NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, February 10th
What’s up Grinders!? Another Tuesday brings us another packed 9 game slate with plenty of value to be had throughout the industry. There are some great tournaments spread throughout the league, which is why my article today will be focused on both cash games and GPPs. Let’s take a look at some of the guys I’ll be targeting this Tuesday, February 10th:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Jake Allen – St. Louis Blues – With very few reliable options in net tonight, I’ll be playing it safe with Allen tonight. With a 9-3-1 record, a 2.54 GAA, and a .907 SV%, Allen hasn’t been overly impressive this season, but with his discounted price across the industry, he doesn’t need to be. St. Louis is a top defensive team this season, which limits his upside for GPPs, but plenty of goal support should allow him to comfortably secure a victory, making him my top play in cash games tonight.
GPP Option: Robin Lehner (OTT)
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Torey Krug, P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alex Pietrangelo, Keith Yandle, and Johnny Boychuk are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators – After a disappointing fantasy output on Saturday, Karlsson will have a great opportunity to redeem himself tonight against the lowly Buffalo Sabres. Since the beginning of January, Karlsson leads all defensemen with 8.13 shot attempts per game and enters tonight’s game with 5 goals in his last 10 games. In a game that should feature plenty of scoring, paying up for a known quantity like Karlsson is wise strategy, making him a great option in both cash games and GPPs tonight.
Andrei Markov – Montreal Canadiens – If you’re looking to save on defense tonight, consider taking the veteran Andrei Markov, who enters tonight’s dream matchup with 8 points over his last 10 games for the Canadiens. Markov, who is heavily featured on Montreal’s top power play unit is a great option to get cheap exposure to his lethal linemate P.K. Subban, albeit at a fraction of the cost across most of the industry. Tonight he’ll be up against a Flyers team that ranks 28th in penalty kill percentage making him my top value defenseman of the night.
Top Value Plays: Aaron Ekblad (FLA), Jay Bouwmeester (STL)
Center
Disclaimer: Steven Stamkos, Claude Giroux, Ryan Getzlaf, and Tyler Seguin are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
John Tavares – New York Islanders – An often forgotten superstar because of the team he plays for, Tavares is a guy that I really like tonight in what will likely be a shootout in Long Island. Tavares enters tonight’s game with 12 points in his last 10 games and will have the luxury of taking on an Edmonton team that is among the worst defensive teams in the NHL. Without playmaker Kyle Okposo in the lineup, the Isles will rely heavily on their captain, who should have no problem finding his way in the score sheet tonight in a game I believe the Isles will dominate from start to finish.
Mika Zibanejad – Ottawa Senators – If you’re looking for value at the center position tonight, look no further than Mika Zibanejad, who centers Ottawa’s most productive scoring line at even strength and on the power play. He enters tonight’s game against Buffalo with 6 points in his last 10 games and should easily find his way on the stat sheet with playmakers Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur at his side. With the center position unusually thin tonight, Zibanejad is my safest value option across the majority of the industry.
Top Value Plays: Jori Lehtera (STL), Rickard Rakell (ANA)
Wing
Disclaimer: Jamie Benn, Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan, Alexander Steen, Filip Forsberg, Corey Perry, Jakub Voracek, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – With 53 points in as many games this season, Tarasenko continues to get it done night after night for the surging St. Louis Blues. There appears to be no end in sight for the extremely talented Russian superstar and it’s almost laughable how reasonably priced he remains in some parts of the industry. Not that Arizona has the ability to slow down Tarasenko, but the Blues expect to have Jori Lehtera back in the lineup tonight, which should make it more difficult for Arizona to slow down the dominant “STL” line. Tarasenko still gets ample power play minutes and should be heavily involved in the Blues domination over the ‘Yotes tonight.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With 45 points in 52 games this season, the U.S. born Pacioretty is having another productive campaign for the Canadiens. He boasts some of the most drastic home/road splits this season however; with nearly 3/4th of his point totals coming in games he has played at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Because of the high volume of shots he takes each game, Pacioretty is always capable of lighting up the stat sheet and he should have no problems improving upon his production tonight against an old Flyers’ defense that struggles mightily on the penalty kill.
Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets – Another former U.S. Olympian that makes the list for me tonight is Blake Wheeler, who has 8 points over his last 10 games for the Jets. On paper his matchup against a strong defensive team like Minnesota isn’t ideal, but home ice advantage will allow head coach Paul Maurice to keep Wheeler and his potent top line away from lockdown defenseman Ryan Suter for most of this game. This bodes well for the big-bodied Wheeler, who should have no problems creating prime scoring opportunities for the Jets in a game I expect them to win.
Carl Hagelin – New York Rangers – If you’re looking for a moderately priced forward that won’t be highly owned tonight, consider Carl Hagelin, who skates on New York’s 3rd line at even strength and enters tonight’s game against Toronto with 6 points in his last 10 games. Hagelin is the focal point of the Rangers offense when he’s on the ice, as evidenced by his 30 shots on goal over his last 10 games, despite receiving no power play time for the Rangers. Hagelin also sees time on the Rags penalty kill unit and will be taking on a Maple Leafs team that has surrendered a league-high 8 short-handed goals this season, making Hagelin a sneaky value play with high upside for me tonight.
Top Value Plays: Clarke MacArthur (OTT), Anders Lee (NYI), Jonathan Drouin (TB), Brett Ritchie (DAL)