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Every Thursday I will be providing my recommended player picks for your daily fantasy hockey lineups. The goal is to help you to the top of the leaderboards in FanDuel and DraftKings tournament play.
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This slate is an interesting one. We have the Pittsburgh Penguins as a team that is struggling to score hosting a team that just lost their starting goaltender for the foreseeable future in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Two of the best scoring teams in the Maple Leafs and Shakes face off against one another and the Red Wings and Senators, two terrible teams, battle in what should be a sloppy defensive game with plenty of scoring.
GOALTENDER
NOTE: Make sure to check the RotoGrinders Starting Goalies Page page prior to game time, to confirm that the goalies listed below are starting.
Thomas Greiss, New York Islanders – This might be crazy, but I think Thomas Greiss is in a decent spot tonight as the New York Islanders host the New York Rangers. Both teams are pretty terrible possession teams, as both fall in the bottom five of the NHL. However, Greiss has great numbers this season with a 5-2-1 record, 1.98 goals against average (GAA) and .938 save percentage (SV%). The Rangers are a team that struggles to score goals, averaging just 2.67 goals for per game which sits 27th in the league. Despite the Islanders 44.67 CF% — the third-worst mark in the league — they are allowing just 2.53 goals against per game which is tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the second-best in the NHL. Greiss is a big reason for this and he has big-time upside tonight, as he could face a ton of shots and pick up a win against a struggling Rangers offense.
FORWARDS
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Tanner Pearson was acquired yesterday and will likely slot right into Carl Hagelin’s spot on the left wing of Evgeni Malkin. But, either way, Malkin makes for an intriguing play tonight. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that just lost their starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy with what is being reported as a fractured foot. That means backup Louis Domingue will be manning the net, which bodes well for Malkin and quite frankly, all Penguins players. Domingue has struggled this season with a 3.43 GAA and .887 SV%. Of course this is a small sample size, but his career numbers aren’t that much better with a 3.01 GAA and .906 SV%. Malkin looks to extend his team-leading 21 points on home ice tonight.
Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils – Taylor Hall has followed up his MVP-winning season with a somewhat quiet start to the season. He has just 5 goals in 16 games (25 goal pace) after scoring 39 last season, but he has made up for that with 14 assists. Hall has a career 10.6 percent shooting percentage, but that is down to just 8.6 percent which could account for a bit of a downswing in goals. The Devils are in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers and they’ve been a pretty possession-neutral team. Hall will be playing with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri as his regular center, Nico Hischier, is out with an injury. The trio remain together on the top power play unit, which gives them full-game correlation and elite upside as a tournament stack.
John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs – There was a time in October when John Tavares was being criticized a bit for his play in Toronto because the point total was a tad low, despite the incredibly high amount of scoring chances. Well, 18 games into the season he is on a 50-goal; 100-point pace. He’s playing on the top line with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman at the moment and the three have been great. Of his 22 points, just six have come on the power play, so it’s not like their elite power play is a huge factor. The Leafs power play, though, has been lethal as they sit fifth in the NHL converting on 28.3 percent of their opportunities. The Leafs continue their Californian road trip as they take on the San Jose Sharks this evening. Although the Sharks have been one of the best possession teams in the NHL, their goaltending has struggled. Martin Jones is expected between the pipes tonight and he has just a 2.97 GAA and .898 SV% — numbers that Tavares and fellow Maple Leafs players should be able to take advantage of.
DEFENSE
Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators – It is rare that there will ever be interest in an Ottawa Senators player. However, the Senators are taking on a team that is almost as bad as they are, and they have a player in Thomas Chabot that has been an incredibly pleasant surprise for them this season. With Erik Karlsson traded to San Jose, Chabot has stepped up in a huge way, as he leads the team in points with 22, which is also tied for 9th in the entire NHL and 2nd among defensemen. He obviously plays on the top power play unit, and despite the Sens sitting 27th in points they are scoring 3.44 goals per game, which is the fourth-best in the NHL. They’re playing at a fast-pace but they cannot keep the puck out of the net with their league-worst 4.22 goals against per game. This game has the potential to be high-scoring, and Chabot is likely to be one of the main beneficiaries of this.
