NHL GPP Plays: Thursday, January 21st
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.
James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs – After a slow start to the season, Reimer has been nothing short of spectacular in goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs (2.03 GAA, .934 SV%). The last time these two teams met, Reimer stole the show while stopping 33 of the 34 shots he faced in a Maple Leafs 2-1 win, and we could see similar results tonight. The Carolina Hurricanes average a healthy 29.5 shots per game, while Toronto allows the fourth-most shots against per game (31.3). The 27-year-old Winnipeg Manitoba native will see plenty of rubber in this game, and if he can secure the win, he will be one of the highest scoring goalies on the night.
Other Goalies To Target – Sergei Bobrovsky, Eddie Lack, Martin Jones Louis Domingue
FORWARDS
Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars – Whether he remains on the Stars’ lethal top line or not, I love Spezza tonight. The Edmonton Oilers have been a defensive disaster all season long and I expect Dallas to smash them on home ice. Spezza is reasonably priced and he has multi-point upside regardless of his linemates. Because we can not be certain how long (if at all) he will play with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, Spezza may not be as popular as you think in tournament play.
Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils – It is rare I recommend a New Jersey Devil, but Henrique and the Devils’ top line is in a nice spot tonight. The Ottawa Senators are a banged up group (both Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris are game-time decisions) and they are far from a defensive juggernaut. In fact, they may be the worse defensive team in hockey. Ottawa is a bottom-three team in Corsi rankings, in scoring chances allowed and shots against per game. The Senators also have a lousy penalty kill, ranking 29th. In this plus matchup on home ice, Henrique and the Devils’ top line is very fantasy relevant.
Elias Lindholm, Carolina Hurricanes – Skating on the Carolina Hurricanes’ top line and number one power play unit, Lindholm has had some big games this year. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been awful recently, losing five of their last six games, allowing 21 goals in the process. The Hurricanes are one of the NHL’s better teams at driving play and they will have plenty of scoring opportunities against a Maple Leafs team that allows over 31 shots per game.
Teddy Purcell, Edmonton Oilers – The Dallas Stars have been paying some ugly hockey of late, losing four in a row and seven of their last eight. They lead the league in high-danger scoring chances allowed, and they have also allowed the most goals per game in the month of January. When everyone is jumping on the Dallas offensive players in daily fantasy hockey, perhaps we should also be picking on their defense. Purcell and the Oillers’ top line make a great contrarian play in GPPs.
Other Forwards To Target – Claude Giroux, Ryan Spooner, Leon Draisaitl, Jakub Voracek, Brad Marchand, Mark Stone, Mikkel Boedker
DEFENSE
Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers – The matchup in Pittsburgh against the Penguins is not ideal, but it is hard to ignore the impressive play of Gostisbehere this season. Since returning from injury, the 22-year-old has fired 15 shots on net in three games, scoring once and being a constant threat from the blue line. The man they called Ghost continues to be underowned in GPPs and I love his upside again tonight.
Other Defensemen To Target – Justin Faulk, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake Muzzin, Damon Severson, Noah Hanifin, Colin Miller