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 DraftStreet values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.
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Games are color-coded as follows:
Green means load up. Yellow means grab a couple of players. Red means value plays only.
Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils
The big news for Washington, outside of their six-game losing streak, is that Alex Ovechkin will miss his second game tonight for the Capitals with what is being described as a lower-body injury. Ovechkin has scored 26.1-percent of the team’s goals so far this year, so if he’s out of the lineup that takes the teeth out of their offense. We saw that in the first game he missed on Tuesday night when the Capitals were shutout 2-0 (their first time being shutout in two months). It doesn’t matter who takes his place because he is the one who knocks, so to speak.
New Jersey is coming off a 7-1 demolition of the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. The Devils’ power play looked really good against a tired St. Louis team and it has been pretty good for a while; New Jersey’s PP is 40-percent in their last five games and 26.7-percent over their last 10 games. That should come in handy against a Washington team that has allowed 10 power play goals against in their last 10 games and five power play goals against on their six-game losing streak.
Cory Schneider is in net for New Jersey tonight and the tear he’s been on has been very impressive: over his seven starts since the Christmas break, Schneider has allowed just eight goals against and that includes games against St. Louis, Dallas, and Colorado. He would be my top play for tonight in net.
If you’re looking for a duo up front tonight, I don’t think you can go wrong with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr. They’re productive and have built good chemistry together.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
Jaromir Jagr (NJD) $10,957 |
(NJD) $5915 |
Travis Zajac (NJD) $5810 |
(NJD) $7497 |
(WSH) $3519 |
