NHL GPP Plays: Tuesday, March 8th
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, San Jose Sharks – Reimer is not only dirt cheap, but he has the big-game upside we are looking for in tournament play. We saw the San Jose Sharks get a big win last night in Calgary, but they were heavily outshot 48-22. I could see a similar situation in Edmonton tonight, where Reimer will have to steal the game. He may not see 48 shots, but 30 plus is very realistic and the Sharks are a decent sixed favorite.
Other Goalies To Target – Jimmy Howard, Andrew Hammond, Kari Lehtonen, Cam Ward, Joonas Korpisalo
FORWARDS
Craig Smith, Nashville Predators – Smith has been an absolute monster of late and it seems very few have noticed. Playing alongside Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg at both even strength and on the Nashville Predators’ number one power play unit, Smith has produced three goals and eight points in his last four games. The Winnipeg Jets are a sloppy, undisciplined team and Smith should see an abundance of scoring chances in this game.
Elias Lindholm, Carolina Hurricanes – The Ottawa Senators are one of my favorite teams to pick on. Ottawa remains one of the worst defensive teams in the National Hockey League. The Senators also take too many penalties (eighth-most penalty minutes per game) and have trouble killing them off (28th ranked penalty kill). Playing on the Carolina Hurricanes’ top line and number power play unit, Lindholm should see plenty of scoring opportunities in this one.
Nail Yakupov, Edmonton Oilers – The Edmonton Oilers are a sneaky offense tonight facing a San Jose Sharks team playing their second game in as many nights and their third game in four nights. Yakupov has been reunited with Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle and I expect him to fly under the radar in GPPs. This trio was very good together earlier in the season and they could rekindle the magic tonight on home ice.
Other Forwards To Target – Mats Zuccarello, Kyle Okposo, Zack Smith, Gustav Nyquist, Boone Jenner, Jason Spezza, Mark Scheifele, Leon Draisaitl
DEFENSE
Tonight I am looking for value on defense, but I am also looking to pick on teams with weak penalty kills. The New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators both struggle to kill penalties (ranking 30th and 28th), and their opposing blue liners (Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Jaccob Slavin and Noah Hanifin) are inexpensive (site dependant). All four of these players have big power play potential and will be highly under-owned.
Other Defensemen To Target – Nick Leddy, Niklas Kronwall, Johnny Boychuk, Andrej Sekera, Ryan Murray