NHL GPP Plays: Thursday, March 17th
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.
Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers – Luongo has not looked good recently, posting a 3.35 goals against average and a .885 save percentage in the month of March. Despite these ugly numbers, I really like his potential in Toronto this evening. The Maple Leafs have been the NHL’s best possession team since the beginning of February and they are firing over 31 shots on goal per game this season, however they still struggle to score goals. The Panthers should come away with the win tonight and Luongo could easily make 30 plus saves in this one.
Other Goalies To Target – Petr Mrazek, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jonathan Bernier
FORWARDS
Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars – The Dallas Stars are not playing their best hockey these days, however their one bright spot recently has been the play of Jason Spezza. The former second overall pick has scored in six of his last seven contests, producing seven goals, eight points and 27 shots on net during this hot streak. Spezza is now centering Tyler Seguin on the Stars’ second line and I think he remains hot tonight. Not to mention, I don’t expect him to be very popular because of the tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers – Trocheck and the Florida Panthers’ second line are playing superb hockey of late. In his last four games, Trocheck has compiled two goals and seven points. The Toronto Maple Leafs are improving, but this is still a team with weak defense and questionable goaltending. With most fantasy owners looking at the Panthers’ top line, Trocheck and the second line make a great contrarian play this evening.
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Hertl is often a forgotten man in tournaments despite playing on the San Jose Sharks’ potent top line. With the Arizona Coyotes having the fourth-worst Corsi rating at even strength I expect Hertl to see plenty of scoring opportunities in this one.
Kris Versteeg, Los Angeles Kings – Versteeg has goals in back-to-back games and he continues to skate on the Los Angeles Kings’ top line alongside Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic. The 29-year-old journeyman is also seeing minutes on the Kings’ number two power play unit. The New York Rangers are never an easy team to face, but they are playing their second game in as many nights. Not to mention, Los Angeles is the best possession team in the game and they are dominant on home ice. Dollar for dollar, Versteeg may be the top value option available this evening.
Other Forwards To Target – Brandon Dubinsky, Ondrej Palat, Craig Smith, Charlie Coyle, Reilly Smith, Justin Abdelkader, Dylan Larkin, Cam Atkinson, Valeri Nichushkin
DEFENSE
Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers – Both Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov are inexpensive across the industry and they are seeing plenty of power play time. In a matchup against a defensively challenged Toronto Maple Leafs squad, they both have big game upside at discounted price.
Other Defensemen To Target – Mathew Dumba, Ryan Murray, Seth Jones, Noah Hanifin