NHL GPP Barn Burner: 10-10-15

Goalies

With the Red Wings playing on a back-to-back, and traveling to Carolina, Petr Mrazek will step in net tonight. He is labeled as the backup goaltender in net, but I believe he is competing with Jimmy Howard to starts. He posted a quality season in limited starts last year, with a solid 2.38 goals against average. Carolina was one of the worst offensive teams in the league last year, and did not look good against Nashville on Thursday. There are a few quality number ones floating around Mrazek's price range on both sites, which should lower his ownership. He allows you to a pretty penny to spend on your skaters.

Top Skaters

The Penguins laid an egg on the first game of the season, but Phil Kessel could of had two goals if it wasn't for a crossbar and a lights out Antti Niemi. I expect Kessel to record his first points as a Penguin tonight in the desert. Kesell is paired with so much talent around him, he should have a career year in the points department. He logged almost 20 minutes, and six shots on goal. Arizona gave up 3.26 goals per game last season, and are expected to be in the bottom of the league yet again. The Penguins will be a popular play, but are always in play for GPP's, due to the upside they bring.

Colorado came out flying in their opener against Minnesota, one of the better defenses in the league. Unfortunately for them, they collapsed in epic fashion in the third period. Tyson Barrie is a second line defenseman, who commands the first power play, and Barrie ranked top ten in points for a defenseman. This game should be high flying both ways, and Barrie had seven points in five games against the Stars last season. He price is fairly cheap for an offensive defenseman. Dallas allowed 3.13 goals per game last season, and had a subpar penalty killing percentage.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is one of my favorite value plays, and I am hoping he flies under the radar. This kid is setup for a breakout season, and coming off of a 44 points season when he was tucked away in the bottom lines. He is a first line center, paired up with Alex Ovechkin, and T.J. Oshie. He is also on the first power play line, and in a great spot for a point or two this evening. The Capitals are one of two teams with a 3.5 total tonight, and they face the Devils, who played last night. Look for this kid to start off his 2015 season in grand fashion.

Center is stacked tonight, as it usually is on big slates, but Henrik Zetterberg is coming off of a three assist night. This may drive his ownership up some, but at these prices, it is hard to avoid him. Detroit also ranked second in PP% last season, with Zetterberg registering 30 power play points. Whether he is scoring himself, or setting them up for others, he usually finds himself on the stat sheet each night.

Value Plays

T.J. Oshie (W - WAS) FD: $6,000 DK: $5,000

Playing on the Washington first line at these prices, makes T.J. Oshie a nice value play. The Caps also have great stackability, yes that is sort of a real word. The Caps had no shortage of goals last season, scoring 2.89 per game. Oshie will fit right in, playing with one of the best in the world, Ovechkin.

Cam Fowler (D - ANH) FD: $4,300 DK: $4,000

Cam Fowler is one of the cheaper defenseman, who can still manage to put up a high ceiling of points. He is a second line d-man, but plays on the first power play line. San Jose was god awful killing penalties last season, and the Ducks bring a good one to the table. Fowler had 44 points last season, 14 of them on the man advantage.

Alex Tanguay (W - COL) FD: $5,200 DK: $4,200

Back to this matchup, the Avalanche have some extremely cheap plays, and Alex Tanguay is one of them. He averaged a point a game against Dallas last season, and the 35 year old veteran can still get the job done.

Mike Ribeiro (C - NSH) FD: $4,400 DK: $3,900

Edmonton was these worst defensive team in the land last year, and they have made no real progress addressing the issue. Ribeiro is not a goal scorer, but ranked 13th in assists last season. He is a big time playmaker, and on the first line with two excellent snipers. Not many times do we get a first line center at these salaries.