There is a busy night in the NHL tonight with 12 games on tap. With a lot of high game totals, expensive players will need to be looked at for roster construction. The Tampa Bay Lightning will likely see the most ownership, for good reason. Let’s take a look at some players who are sitting in great spots tonight.
Center
Mark Scheifele (WPG): $7,100 vs. CHI
At a glance, the Chicago Blackhawks are not generally a team to pick on. This year, however, they are horrible defensively. On the surface, statistics look positive for the team. When you dig a little deeper, it is obvious that Corey Crawford has been brilliant this year, masking the defensive flaws. The Blackhawks are a league-worst HDCA/60 (High Danger Chance Against/60 minutes of even strength), allowing 5.6 per game. Schiefele, along with the rest of the Winnipeg Jets, is already ranked second overall in shooting percentage. If Crawford can’t shut the door early on an extremely offensive team, at home, this one could get ugly fast.
Brayden Point (TB): $5,900 @ ARI
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a heavy road favorite tonight as they travel to Arizona. Brayden Point is having a career year on the second line with 28 points in 30 games. Now, the top line is a great obvious play, but the second line will be a nice pivot, getting exposure to a team likely to score four or five goals. Not only is this an ownership strategy, but a price saving one as well. Derek Stepan is known around the NHL as one of the better shutdown centers in the league. Although Steven Stamkos and company should still produce, Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat will see the easier matchup. It is never fun to fade the top line in the NHL against the worst defensive team, but there is a path for them to not hit value. With so many great options tonight, saving salary will be key and targeting the second unit is a great “game theory” play.
Other Centers to consider:
Cash – Steven Stamkos ($7,800 @ ARI), Sean Couturier ($6,500 vs. TOR)
GPP – Bryan Little ($4,500 vs. CHI), Erik Haula ($4,900 vs. PIT)
Wing
Blake Wheeler (WPG): $7,000 vs. CHI
Playing alongside Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, the top line of the Winnipeg Jets are in a great spot to score multiple goals tonight. The trio also stick together on the top power-play unit which is clicking at a 25.9% success rate (fourth in the NHL) on the year. Blake Wheeler is currently tied for first in assists this season through the first 30 games to go along with 38 total points. The 6’5″ right-winger is tough to slow down and should have his way, especially when seeing Patrick Kane. Again, the play of Crawford will be the catalyst on how many goals this line can produce.
Tyler Johnson (TB): $4,700 @ ARI
Tyler Johnson is one of the hottest players in the league at the moment. As part of the second line Lightning stack, Johnson is coming off of a two-point performance while also scoring seven points in his last four games. On the second power-play unit, Johnson plays the point which generates more offensive output potential.
James Neal (VGK): $6,100 vs. PIT
The Pittsburgh Penguins are travelling to Las Vegas to take on the surprisingly successful Golden Knights. James Neal has scored 14 goals this year to go along with 23 points. The Golden Knights, as a team, are ranked third in the NHL in goals scored per game. Conversely, the Penguins are allowing 3.22 goals against per game (ranked 23rd). With a subpar PK (Penalty Kill), Neal will also look to score on the man advantage against a very undisciplined Penguins team.
Other Wingers to consider:
Cash – Nikita Kucherov ($8,000 @ ARI), Claude Giroux ($6,300 vs. BUF)
GPP – Patrik Laine ($6,500 vs. CHI), Gabriel Landeskog ($5,600 vs. FLA)
Defense
Jacob Trouba (WPG): $4,500 vs. CHI
As the final piece to the Winnipeg Jets team stack, look to Jacob Trouba. With the injury to Dustin Byfuglien, Trouba has stepped up as the quarterback to the top power-play unit. The 23-year old has been leaned on for heavy minutes lately which provides a high fantasy point floor. The Jets should have ample opportunity to score in this game and with the extra TOI, look for the young D-man to chip in a couple of points.
Shea Theodore (VGK): $3,900 vs. PIT
Almost minimum price, Shea Theodore is a great “punt play” option. Theodore is set to play on the second pairing along with top power play time. Against the Penguins, power play minutes are key due to the amount of penalties they take. Averaging 11 minutes a night, Pittsburgh takes the third most penalties per game in the NHL. With the multi-point upside, Theodore is a great cheap play tonight.
Other Defensemen to consider:
Cash – Victor Hedman ($6,200 @ ARI), Ryan Sutter ($5,000 vs. TOR)
GPP – Mikhail Sergachev ($4,700 @ ARI), Shayne Gostisbehere ($5,300 vs. BUF)
Goalie
Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK): $7,700 vs. PIT
Disclaimer: This is a large field GPP play with tremendous upside. The Pittsburgh Penguins could very well score five goals tonight and it would not surprise anyone. However, if you are someone who believes in narratives, this will be the biggest one in the NHL all year. Last year, during the Penguins cup run, Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly. Then he got hurt. Backup goaltender, at the time, Matt Murray emerged as a true starter with amazing post-season performances. The offseason NHL expansion draft left Pittsburgh with the decision to not protect Marc-Andre Fleury. In one year, he went from starting goalie for a Stanley Cup-winning team, to back-up, to Vegas. Even though he is known as one of the nicest players in the NHL, Fleury has had this game circled on his calendar all year long. On a side note, Fleury has stellar numbers and Pittsburgh takes a lot of shots, so either way, it will be a great play.
Other Goalies to consider:
All formats – Andrei Vasilevskiy ($8,400 @ ARI), Connor Hellebuyck ($7,900 vs. CHI), Brian Elliot ($7,700 vs. BUF)
Jeremy Maw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive or follow him @j_maw.
