NHL Grind Down: Friday, December 2nd

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.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames

Minnesota Wild Calgary Flames
Article Image Devan Dubnyk Article Image Chad Johnson
Record Record
11-8-3 11-13-2
Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK% Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK%
Team Stats 2.82 2.09 18.50% 82.80% Team Stats 2.27 2.92 10.10% 77.30%

The Minnesota Wild have been scoring a few more goals these days and that can be attributed to the return of Zach Parise. Although Parise is averaging three points for every five games, what his return has done is knocked Nino Niederreiter out of the top six as he is on the third line with Erik Haula and Jason Pominville. Niederreiter leads the team with three goals and three assists over the last five games while garnering three points on the team’s second power play unit. The Wild employ and even time power play system which means the second unit gets almost the same amount of ice time as the first. Parise, Charlie Coyle and Eric Staal are the top line at even strength and on the first power play unit. If these guys don’t score within a minute of the power play against the other team’s best penalty killers, the second line of Niederreiter, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund get to take a shot against their second best defenders. This is why Granlund has three power play points along with defenseman Jonas Brodin while Koivu has two over the last five games. This is just one way to attack four teams on a two-game slate, especially in tournament play. Jason Zucker skates with Koivu and Granlund on the second line at even strength and even he has registered five points over the last five games. Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon get the extra time on the first power play unit as Suter is the play here as he is just one point from leading the team in points with 15.

The last time the Calgary Flames came home from a five game or more road trip and didn’t have a losing record was two seasons ago. That was the season they lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the conference semi-finals. Now I’m not saying they will make the play-offs this year, but they are just one point away from sliding into the eighth spot which Minnesota currently holds. The Flames were 3-2-1 on their latest six-game road trip before coming home and shutting out the Maple Leafs by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday night. Of the 11 goals Calgary has scored in the last five games only Alex Chiasson has score more than one, he has two. The Flames have relied on good goaltending and scoring across the board to stay competitive over the last ten games in which they are 6-3-1. They have a chance to improve on their 4-7 record in front of the home crowd as they are in the middle of a three-game home stand. Kris Versteeg, Sean Monahan and Troy Brouwer make up one of the team’s top lines while Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund and team leader in goals and points, Michael Frolik, make up a second line. I am shying away from calling one or the other ‘thee’ top line as Frolik has only 15 points in 26 games. Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton will be the popular choices on defense but we can’t overlook T.J. Brodie as he has registered three points over the last five games. This game could easily be the lower scoring of the two games tonight.

Elite Plays

MIN: Eric Staal
CGY: None

Secondary Plays

MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Suter
CGY: Dougie Hamilton, Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan, Troy Brouwer, Mark Giordano

Montréal Canadiens at San Jose Sharks

Montréal Canadiens San Jose Sharks
Article Image Carey Price Article Image Martin Jones
Record Record
16-5-2 14-9-1
Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK% Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK%
Team Stats 2.96 2.13 21.40% 82.80% Team Stats 2.42 2.08 18.10% 84.20%

Is it me or has this league all of a sudden become littered with hot goaltenders and decent defense? I know it is probably an optical illusion but there seems to be a lot of teams that are just not scoring lately and it doesn’t matter if they in first place or last. For instance, the Montreal Canadiens have managed to score just two goals in the last three games they have won while giving up just six goals in the last three games they have lost. Montreal is another team that tries to get their top two power play units equal time with the man advantage. Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher skate on bot an even strength line and a power play line while Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov skate on another. The only difference is that Andrew Shaw joins Radulov and Galchenyuk on the power play while Paul Byron gets the even strength duties. Radulov and Galchenyuk will be the popular plays tonight as they hold two of the top three spots atop the Canadiens scoring chart. Defenseman Shea Weber and Andrei Markov join the aforementioned duo to fill out the top four Canadiens scorers so far this season. All four have been in the three power play goals Montreal has scored over the last five games and while the Sharks do not take many penalties, they do give up some goals while a man down. San Jose has only taken six penalties over the last four games but has given up a goal three times while being short-handed.

The Sharks have won five of their last six games and that has been good enough to keep them at the top of the pacific division with a 14-9-1 record. They are 8-3 at home and could be in for a battle tonight against the Atlantic division leaders. It was the Logan Couture show the other night in Los Angeles as the second line center scored two goals and assisted on another in the Sharks 4-1 road win. Couture skates with Joel Ward and Kevin LaBanc who make a good GPP play tonight considering there are only four teams to choose from. For cash games however the top line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will no doubt have high ownership. Defenseman Brent Burns will no doubt be the highest owned defenseman as he is just one shot away from being the first player in the league to crack the century mark this season. It also doesn’t hurt that he has nine goals and 12 assists through the sharks first 24 games. Burns and Pavelski lead the team in scoring with 21 points while Couture is trying to catch up with his nine goals and seven assists. Unless you are multi-entering in tournaments tonight, I don’t think I would dig deeper than these seven players.

Elite Plays

MTL: Alex Galchenyuk, Shea Weber
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski

Secondary Plays

MTL: Andrei Markov, Alexander Radulov, Max Pacioretty
SJ: Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture

About the Author

elctrceye
Tom Woollam (elctrceye)

Tom Woollam is a freelance DFS writer and has been a member here at RotoGrinders.com since December 2011. He has played Fantasy Sports for the last 30 years and has been in the daily fantasy sports game for the last four. You can find him on twitter @elctrceye.