NHL GPP Plays: Thursday, April 7th
Every Tuesday and Thursday I am going to give you my top tournament plays for all Daily Fantasy Hockey GPPs (guaranteed prize pool). GPPs are a general term used across the industry for your big money tournaments.
GPPs are very different from your cash games and you use a different strategy with them. In our GPPs we are not interested in safe plays, since GPPs are all about UPSIDE. We want players who can explode, as all-or-nothing type players can become GPP gold, and your value players are just as important as your star players. You need your players to have huge nights in order to take down these big tournaments.
My goal is to provide players who will be under-owned and have that big game upside you are looking for. I will also try to find as much value as I possibly can. Now, let’s get to the NHL GPP plays!
GOALTENDERS
Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page prior to game time, to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting.
Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators – We are all about shots/saves in our tournaments and Anderson should see plenty of rubber in this matchup. The Ottawa Senators are one of the NHL’s weaker defensive units and they allow a league high 32.7 shots against per game. Despite all the action, the 12-year veteran has posted excellent numbers on home ice (2.22 GAA, .929 SV%). Anderson should see 30=plus shots and he certainly has the ability to steal this game tonight.
Other Goalies To Target – Kari Lehtonen, Joni Ortio, Keith Kinkaid
FORWARDS
Marcus Johansson, Washington Capitals – With Nicklas Backstrom out due to injury, Johansson has filled in nicely, while playing on the Washington Capitals’ top line and number one power pay unit alongside Alexander Ovechkin. Johansson is coming off a huge three point night versus the New York Islanders on Tuesday and he has multi-point upside again tonight.
Derek Stepan, New York Rangers – The New York Rangers are never a popular team in tournaments and it is because it is difficult to pinpoint where their scoring will come from. The Blue Shirts are a very deep offense with three capable scoring lines. Despite this, I really like Stepan in GPPs tonight. The 25-year-old pivot has really picked up his offensive game lately, generating four goals and eight points in his last four games. Look for Stepan to remain hot tonight versus an overrated New York Islanders team.
Craig Smith, Nashville Predators – Smith does his best work on home ice and he has a terrific matchup tonight. The Arizona Coyotes are ripe for the picking and I expect the Predators to walk all over them this evening. With everyone on either James Neal or Filip Forsberg, Smith should fly under the radar in large field tournaments.
Jannik Hansen, Vancouver Canucks – The Calgary Flames are a terrible defensive team and their goaltending has been abysmal all season long. They are a much better team on home ice, but I don’t expect them to limit the scoring chances against Vancouver tonight. Playing on the Vancouver Canucks’ top line and number one power play unit, Hansen should see an abundance of scoring opportunities.
Other Forwards To Target – Tyler Johnson, Jason Spezza, Nikita Kucherov, Mats Zuccarello, Andre Burakovsky, Reilly Smith
DEFENSE
Torey Krug, Boston Bruins – The Detroit Red Wings have been awful defensively over the past month, allowing more goals against per game than anyone else in hockey. They have also struggled badly on the penalty kill, which could hurt them tonight versus the Bruins’ seventh-best power play. Krug has started to heat up recently with two multi-point games in his last three contests and he could do it again tonight against a struggling Red Wings team.
Other Defensemen To Target – Nick Leddy, Mattias Ekholm, Ben Hutton, Morgan Rielly, Dan Hamhuis