Oilers team. Edmonton is a mess in their own end, allowing a league worst 3.42 goals against per game. Kopitar has been one of the hottest scorers in the NHL during December (15 PTS in 13 GP), so I think he’ll have a multi-point night this evening.
Other Centers To Target (Cash Games) – Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Jeff Carter
Other Centers To Target (Tournaments) – Henrik Sedin, Mike Ribeiro, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
LEFT WING
Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal Canadiens – Galchenyuk has looked great since joining the Habs’ top line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher. He has points in four of his past five games, and has put up two multi-point efforts during that span. The winger has 10 points in 11 December games and I expect him to remain hot tonight. Galchenyuk is one of my top value plays in all formats.
Other Left Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Patrick Marleau, Max Pacioretty, Marian Gaborik
Other Left Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Taylor Hall, Daniel Sedin
RIGHT WING
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks – Pavelski is having another fine season for the Sharks (17 G, 30 PTS, 129 SOG) and is one of the top snipers in play tonight. He has points in six of his past seven games, and seven goals in 11 December games. The Sharks have quietly started to climb back up the standings, going 7-2-1 in their past 10 games. San Jose is 10-4-2 at the “Shark Tank” and I think they roll in this game tonight.
Other Right Wingers To Target (Cash Games) – Brendan Gallagher
Other Right Wingers To Target (Tournaments) – Vladimir Tarasenko, Filip Forsberg, Radim Vrbata
DEFENSE
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Yes, we are picking on the Oilers again. Not only are they awful defensively, but neither Viktor Fasth (3.51 GAA, .881 SV%) nor Ben Scrivens (3.16 GAA, .892 SV%) seem to be able to stop anything this season. The Kings’ offense has been very good recently and I see no reason for it to slow down. Doughty is the Kings’ top dog on the point and happens to be my #1 defenseman tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target (Cash Games) – Brent Burns, P.K. Subban, Jake Muzzin
Other Defensemen To Target (Tournaments) – Shea Weber, Kevin Shattenkirk, Andrei Markov