I generally do not pick two players playing against each other in the same game for a daily fantasy hockey 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.
Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes
The Predators fell to the Florida Panthers last night 5-4 in a shootout and all eight goals scored in the game were scored at even strength, which is highly irregular for both teams. Tonight makes three games in four days for the Panthers and they’ve already lost the first two.
Carolina managed a 3-2 road win on Long Island last night to give themselves back-to-back wins against divisional opponents. They, too, are playing three games in four nights, though their advantage is they got to sleep in their own beds last night.
These two teams met a month ago in Nashville with Carolina coming away with a 5-2 win. In that game, the Staal line was matched against the Wilson line and that led to three Jeff Skinner goals (one on the power play). Last night, though, Staal left the game with an injury in the second period and did not return.
For the season, Skinner’s production at even strength cuts about in half when he’s not playing with Staal, so this game should be a lot closer than the last one. Of course, that outlook changes if Staal comes back to play tonight, though I’m not holding my breath.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
(NSH) $9100 |
(NSH) $7700 |
(CAR) $7350 |
(CAR) $7850 |
(CAR) $5000 |
