After a fairly quiet Wednesday, there are 11 NHL games on tap tonight. The trade deadline is approaching, and the playoffs are in sight. Tonight, the most expensive centers are all in great matchups, so hitting the right value plays will be crucial. Let’s take a look at some of the best options on the slate.
Center
Nathan MacKinnon (COL): $7,500 @ EDM
This will be Nathan MacKinnon’s third game back after his shoulder injury. After going pointless in his return against Edmonton last Sunday, MacKinnon tore up the Canucks with a goal and three assists. The Oilers penalty kill has looked better of late, but the season-long numbers do not lie (horrendous). At home, their PK was 54.2% on the season. Averaging 10 penalty minutes a night, the Oilers should give up at least two goals against on the PK every home game. MacKinnon will be centering the top power-play unit for the Avs tonight.
Nazem Kadri (TOR): $6,100 vs. NYI
Recommended as a tournament play, Nazem Kadri is in a great spot tonight. This game will likely see the highest ownership with Vegas setting the goal total at 6.5. However, while Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mathew Barzal are getting the attention, Kadri will go completely overlooked. Babcock always tries to line match Kadri with the opposition’s top line. In this case, John Tavares. Offensively, Tavares is having a great year, but he has also been a defensive liability. Kadri will log his 17-19 minutes both on even strength and on the power-play. He’s a great GPP option.
Cash – Auston Matthews ($7,600 vs. NYI), Connor McDavid ($7,700 vs. COL)
GPP – Evgeny Kuznetsov ($5,500 @ FLA), Nico Hischier ($5,100 vs. MIN)
Wing
Mikko Rantanen (COL): $6,100 @ EDM
Along with Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen is also coming off of a huge game against the Vancouver Canucks. As the second part of the Avalanche stack, Rantanen has scored 56 points this season in just 58 games. He has found chemistry with MacKinnon and has been extremely productive. This top line will see the second line of the Edmonton Oilers (Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic, and Michael Cammalleri) who will struggle to keep up.
Mitch Marner (TOR): $6,300 vs. NYI
Mitch Marner will skate alongside Nazem Kadri on the second forward line as well as power-play. Like Kadri, Marner is more of a GPP play. Capable of scoring five points in a night (two weeks ago), Marner has incredible speed and skill. This is a game which should be played at a much faster pace with a lot of scoring opportunities.
Patrick Marleau (TOR): $5,000 vs. NYI
Although he doesn’t play with Marner and Kadri on the same power-play unit, Patrick Marleau will skate with the two at even strength. He is a great one-off play if you are looking to get exposure to both the top power-play and the second forward line. Marleau has dealt with criticism this year in Toronto. However, he has scored 20 goals this year, which is hard to come by nowadays. Look for the veteran winger to chip in tonight in a high-scoring affair.
Taylor Hall (NJ): $7,100 vs. MIN
If you haven’t heard yet, Taylor Hall is good at hockey. The left winger is currently riding an 18-game point streak. Yes, 18. The production can’t last forever, but we might as well keep riding the wave. He is as good of a cash game play as there is and has GPP-winning upside. He takes a lot of shots and generates offense on his own. The Wild are much worse on the road, and Hall is as driven as anyone to keep a streak going.
Other wingers to consider:
Cash – Nikita Kucherov ($8,000 @ OTT), Claude Giroux ($6,700 vs. CLS)
GPP – Johnny Gaudreau ($7,200 @ ARI), Anthony Mantha ($5,200 vs. BUF)
Defense
Tyson Barrie (COL): $5,800 @ EDM
With five points against Vancouver (all on the power-play), Tyson Barrie is one of the top defensemen of night. Teammate Erik Johnson was placed on the injured reserve earlier this week which opens ice-time, including power-play time, for Barrie. We have established how bad the Oilers are. The Avalanche, meanwhile, are still fighting for a playoff spot and will be trying to pull out a win to get them in the race.
Jeff Petry (MON): $5,400 vs. NYR
There are a lot of great options at defense tonight. Jeff Petry is a sneaky play as his game has cooled off like the rest of the Canadiens. Petry is still benefiting from extra minutes, with the Shea Webber absence, and will continue to be put in situations to produce. Averaging around 26 minutes a night, with top power-play time, Petry should contribute tonight in a great matchup against a bad Rangers team.
Other defensemen to consider:
Cash – Morgan Rielly ($5,500 vs. NYI), Ryan Suter ($5,300 @ NJ)
GPP – Mark Giordano ($5,400 @ ARI), Sami Vatanen ($4,000 vs. MIN)
Goalie
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB): $8,300 @ OTT
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -200 road favorites tonight in Ottawa. The Senators are playing in their second game of a back-to-back after losing a shoot-out in Chicago. Vasilevskiy is among the best in the league this year and should have no problem pulling out the win on the road.
Other goalies to consider:
Cash – Jonathan Quick ($7,800 vs. DAL)
GPP – Frederik Andersen ($8,100 vs. NYI)
Jeremy Maw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive or follow him @j_maw.
