NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, January 6th
What’s up Grinders?! With only two games in the NBA, Hockey is the only show in town tonight. This Tuesday brings us a packed 10 game schedule throughout the league with several intriguing matchups to target. There are several great tournaments throughout the industry tonight as well, which is a pleasure to see as the sport and its popularity continue to grow throughout North America. Whether or not you’re a diehard puckhead, there’s plenty of money to be made tonight; so let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Tuesday, January 6th.
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Cory Schneider – New Jersey Devils – It’s been a long time since I’ve recommended starting Schneider in net, but tonight’s matchup at home against the lowly Buffalo Sabres seems as good of a night as ever to roll with Schneider. With little goal support and poor defense in front of him this season, Schneider has struggled to a 13-18-4 record to go along with a 2.45 GAA and a mediocre .917 SV%. His numbers at home this season paint a much better picture however; as the reliable netminder enters tonight’s game with a 2.10 GAA and a respectable .921 SV% at the Prudential Center. The Sabres are back to their losing ways, losers of 4 straight games and haven’t won a road game since November; scoring just 12 goals in their last 7 road games. Schneider’s reasonable price and great matchup makes him the most attractive option on the board tonight, making him my top option in net in what should be the easiest win of the year for the veteran netminder.
Kari Lehtonen – Dallas Stars – If you’re looking to separate yourself from the pack in GPPs, consider taking Kari Lehtonen, who has turned things around dramatically of late with a 7-1-1 record, a 2.32 GAA, and a .921 SV% over his last 10 games. The biggest reason for his turnaround can be attributed to the fact that the Stars have been one of the league’s best puck possession teams over the last month, and have been getting scoring from multiple lines outside of Benn and Seguin. A matchup against the Blue Jackets is nothing to get excited about, but Columbus has been playing over their heads for quite some time now as they allow too many shots for their own good and have been getting much of their scoring on the power play. Lehtonen’s price will like drive down his ownership percentage, but if he’s always capable of carrying you to the top of a GPP if his team plays solid defense in front of him.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Weber, Brent Burns, P.K. Subban, and Keith Yandle are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Duncan Keith – Chicago Blackhawks – Often overlooked in many DFS circles because of the many elite forwards Chicago has on their roster, the reliable Duncan Keith is quietly lighting it up for the ‘Hawks. With 7 points during a 4 game point streak, Keith will have a great opportunity to keep the streak going tonight against the Avalanche, a team Colorado has torched for 8 goals in their two previous meetings this season. Keith quarterbacks one of the league’s most deadly power play units and logs heavy ice-time for the Blackhawks, making him an excellent option to target if you’re having a hard time fitting in the many high-priced forwards the Blackhawks have.
Marek Zidlicky – New Jersey Devils – If you’re looking for value on defense tonight, look no further than the veteran Zidlicky, who is featured on New Jersey’s top power play unit and has a cupcake matchup against the Sabres. With just 18 points in 41 games this season, Zidlicky is not a world-beater by any means, but his discounted price makes him a solid option to target if you’re in need of salary relief tonight.
Top Value Plays: Jay Bouwmeester (STL), Seth Jones (NSH)
Center
Disclaimer: Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk, Logan Couture, and Henrik Zetterberg are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars – I’m sure you’re getting tired of me writing up Seguin week after week, but simply putting this kid in the disclaimer above doesn’t do him justice. With 11 points in his last 10 games, including 4 goals, Seguin leads the NHL with 26 goals this season. He can still be had for a relative bargain on some sites given his production this season, and a home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets actually offers a better matchup than it looks. Columbus has been among the worst puck possession teams in the NHL over the last month and enter tonight’s game allowing over 34 shots per game on the road. They also are among the worst penalty kill percentage teams in the league which increases Seguin’s value even more for me tonight in what should be a high scoring affair in Dallas.
Mike Ribeiro – Nashville Predators – If you’re looking for value at center tonight, turn to Mike Ribeiro, who has 10 points in as many games for the surging Preds. Centering one of the NHL’s most productive scoring lines, Ribeiro has been a tremendous offseason acquisition for Nashville this season. His recent shot totals are a bit concerning, but with James Neal questionable for tonight’s game, Nashville will turn to their top line of Ribeiro, Smith, and Forsberg to provide the Preds with their offensive production. His price remains a bargain throughout most of the industry and he should have no problems paying it off tonight in a very winnable game for the Preds.
Top Value Plays: Scott Gomez (NJ), Scott Laughton (PHI)
Wing
Disclaimer: Jakub Voracek, Jamie Benn, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, Taylor Hall, Zach Parise, Radim Vrbata, and Filip Forsberg are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks – No longer forced to skate alongside bums like Shaw and Bickell on Chicago’s third line, Sharp’s production has unsurprisingly increased now that he’s on the Blackhawk’s second line. He enters tonight’s matchup against the Avalanche with 10 points in as many games, which includes 5 goals and an average of 5 shots per game. Also featured on one of the most deadly power play units in hockey, Sharp should have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net tonight against an Avalanche team that is among the worst in the league in puck possession. “Sharpie” is the main guy to target in this game because of the high volume of shots he produces, and though he won’t be cheap, he should have no problems finding his way into Chicago’s scoring mix tonight.
Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – With 41 points in 39 games this season, Tarasenko is no longer a sleeper in the DFS realm. He has points in two straight games since Jaden Schwartz has returned from injury, and there appears to be no end in sight for the extremely talented Russian superstar. Not that Arizona has the ability to slow down Tarasenko, but with St. Louis getting goals from multiple lines of late, opposing teams no longer have the ability to focus their attention on Tarasenko and the “STL” line. He still gets ample power play minutes and should be heavily involved in the Blues domination over the ‘Yotes tonight.
Jaromir Jagr – New Jersey Devils – At the ripe old age of 43, the ageless wonder Jagr continues to get it done; leading the Devils in almost every statistical category. He’s coming off his first hat trick of the season, becoming the oldest player in NHL history to accomplish the feat on Saturday. I won’t go so far to say that he’ll get another one tonight, but he will have a great opportunity to continue his production against a Sabres team that surrenders the most shots per game in the NHL. He remains a bargain throughout most of the industry, and is a player that I’ll be targeting in both cash games and tournaments tonight.
Top Value Plays: Colton Sceviour (DAL), Michael Ryder (NJ), Barclay Goodrow (SJ), Brett Connolly (TB)