I will mention that 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.
Calgary Flames at Carolina Hurricanes
On the one hand, Calgary managed to score a goal at home against Pittsburgh in their 2-1 loss on Saturday night (that was only the third time they scored a goal in a game in their previous eight). On the other hand, it was their seventh regulation loss in their last eight games and now the Buffalo Sabres are just five points behind them at the bottom-of-the-league standings.
Carolina got some good news today:
Eric Staal on the ice, working with PP1. Might be good to go for tonight. Manny Malhotra also on the ice.
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) January 13, 2014
After missing Carolina’s last three games, the captain seems ready to return to action. It’s not like they really missed him in terms of results, the ‘Canes did win two of three without him. That said, he is the leader of the team and one of the top players in the NHL so his return is a welcome sight.
These two teams met about a month ago in Calgary, a 2-1 overtime win for the Flames. It was a pretty evenly-matched game for most of the contest and the difference was an OT goal with four seconds left in the frame. That game was while Carolina was mired in a pretty bad losing streak and the difference of late has been the play of Anton Khudobin, the Hurricanes goalie who has only allowed 10 goals against in five games since returning from injury.
I expect Carolina to win tonight, though there may not be a lot of goals combined for both teams.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
(CAR) |
(CAR) $7200 |
(CAR) $10,450 |
(CAR) $5000 |
(CAR) $5000 |
