NHL Thursday: Matchup Breakdown

by landsharkhockey Last Updated 2012-02-23 17:26:38

As with most Thursdays in the NHL, tonight will be busy with 9 matchups on the schedule. While some of these contests seem unlikely to generate a ton of goals (Minnesota @ Florida), others matches seem ripe for offensive outbursts. For those who play GPP and are looking for your best stacking options, I’ll go game by game and evaluate the best opportunities this evening, going in order from worst to best.

Vancouver @ Detroit

On one hand, you have two of the highest scoring teams in the league. On the other hand, both squads are solid on defense. The Wings are at home, where they seem incapable of losing. The Canucks have won 7 of their last 9. Something has to give. Certainly stacking is an option for either squad, though you can probably do better.

For Vancouver – the obvious play is the Sedins and Burrow on the top line. Kesler is also a solid pick. Henrik Sedin and Kesler are somewhat undervalued right now in the 11-12k range.

For the Wings – With Datsyuk out of action, look to line 2 to get it done tonight. Zetterberg has been working with Filppula, with Hudler along for the ride. Hudler comes cheap, as he’s been struggling recently with just 2 points in 9 games.

Minnesota @ Florida

Two of the most offensively challenged teams meet tonight in Florida. Both teams started the season on fire, then sputtered considerably. You’d be hard-pressed to find many appetizing offensive options in this game, particularly with Mikko Koivu on the shelf. Move along. Nothing to see here…

St. Louis @ Nashville

The Blues have allowed the least number of goals in the league this season, and it’s not even close. It’s a good thing, too, as they don’t score very often. The Predators are also a team built from the back end out, relying on their defense to prevent goals and generate offense. The result is a lot of low-scoring games for both squads. Over the last 4 games, both teams have allowed under 2 goals against per game. Neither team features a single 20-goal scorer at this point in the season. If you’re looking for options in this contest, they better be on defense or in net.

Phoenix @ Calgary

Similar story here, though there is the possibility of goals on the horizon. The Coyotes are surging in terms of wins, and goal scoring has been solid in February. The Flames have gone through spells of offensive brilliance, but results have been spotty lately. With Mike Smith on fire right now, I wouldn’t recommend stacking the Flames. Other than Vrbata, Phoenix scored by committee. They’re on track to have 12 10-goal scorers this season.

Dallas @ Chicago

Any time the Hawks are in action, stacking is always an option (both for and against). Despite the early-February funk, they’re still among the highest scoring teams in the league. They seem to be getting their act together and have about 9 effective offensive weapons from which to choose. With Benn out of the Dallas lineup, I wouldn’t expect much scoring from the Dallas squad. On the Chicago side, Toews is day to day, so don’t bank on his line throwing down tonight. Assuming Toews sits, you may want to run with Sharp, Kane and Stalberg.

San Jose @ Toronto

Both San Jose and Toronto have abandoned any sense of defensive hockey this month. The average combined score in games involving San Jose this month is about 8. Toronto hasn’t been quite that lucrative, but they’re not far off. If you’re basing your decision off the recent past, this is a prime candidate for a whole led of red lights tonight. Both sides offer a plethora of options to stack, so take your pick.

For Toronto, the top line hasn’t changed much this season. Kessel, Lupul, and Bozak have been among the best all season long. No reason to doubt their potential for points tonight.

For the Sharks, load up on as many of the big guns as you can afford. Thornton, Marleau and Pavelski have been very effective as a unit lately. Couture continues to shine as well, getting a fair amount of time with Marleau. Ryan Clowe’s production has dipped, but he can be had for a fair price.

Anaheim @ Carolina

Based on the standings, you would think this is game most people would ignore, but the story keeps changing in February for both of these squads. While they fight the urge to sell off their assets, both teams continue to win. Carolina has been particularly strong on offense, having scored 3 or more in their last 5 games. Anaheim is getting it done with strong goaltending. Tough to predict the outcome here, but my gut says Carolina is the better stack option, with Eric Staal lighting it up. The captain has awoken (better late than never, unless you were hoping for a high draft pick in Carolina). He has 10 points in 5 games. Jiri Tlusty has been the big beneficiary on that surge, the undervalued winger is riding a quiet 8 game point streak. Sophomore Jerome Samson is riding the other wing at a bargain basement price of 4.5k.

Tampa Bay @ Winnepeg

The firesale in Tampa Bay is in full force and captain Vinny is out of the lineup, so what’s left to consider here. Well, Tampa still has this guy named Stamkos that is a good bet to win the scoring title and Art Ross this season, despite the franchise’s attempted go at a top draft pick. And then there is future Hall of Famer St. Louis at his side. The question on this line (if you’re stacking against a weak Winnepeg defense) is who will get the spot on the other wing with Downie being shipped out of town. Look for Teddy Purcell (at just $8k) to get the honor in the short term.

Tampa has been one of the worst defensive teams all season long, and it should only get worse from here. Goaltending is a joke. The Jets are certainly capable of scoring, having put home 4 or more in their last 4 games. They’ve been involved in several wild games this year, and this one could turn out that way. Best options to stack for Winnepeg: Evander Kane, Kyle Wellwood and Alex Burmistrov are a solid and cost-effecive line. Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little are also viable options up front.

Philadelphia @ Edmonton

This is another matchup of two teams seemingly with no desire or motivation to prevent goals from being scored. Add to that Philadelphia’s league leading goal total on offense this year, and an Edmonton team with a handful of potent young stars, and we could be looking at 10 goals being scored in this contest. If only +/- didn’t count…

For the Flyers — you can’t go wrong with Claude Giroux on any given night (other than his high cost). He’s still connecting on a regular basis with Scott Hartnell (also quite pricey). Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds have been splitting time on the other wing, so either of those are decent third wheels. There are plenty of other options up and down this offense that can score on any given night, particularly when that night sees the Oilers on the other side. Jagr, Briere, Read, Couturier and even newby Eric Wellwood can help your team.

The power in Edmonton rests in one line these days: Hall, Eberle, Gagner. All three are solid plays and should certainly be considered in your GPP lineup tonight.

My DraftStreet Daily Fantasy NHL Lineup Tonight

Picking a goalie is a tough proposition tonight. With no obvious winners out there, I’m going to punt at this position, go cheap, and stack it all up front. Looks like Justin Peters is an adequate option at just 14.5k. I’m turning to San Jose and Edmonton for the bulk of my players in tonight’s GPP: