Fantasy Hockey Picks 12-2-14
These fantasy hockey picks will shine a light on the path to BIG money tonight!
We have a beautiful 10 game slate to dissect tonight. There is an unusually large 10 game slate for NBA as well which means that many players will focus on that. Great for us. Let’s get to it.
Goalies:
Jimmy Howard ($19,850) - Detroit has won 4 straight and are a stellar 9-2-2 at home this season. The Red Wings wer off Monday while the Panthers played in Columbus then had to take a late flight to Detroit Monday night. This is just an added bonus for Howard as he would have been a great option even if the Panthers didn’t have tired legs.
Evgeni Nabkov ($12,500) - Nabkov is bare minimum salary tonight. Tampa rolls into Buffalo playing great hockey and leading the Eastern Conference in points and should not have a meltdown against Buffalo as a few teams have this season. Tampa played last night and that gives me reason to believe Nabakov will be in net. This price and matchup is too good. If Bishop is in net however, he becomes my top play of the night.
Others: Jaroslav Halak, Pekka Rinne
Centers:
John Tavares ($14,900) - Ottawa is allowing an astonishing number of shots per game this season at just over 35. This number is good for second to last in the NHL, trailing only Buffalo. Tavares is heating up with 5 points in his last 5 games, including 3 goals. The Islanders are 8-2 in their last 10 games and Tavares has been a huge reason for their success.
Pavel Datsyuk ($9,450) - Datsyuk was priced at $6,350 last week after returning from injury. His price is rising but it is still not where it should be. Datsyuk is a must play tonight coming in at under 10k. He has 4 goals in his last 3 games and is playing great. Detroit has decided to reunite Datsyuk with his long time friend Henrik Zetterberg and these two work magic together. I would be very surprised if there is a let down game for Datsyuk tonight.
Others: Tyler Bozak, Frans Nielsen
Left Wing:
Alex Killorn ($9,600) - Killorn is another player whose stock is rising every game. He is skating with Stamkos and Callahan on even strength and getting time with the teams second power play unit. Left Wing is not very deep tonight, so I am looking to save as there are plenty of studs at other positions worth paying up for.
Blake Comeau ($8,950) - Is continuing to pay off his price tag night in and night out. Skating with Malkin and Kunitz will certainly provide him scoring chances and he can almost pick up assists by accident. This offense is really clicking right now and Comeau is playing a surprising role right now on one of the top skating lines.
Others: Daniel Sedin, James van Riemsdyk
Right Wing:
Filip Forsberg ($9,850) - This rookie is making it hard to avoid him in cash games. He is always looking to create offense and taking a shot on goal any chance he gets. The matchup with Carolina is very inticing as the Hurricanes give up nearly 3 goals a game.
Phil Kessel ($13,000) - This top line for Toronto has really been playing well as of late and should be able to produce a big game tonight. Kari Lehtonen in net for Dallas has allowed 3 goals a game this season and 11 in his last 3 games. The defense in front of him should have a long night trying to contain Kessel in this game.
Others: Nikita Kucherov, Kyle Okposo
Defense:
Olli Maatta ($7,550) - Maatta is filling in on the Penguins top power play unit with Letang sidelined. I don’t think you can ask for a better opportunity to pick up points in the entire league. As long as Letang remains out, Maatta is a plug and play every night coming in at half the price of other elite defenseman.
John Klingberg ($8,700) - After shocking the hockey world with the numbers he put up after first arriving in the NHL, he is on a 2 game streak with no points. I think this is a great thing ans many people will feel they have been burned by him and the price has dropped. He has shown what he is capable of and the upside is certainly there against a very inconsistent Toronto team.
Others: Mark Giordano, Niklas Kronwall