NHL Grind Down: Friday, December 11th - Page Two
New York Rangers at Edmonton Oilers – 09:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Ben Scrivens | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-8-3 | 12-15-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.00 | 21.10% | 84.00% | Team Stats | 2.52 | 2.93 | 18.50% | 80.90% |
The Rangers continue their tour of Western Canada tonight in Edmonton, and after falling 2-1 in Vancouver on Wednesday night, they’re just 2-5-1 over their last eight games. With that said, New York still finds themselves with an 18-8-3 record on the season and their 2.00 goals against per game is best in the NHL. While the Rangers recent struggles are a bit surprising considering the talent level on this roster, it’s not a complete shock as their 104.1 team PDO is the highest in the NHL; implying that perhaps they were a bit lucky during the first quarter of the season. The Derek Stepan injury was a big blow to this team up front and has resulted in some new line formations. Rick Nash remains the focal point of the offense, but he’ll now be joined by Oscar Lindberg and Chris Krieder on the top line with his old line-mates Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello skating with Kevin Hayes on the second line. All six top forwards see plenty of playing time with the man advantage and are fine options considering Edmonton’s 2.93 GA/G. On the blue-line, Keith Yandle leads the way with 14 points and quarterbacks the team’s #1 power-play unit while Ryan McDonagh leads the team in average ice-time and has also put up impressive offensive numbers (4 goals and 9 assists).
The Oilers bring a season-high four-game winning streak into tonight’s game, and while facing the New York Rangers is one of the toughest matchups on the board, they’re at least drawing while they’re not playing their best hockey. Edmonton will close out a five game homestand tonight and another win tonight could really go a long way towards changing expectations for this team this season. While they’re anxiously awaiting the return of Connor McDavid, Todd McClellan has still been able to find production from both of his top two forwards lines. Taylor Hall has set the pace with 12 goals and 18 assists in 29 games and is a top tier option playing alongside the talented (and underpriced) Leon Draisaitl and Teddy Purcell. Meanwhile, long-time linemates Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins lurk as a dangerous duo if the Rangers focus too heavily on slowing down the Taylor Hall line. While the numbers don’t shot it (zero goals and just two assists in 15 games), Justin Schultz is the most offensively gifted member of the Oilers defense and, with the job as the point man on the #1 power-play unit once again his to lose, he’s worth consideration as a value defenseman.
Elite Options
NYR: Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Keith Yandle
EDM: Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl
Secondary Options
NYR: Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Boyle
EDM: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Teddy Purcell, Justin Schultz, Oscar Klefbom
Carolina Hurricanes at Anaheim Ducks – 10:00 PM EST
| Carolina Hurricanes | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-14-4 | 11-12-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.29 | 3.07 | 15.10% | 74.30% | Team Stats | 1.93 | 2.39 | 17.50% | 87.80% |
Carolina scored four unanswered goals against the Stars on Tuesday night, but ultimately fell 6-5. They’ll continue their four game road trip tonight in Anaheim against a Ducks team that finally looks to be rounding into shape. The Ducks have been very solid defensively lately and goaltender John Gibson brings a 4-2-1 record and 1.47 GAA into tonight’s game, so it’s hard to get too excited about Carolina in this one. With that said, Justin Faulk has proven to be one of the most dangerous offensive defenseman in the league as he’s already tallied 11 power-play goals, but with Anaheim owning the league’s best penalty kill, even he’s a tough sell for me.
In a sort of scheduling oddity, the Ducks will play their only game in an eleven day stretch tonight when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. They’ll enter on the heals of back-to-back impressive victories and should be very well rested against a Carolina team that has really struggled defensively lately (4.17 GA/G in their last six games). While the Hurricanes have allowed an NHL low 25.5 SA/GP this season, there’s still plenty to like from Anaheim in this contest. Their lack of consistent secondary scoring has been a thorn in the side of Bruce Boudreau all season, but it at least clarifies things from a fantasy perspective. The top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell have produced nearly all of this teams offense and all three players also make up the front half of the Ducks top power-play. With the Hurricanes owning an ugly 74.3% penalty kill, they’re the three forwards that deserve your cash game attention with the likes of Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Carl Hagelin being better served as GPP only options. On defense, Sami Vatanen has emerged as the top options with five goals and ten assists on the young season, but both Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm are fine value options as well.
Elite Options
CAR: None
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Sami Vatanen
Secondary Options
CAR: Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg, Justin Faulk
ANA: Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm