NHL Grind Down: Friday, February 3rd
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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Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Matt Murray | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-12-4 | 31-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.35 | 2.39 | 24.60% | 83.30% | Team Stats | 3.55 | 2.90 | 22.90% | 78.60% |
Tonight should be a quick and easy night as all five games on the slate start no later than 7:30pm EST. The best one however should be this game that kicks off the night. Columbus is hanging on to second place in the competitive Metropolitan Division with 70 points while tonight’s opponent is just three points behind them. After losing two games in a row head coach John Tortorella has put his lines back to the way they work best. The top line of Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno and Brandon Saad should be the full line stack to target tonight even though they are the line to be targeted to be shut down. Wennberg leads the team with seven points over the last six games while his 34 assists is tops on the team. Cam Atkinson is always worth a look as a one-off as he leads the team with 24 goals and 46 points while playing on the second line with Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky. Sam Gagner is enjoying a career year as his 34 points is just 15 points shy of his 49 points which he racked up in his rookie year nine years ago. Zachary Werenski gets the call to play the point on the power play from the back line but Seth Jones makes for a decent play as well. Both players have combined for four goals and seven assists in the last six games. Pittsburgh has lost three times at home but I think the Jackets score a few goals tonight.
The Penguins have dealt with injuries before and they will more than likely do it again. Evgeni Malkin may not return until after the weekend and now Conor Sheary looks to be out four to six weeks with an upper body injury. This forces Pittsburgh to shuffle up the lines a bit and possibly give us some cheap value. Sidney Crosby has been reunited with Patric Hornqvist while Matt Cullen will play on the left wing on the top line. Phil Kessel also will get a line bump as he will now skate on the team’s second line with Nick Bonino and Jake Guentzel. Bonino looks to be a bit more palpable here as he will join Kessel, Crosby and Hornqvist on the team’s top power play unit. The thought process tonight is that anyone that gets any type of exposure to Crosby is in play for your cash game selection as ‘Sid the Kid’ leads the team with 28 goals and 56 points. Kris Letang and Justin Schultz are the defensive options as Schultz is fourth on the team with 35 points while Letang has recorded 23 points in the 31 games he has suited up for. Columbus is a tough defensive team which is why all of these line changes makes this game one of the better ones to watch tonight.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
PIT: Sidney Crosby
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad, Sam Gagner, Seth Jones
PIT: Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, Kris Letang, Nick Bonino
Calgary Flames at New Jersey Devils
| Calgary Flames | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-24-3 | 21-21-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.79 | 21.00% | 81.20% | Team Stats | 2.24 | 2.84 | 14.20% | 81.20% |
The Flames are in a dead heat with the St Louis Blues for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with 55 points. Calgary has played two more games than St Louis so a win tonight is almost imperative if they want to keep pace. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Troy Brouwer skated as the first line in the last game against Minnesota and it seemed to work as the Flames beat the Wild by a score of 5-1. This line was also used as the top line when the Flames have the man advantage. Monahan’s eight goals in the last nine games has put at the top of Calgary’s goal leaders as he now has 18 of them in the 53 games the Flames have played. This will also give Brouwer another shot to prove his worth as his nine power play points represent half of the points he has collected up until this point. Mikael Backlund leads the team with 34 points as he centers the second line with Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk. Dougie Hamilton is the defensive choice as he is tied with Gaudreau for third place on the team with 32 points this season. T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano can also be used on the back line but will not be as productive as the aforementioned Hamilton. Calgary snapped their five game road losing streak right before the break with a 3-2 overtime win in Ottawa.
New Jersey has had a rough time getting things going this year as their 51 points are tied for last place with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri skate on the top line with Travis Zajac and for all intents and purposes this is the line to target against a Flames team that has given up 23 goals in the last six games. Palmieri’s five goals in the last nine games has helped him take the team lead with 13 goals while Hall leads the team with 32 points in the 41 games he has suited up for. Miles Wood, Adam Henrique and Mike Cammalleri skate at even strength on the team’s second line while P.A. Parenteau could be considered as a punt play here as he has grabbed five of his 23 points over the last nine games. Calgary isn’t as tough as most of the teams in the Metropolitan Division so it’s not out of the question that the Devils could put up at least three goals tonight. Damon Severson leads the team with 22 points where the defensemen are concerned while Kyle Stollery is getting his chance on the team’s top power play unit.
Elite Plays
CGY: Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Troy Brouwer, Dougie Hamilton, Matthew Tkachuk
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Damon Severson, Miles Wood, Adam Henrique
Edmonton Oilers at Carolina Hurricanes
| Edmonton Oilers | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-17-8 | 22-20-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.90 | 2.56 | 20.90% | 82.60% | Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.80 | 16.90% | 87.80% |
Edmonton has lost their last two games after the break and now face a tough Carolina team that has won 16 times in front of the home crowd. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon skate on the team’s top line. McDavid is almost match up proof as he leads the league with 59 points while Draisaitl has been able to rack up 12 points in the last 10 by virtue of having McDavid next to him on the team’s top power play. While Carolina is busy trying to shut down the top line Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have been creating some magic over the last ten games as they each have three goals and three assists to show for their efforts. Milan Lucic and Mark Letestu skate with McDavid on the top power play unit with Lucic being the better play of the two as 15 of his 30 points have come with the man advantage. In Letestu’s defense he has lit the lamp ten times this season with half of the coming on the power play. Andrej Sekera continues to quarterback the team’s top power play unit and has been showing signs of settling in as he has registered six of his 25 points over the last ten games. Oscar Klefbom is the alternative choice on the back line as he has recorded eight goals on 136 shots so far this season.
Going into the break the Hurricanes scored just five goals while giving up a whopping 23 goals in the five losses that they had suffered. To their credit, they did come out and beat the Flyers by a score of 5-1 on Tuesday night in front of the home crowd. Carolina does play tough at home as their 16-6-1 record would suggest but beating the Flyers is like beating an AHL team these days. Jeff Skinner, Derek Ryan and Lee Stempniak skate on the team’s first lien while Victor Rask joins them on the team’s top power play unit by skating on the second line. Teuvo Teravainen and Brock McGinn skate with Rask at even strength from the second line. The third line features the red hot Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm. This line has led the team with a combined eight goals and 14 assists over the last eight games and should be considered for your tournament plays tonight. Jeff Skinner makes yet another decent one-off tonight as he leads the team with 18 goals and 36 assists while his former line mate in Rask is second on the team with 30 points. Defenseman Justin Faulk appears to be healed from his injury as he has lit the lamp three times while recording five points in the last eight games. Noah Hanifin gets some power play time and could be used as a cheaper option on a small slate like we have tonight.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
CAR: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Andrej Sekera, Patrick Maroon
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Victor Rask, Justin Faulk, Jordan Staal
Anaheim Ducks at Florida Panthers
| Anaheim Ducks | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | John Gobson |  | James Reimer | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-15-9 | 22-19-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.48 | 22.20% | 83.80% | Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.69 | 15.20% | 84.50% |
Anaheim comes into this one in a heated battle with the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division with 65 points. They are just three points away from the top spot which is occupied by the San Jose Sharks. Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry skate on the top line at even strength as well as anchor the team’s top power play line that has lit the lamp in five of the last six games. Getzlaf and Rakell have combined for seven goals and eight assists over the last nine games while Perry’s team leading 145 shots on goal has produced 36 points so far this season. Perry has been bounced around a bit of late but should be ready to get it in gear tonight. Ryan Kesler makes for another decent one-off play as he skates on the team’s second line and leads the team with 40 points. Kesler gets the benefit of playing on the top power play unit and has registered 17 of his points with the man advantage. If you want to be a bit contrarian tonight you can use Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano with Kesler as they skate as a unit at even strength. So if Perry is back on the top power play unit that means one of the two defensemen has been shuffled out of the power play picture. Cam Fowler remains on the top unit when the Ducks draw a penalty as should be the case as 11 of his 27 points have come with the man advantage. This will obviously decrease the value of Sami Vatanen a little as nine of his 17 points have come while on the power play. Look for the Ducks to score a few goals tonight as they try to improve on their 11-9-6 record away from the home crowd.
The good news for the Panthers is that Aleksander Barkov is back to skating with the team and will skate with Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Huberdeau, who is also returning to the line up for the first time this season. Nonetheless despite the injuries Florida has remained in the playoff picture. Their 54 points is just four points away from third place in the Atlantic Division and with a couple of wins could easily move up in the standings. Vincent Trocheck, Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith will skate as the second line and should be considered for your cash game plays tonight. Trocheck’s nine points in the last eight games have put him atop of the Panthers scoring chart with 18 goals and 16 assists while Jokinen and Smith have looked sluggish at best over the last eight games. This could actually make this a night to take one-offs if we include Trocheck in the mix with Tavares, Kesler and Atkinson. Jonathan Marchessault could also be used as a one-off here as he skates on the third line but is second on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 17 assists.. Keith Yandle has registered five of his 25 points in the last eight games from the back line while Aaron Ekblad has shown some signs of life while leading the team with 165 shots on goal.
Elite Plays
ANA: Ryan Kesler
FLA: Vincent Trocheck
Secondary Plays
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry, Cam Fowler
FLA: Keith Yandle, Jonathan Marchessault, Jaromir Jagr, Nick Bjugstad
New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings
| New York Islanders | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-17-9 | 20-21-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.88 | 2.81 | 15.10% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 2.40 | 2.96 | 11.40% | 80.80% |
Since head coach Doug Weight has taken over the reins the Islanders have been playing a lot better. So much so that they are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and have been included in the playoff conversation as they are just five points away from the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. John Tavares has been red hot as his nine points in the last six games paces the team. Anders Lee and Josh Bailey round out the top line at even strength as well as get the extra ice time on the top power play unit. Speaking of the power play, defenseman Nick Leddy has recorded ten of his 27 points while quarterbacking the team with the man advantage. The second line of Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier should have a little extra room on the ice as Detroit will surely try to shut down Tavares and Company. If you look at the Islanders scoring over the last ten games you will find that players like Andrew Ladd and Nikolay Kulemin have also been contributing. This is what happens when teams start to play better, they get balanced scoring which leads to more goals which leads to winning more games. It’s just simple math.
The Red Wings haven’t won a game in their last five games which has almost single-handedly put them out of the playoff conversation. Their 20-21-9 record has them at the bottom of the barrel in the Eastern Conference with 49 points. They are nine points away from the last playoff spot and need to jump over seven teams to get there. Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha and Gustav Nyquist should be the line to target tonight as Zetterberg leads the team with 35 points while scoring seven points over the last nine games. Nyquist does him one better to lead the team however as he has lit the lamp three times to go along with five assists over that same time frame. Frans Nielsen centers Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar on the second line while Thomas Vanek makes for a decent one-off play as he now skates on the third line. Vanek will remain on the team’s top power play unit where he has registered seven of his 31 goals in the the 39 games he has suited up for. Mike Green is the play from the point as his 24 points is 16 points more than the next defenseman on the Red Wings scoring chart. Detroit has scored just eight points in the last five games and that could be from the realization that they will be golfing in mid-April.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
Secondary Plays
NYI: Nick Leddy, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Anthony Mantha, Thomas Vanek, Mike Green, Frans Nielsen