NHL GPP Plays: Tuesday, December 22nd
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 to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting prior to puck-drop
Karri Ramo, Calgary Flames – The Calgary Flames are playing their best hockey of the season right now and Ramo has posted solid numbers in the month of December (2.40 GAA, .921 SV%). The Winnipeg Jets continue to struggle away from home (6-11-1) and this will be their second game in as many nights. Ramo is inexpensive across the industry and he has big potential in this game.
Other Goalies To Target – Brian Elliott, Tuukka Rask, Roberto Luongo, Karri Ramo, Louis Domingue
Forwards
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – The Florida Panthers are far from an offensive force, but they should be able to score a few goals versus the Ottawa Senators this evening. The Ottawa Senators are the second worst possession team in hockey, which has resulted in them allowing an abundance of scoring chances against and the 7th most goals against per game this season. Barkov has five points in his last four games and he has multi-point upside in this one.
Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks – We should see a high scoring game in Dallas tonight. With the Chicago Blackhawks doing their best to have Jonathan Toews on the ice against the Dallas Stars top line, that should leave Artem Anisimov and his linemates (Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin) to roam free versus the Stars’ weaker lines. This trio has been lights out this season, but Anisimov is rarely popular despite centering one of the best lines in the game.
Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Namestnikov has made the most of his time playing alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, producing multi-point games in two of his last three contests. He is not just skating on the Bolts’ top line, but also on the Lightning’s number one power play unit. The Vancouver Canucks are a complete mess in terms of advanced analytics. Vancouver is not a good possession team, which has led to them allowing the most scoring chances against and the second most “high danger” scoring chances against in hockey this season. Namestnikov has big game upside and he should fly under the radar in GPPs.
Mikkel Boedker, Arizona Coyotes – The Toronto Maple Leafs are not only one of the league’s weaker teams, but they are also yet another team playing on consecutive nights. Boedker is the Desert Dogs’ biggest scoring threat and he has “hat trick” upside in this plus matchup on home ice.
Other Forwards To Target – Gustav Nyquist, Mark Stone, Patrick Maroon, Lee Stempniak, Jonathan Marchessault, Leo Komarov, Mika Zibanejad
Defense
T.J. Brodie, Calgary Flames – Brodie continues to play great hockey for the Calgary Flames, registering eight points in nine December games. The Winnipeg Jets are not only playing their second game in as many nights, but they refuse to play disciplined hockey. Winnipeg has taken the second most penalty minutes per game this season and they own one of the league’s worst penalty kills. Look for another productive night from Brodie playing on the Flames’ top power play unit.
Other Defensemen To Target – Dan Boyle, Jared Spurgeon, Alec Martinez, Dmitry Kulikov, Michael Stone