It’s a busy day of hockey with a couple teams looking to officially lock up their spot in the postseason today. Let’s take a look at the prime contenders for the starting six of your NHL daily fantasy team:
C- Nazem Kadri, TOR
Nazem Kadri was slapped with a $5,000 fine for embellishment the other day. Diving or not, Kadri is quite the offensive talent. He has five goals and two assists in his last five games, including a hat trick earlier this week against the Florida Panthers. Three of those five goals came on the powerplay. He has 16 shots on goal in that stretch as well. Kadri and the Maple Leafs will be at home tonight taking on the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings are on the tail end of a back-to-back, which they are usually pretty terrible at. The Leafs have had some impressive wins at home as well. Kadri may be a nice pickup tonight should Toronto pull the upset.
LW- Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA
Jonathan Huberdeau is putting the finishing touches on what has been a great year for him. He is currently on a four-game point streak that has seen him collect five goals and an assist. That gives him 54 points on the season, tying his personal best. The Panthers are taking on the Montreal Canadiens tonight, who are among the worst road teams in the league this year. Huberdeau should be able to jump all over that.
RW- Rick Nash, NYR
Rick Nash has settled back into a groove after returning from an injury that sidelined him for over 20 games. Nash has three goals in his last five games and has looked like his usual dominant self in all three zones. His ice time has been limited, perhaps as a way to make sure he is not worn out come playoff time, but Nash is absolutely capable of making things happen. He especially loves playing against the Sabres. In 18 career games, Nash has 12 goals and six assists, including six powerplay goals and three game-winners. Nash is picking back up the pace and has been reunited with Derick Brassard and J.T. Miller on the second line. He has even managed to escape being just a body in front of the net on the powerplay and is instead driving possession and moving the puck from the high slot. A game against a team he loves to dominate could be just what the big fella needs. Get Nash in your starting six tonight.
D- Andrej Sekera, EDM
Let’s be frank for a moment- whether you are on a Stanley Cup contender or a lottery team, you should be licking your chops and grabbing a stick when you see Joni Ortio and the Calgary Flames roll into town at this point. So, the Edmonton Oilers should be looking forward to their game tonight. Especially Andrej Sekera, who has four assists in his last four games and 30 points on the year. Edmonton is a losing hockey team, but they have really not been total pushovers in the last couple of weeks. They have hung with, and even beaten, some of the league’s best. Sekera at the blueline might be a nice, cheap add to the lineup.
D- Niklas Kronwall, DET
Detroit’s powerplay has been clicking lately, and Niklas Kronwall is a major reason why. Kronwall runs the point on the top unit with Henrik Zetterberg. He has a powerplay assist in each of his last three games, giving him 14 points on the man advantage this season. The Wings’ powerplay is 10-for-22 over their last seven games, and it is going up against one of the weaker penalty kill units in the league. Kronwall is a nice pickup for some special teams action.
G- Roberto Luongo, FLA
Roberto Luongo has been hit and miss with his recent starts. That does not mean that he shouldn’t be your starting goaltender tonight. The Panthers are going for their 44th victory of the season tonight, which would be their franchise’s best. With the Lightning playing tonight against New Jersey, a win over the Canadiens would keep a leg up on their cross-state rivals for the Atlantic Division crown. His last game against Montreal was a 29-save victory. Montreal’s inability to score on the road makes Luongo a very enticing player tonight for your daily fantasy team.
