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.
Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres
Florida is coming off a loss in Montréal to push their record in their last seven games to 2-4-1, having allowed 23 goals in the process. Their power play is just 2-for-24 over those seven contests while they have allowed five power play goals against.
Buffalo had a game cancelled a couple of nights ago, so this is a team that has now had five days rest and has only played two games in 2014. The Sabres have only scored nine goals in their last six games, managing a 3-2-1 record over those contests. They have actually outscored their opponents with the man advantage 3-2 in those games, so special teams are becoming a factor for them.
This will only be the second game between these two teams this year, with Buffalo taking the first one 3-1. This game doesn’t require a whole lot of analyzing to know that it should be a low-scoring contest, but it should be said that with Drew Stafford on the injured reserve and Cody Hodgson still not ready to return, there’s some firepower missing for Buffalo on a team that didn’t have much to begin with. This is a game where you look for the goalies, and I’m much more tempted with Tim Thomas than Ryan Miller because of the missing scorers for Buffalo.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
(BUF) $8650 |
Sean Bergenheim $9250 |
(BUF) $8000 |
(FLA) |
(FLA) |
