NHL Daily Plays: Tuesday, November 25th
What’s up Grinders! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the NHL has lightened up the schedule for us on Tuesday with just 7 games on the slate. With the exception of just a couple of games, the majority of home teams find themselves with some excellent matchups which will make things slightly more difficult from a player selection standpoint, especially in GPPs. That being said, there is still plenty of value to be had to load up your lineups, so my article today will focus more on some of those key value plays that can help you fit some of the higher priced studs in your lineups tonight. Let’s take a look at some of my top plays for Tuesday to help win you some cash before Turkey Day:
Goalies
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Ryan Miller – Vancouver Canucks – In his first season out west as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Ryan Miller has been everything the team hoped for when they lured him in during the offseason. With a 13-3 record, a 2.63 GAA, and a .903 SV%, his numbers haven’t been great, but he is getting the job done night after night and his price has yet to skyrocket throughout most of the industry. He has been getting plenty of goal support from his supporting cast, and despite the Canucks dealing with some key injuries on their defense, they continue to win hockey games. The return of Cory Schneider should make for an exciting atmosphere in Rogers Arena tonight, and I think Miller and the ‘Nucks will prevail against a Devils team that is a long way from home and have had issues scoring during the month of November.
Kari Lehtonen – Dallas Stars – Another moderately priced goalie that has been very inconsistent throughout much of the 2014 season that I like for tournament play tonight is Lehtonen. After getting peppered by 41 shots on goal in his last game against the Kings, Lehtonen was still able to hang on for a victory.Tonight he draws the Edmonton Oilers who are currently in the midst of a 6 game losing streak and have been outscored 23-11 during that span. In what should be a very up-tempo game in Dallas tonight, you can expect another healthy dose of shots on net for Lehtonen, but if he’s sharp, he should have no problem securing an easy victory with the plenty of goal support he should receive.
Defense
Disclaimer: Shea Weber, Mark Giordano, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Keith Yandle, are elite defensemen and are always in play.
Cam Fowler – Anaheim Ducks – Few teams rely upon their young defensemen as much as the Ducks and Fowler has been a key component of the Ducks hot start to the season with 11 points in 21 games. At just 22 years of age, “Cam America” is featured on the Ducks top power play unit and will be taking on a Calgary Flames team that has the second worst penalty kill percentage this season. Calgary is a much improved team this season, but their youth and inexperience has been exposed away from home ice this season, making the highly skilled and offensive minded Fowler a great play for me tonight with his moderate price tag.
John Klingberg – Dallas Stars – Another 22 year old that makes the list for me tonight is Klingberg, who is enjoying great success in his rookie campaign with the Stars. Currently riding a 4 game point streak, Klingberg has been rewarded with top power play minutes for the high-octane Stars. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up his current production, but in a game that could ultimately produce the highest scoring output tonight, I will continue to ride him until his price goes up.
Top Punt Plays: Seth Jones (NSH), Yannick Weber (VAN)
Center
Disclaimer: Tyler Seguin, Ryan Johansen, Henrik Sedin, and Ryan Getzlaf are elite fantasy centers and are always in play.
Jori Lehtera – St. Louis Blues – With an assist in his last game against Winnipeg on Sunday, Lehtera now has points in three straight games and 20 in as many games to start his career. Centering a line fans have dubbed the “STL” line between two young playmakers in Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko, Lehtera has looked like a seasoned vet. His price remains a relative bargain compared to his success, and there’s no reason to assume Lehtera and the league’s second-most productive line can’t keep it going against an Ottawa team that allows the most shots per game on the road this season.
Mike Ribeiro – Nashville Predators – Another under-priced center with a nice home matchup that I like tonight is Ribeiro, who is enjoying success in his first season with the Predators after struggling much of last year. Centering the NHL’s most productive scoring line, Ribeiro, James Neal, and Filip Forsberg have accounted for 17 goals this season and will be taking on a Los Angeles Kings team that has lost their defensive identity throughout the early part of the 2014 season. With his linemates’ prices going through the roof, taking Ribeiro is a great way to get exposure to Neal and Forsberg without sacrificing a lot of your salary cap.
Top Punt Plays: Joakim Lindstrom (STL), Colin Wilson (NSH)
Wing
Disclaimer: Jamie Benn, Corey Perry, Filip Forsberg, Daniel Sedin, Vladimir Tarasenko and James Neal are elite fantasy forwards and are always in play.
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. Vrbata is currently among the league leaders in shots per game and is currently riding a 3 game goal streak for the second place ‘Nucks. Tonight he will be taking on a New Jersey Devils team that has the league’s worst penalty kill percentage, making Vrbata an excellent mid-range salary play tonight in both cash games and GPPs..
Matt Beleskey – Anaheim Ducks – Currently featured on the Ducks top line and top power play unit, 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, Beleskey is the guy getting the opportunity and he should have no problems increasing his production tonight against a Calgary Flames team that has struggled on the road this season.
Cody Eakin – Dallas Stars – Another value winger that has enjoyed success since being moved to his team’s top line is Eakin. He has points in four straight games and his price remains a bargain throughout much of the industry, and similar to Beleskey, is a cost-effective strategy to get exposure to one of the most productive scoring tandems in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The only downside to Eakin is that he hasn’t been getting top power play minutes, but the Stars have been scoring most of their goals at even strength this year and a matchup against the struggling Oilers should allow Eakin plenty of opportunities to continue his point streak tonight.
Top Punt Plays: Alex Tanguay (COL), Jannik Hansen (VAN), Lauri Korpikoski (AZ)