NHL Grind Down: Friday, December 11th
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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Los Angeles Kings at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST
| Los Angeles Kings | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Quick |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-8-1 | 15-10-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.07 | 18.10% | 84.20% | Team Stats | 2.37 | 2.33 | 16.10% | 83.90% |
The Kings picked up their fifth straight win in overtime against Columbus on Tuesday and look to once again be very real threats to win the Stanley Cup this spring. They’ll head to Pittsburgh tonight to face a Penguins team that they badly outplayed last week, outshooting them 37-20 on their way to a 5-3 victory at the Staples Center. The Kings remain the most dominant team in the league by Corsi Standards (57.6CF%) and there’s really no reason to believe they’ll suddenly be slowed down by the Penguins. While Anze Kopitar remains one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL, it’s been the Jeff Carter line carrying the bulk of the offensive load. Carter has tallied 11 goals and 15 assists (and a +16) in 27 games this season and is joined by Milan Lucic and Tyler Toffoli to form a very formidable offensive grouping. They’re the top options up front with Kopitar/Gaborik/Pearson intriguing secondary options. On the blue-line, Drew Doughty is offensively gifted and logging nearly 28 minutes of ice-time per game this season making him a top tier defensive option. Jake Muzzin may not have quiet the same upside as Doughty, but he’s chipped in 13 points on the season and comes at a much more reasonable asking price.
The Penguins got back on the winning track with a 4-2 win in Colorado on Wednesday night, but they’ll certainly have their hands full with the Los Angeles Kings invading the Consol Energy Center. With that said, the Penguins have posted a solid 8-4-1 home record and it looks like Sidney Crosby may finally be coming alive offensively. Evgeni Malkin has led the charge thus far offensively, collecting 12 goals and 13 assists in the first 27 games. He’s joined by sniper Phil Kessel and David Perron and will certainly require the full attention of Darryl Sutter. However, with Crosby posting four goals and six assists over the last nine games, it’s a toss up on what line will get the Anze Kopitar treatment. Alongside Crosby, Chris Kunitz has also started to show signs of life offensively, and Pascal Dupuis’ retirement has opened the door for former first round pick Beau Bennett to get a crack on the top line. He took full advantage of that opportunity on Wednesday by scoring a pair of goals and looks to be a very nice value play on most sites despite the tough matchup. Kris Letang returned to action on Wednesday and warrants consideration on the blue-line on a nightly basis, with Olli Maata establishing himself as a fine secondary option. The Kings are allowing just 2.07 GA/G this season and own a very solid 84.2% penalty kill, so don’t over-expose yourself here.
Elite Options
LAK: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang
Secondary Options
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Milan Lucic, Marian Gaborik, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez
PIT: Beau Bennett, Chris Kunitz, David Perron, Olli Maatta
Detroit Red Wings at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EST
| Detroit Red Wings | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Jimmy Howard |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-8-5 | 14-10-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.57 | 2.54 | 17.00% | 81.00% | Team Stats | 2.46 | 2.36 | 21.20% | 83.50% |
In a battle between two of the slowest paced teams (by CP60 standards), Detroit will head to New Jersey after a big win against Montreal last night and have now picked up at least one point in 12 straight games. Coach Blashill is making a strong case for the coach of the year thus far and, with Pavel Datsyuk back up to full speed, Detroit is looking like a strong bet to reach the playoffs for the 25th straight season. The teams top line of Justin Abdelkader, Dylan Larkin and Henrik Zetterberg has been the most reliable scoring option for Detroit, but they also have two other capable scoring lines headlined by Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist, respectivally. Mike Green and Niklas Kronwall both roam the point of the two power-play units and fine options in this one as well. However, with tired legs potentially being an issue and the New Jersey Devils content on slowing things down and clogging up the neutral zone, I’m not expecting this to be the most fantasy friendly game on the board.
The Devils lost in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, but it’s unlikely that no one in the Devils front office is overly unhappy with the teams 14-10-4 start to the season. They’ll catch Detroit on the second half of back-to-back games tonight, but with Adam Henrique watching tonight’s game from the press box, the fantasy options are even more limited than normal here. New Jersey was already incredibly thin up front and Henrique’s absence has a ripple effect across this team. Michael Cammalleri is easily the top scoring threat, but with Jacob Josefson becoming the center of the top line, his asking price looks to be a bit over-inflated across the industry tonight. New Jersey may very well pick up two points here, but they’ll be looking to slow down this game and grind their way to a victory. With 13 other teams to choose from, I’ll be looking elsewhere.
Elite Options
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Pavel Datsyuk
NJD: None
Secondary Options
DET: Justin Abdelkader, Gustav Nyquist, Mike Green, Niklas Kronwall
NJD: Michael Cammalleri, Kyle Palmieri, Lee Stempniak, Patrik Elias
Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks – 08:30 PM EST
| Winnipeg Jets | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Ondrej Pavelec |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-13-2 | 15-9-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.71 | 3.00 | 15.70% | 79.40% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.50 | 22.00% | 80.80% |
Opposing the Blackhawks is not a recipe for fantasy success. Opposing them on the second half of back-to-back games on the road is daunting. Opposing them after they were also embarrassed the night before is flat out terrifying. The Jets picked up a much needed win against Columbus last night, but they’re about to be pushed into one of the toughest three week stretches of this season’s schedule. The top line of Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler makes most of the headlines, but they’ll likely be shadowed all evening by Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, making it tough to pay their lofty asking prices tonight. However, the second line of Mathieu Perrearult, Mark Scheifele and Drew Stafford has been heating up and looks like a fine group to target in GPP’s. Dustin Byfulglien is an elite defenseman by fantasy standards, but again, this just doesn’t look like the time to invest too heavily in Winnipeg.
The Blackhawks just can’t seem to string together a series of victories yet this season, but they’re the defending Stanley Cup Champions for a reason and I’m expecting an inspired performance tonight. Patrick Kane scored the teams only goal against Nashville last to extend his point streak to 24 games; with 18 goals and 26 assists in 29 games, he’s clearly a premier play on the wing this evening. His linemates, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov are both much more reasonably priced, but also off to fine offensive starts to the season themselves. With the Kane line humming along, Jonathon Toews and Marian Hossa should be able to put their defensive prowess on display in this one. With Winnipeg being the most penalized team in the NHL this season, there’s plenty of merit behind targeting the Blackhawks’ 21.3% power-play. That’s a fantasy boost for each of the previously mentioned forwards and also propels both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook up my rankings on the blue-line.
Elite Options
WPG: None
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Duncan Keith
Secondary Options
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, Drew Stafford, Dustin Byfuglien
CHI: Jonathan Toews, Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa, Teuvo Teravainen, Brent Seabrook
Philadelphia Flyers at Dallas Stars – 08:30 PM EST
| Philadelphia Flyers | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-11-6 | 21-5-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.00 | 2.71 | 16.70% | 79.60% | Team Stats | 3.50 | 2.64 | 25.60% | 80.70% |
It’s been a rough start for the Flyers this season, and they’re in a particularly rough spot tonight at the take on the fastest pace team in the NHL after battling a physically imposing St. Louis team last night. With that said, the Flyers have won five of their last seven games and should benefit from facing the fastest paced team in the league in the Dallas Stars. Claude Giroux has posted 11 goals and 16 assists in 29 games this season and he’s racked up five goals and eight assists over the last nine games. He centers the top line alongside Michael Raffl and Brayden Schenn making the latter two each intriguing value plays. Alternatively, both Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek join Giroux on the top power-play unit and have proven to be more the capable offensively in the past. With Mark Streit out of commission, Shayne Gostisbehere has thrived as the point-man on the top power-play unit and remains well underpriced on several sites.
Dallas coughed up a 5-1 lead in the third period against Carolina on Tuesday night, but a Patrick Sharp power-play goal with 19 seconds left propelled them to a victory and an impressive 21-5-2 record on the season. Dallas owns a 10-3-0 record at American Airlines Arena this season and should be highly targeted with Philadelphia coming to town after playing last night in St. Louis. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are the most dynamic duo in the NHL right now and are both top tier options tonight if you can afford them. A recent shakeup of the forward lines by Lindy Ruff has resulted in the highly touted Valeri Nichushkin to join them on the top forward line. He took full advantage of the new role on Tueday by scoring a goal and adding two assists and has now posted two goals and five assists over the last five games, making him an elite value option. Alteratively, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Eaves all see plenty of run with the man-advantage and definitely in play against the Flyers mediocre penalty kill. John Klingberg dished out three assists on Tuesday and has now picked up 5 goals and 25 assists in 28 games this season, making him a premier play on the blue-line.
Elite Options
PHI: Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Valeri Nichushkin, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg
Secondary Options
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Michael Raffl, Jakub Voracek
DAL: Patrick Eaves, Ales Hemsky, Alex Goligoski
Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST
| Minnesota Wild | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-7-5 | 13-14-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.46 | 18.20% | 75.80% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 3.18 | 14.80% | 81.90% |
Minnesota saw their three-game winning streak snapped on Monday in Colorado, but will look to get back on the winning track tonight against a Coyotes team who they not only beat in their only previous meeting this season, but who they swept in their three games in the 2014-15 season. The Coyotes have allowed the second most goals against per game this season (3.18 GA/G) so there’s plenty to like from Minnesota tonight. Zach Parise is the catalyst of this offensive attack and is joined by Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund on the team’s top forward line. Parise scored a goal and added an assist against the Coyotes when they squared off ealier this season and should be well worth his big-ticket asking price in this matchup. Mikko Koivu joins forces with Parise on the top power-play unit and has teamed up with Jason Zucker and Nino Niederreiter to supply Minnesota with a much needed secondary scoring attack. On defense, Ryan Suter leads the team with 21 points and remains well underpriced on FanDuel. He’s logging over 28 minutes of ice-time per game and anchors the #1 power-play unit. Alternatively, Jared Spurgeon is off to the best start of his young career and is a rock solid value play.
The Coyotes were one of the more surprising teams out of the gates this season, but they’ve now dropped five straight games and look to be headed towards the cellar of the Pacific Division where most expected them to be all along. After an atrocious road trip, they’ll be very happy to hit the ice at the Gila River Arena where they own a respectable 6-4-0 home record. The Coyotes are rather thin up-front as well as on defense, but they do have two very capable scoring lines and a stud defenseman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Former first round pick Max Domi leads the way offensively with 10 goals and 13 assists in 28 games and will be relied on heavily if Martin Hanzal remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. He’s the most appealing forward option from the Coyotes, with both Mikkel Boedker and Anthony Duclair flashing plenty of offensive upside as well. However, with the Wild sporting an uncharacteristically poor penalty kill (75.8%), Ekman-Larsson is my preferred target from Arizona tonight. OEL has posted 18 points in 28 games and is averaging over 25 minutes of ice-time per game.
Elite Options
MIN: Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
ARI: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options
MIN: Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker, Jared Spurgeon
ARI: Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Mikkel Boedker, Antoine Vermette