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.
*** First-time Draftstreet users can take part in this $500 FREEroll. Just click this link.***
Here is today’s slate of games (and DraftStreet values). Reminder: check Left Wing Lock for up-to-the-minute information on starting goalies.
Games are color-coded as follows:
Green means stack for GPPs. Yellow means targets for cash games. Red means value plays only.
Playoffs are very different from the regular season. Playing the same team over and over means mostly the same match-ups over and over. That also means fairly consistent value among players regardless of how the price moves, and THAT means how the price moves has a huge influence on daily plays. Also, nailing goalies is of utmost importance.
**You will note that below are just the three games for tonight, though all games through tomorrow are available to play. I can assure you that relying on players that get locked in today who don’t play until tomorrow night is a quick way to lose money; playoff hockey is the absolute worst for late scratches, last-minute line combination changes, and a whole host of other problems. For those wanting value picks for tomorrow, reach me on Twitter @SlimCliffy and I’ll provide individualized answers.
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
The NHL Playoffs officially kick off with the only Canadian team going into Tampa Bay. It should be noted that for at least game one, it will not be Ben Bishop in net for Tampa. Whether it’s Anders Lindback or Kristers Gudlevskis, it really doesn’t matter. These are not the goalies that carried this Tampa team for much of the season.
Three of the four games this season between the two teams went beyond regulation time and no game featured more than four goals. A lot of this has to do with the two teams being fairly evenly matched in skills, but more to do with the fact that Carey Price and Ben Bishop matched against each other in each of those games. I don’t expect the same type of performance tonight.
Tampa outplayed Montreal pretty much every game this year so they obviously stand more than a puncher’s chance in this one. However, until Ben Bishop becomes a regular back in net for this team, I can’t in good conscience think that they put up a good goal differential at even strength. For those wondering, expect the Plekanec/Gionta/Gallagher line to be matched against the Stamkos line.
Carey Price is one of my favorite goalies for tonight, mainly because of how he’s played against the Lightning this year. I would also be a fan of stacking the top line for Montreal for those in GPPs.
|
Top RW Value |
Top LW Value |
Top C Value |
Top D Value |
Bargain Bin |
|
(MON) $4906 |
(MON) $11,380 |
(MON) $7248 |
(MON) $6912 |
(TB) $6218 |
