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.
Boston Bruins at New York Islanders
Boston laid the wood to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, taking the game 6-1 and that was their highest offensive output in a month. The win was helped along by a power play that went 3-for-5, matching their output from the previous 10 games. The Bruins also gave up a power play goal against Philadelphia and that gives them nine such goals against in 2014, an efficiency of 72.7-percent in their last 10 games. They are 3-1-1 in their last five games however and are starting to win the underlying stat battles, indicating a team that is rebounding from a mini-slump.
The Islanders were on a very impressive run for a month but have now gone 3-3-1 in their previous seven games (with only one regulation/overtime win). They’ve also given up at least three goals against in five straight games. The Islanders did get some good news this morning, though:
Capuano: Poulin in net, Nabokov backing up. Visnovsky in, Donovan and Nilsson to be sent down. #Isles
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) January 27, 2014
The return of Lubomir Visnovsky comes at a time when the team is desperately missing Travis Hamonic on defense and can help to add to their depth on the point.
Somehow, the Islanders are 2-0 against the Bruins this year, having outscored them 8-4 in those contests. Of those 12 goals in those two games, half of them came with the man advantage. I will stay away from both goaltenders tonight and instead focus on the power plays of the respective squads. Typically, I would stay away from lines that face Zdeno Chara but the Tavares line has done very well against him this year so that’s not necessarily the case here.
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Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
Loui Eriksson $4583 |
Michael Grabner $5159 |
Frans Nielsen $9427 |
Dougie Hamilton $6814 |
Josh Bailey $4024 |
