NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, February 3rd
What’s up Grinders! As the 2014-15 regular season moves into February, the race to the playoffs is officially underway. With several teams still in the hunt, only the most resilient teams will make the cut, as several key injuries have decimated various teams throughout the league. Those injuries have opened the door for some players to take on larger roles on their respective teams heading down the stretch to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, opening the door for some nice value DFS-wise as well. With another packed 11 game slate on the docket tonight, let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Tuesday, February 3rd:
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 – There isn’t a hotter goalie in the league right now than Carey Price, who is 8-1 with a 1.48 GAA and a stellar .952 SV% over his last 10 games for the surging Canadiens. He will have a great opportunity to improve upon those numbers against the lowly Buffalo Sabres who are on a monumental slide of epic proportions; winless during the month of January and winless on the road since the end of November. As always when taking a goaltender against Buffalo, you run the risk of a mediocre performance if your goalie does not record a shutout, but Price’s recent performance coupled with his terrific home numbers this season makes him my clear-cut #1 option in net tonight, regardless of his hefty salary.
Carter Hutton – Nashville Predators – If you’re looking for value in net tonight, consider taking Hutton, who is coming off his first shutout of the season over the Penguins on Sunday. I’ll admit that Hutton is not an NHL-caliber goaltender, as evidenced by his horrendous numbers on the season, but he plays on a great defensive team that is capable of scoring goals in bunches, which is why I think he’s worth a peek tonight in GPPs. He’ll be up against a Toronto team that has had trouble scoring the puck lately; losers of 9 straight games and averaging 0.77 goals per game during that span. Even if he gives up a goal or two in this game, he should still get enough goal support to earn a cheap win, and his price tag will allow you to load up the rest of your lineup.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Shea Weber, Victor Hedman, P.K. Subban, Mike Green, Dustin Byfuglien, Alex Pietrangelo, Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes – After a terrible start to the 2014-15 season, one of the league’s most productive fantasy defensemen is starting to heat up. Oliver Ekman-Larsson enters tonight’s game with 5 points in his last 10 games, averaging over 4 shots per game during that span. 5 points in 10 games is nothing to write home about, but “OE-L” enters tonight’s game 5th in the NHL since the beginning of January in shot attempts per game which is a sign of big things to come. In a game I believe Arizona can win tonight, you can expect a big performance from Ekman-Larsson, making him one of my top defenseman to pay up for.
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 red-hot Habs. Markov, who is heavily featured on Montreal’s top power play unit is a great way to get cheap exposure to his lethal linemate P.K. Subban, albeit at a fraction of the cost across most of the industry. With little risk of burning you in the +/- department given the matchup, Markov is a safe option to target in both cash games and GPPs tonight.
Top Value Plays: Cody Ceci (OTT), Seth Jones (NSH)
Center
Disclaimer: Steven Stamkos, Nicklas Backstrom, Jonathan Toews, John Tavares, and Ryan Getzlaf are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars – Typically a mainstay in my lineups throughout much of his tenure as a Dallas Star, the prolific young superstar Tyler Seguin will find his way into many of my lineups tonight. Currently, 2nd in the NHL in points and 3rd in goals, Seguin returns home tonight where he has amassed 31 points in 26 games this season. Paired alongside his best buddy Jamie Benn, the Seguin-Benn duo was one of the most prolific scoring lines in all of hockey last year. This trend has continued into this season and he should have no problems finding twine against an Avalanche team that is allowing 33 shots per game on the road this season and is among the worst puck possession teams in the NHL.
Ryan Johansen – Columbus Blue Jackets – After holding out during contract extension negotiations this pre-season, Johansen is showing the Blue Jackets why he deserves to be paid. With 45 points in 48 games to open the season, Johansen is quickly becoming one of the league’s most dangerous scoring threats, especially on the power play where almost half of his point totals have come this season. With Columbus dealing with a number of injuries throughout their offense, you can expect Johansen to be heavily involved tonight against a Coyotes team that is no longer an elite defensive team and ranks 27th in the league in penalty kill percentage.
Top Value Plays: Mike Ribeiro (NSH), Nick Bonino (VAN)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alex Ovechkin, Zach Parise, Jamie Benn, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Corey Perry, Vladimir Tarasenko, James Neal and Phil Kessel are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With 40 points in 49 games this season, the U.S. born Pacioretty is having another productive campaign for the Habs. He boasts some of the most drastic home/road splits this season however; with nearly ¾ 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 a Sabres team that enters this game surrendering the most shots per game away from home ice.
Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Another talented young forward with a great home matchup is Forsberg, who can be had for a relative bargain tonight given his production this season. A solid all-around player with no real deficiencies in his game, the Swede is starting to shoot the puck again, entering tonight’s game against Toronto averaging close to 6 shot attempts per game since the beginning of January. Home ice advantage will allow head coach Peter Laviolette to match Forsberg and Nashville’s productive top line against one of the many turnover-prone lines the Maple Leafs have, making Forsberg an excellent play at his moderate price.
Radim Vrbata – Vancouver Canucks – Brought in to help shore up Vancouver’s scoring woes from a season ago, Vrbata has looked terrific skating alongside the Sedin Twins on Vancouver’s top line and top power unit. Most of his damage this season has come on the power play, and Vrbata should be active on the man advantage tonight against a Winnipeg team that is the most penalized team in the NHL. Vrbata and his high volume of shots per game is an excellent mid-range salary play tonight in both cash games and GPPs.
Matt Beleskey – Anaheim Ducks – After spending time on Anaheim’s 2nd line recently, Beleskey will jump back up on Anaheim’s top line alongside the lethal duo of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Although the top line left wing has been a revolving door for most of the season in Anaheim, Beleskey gets the nod tonight with 7 points and 18 shots on goal in his last 10 games. Look for Beleskey to capitalize on plenty of excellent scoring opportunities created by the games best passer in Ryan Getzlaf tonight against Carolina.
Top Value Plays: Marcus Johansson (WSH), Josh Bailey (NYI), Tobias Rieder (AZ), Patrick Eaves (DAL)