Can you fathom that this is the second-to-last Tuesday night slate of the ’16/’17 NHL regular season? Once again the season has zipped by as teams have between six and eight games left in their regular seasons before 16 of them get to the big dance beginning the week of April 10th. That said, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves as we do have an 11-game slate on our hands tonight with plenty of value to be had on that draft board. Let’s go ahead and identify the top options for tonight’s large slate of NHL action.
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Center
Phillip Danault (MTL): $4,000 vs. DAL
The Canadiens continue to struggle to find a consistent first line center for Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. Danault has been given another opportunity at the gig. That should be a fruitful spot for the Quebec native as the Canadiens play host to the Stars tonight. Dallas has been one of, if not the worst road team in the league this season as evidenced by their 3.54 goals against per game (29th) and 72.2% penalty kill (30th) away from home. Danault has a solid 35 points on 115 shots across 75 games this season and is in a good spot to add to those totals in a very favorable matchup tonight.
Sam Gagner (CLS): $3,800 vs. BUF
Enjoying a renaissance campaign, Gagner makes for a solid play at the center ice position, although he actually won’t skate down the middle tonight. Gagner lines up as a winger on the Jackets’ fourth line, however, he is also a member of the team’s top power play unit, a group that clicks at a solid 20.8% clip at home. Gagner has tallied 18 goals, 45 points and 159 shots in 73 contests this season with eight of those tallies coming on the aforementioned power play. That power play should yield some more production tonight against the Sabres and their 28th-ranked road penalty kill of just 74.4% on the season.
Wing
Connor Brown (TOR): $4,300 vs. FLA
Brown’s impressive rookie campaign has been grossly overshadowed by superhuman rookie seasons from teammates Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, but there is no arguing Brown has not looked out of place at all this season. He has 18 goals on 126 shots with 46 blocks in 74 games this season and is also a member of the Maple Leafs’ top power play unit with 30-goal scorers like Matthews and Nazem Kadri. He has also scored in back-to-back games while firing seven shots on goal in that span, making him a solid value option against the Panthers on home ice tonight.
Joel Ward (SJ): $3,300 vs. NYR
Although his season is undoubtedly considered a disappointment, Ward has a solid opportunity to convert on offense tonight against the visiting Rangers. He will skate on the team’s second line alongside Patrick Marleau tonight as well as on the team’s second power play unit. With Logan Couture set to miss tonight’s contest, Ward is likely due for increased minutes tonight, even after skating an average of 16:15 per game in the month of March.
Defense
Cody Ceci (OTT): $3,400 vs. PHI
Ceci won’t blow you away with his offensive totals, however, his counting stats are pretty much unmatched in this price range. Ceci has taken 132 shots on the season while blocking 147 to go along with his 14 points across 74 games. He does line up on the Senators’ second power-play unit and considering Ottawa is the league’s 11th-best man advantage on the road that could be a productive spot tonight. Regardless, with such a solid floor due to those impressive peripheral figures, Ceci is a solid play at a suppressed price this evening.
Jeff Petry (MTL): $3,700 vs. DAL
For many of the same reasons as Danault listed above, Petry is a solid value option tonight against the visiting stars. He actually skates with Danault on the Canadiens’ second power play unit while delivering solid peripheral numbers at this price. He has taken 157 shots on the season and blocked 139 while recording eight goals and 28 points on the season. I see that as very solid production for this price range and considering his favorable matchup along with a power play spot, Petry stands to deliver plenty of value tonight.
Goalie
Curtis McElhinney (TOR): $7,700 vs. FLA
With Frederik Andersen already ruled out for tonight’s contest against the visiting Panthers it will be McElhinney who inherits a favorable matchup this evening. The Panthers score just 2.41 goals per game on the road and just three total over their last two visits to Toronto. Florida is also on the back end of a back-to-back setting and could be in tough against a young Leafs team who should easily have more energy than their counterparts who lost 4-2 in Buffalo last night. McElhinney has a solid .921 save percentage on the season and should be in line for a win behind Toronto’s strong offense at a very cheap price tonight.
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Kemper is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Kemper, check out his site www.doubleupsports.com and follow him @KemperDoubleUp.
