Colorado at Boston
The Bruins are the biggest favorite on the early slate today at -210. They are at home, and against the Avalanche, who are one of the weakest teams from last season. This is a perfect spot to roster Tuukka Rask, who is a very reliable goalie, who is in place to come away with the win. Due to the fact there are only three games on the early slate, you can use Rask in any format. As for skaters, you want to target guys that play on the same line together and are also on the same power-play unit. Look at the Marchand line and any of their young defensemen. Someone like Brandon Carlo or Charlie McAvoy, aren’t that expensive, and they are seeing plenty of playing time.
Colorado was one of the weaker teams last year, and frankly, are in a spot where they need to prove they are a top offensive team before you can consistently roster them. However, they do make a good GPP option tonight, because Tukka Rask is looking like the chalk option at goalie. Even with a short slate, you should be able to get them at lower ownership, which exactly what you want in a GPP. If you are going that path, you need to stick with their top options, Nathan Mackinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie or Nail Yakupov.
St. Louis at New York Islanders
This game does not have a line or and goal total set as far as I see, but based on these teams, it should be on the higher end. If you don’t play either of the goalies in this game, you should load up on skaters. Both team are pretty deep, and have plenty of scoring options. For the Blues, the clear top option is Vladimir Tarasenko, and the first line he plays on, and top power-play unit. Don’t sleep on the second line, as they have plenty of offense potential, especially Schwartz and Schenn.
The Blue also have some serious power when it comes to the guys manning the blue line. Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko, are both top tier options, and see time on the first, and second power-play unit respectively.
For the Isles, you want to look at the Johhny Tavares line, as they are bound to see the most ice time, and the point potential is huge there. Nick Leddy plays the point on the power-play, so he makes a great option in a stack. Taking goalies from this game isn’t ideal, and even with a small slate, you can make a roster work with few options.
New Jersey at Buffalo
This game has a goal total set at 5, according to Vegas with Buffalo being a slight favorite at -125. Games with the Devils are usually lower scoring, and last year they were a weak offensive team, so targeting them is a strong option. With that being said, Robin Lehner makes a good GPP option today, due to his lower price, and the match up. You can also look to roster the top line of the Sabres, as their young core is a threat any night. Jack Eichel is the top option, but if you choose to fade him, and take the players around him, it could give you a slight edge in GPPs. You will have the exposure to the goals, but hopefully get the players around Eichel at lower ownership.
For the Devils, they are generally not a team most people go to when looking for big offense, so for that reason, they could come in at lower ownership. They aren’t very deep, and the top two lines are really the best ones to target. Their goalie, Cory Schneider, is very consistent and generally never a bad play. But on the road as an underdog isn’t a good cash game play, so go for him in GPPs.