NHL Daily Plays: Wednesday, January 28th
After an exciting eleven game schedule to open up the second half of the season last night, we’re greeted with just a three-game slate tonight. However, if you’re like me, the five-day All-Star break has you itching to play regardless. Some of the game’s biggest (and most expensive) stars are in action tonight, so it’ll be imperative to find some value plays.
I’m going to do these plays a bit differently considering the slow schedule and that one of the three games is Pittsburgh vs Washington. I’ll touch on the forwards in this game here and then get to the rest of the daily plays later. With Sidney Crosby likely returning to the lineup for the Penguins, the top line of Kunitz, Crosby and Perron (still underpriced on several sites) is instantly top-notch option. While Washington got the better of the Penguins earlier this season (a 3-0 victory), it was their first victory against Pittsburgh in three years.
We know what Ovechkin can do, and his center Nicklas Backstrom is a steady producer as well but both players are expensive. If you want to roster any of the above mentioned players (and you should want to), you’ll need the value plays…. And luckily this game has a few options there. Andre Burakovsky is the third wheel on the Capitals top line and has picked up two goals and two assists in his last three games. The other two value forward options from the Captials are Marcus Johansson and Troy Brouwer who both join Ovechkin and Backstrom on the team’s #1 power-play unit. As for value on Pittsburgh…. most of it resides on the blue line. However, up front, Nick Spaling is dirt cheap and lit the lamp last night, but he’ll be pushed off the top scoring line with the return of Crosby.
Goaltenders
Corey Crawford – Chicago Blackhawks – On a short slate, my favorite option in net tonight is Corey Crawford. The Kings limped into the All-Star break having lost seven of their last eight games and I expect Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa to be able to contain the Kings’ dangerous top line of Gaborik, Kopitar and Brown. While I usually prefer to target goalies playing on home ice, Crawford has been terrific away from Chicago this season, posting a 10-4-1 record with a 1.98 GAA and .931 SV% in his 15 road starts. He picked up a win while turning away 19 of the 20 shots the Kings threw in their only previous meeting this season.
Others: Cory Schneider
Forwards
Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks – Coach Quenville will do all he can to match up Toews and Hossa against the Kings’ top line, which should free Patrick Kane from the pestering defense of the Kopitar line and thus making him a solid option tonight. The Kings have allowed 3.75 goals per game during their current 1-7 skid and have really struggled on the penalty kill (77.8%) where they now rank #25th in the league. Kane leads the Blackhawks in nearly every statistical offensive category and his 19 power-play points is the ninth most in the NHL.
Scott Gomez – New Jersey Devils – Gomez pretty much fell off the hockey map for the last three years, but at 35 years old, he looks to be revitalizing his rather impressive career. He’s dirt cheap on many sites and will square off against a Toronto team that has lost nine of their last ten games. Gomez has scored a pair of goals and added seven assists in eight games this month and sees plenty of run on the team’s power play. The matchup and his recent production make him on of the better values on the board.
Nazem Kadri – Toronto Maple Leafs – In the last game before the break, Kadri found himself back on the Leafs top line centering Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, and is a great value option as long as he stays there. He’s scored goals in each of his last two games and lit the lamp in the only previous meeting with the New Jersey Devils this season. He sees plenty of run on the Maple Leaf’s power-play which should have some success tonight against the Devil’s subpar penalty kill.
Others: Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Elias, Brad Richards, Patrick Sharp, Jeff Carter
Defensemen
Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins – After being a game-time decision for much of the day yesterday, Letang indeed laced up his skates and the Penguins are certainly glad he did as he assisted on all five of their goals against Winnipeg. Say what you want about his defensive game, there’s simply no denying that he’s one of the most offensively talented defenseman in the league. He’s now racked up one goal and eleven assists over his last six games and has tallied 18 power-play points in just 41 games this year which bodes well for him against the Capitals 19th-ranked penalty kill. He won’t come cheap, but he’s the only top-tier defensemen I’m willing to pay up for tonight.
Matt Niskanen – Washington Capitals – Niskanen picked up a pair of assists in Columbus last night and will now turn his attention to his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s now picked up five assists over his last five games, but yet still comes with a very reasonable asking price. He’s a fixture on the point of the team’s second power-play unit, which should see an uptick in action tonight as Pittsburg enters this game as they NHL’s most penalized team.
Others: Mike Green, Duncan Keith, Marek Zidlicky, Drew Doughty, Brent Seabrook, Cody Franson, Paul Martin, Jake Muzzin