NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, January 27th
Welcome Back Grinders! After a five-day hiatus because of the All-Star Game, the action returns tonight with a packed 11-game slate. And while it may take a few days for some of these players to get their legs back, there’s no doubt that the extra rest has benefited some key players as we move into the second half of the season. This is the time of year that we’ll start to see the great teams separate themselves from the pack as the playoffs approach, solidifying their berth in the playoffs with the goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Tuesday, January 27th:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Jonas Hiller – Calgary Flames – Growing up as a Ducks fan, it’s hard not to get nostalgic about a guy like Hiller, who showed flashes of greatness at times while seemingly always giving me heart palpitations when watching him in net. Despite his inconsistencies, Hiller is a very capable goalie with a unique skill set and tremendous athletic ability. Tonight, he has the pleasure of facing the lowly Buffalo Sabres, a team that has essentially checked out for the rest of the year; winless in the month of January and averaging just 1.45 goals per game during an 11 game losing streak. Entering the second half of the 2014-15 regular season, Calgary is sitting in 8th place in the Western Conference, with several teams following close behind, which is why I expect a sharp performance all around from the Flames tonight. With his reasonable price tag across most of the industry, Hiller instantly becomes my top option of the night who should receive plenty of goal support to cruise to an easy victory.
Carter Hutton – Nashville Predators – If you’re looking for value in net tonight, consider taking Hutton, who will be filling in for the injured Pekka Rinne in a home matchup against the Avalanche. I’ll admit that Hutton is not an NHL-caliber goaltender, as evidenced by his horrendous numbers on the season, but I believe 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 an Avalanche team that ranks 2nd to last in the league in Corsi %, which is an indicator of puck possession. 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: Kris Letang (if starting), Shea Weber, Victor Hedman, P.K. Subban, Mike Green, Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Streit, Keith Yandle, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Mark Giordano – Calgary Flames – With 40 points midway through the 2014-15 season, Giordano is in the midst of a breakout year for the Flames. He leads the Flames in points and is second among all Calgary skaters in shots on goal with 115; doing so by facing the opposition’s top talent night after night. On most nights, Giordano can be a risky play given his high price tag, but he draws a cupcake matchup against the lowly Buffalo Sabres tonight, making him my top defenseman to pay up for. Despite having just one goal since the start of January, Giordano is first among all defenseman with 7 shot attempts per game and ranks 4th among all skaters in that category during that span. If Calgary is striving to make the playoffs this season, they’ll need a strong second half from their Norris Trophy candidate and team leader, which is why I’ll be doing everything I can to squeeze him into my lineups tonight.
Ryan Suter – Minnesota Wild – With just 3 points and a -10 rating over his last 10 games, Suter had been struggling immensely prior to the All-Star break. Fortunately for DFS purposes, his price in some places across the industry has dropped to a level that I’ve never seen in my 3+ years of DFS experience. Moreover, his 6.1 shot attempts per game during the month of January is sign of things to come, and he’ll have a tremendous opportunity to turn things around tonight against an Oilers team that is in a race for the worst record in the NHL. Suter is a guy that doesn’t have the highest fantasy upside in the world, but he leads the league in ice-time each game and should have no problems finding his way into the many goals that Minnesota is capable of scoring tonight.
Top Value Plays: Anton Stralman (TB), Seth Jones (NSH)
Center
Disclaimer: Steven Stamkos, Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Johansen, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Backstrom, Tyler Seguin, John Tavares, and Ryan Getzlaf are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers – With the second half of the season upon us, the Flyers are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. It hasn’t been the fault of Giroux however; who enters tonight’s game against Arizona 3rd in the NHL with 51 points, including 8 in his last 10 games. Giroux also leads the league in power play points with 24, and he’ll have a great opportunity to improve upon those numbers tonight against a Coyotes team that ranks 27th in the NHL in penalty-kill percentage. I expect special teams to play a major role in this game, which is why I’ll be leaning on the playmaker Giroux to anchor many of my teams as looks to turn around his team’s fortune during the second half of the season.
Bryan Little – Winnipeg Jets – My top mid-range salary option tonight is Little, who notched 11 points in his last 10 games leading up to the All-Star break. On the surface, he appears to have a tough matchup on the road against the Pittsburgh, however the Penguins will be without both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in this game which should immediately boost Little’s chances at winning offensive zone faceoffs and creating scoring opportunities for his team. In addition to skating on his team’s top line at even strength, Little also centers Winnipeg’s top power play unit and will be taking on a Pittsburgh team that ranks 2nd in penalty minutes entering tonight’s game. His reasonable price tag and likely low ownership percentage makes him a fine option in both cash games and GPPs for me tonight.
Top Value Plays: Sean Monahan (CGY), Brandon Sutter (PIT)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Taylor Hall, Jamie Benn, Max Pacioretty, Corey Perry, Jakub Voracek, and Blake Wheeler are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Max Pacioretty – Montreal Canadiens – With 38 points in 45 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 Stars team that enters this game surrendering the 5th 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 Colorado 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 Av’s have, making Forsberg an excellent play at his moderate price.
Patrick Maroon – Anaheim Ducks – Currently featured on the Ducks top line and top power play unit, Maroon and his moderate price tag makes for a great way to get exposure to Anaheim’s 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, Maroon is the guy getting the opportunity and he’s making the most of it with 7 points and 30 shots on goal in his last 10 games. Look for Maroon to capitalize on a bevy of excellent scoring opportunities created by the games best passer in Ryan Getzlaf tonight against Vancouver.
Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames – With 35 points in his first 46 games to begin his career, “Johnny Hockey” has burst onto the scene in his rookie season. The talented young speedster can struggle against some of the more physical teams in the league due to his diminutive stature, but he should easily find his way into scoring lanes and space against the Sabres tonight. His cheap price tag and great matchup will drive his ownership percentage through the roof, but he will be a fixture in my cash game lineups tonight with a matchup that is simply too good to pass up on.
Top Value Plays: Justin Abdelkader (DET), Marcus Johansson (WSH), Josh Bailey (NYI), Tobias Rieder (AZ)