NHL GPP Plays: Thursday, December 31st
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 FanDuel 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.
Eddie Lack, Carolina Hurricanes – Lack was sensational in his last outing, stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced defeating the Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday. The Washington Capitals are the better team here, but they are playing in back-to-back games and the Hurricanes are home and rested. Lack has proven he has the ability to steal hockey games and with his inexpensive salary, he makes a great roll of the dice in tournaments.
Other Goalies To Target – Semyon Varlamov, Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot, Louis Domingue
Forwards
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks – The Edmonton Oilers have been awful lately, losing six of their last seven games and allowing 26 goals along the way. Perry and the Anaheim Ducks’ top line have been much better of late. Perry has three goals and 10 shots on net in his last three contests, and he has hat trick upside in this matchup.
Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres – Eichel seems to get better with each and every game he plays at the NHL level. He has been on an offensive tear recently with two goals, six points and 13 shots on net in his past three games. Eichel has big game upside again tonight and he is rarely popular in tournament play.
Anders Lee and Josh Bailey, New York Islanders – I expect to see goals scored from both teams in this contest tonight. As long as Lee and Bailey continue to skate alongside superstar John Tavares, I will continue to stack them in GPPs. This trio broke out for a multi-goal game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday evening and I think we see a similar game from them tonight against a Buffalo Sabres team playing their second game in as many nights.
Drew Stafford, Winnipeg Jets – Now playing on the Winnipeg Jets’ top line, Stafford produced immediately with two assists and a plus-three rating in the Jets’ 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The Jets have not been a good road team this year, but I love their potential tonight against the defensively challenged Arizona Coyotes. Stafford has big game upside and he should fly under the radar in large field tournaments.
Other Forwards To Target –”(player-popup)Teddy Purcell”:/players/teddy-purcell-17177, Mikkel Boedker, Andrew Shaw, Justin Abdelkader, Fran Nielsen, Artem Anisimov, Leon Draisaitl
Defense
Alec Martinez, Los Angeles Kings – The Los Angeles Kings continue to be the best possession team in hockey and they should generate plenty of scoring chances versus a Calgary Flames team that has struggled in their own end all season long. Skating on the Kings’ top power play unit, Martinez has big game upside against the Flames’ lousy goaltending and league worst penalty kill.
Other Defensemen To Target – Oliver-Ekman-Larsson, Nick Leddy, Sami Vatanen, Jacob Trouba, Matt Niskanen