NHL Grind Down: Friday, February 26th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-02-28 04:22:59

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 Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild					Washington Capitals
			Devan Dubnyk					Braden Holtby
			Record					Record
			27-23-10					44-11-4
Team Stats	2.62	2.50	18.10%	78.10%	Team Stats	3.29	2.31	22.90%	84.50%

Minnesota has been one of the streakiest teams in the NHL lately, and after rolling off four straight wins, they’ve now dropped each of their last two games. Despite a 5-13-3 record over their last 21 games, they’re still within striking distance of the Colorado Avalanche for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and should be desperate for a victory tonight. Unfortunately for them, they’re tasked with heading into our nation’s capital to battle an angry Washington squad that owns a 23-5-2 record at the Verizon Center this season. To make matters worse, they’ll likely be without Zach Parise once again as he’s sidelined with an upper-body injury. Mikko Koivu leads the team with 42 points in 60 games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last three games. He’ll be joined Charlie Coyle and Jordan Schroeder on the top line and also joins Coyle on the top power-play unit. Thomas Vanek posted a goal and an assist against Philadelphia last night and has now tallied three goals and two assists in his last four games. Vanek also sees plenty of run on the top power-play unit and is worth a gander in GPP’s. Ryan Suter trails only Erik Karlsson in average ice-time per game this season and remains very reasonably priced on several sites. While the matchup is poor, he’s posted 38 points in 60 games and is a weapon from the point of the Minnesota power-play. Alternatively, Matt Dumba is flashing the talent that made him the 7th overall selection in the 2012 draft as he’s scored four goals and added five assists in 11 games since the all-star break.

The Capitals saw their four-game winning streak snapped with a rare home loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. Still, this team looks destined to win the President’s Trophy this season and have only lost back-to-back games twice this season. They’ll welcome a Minnesota team into the Verizon Center who was in action last night and who they defeated in Minnesota just two weeks ago. While they were held mostly in check on Wednesday night, the Capitals top forward line all look like fine plays again tonight. Alex Ovechkin doesn’t need much of sales pitch as he leads the NHL in both goals and SOG. Evgeni Kuznetsov is in the midst of a breakout season and leads the Capitals with 62 points and sports an NHL best +30 if you’re playing on a site that factors plus/minus into their scoring. Justin Williams is the third wheel on that top line and is still quiet cheap. Ovechkin’s former line-mates T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom still join him on the top power-play line, and with Minnesota owning an uncharacteristically poor 78.3% penalty kill, they’re fine options as well. On defense, John Carlson is their workhorse and has averaged over 24 minutes of ice-time per game this season. He runs the show from the point of the NHL’s most dangerous power-play unit and owns 31 point sin 47 games.

Minnesota Wild

CF%: 47.9, CP60: 106.2, 5×5 Differential: 11
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba

Washington Capitals

CF%: 50.4, CP60: 109.3, 5×5 Differential: 37
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson
Secondary Options: Nicklas Backstrom, Justin Williams, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov

Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Tampa Bay Lightning					New Jersey Devils
			Ben Bishop					Cory Schneider
			Record					Record
			34-22-4					30-24-7
Team Stats	2.70	2.43	17.50%	82.90%	Team Stats	2.23	2.25	21.20%	82.80%

Tampa Bay picked up a hard-fought victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to four games and have closed the gap considerably on the division leading Florida Panthers. Tampa has posted a 15-5-0 record over their last twenty games and once again look poised to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They’ll head to New Jersey tonight to face the Devils for their first of three meetings this season and, while New Jersey may have been in action last night, this is still a tough matchup for the Lightning as the Devils are easily the slowest paced team in the NHL. John Cooper is hopeful to have Nikita Kucherov back tonight where he’d rejoin Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat on the “second” forward line with Steven Stamkos Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan on the top line. Steven Stamkos has scored goals in four straight games and Ryan Callahan is certainly pleased to be back alongside him as he’s caught fire with three goals and three assists in his last five games. On defense, both Anton Stralman and Victor Hedman deserve your attention. Both players soak up nearly all of the available playing time on the point of the Tampa power-play and are locked into 22+ minutes of ice-time each night. I’m expecting Tampa to leave with two points, but it’s hard to invest too much salary here as New Jersey will look to slow this game down at every opportunity.

It was a very disappointing effort by New Jersey last night as they were blown off the ice by the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-1. They’ll head home tonight in a vital game against the Tampa Bay Lightning as they now find themselves sitting one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but also having played three extra games. Michael Cammalleri has once again been ruled out for tonight and there just aren’t too many appealing fantasy options in this lineup especially considering the tough matchup. With that said, John Hynes does have two capable scoring lines that need to be on your GPP radar on such a short slate. Lee Stempniak now leads this team in scoring with 41 points will be joined by Adam Henrique and Sergey Kalinin on the top forward line. Stempniak has been far more productive on home ice this season; tallying eight goals and 16 assists (and a +6) in 31 games at the Prudential Center. Meanwhile, Kyle Palmieri headlines the second line alongside Travis Zajac and Reid Boucher. Palmieri has cooled down a bit lately but is in the midst of his first career 20 goal season and the former first round pick has flashed plenty of offensive upside. On the blue-line, it’s been a fantasy wasteland for the majority of the season. David Schlemko leads New Jersey defenseman with 17 points on the season and sees a healthy dose of playing time on the point of the top power-play. With his name circulating on the rumor mill, he could be worthy of a GPP flier.

Tampa Bay Lightning

CF%: 52.2, CP60: 105.5, 5×5 Differential: 11
Elite Options: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman
Secondary Options: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Ryan Callahan, Anton Stralman

New Jersey Devils

CF%: 46.4, CP60: 90.8, 5×5 Differential: -8
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Lee Stempniak, Travis Zajac

Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Boston Bruins					Carolina Hurricanes
			Tuukka Rask					Cam Ward
			Record					Record
			33-22-6					28-23-10
Team Stats	3.05	2.77	22.30%	82.80%	Team Stats	2.48	2.59	17.20%	82.20%

After a statement 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, the Bruins will take to the road to battle the Hurricanes in Raleigh tonight for their first of three meetings this season. Boston has posted a very impressive 20-7-3 road record this season and are averaging 3.50 goals per game since the All-Star break. Claude Julien has two very dangerous forward lines to throw at the Hurricanes tonight, with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand (with Brett Connolly) leading the way on the top line. Marchand found the back of the net yet again against the Penguins for the 16th time in his last 18 games. If you can’t afford those two, David Krejci leads the charge on the second line with Loui Eriksson and David Pastrnak on his wing. Krejci has posted three goals and nine assists in 12 games since the break and we saw Pastrnak explode for two goals and seven shots against Pittsburgh. Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara are the top choices on the Bruins blue-line. Krug picked up an assist for the third straight game on Wednesday while Chara has logged at least 21 minutes in every game he’s appeared in this season and owns 32 points in 59 games. Just keep in mind that this Carolina team is better than people like to give them credit and they’ve allowed an NHL low 26.6 shots against per game this season.

The Carolina front office has likely been on the fence on how to handle the upcoming trade deadline, but after a 3-1 loss in Toronto last night and now sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, they’re likely answering quiet a few more phone calls this morning. Bill Peters’ squad won’t have much time to recover as they’ll head back home to host the Boston Bruins. Jordan Staal saw his six-game scoring streak come to an end last night, but with five goals and seven assists in his last ten games, he’s taken the team lead with 39 points. He’s joined by Joakim Nordstrom whose been on a bit of a heater himself; scoring six goals and adding five assists in his last 14 games. Eric Staal still headlines the top forward line and #1 power-play unit and is showing signs of life with points in each of the last two games. However, he’s posted just one goal and two assists this month and will likely see plenty of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. On defense, Justin Faulk was scratched from yesterday’s game with a leg injury and his status is unclear for tonight’s game. If he’s unable to suit up, last year’s 5th overall draft pick Noah Hanifin would inherit some extra playing time and be handed the reigns to the top power-play unit. While he’s yet to show much offensive upside, he’d still be a fine “punt” option.

Boston Bruins

CF%: 48.9, CP60: 110.6, 5×5 Differential: 4
Elite Options: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci
Secondary Options: Loui Eriksson, David Pastrnak, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug

Carolina Hurricanes

CF%: 53.1, CP60: 106.4, 5×5 Differential: -11
Elite Options: Jordan Staal
Secondary Options: Eric Staal, Joakim Nordstrom, Justin Faulk (if back)

Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks – 10:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Edmonton Oilers					Anaheim Ducks
			Cam Talbot					John Gibson
			Record					Record
			22-33-6					32-19-8
Team Stats	2.41	3.05	17.80%	80.00%	Team Stats	2.46	2.34	20.90%	86.70%

It’s fire-sale time in Edmonton. After dropping their sixth straight game last night (and nine of their last ten), the Oilers wake up this morning with the worst record in the entire NHL. While they’re a lousy hockey team, they still do have some fantasy appeal although tonight’s matchup is not an appealing one. Connor McDavid picked up another assist against Ottawa on Tuesday to extend his point streak to four games and the phenom has now tallied 10 goals and 18 assists in his fisr 24 NHL games. He’s joined by Jordan Eberle and Benoit Pouliot on the top line and all three are very intriguing GPP plays but a bit too risky for my liking in cash games. Taylor Hall leads the team with 52 points in 61 games and skates with Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian both on the second forward line and #2 power-play unit. Draisaitl has cooled off a bit lately but does own a pair of goals and two assists in the three prior meetings with Anaheim this season. Edmonton hasn’t received much offensive support from their blue-line and while guys like Andrej Sekera and Justin Schultz are in play if you’re desperate, Anaheim’s 86.7% penalty kill really puts a dent into their already diminished value.

After struggling mightily for the first few months of the season, the Ducks have certainly put the Western Conference on notice with their play recently. Anaheim shutout the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday for their sixth straight win and have now posted a 15-2-1 record over their last eight games. This team has averaged an NHL high 3.83 goals per game in 12 games since the All-Star break and have a matchup on tap tonight against an Edmonton team that has coughed up an ugly 3.33 goals against per game on the road this season. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are known commodities and two of the top plays on the board tonight. Getzlaf extended his scoring streak to nine games with an assist against Buffalo and has now tallied five goals and 12 assists in 12 games since the break. He’s been joined by newcomer David Perron on both the top line and #1 power-play unit and Perron has responded with six goals and eight assists in 16 games in a Ducks sweater. Alternatively, Ryan Kesler has finally come alive offensively with two goals and eight assists in his last 11 games and centers the #2 power-play unit where he’s joined by former first round pick Rickard Rakell who has chipped in five goals and five assists of his own this month. Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler continue to both put up fine numbers from the blue-line and are both rock solid cash game plays tonight.

Edmonton Oilers

CF%: 49, CP60: 109.2, 5×5 Differential: -30
Elite Options: Connor McDavid
Secondary Options: Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Benoit Pouliot, Leon Draisaitl

Anaheim Ducks

CF%: 53.2, CP60: 107.9, 5×5 Differential: -7
Elite Options: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, David Perron, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler
Secondary Options: Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm

Buffalo Sabres at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Buffalo Sabres					San Jose Sharks
			Robin Lehner					Martin Jones
			Record					Record
			24-30-7					32-21-6
Team Stats	2.34	2.66	19.90%	82.50%	Team Stats	2.95	2.68	22.50%	79.30%

The Sabres will be without their leading score Ryan O’Reilly for the next three to four weeks, and his absence was very clear on Wednesday night as they were shutout in Anaheim. Buffalo has now posted just a 5-7-3 record over their last 15 games and their front office may likely be pretty busy heading into the trade deadline as this team looks towards next season. There’s not much to get excited about here tonight, but the Sharks have struggled with their penalty kill all season, so the Buffalo power-play does have at least some GPP appeal. With O’Reilly out of the picture, rookie Jack Eichel leads the team with 41 points in his first 61 NHL games. Both he and fellow former second overall pick Sam Reinhart have both posted seven points in eleven games this month. They’re both joined by Evander Kane and Jamie McGinn up-front on the top power-play unit with Rasmus Ristolainen running things from the point.

The once rather laughable Pacific Division now looks like vicious with both San Jose and Anaheim surging. The Sharks will finally return home to the Shark Tank tonight after a five game road trip hungry to avenge a disappointing loss in Colorado on Wednesday. The Sharks have posted a 14-3-4 record over their last 21 games and are heavy favorites in Vegas against an overmatched Buffalo squad. Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski sit tied atop the team leaderboard with 56 points in 59 games and team up on San Jose’s top forward line and #1 power-play unit. While Pavelski has been a bit quiet lately, Thornton has been on quiet the heater. Super Joe has racked up five goals and ten assists over his last ten games and now has the most points in the NHL since the middle of December. The Sharks next two forward lines are headlined by Logan Couture and Patirck Marleau respectively and both players also join Pavelski and Thornton on top power-play unit. Couture has turned things on lately as well, with five goals and seven assists in his last nine games. Brent Burns is the premier play of the evening on the blue-line. He scored his 20th goal of the season on Wednesday night and has tallied 23 points in 26 home games. He’s expensive, but the matchup is terrific and he can approach value based on shot volume alone. If you can’t find a way to fit Burnsie into your lineup, then give Marc-Edouard Vlasic a look as he scored a goal and added an assist against Buffalo in their first meeting and has tallied nine assists in 11 games since the break.

Buffalo Sabres

CF%: 47.9, CP60: 104.4, 5×5 Differential: -28
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Jack Eichel, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen

San Jose Sharks

CF%: 51.1, CP60: 106.8, 5×5 Differential: 4
Elite Options: Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns
Secondary Options: Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward, Marc-Edouard Vlasic