I will mention that I generally do not pick two players playing against each other in the same game for a daily lineup. The same applies for a goalie and a player from opposite teams. You might see two players among the “value picks” from opposite teams, but that doesn’t mean you should take them both. No matter the value, you’re also likely cannibalizing points, so any gains made below a certain price point – the point where production and cost intersect – can be lost if production declines overall as well.
There are many things that determine value: The player’s history (both short and long-term), the price, recent production, opponent, line matching at even-strength, power play time and injuries are just some of the factors to consider. The “Top Value” doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest player, either.
Finally, as far as goalies go, it’s the one position I’ll pay through the nose for if I really like the match-up. The same applies for back-ups with good match-ups. In a given night, with a full slate of games, I won’t have more than three different goalies across all my lineups, usually two. I’ll name the goalies I like specifically in the match-ups they appear in.
Here is today’s slate of games (and DraftDay values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.
Games are color-coded as follows:
Green means load up. Yellow means grab a couple of players. Red means value plays only.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins
The Leafs have been playing a bit better hockey as of late. Wednesday, they outplayed a very good Los Angeles team but didn’t get the result they were looking for. They were beat down the next night in St. Louis, but outplayed and beat down the Chicago Blackhawks themselves on Saturday. Coach Randy Carlyle is starting to learn that if you play your good players more and your bad players less, your team might play better hockey.
Pittsburgh, on the flip side, is decimated with injuries at the moment. Kris Letang was put on the injured reserve today, meaning the Penguins will be without their top four defensemen for an indeterminate amount of time. There’s also this:
Evgeni Malkin is not on the ice for the Penguins' game-day skate. Was hurt Saturday.
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPGH) December 16, 2013
Add the James Neal suspension to the top of the heap, and this is a team that has gone from all-world to all-out in the span of a handful of games.
The Leafs have already given the Penguins fits this year when Pittsburgh was healthy, so I would expect Toronto to skate away with a win tonight. Toronto looks primed to take tonight’s game, so having Jonathan Bernier in your lineups might not be a bad idea.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
Joffrey Lupul $10,050 |
(TOR) $12,000 |
(TOR) $9550 |
(TOR) $7850 |
(TOR) $6050 |
