NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, March 17th
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Grinders! We have an action-packed 9 game slate tonight in the NHL, with several great matchups to target. With few well-known net-minders to choose from, you can expect a ton of scoring throughout the league. Before heading out and taking down some green beers, check out my top plays throughout the league to help spread the luck of the Irish tonight:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Niklas Svedberg – Boston Bruins – If you’re looking for value in net tonight, consider taking Niklas Svedberg, who draws a nice home matchup against the lowly Buffalo Sabres. With a 7-5 record to go along with a 2.43 GAA and a .913 SV%, Svedberg hasn’t been great in 15 relief appearances for Boston this season, but a home matchup against a Sabres team who will be playing on back to back nights on the road is too juicy to pass up. Buffalo was historically bad last season and the trend has continued into this season as they are being outshot by their opponents by nearly 20 shots per game. Because of this, Svedberg is almost a must-start in your cash games but because he likely won’t see many shots in this game, I would recommend looking elsewhere in GPPs.
Andrew Hammond – Ottawa Senators – Buried deep within Ottawa’s plethora of goaltenders, Hammond opened the 2015 season in the AHL and struggled to a 3.51 GAA, and an .898 SV% before injuries forced a promotion to the NHL. He has since taken the league by storm; undefeated in regulation with a 1.39 GAA and an incredible .955 SV% in 12 games this season. Hammond will once again be back in action for the Senators tonight in what should be a tight game against Carolina. The matchup isn’t ideal against a Carolina team that has dominated in puck possession over the last month, but the “Hamburglar” has stolen victories from several playoff contending teams this season and is playing with the confidence of a Vezina-caliber goaltender, making him my top option on the board tonight with the high volume of low-percentage shots he should see.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Justin Faulk, Duncan Keith, P.K. Subban, Alex Pietrangelo, Dennis Wideman, and Torey Krug are elite fantasy defensemen and are always in play.
Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks – After spending most of last season at forward, San Jose has moved Brent Burns back to the blue-line this season where he has been among the league leaders in fantasy production. He won’t be cheap, but he has a knack for scoring and ranks in the top 5 in goals, points, and shots per game among all NHL defensemen. He also takes a high volume of shots and has 6 points in his last 10 games. Tonight Burns and the Sharks will be taking on the Winnipeg Jets, who lead the league in penalties and have struggled killing them when Ondrej Pavelec has been in net. I expect Burns to be very active on San Jose’s top power play unit, and he should have no problems paying off his steep price tag in a game San Jose desperately needs to win.
Dougie Hamilton – Boston Bruins – One of my favorite young defensemen in all of hockey, Dougie Hamilton has done a fantastic job filling in for the injured Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug during the early part of the season for the Boston Bruins. He doesn’t come as cheap as we’re used to, but he is featured on Boston’s top power play unit and has always been admired for his offensive abilities as a defenseman in his young NHL career. Hamilton will be taking on a Sabres team he has torched for 3 goals, 3 assists, and 9 shots on goal in just 3 games this season. His moderate price and great matchup makes him my top price-play of the night in a game Boston should have no problems dominating.
Top Value Plays: Christian Ehrhoff (PIT), Yannick Weber (VAN)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Jonathan Toews, Claude Giroux, and David Backes are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Patrice Bergeron – Boston Bruins – Arguably the league’s most underrated player (unless you’re a stats nerd), Bergeron is more known for his defensive abilities than his offensive prowess. Several key injuries have forced Bergeron into a more prominent role on offense this however; and he has quietly scored 6 points in his last 10 games for the B’s. He’ll be a popular play throughout the industry, but with 14 shots on goal in just 3 games against Buffalo this season, he’s a good bet to be involved in Boston’s scoring in some capacity tonight. Puck possession is Bergeron’s game, and I expect him to be all over the ice tonight as he looks to continue his terrific season as the Bruins fight for postseason berth.
Logan Couture – San Jose Sharks – Another solid all-around center on a team that hasn’t quite met expectations this season is Couture, who is quietly having another solid season for the with 56 points in 69 games for the Sharks this season. The Sharks have been inconsistent throughout much of the season, especially on the road but they do boast the league’s 5th best power play and will up against the most penalized team in Winnipeg tonight. Couture is the most dynamic all-around player the Sharks have and on a night with few great options at center, Couture and his moderate price make for a great play.
Top Value Plays: Victor Rask (CAR), Ryan Spooner (BOS)
Wing
Disclaimer: Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Zach Parise, James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Max Pacioretty, Eric Staal, Joe Pavelski, Kyle Okposo, Marian Hossa, and Johnny Gaudreau are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks – In the midst of one of his worst seasons since becoming a member of the Blackhawks, Sharp has been the victim of head coach Joel Quenneville’s “musical chairs” of line combinations this season. Regardless who “Sharpie” skates with, he is almost always a lock for production because of the high volume of shots he takes each game. but now that he is on the team’s first line with Toews and Hossa, his production should increase. The only downside with taking Sharp tonight is his recent power play time, but he should still have plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net tonight against a banged up Islanders team that will once again be without starting goaltender Jaro Halak.
Radim Vrbata – Vancouver Canucks – Brought in to help shore up Vancouver’s scoring woes from a season ago, Vrbata has done just that with 25 goals this season for the Canucks. He has 8 points in his last 10 games for Vancouver despite being moved to the team’s second line, but he remains on the top power play unit where much of his production has come this season. Vrbata should be active on the man advantage tonight against a Flyers team that ranks 29th in penalty kill percentage this season. He likely won’t see much of Philly’s top line at even strength, making Vrbata an excellent mid-range salary play tonight in both cash games and GPPs.
Dmitrij Jaskin – St. Louis Blues – If you’re looking for value at forward tonight, consider taking Jaskin, who has been bumped to the top line for the Blue tonight in a marquee matchup against the Flames. He only has 15 points in 42 games this season, he has been among the league leaders in shot attempts per game recently with 32 shots on goal in his last 10 games. Tonight he projects to be up against Calgary’s top line at even strength, which can be risky if you’re playing on a plus/minus site, but with a solid two-way center like Backes feeding him the puck, he makes for a low-risk, high-upside play tonight with his dirt cheap price across most of the industry.
Top Value Plays: Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA), Josh Bailey (NYI), Adrian Nestrasil (CAR), David Pastrnak/Reilly Smith (BOS)