NHL Grind Down: Friday, April 1st
The RotoGrinders NHL Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the NHL schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy hockey there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, salaries, and more.
The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. Hockey is an extremely high variance sport. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.
Remember, these writeups are done prior to lineups being released, so make sure to check our Starting Lineups page to ensure the recommended options are playing.
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Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings – 07:30 PM EDT
| Minnesota Wild | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 38-28-11 | 38-28-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.44 | 19.50% | 78.80% | Team Stats | 2.55 | 2.69 | 18.90% | 80.90% |
Minnesota saw their six-game winning streak snapped against Ottawa last night, but they’re still somewhat comfortably ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They’ll head off on a quick two-game road trip that kicks off tonight against an absolutely Detroit Red Wings team. While it doesn’t necessarily look like the best matchup on the board at first glance, the Wings are fighting for their playoff lives thanks to some very spotty defense lately. Detroit allowed an NHL worst 3.50 goals against per game during the month of March and have looked completely clueless at times lately in their own defensive end. With some surprising production for Eric Haula down the stretch, John Torchetti now has three very capable scoring lines to throw over the boards tonight. The top line of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle have picked things up lately and are the most obvious targets. Parise dished out a pair of assists in the only other meeting with Detroit and has amassed six goals and two assists in his last five games while Koivu still leads the team with 55 points and scored a pair of goals in that first meeting with Detroit. The trio if Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula and Jason Pominville may not strike you as typical targets, but they combined for 15 goals and 16 goals in 15 games during the month of March and therefore have plenty of GPP appeal tonight. Ryan Suter remains a workhorse on the blue-line for the Wild and sits just one point shy of his first career 50 point season. He runs the show from the point of the #1 power-play unit and is a fine option tonight in all formats. Alternatively, both Mathew Dumba and Jared Spurgeon are generally much cheaper across the industry and both see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage.
After blowing a 3-2 lead entering the third period on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, the Red Wing’s 24-year playoff streak is very much in jeopardy at this point. They find themselves sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference and will likely need to pick up eight points over their last ten games…. making tonight’s tilt with the Minnesota Wild essentially a must win game for them. Unfortunately for the Wings, the Wild are red-hot right now and rather easily dismissed this Detroit team in their only previous meeting. With that said, the Wild were in action last night against the Senators, so Detroit should benefit from the fresher legs. While Detroit has three solid scoring lines to work with, Coach Blashill has struggled a bit to get any one in particular rolling in the offensive end lately. The top line of Justin Abdelkader, Henrik Zetterberg and Dylan Larkin tends to look the most dangerous, but it’s been Pavel Datsyuk lately with three goals and eight assists in his last 12 games. He lit the lamp against the Wild in their only previous meeting this season and will likely be joined by Darren Helm and the promising rookie Anthony Mantha. Mantha put up some gaudy offensive numbers in Junior Hockey and has potted a pair of power-play goals over the last four games. With Minnesota struggling this season to kill off penalties (78.8% PK), he’s an intriguing value play. On defense, Mike Green is finally starting to heat up. He scored a power-play goal on Tuesday against the Canadiens to finish the month of March with two goals and eight assists in 14 games. Considering that poor Minnesota penalty kill, he’s well worth consideration tonight.
Minnesota Wild
CF%: 47.7, CP60: 105.9, 5×5 Differential: 13
Elite Options: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
Secondary Options: Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, Jared Spurgeon
Detroit Red Wings
CF%: 51.8, CP60: 102.2, 5×5 Differential: -4
Elite Options: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk
Secondary Options: Dylan Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Mike Green
Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets – 08:00 PM EDT
| Chicago Blackhawks | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Scott Darling |  | Michael Hutchinson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 44-26-7 | 31-39-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.47 | 21.40% | 79.50% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.88 | 14.10% | 78.80% |
The Blackhawks will close out a four-game road trip tonight in Winnipeg looking to gain some momentum before they attempt to defend their Stanley Cup championship next week. They’ve really struggled lately, posting just a 6-8-2 record over their last 16 games and simply don’t have all that much left to play for until the playoffs start up. With that said, they dominated this Winnipeg team when these teams squared off two weeks ago and have outscored them 9-1 in their last three meetings. Offensively, it’s a two-headed monster for Coach Quenneville. Patrick Kane has cooled off a bit lately but still leads the NHL with 94 points and, with a strong finish, can post the first 100 point season of his career. Artem Anisimov is expected to draw back into the lineup tonight and should rejoin Kane and Artemi Panarin both at even strength and on the top power-play unit. While they’ve been one of the most dangerous lines in the NHL this season, don’t overlook the trio of Jonathan Toews, Andrew Ladd and Marian Hossa in this matchup. All three players are very capable of exploding for a multi-point game at any moment and join forces on the #2 power-play where they’ll be eager to get a crack at Winnipeg’s 25th ranked penalty kill. Duncan Keith made headlines this week for all the wrong reasons and will be watching from the press-box as the NHL swiftly handed him an indefinite suspension after doing his best Kris Bryant impression to the face of Charlie Coyle. It’s a tough loss for the Hawks but does provide a much needed fantasy boost to Brent Seabrook (who is expected to return to the lineup after being a late scratch on Tuesday). Seabrook will marred in a season long nine game pointless drought, but should inherit Keith’s role as the point man on the top power-play unit. He’s in the midst of his third career 40+ point season and his recent struggles have resulted in a bargain price-tag for tonight’s game.
The Jets have looked genuinely disinterested lately and have posted just a 6-12-4 record over their last 22 games. They managed just 19 shots on goal in a losing effort against Buffalo over the weekend and fired just 21 shots at Andrew Hammond on Wednesday night against the defensively challenged Ottawa Senators. With some key injuries up front to Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault, this team now relies very heavily on the top line of Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele. Wheeler leads the team with 69 points in 77 games and picked up an assist against Ottawa on Wednesday to extend his point streak to six games. Scheifele has scored goals in back-to-back games and has thrived alongside Wheeler since the Little injury. The former 7th overall draft pick has racked up 18 goals and 17 assists in 31 games at the MTS Centre and now owns a ridiculous 14 goals and 12 assists in his last 21 games. Dustin Byfuglien can rack up fantasy points in a plethora of ways and is an intriguing option on the blue line against his old team, although this may not be the spot to pay his big-ticket asking price in cash games. With Tyler Myers and Toby Enstrom both shut down for the season, Jacob Trouba should prepare for a very heavy workload down the stretch. He’s not overly talented offensively, but does get a fantasy boost from joining Byfuglien on the point of Winnipeg’s top power-play unit specially considering one of Chicago’s biggest weaknesses this season has been their penalty kill.
Chicago Blackhawks
CF%: 51, CP60: 109.6, 5×5 Differential: -1
Elite Options: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews
Secondary Options: Marian Hossa, Teuvo Teravainen, Brent Seabrook
Winnipeg Jets
CF%: 51.6, CP60: 106.8, 5×5 Differential: -3
Elite Options: Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler
Secondary Options: Nikolaj Ehlers, Drew Stafford, Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues – 08:00 PM EDT
| Boston Bruins | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 40-29-8 | 46-22-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.84 | 2.70 | 20.60% | 82.00% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.36 | 22.00% | 85.00% |
Boston is free-falling at the wrong time and the former Atlantic Division leaders are now hanging on to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by a single point. They’ve dropped six of their last seven games and the NHL scheduling gods didn’t do them any favors as they face two very tough road games this weekend (St. Louis and Chicago) before heading home for their final three games of the season. While Boston was shutout by this St. Louis team in their only previous meeting, they still do have two very capable forward lines that require your attention on somewhat short slate. The trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Lee Stempniak joins forces on the top line and have been the most consistent sources for fantasy production. Bergeron has been quiet lately but still leads the team with 63 points in 75 games and centers the top power-play unit. David Krejci and Loui Eriksson are both known offensive commodities and join Bergeron on the #1 power-play, making them solid secondary options (just watch Krejci’s status as game time approaches). On defense, both Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara soak up the lion’s share of the available playing time on the point of the power-play. While they’re fine GPP options, St. Louis’ 85.0% penalty kill is a bit of a buzz-kill. All-in-all, with the Blues playing their best hockey of the season and having allowed just one total goal during their five-game winning streak, you certainly don’t want to overexpose yourself here unless you’re looking for a contrarian GPP play.
As mentioned above, Ken Hitchcock has this St. Louis team trending in the right direction as the playoff approach. They’ve won each of their last five games (and 11 of their last 13) and now find themselves in a dog-fight with the Dallas Stars for Western Conference supremacy. The Briuns are typically a very formidable foe, but they’ll limp into the Scottrade Center suddenly fighting for their playoff lives. The Blues were ecstatic to welcome Alex Steen back to the lineup on Tuesday, but his return was somewhat offset by the injury to rookie Robby Fabbri who is doubtful for tonight’s game after sustaining a leg injury against the Avalanche. The top line consisting of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Jori Lehtera draw the most attention and are fine options on a nightly basis, but they’ll also likely draw the full attention of the defensively stout combo of Bergeron and Marchand. Alternatively, Alex Steen looks slated to join David Backes and Patrik Berglund on the second line. Paul Stastny is also worth a mention as he centers the #2 power-play unit and racked up three goals and 11 assists in 12 games during the month of March. Kevin Shattenkirk looks like the top option on the blue-line as the quarterback of the #1 power-play unit and, with an assist against Colorado on Tuesday, has now posted three straight 40-point seasons. Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko share the duties on the point of the #2 power-play and are fine secondary options tonight.
Boston Bruins
CF%: 48.8, CP60: 110.7, 5×5 Differential: 7
Elite Options: Patrice Bergeron
Secondary Options: Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug
St. Louis Blues
CF%: 51.8, CP60: 106.7, 5×5 Differential: 17
Elite Options: Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk
Secondary Options: Paul Stastny, David Backes, Jori Lehtera, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko
Washington Capitals at Colorado Avalanche – 09:00 PM EDT
| Washington Capitals | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 54-16-6 | 39-34-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.07 | 2.30 | 22.90% | 84.60% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.83 | 18.80% | 81.70% |
The Capitals have already racked up the President’s Trophy and subsequently home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, so their motivation level going forward has to at least be a concern in the back of your mind. However, with Braden Holtby sitting just three wins away from breaking Martin Brodeur’s single season win record, they should remain hungry to give him some offensive support (assuming he get’s the nod between the pipes). Barry Trotz has one of the most dangerous one-two punches in the NHL with his top two forward lines. Alex Ovechkin headlines the top line and scored his NHL leading 44th goal of the season in Wednesday night’s shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Trotz shook things up a bit and moved the talented Evgeny Kuznetsov onto the top line to center Ovechkin. If this move sticks, it would be a big boost to his fantasy value in what has already been a massive breakout season for the 23 year-old. This move bumps Nicklas Backstrom down to the second line, but all is not lost as he’ll still be surrounded by fine talent in Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky on the second line and still has exposure to Ovechkin on the #1 power-play unit. On defense, John Carlson may have returned to the team last week (and immediately to a heavy workload), but it’s still Matt Niskanen getting the playing time on the point of the #1 power-play unit.
The Avalanche find their season on complete life support leading up to tonight’s game. They’re not only five points behind the Minnesota Wild for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, but they also have an absolutely brutal schedule to close out the regular season. They’ll host the Washington Capitals tonight at the Pepsi Center and are getting to the point where they simply can’t afford to leave any more points on the table. Unfortunately, Washington not only owns the NHL’s best record, but they’ve also allowed an NHL low 2.30 goals against per game this season and smoked the Avalanche 7-3 in their only previous meeting. Colorado will likely still be without Nathan MacKinnon tonight, but do expect to have Matt Duchene back in the lineup after a brief absence. Duchene leads the team with 56 points in 71 games and was riding a dour game point streak prior to his injury. He’s slated to skate alongside Mikhail Grigorenko and Mikkel Boedker on the top line with Jarome Iginla and Gabriel Landeskog both ready to join him on the #1 power-play unit. On defense, Tyson Barrie has established himself as the team’s top fantasy option. He quarterbacks the #1 power-play and owns 48 points in 73 games. While Washington’s motivation level is a bit of a mystery, I’m still not excited about targeting Colorado too heavily (if at all) in my cash games.
Washington Capitals
CF%: 50.4, CP60: 109.5, 5×5 Differential: 34
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom
Secondary Options: T.J. Oshie, Andre Burakovsky, Justin Williams, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson
Colorado Avalanche
CF%: 44.3, CP60: 111.2, 5×5 Differential: -11
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Jarome Iginla, Tyson Barrie
Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks – 10:00 PM EDT
| Vancouver Canucks | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-36-13 | 43-23-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.21 | 2.86 | 16.40% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.33 | 23.60% | 86.60% |
The Canucks ruined a lot of fantasy rosters last night with a surprising road win against the San Jose Sharks. However, this team is still in complete disarray and had lost nine straight games prior. They’ll face a very hungry Anaheim team tonight on short rest and with Anaheim allowing just 2.33 goals against per game and owning a 24-9-5 record at the Honda Center, this is an easy team to fade in cash games. The Sedin twins (and their linemate Jannik Hansen) are responsible for the disproportionate amount of this team’s offense, and that put them in play for GPP’s. Daniel Sedin leads the team with 60 points and netted his 28th goal of the season last night. Meanwhile, Jansen scored a goal and added an assist last night and has now posted the very first 20-goal season of his career. The options on the Vancouver blue-line have been very mediocre since the Alex Edler injury and with Washington owning an impressive 84.6% penalty kill, there’s just no reason to expect anything different tonight.
The Ducks jumped all over the Calgary Flames on Wednight, hanging a snowman on the scoreboard and rolling to their third straight victory. They’re now trading punches with the Los Angeles Kings for the lead in the Pacific Division and have another very favorable home matchup on tap tonight as the free-falling Vancouver Canucks invade the Honda Center. Anaheim has averaged an NHL best 3.52 goals per game since the All-Star break and while the Canucks have allowed an ugly 3.08 goals against per game during that same span, meaning the Ducks should be very popular selections this evening. Bruce Boudreau has three very dangerous forward lines at his disposal and all three can safely be targeted in all formats tonight. Their Captain Ryan Getzlaf leads the team with 61 points this season and has greatly elevated the game of his new linemates Brandon Pirri. Pirri scored 22 goals in just over half of a season in Florida last year and has now lit the lamp three times in the last four games making him a nice value play across the industry. Corey Perry headlines the second line alongside Jamie McGinn and Rickard Rakell and he’ll hit the ice riding a five game point streak. The change of scenery has worked wonders for McGinn as he’s now tallied eight goals and added four assists in 15 games wearing an Anaheim sweater. Last but not least in the duo of Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg on the third line. Silfverberg scored a pair of goals against Calgary on Wednesday while Kesler has come on strong offensively lately and led the team with 15 points in 13 games during the month of March. On defense, all four blue-liners that see power-play time need to be on your radar. While Sami Vatanen is likely the top option, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Shea Theodore are all very solid cash game options as well.
Vancouver Canucks
CF%: 47, CP60: 104.6, 5×5 Differential: -28
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Jannik Hansen
Anaheim Ducks
CF%: 53.1, CP60: 107.6, 5×5 Differential: -9
Elite Options: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Brandon Pirri, Sami Vatanen
Secondary Options: Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Kesler, Jamie McGinn, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Shea Theodore