Fantasy Hockey Picks 11-15-14
From the ice to your wallet, these fantasy hockey picks are exactly what you need to WIN BIG tonight!
You have to love the Saturday hockey slate as the league is finally giving us the afternoon games. I will not be listing any of the plays before 7 P.M but some contests may include them. There is still a good slate starting at 7 so lets just focus on that.
Goalies:
James Reimer ($19,150) - Yep, you got it. Pick on Buffalo. Reimer has also been playing surprisingly well this season with only 2.29 goals allowed per game. Toronto has greatly improved their penalty kill from last season and this has helped their goalies immensely. Toronto is the biggest favorite of the night which is very rare for a road team. Toronto fans will travel to Buffalo and almost make this a home game for them as well.
Cory Schneider ($16,950) - Is coming off a shutout last night and now gets a much better matchup. Colorado has really been struggling to control the puck and get qualitiy scoring chances all season. The way the Devils have looked in that last few games, that should lead to a great game for Schneider.
Others: Ben Bishop, Pekka Rinne
Centers:
Steven Stamkos ($15,750) - Comes in as my top play tonight. The offense in Tampa seems to run through him as much as it can run through any one player in hockey. This should be one of the higher scoring games and I expect Stamkos to lead the charge. The Islanders are the 3rd worst penalty kill team while the Lightning come into tonight’s game with the 7th best on the power play.
Mike Ribeiro ($8,550) - The top line for Nashville has been great for fantasy when they are at home. Ribeiro comes in a very reasonable price and is fairly consistent. I would play him more in cash games than in GPP’s because the high ceiling is just not there.
Others: Tyler Bozak, Jori Lehtera
Left Wing:
Max Pacioretty ($14,400) - Pacioretty provides one of the highest “floors” night in and night out. Even when he doesn’t score he will often produce even points from shots on goal to make up for it. He is always in the top of the league in shots on goal at the end of the year which makes him safe for cash games.
Michael Cammaelleri ($10,600) - All he seems to do is score. Since returning from his injury he has posted 4 points in 3 games including a goal in each of his last two games. The price is right and the matchup doesn’t get much better.
Others: Thomas Hertl, Nick Spaling
Right Wing:
Vladimir Tarasenko ($15,150) - Is on a tear. This line for STL just can’t be stopped right now and I am going to ride the hot hand. I see no reason to shy away from a player this hot. Tarasenko has 14 points in his last 9 games. This pace is not sustainable but for right now you can’t ignore it.
Pascal Dupuis ($8,400) - He is reunited with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz on the Penguins top line. He is not getting the power play opportunities with the top unit but at this price you can’t have it all. Any time you can get exposure to the best player in the world at a heavily discounted price just plug him in.
Others: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Callahan
Defense:
Mark Giordano ($15,200) - Is priced like a top forward and rightfully so. He is playing like the league MVP right now and the style of game that Ottawa plays should suit Giordano’s game very well. He is averaging 24:00 minutes of ice time and is always out there for the power play. If I am paying up for any defenseman it’s going to be Giordano.
Damon Severson ($5,650) - Is still too cheap. He hasn’t been producing much but a home game vs Colorado is a great time to get it turned around. New Jersey should have the puck in the offensive zone for a majority of this game as Colorado is the worst in the league at keeping it out of their own end. Unlike many defensemen, Severson loves to shoot the puck any chance he can get and he should get plenty of chances to do just that tonight.
Others: Dan Boyle, Alex Pietrangelo