NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, November 11th
Happy Veterans Day Grinders! It’s Tuesday, which means it’s Hockey Night (in America) and we have a action-packed 11 game slate to choose from tonight. There are also several great tournaments throughout the industry which is awesome for the growth and exposure of NHL DFS. As we honor the brave men and women who fight to defend our country, let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Tuesday, November 11th.
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators – With many people gravitating towards Brian Elliott tonight in a matchup against the Sabres, I actually believe Rinne has an equally great matchup with more upside against a banged up Oilers team. With a 9-2 record, a 1.81 GAA, and a stellar .935 SV%, Rinne appears to be fully recovered from a lingering hip issue that has plagued his last two seasons and is back to elite form. Edmonton is on the tail-end of a long east coast road trip and will once again be without their top goal scorer Taylor Hall, who is recovering from a knee injury. Led by lockdown defenseman Shea Weber, Nashville has historically been one of the better defensive teams on home ice and should have no problems getting Rinne plenty of goal support for him to cruise to an easy victory.
Antti Niemi – San Jose Sharks – If you’re looking for a high-upside, under the radar play in net tonight, Niemi consider taking Niemi. Coming off two consecutive poor outings, he will have a great chance to turn things around on the road tonight against a Florida Panthers team that is in the midst of a three game losing streak and ranks 29th in goals per game this season. Niemi is always a much safer play at home, but if he’s able to prevent soft goals from finding the back of the net, he offers significant GPP upside with the high amount of shots he will likely face tonight.
EDIT: Alex Stalock has been confirmed in net tonight for the Sharks and makes for a great play.
Defense
Disclaimer: Erik Karlsson, Shea Weber, Keith Yandle, Duncan Keith, Brent Burns, P.K. Subban, and Kris Letang, are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Kevin Shattenkirk – St. Louis Blues – If you’re in the mood to pay up for defense tonight, Kevin Shattenkirk is one of my top options. He leads the Blues with 10 assists and is a beast on the team’s top power play unit. Taking on the lowly Buffalo Sabres, Shattenkirk won’t be in danger of burning you in the plus/minus department, which makes him one of the safer options to pay up for on defense tonight. He enters tonight’s game with 6 points in his last 10 games for the surging St. Louis Blues, and should have no problem paying off his steep price tag with plenty of scoring opportunities against a Sabres team that might be the worst team in NHL history.
Lubomir Visnovsky – New York Islanders – If you’re looking for a great mid-range option tonight, consider taking the veteran Lubomir Visnovsky. At the ripe age of 38, Visnovsky is the quarterback of the Islanders’ 10th ranked power play unit and will be taking on a Colorado Avalanche team that is among the worst puck possession teams in the NHL. In a game that should be very high scoring, there’s no reason to assume Visnovsky won’t be involved in some capacity, and his moderate price tag will give you the ability to load up the rest of your lineup.
Top Value Plays: Seth Jones (NSH), Nick Holden (COL)
Center
Disclaimer: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Ryan Johansen, Logan Couture, and Jeff Carter are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars – Fresh off his second hat-trick of the season, Seguin is just one hatty away from tying the franchise record for hat-tricks…in just his second season with the Stars. Tonight he’ll be taking on the Arizona Coyotes, who have surrendered the 5th most goals per game this season and find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. With 19 points in 14 games this season, Seguin is on the brink of superstardom and he continues to reward owners that pay up for him, while burning those who fade him.
Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks – If you’re looking for a reliable center with a moderate price, Henrik Sedin is the guy for me tonight. He enters tonight’s home matchup against the Senators with points in all but one home game this season and has put his horrific, injury-plagued 2013 season behind him. The Senators are wildly inconsistent in their own end and take too many penalties for their own good, which should provide Henrik with ample scoring opportunities tonight.
Top Value Plays: Jori Lehtera (STL), Mike Ribeiro (NSH)
Wing
Disclaimer: Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Patrick Marleau, Rick Nash, and Max Pacioretty are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
Joe Pavelski – San Jose Sharks – It’s always difficult deciphering which of San Jose lethal top 6 forwards will go off in a given night, but tonight I’ll be rolling with the hot-hand in Joe Pavelski. With points in each of his last three games, Pavelski’s blue-collar style of play matches up well against the improved defensive corps of the Panthers. He also leads the Sharks with 4 power play goals and will be taking on a Panthers team that ranks 21st in the league in penalty kill percentage.
Vladimir Tarasenko – St. Louis Blues – Likely a new addition in the disclaimer above in my next article, I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give the talented Tarasenko some more recognition for his incredible start to the season. Skating alongside playmakers Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz on the Blues’ second line and top power play unit, Tarasenko has taken the NHL by storm with his highlight-reel goals. For fantasy purposes, the Blues’ second line is their best scoring line, led by Tarasenko, who has 12 points, including 8 goals in his last 10 games for the streaking Blues. He leads the Blues in almost every offensive category and has a juicy matchup against a Sabres team that allows the most shots per game in the NHL.
Filip Forsberg – Nashville Predators – Another young forward riding a hot streak that makes the list for me tonight is Forsberg, who has made the most of his early season promotion to Nashville’s top line and is currently riding a 5 game scoring streak. A solid all-around player with no real deficiencies in his game, the Swede will be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward as a potential breakout candidate skating alongside the consistent Mike Ribeiro and goal-scorer James Neal. With 15 points in 14 games to start the season, his price is expected to rise soon, so jump all over him while he’s still this cheap.
Brock Nelson – New York Islanders – If you’re looking for value at left wing tonight, look no further than Nelson, who has 14 points in as many games this season for the Islanders. Skating on the Isles’ second line at even strength, Nelson is also heavily involved on the team’s top power play unit where half of his points have come this season. He has a fantastic matchup against the Avalanche, who allow way too many shots for their own good, making Nelson a great option at a relative discount in a game that should feature plenty of goals.
Top Value Plays: Nikolai Kulemin (NYI), Tommy Wingels (SJ), Blake Comeau (PIT), Linden Vey (VAN)