NHL Grind Down: Friday, January 22nd
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.
*ALERT:* The Ducks-Capitals game has been postponed for Friday night. Do NOT roster any players from either team!
Anaheim Ducks at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EST
| Anaheim Ducks | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | John Gibson |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-18-7 | 35-8-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 1.98 | 2.31 | 19.30% | 89.10% | Team Stats | 3.33 | 2.15 | 27.10% | 84.90% |
As we approach the All-Star break, it finally looks the 2014-15 version of the Anaheim Ducks is finally starting to awaken. Anaheim picked up an important 3-1 win over Minnesota on Wednesday and have now gone 8-3-1 over their last 12 games. However, they’ll head to Washington to battle a Capitals team sitting atop the NHL with 73 points and Anaheim has averaged a putrid (and easily league worst) 1.37 goals per game on the road this season. To make matters worse, Braden Holtby has posted a sparkling 16-2-0 record to go along with 1.87 GAA in 19 home starts this season, making Anaheim a GPP only option for me tonight with eleven other teams to choose from. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf join forces to create a dangerous one-two punch of the Ducks’ top forward line and are compelling GPP options every time they take the ice. Alternatively, has come alive a bit with four goals and three assists in nine games this month and, along with Jakob Silfverberg and David Perron, has finally provided Bruce Boudreau with some consistent secondary scoring. On defense, rookie Shea Theodore has taken over as the point man on Anaheim’s top power-play unit and has picked up points in four straight games. Considering his dirt cheap asking price on several sites, he’s really the only Duck on my cash game radar tonight.
Washington will open a five game home stand tonight as the Anaheim Ducks invade the Verizon Center. Washington not only looks like the clear front-runner to bring home the President’s Trophy this season but they’ve also posted a ridiculous 18-3-1 home record. Washington cruised to an easy 6-3 victory over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night and have now rolled through their opponents by posting a 16-2-1 record over their last 19 games. Alex Ovechkin has scored goals in back-to-back games and, as usual, is the premier play of the day on the wing. Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie will join him on the top forward line where both players benefit greatly from feeding Mr. Ovechkin the puck. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s actually Evgeny Kuznetsov who leads this team in scoring with 48 points in 46 games. The former first round pick has dished out SEVEN assists in the last two games and has posted four goals and 11 assists in just nine games this month. Justin Williams has flourished alongside Kuznetsov as he’s picked up five goals and four assists in the last six games. On defense, John Carlson remains doubtful to play tonight and that keep the door wide open for the talented Matt Niskanen to continue logging huge minutes as well as man the point of the Capitals’ explosive #1 power-play unit. Niskanen is still relatively cheap across the industry and is one of the better defensive value plays on the board even considering Anaheim’s league best penalty kill.
Elite Options
ANA: None
WAS: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Matt Niskanen
Secondary Options
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen
WAS: Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams, Dmitry Orlov
Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres – 07:00 PM EST
| Detroit Red Wings | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 23-15-8 | 19-24-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.41 | 2.50 | 18.10% | 80.00% | Team Stats | 2.28 | 2.60 | 20.80% | 79.80% |
The Red Wings played rather well against St. Louis on Wednesday but ultimately couldn’t solve Brian Elliott and have now dropped two straight games. They’ll look to get things turned around tonight as they make the trip to Buffalo to battle a Sabres team who sits near the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings and who they’ve defeated in two of the three prior meetings this season. With Brad Richards not in uniform tonight, Coach Blashill looks to have finally reorganized his forward lines in a much more fantasy friendly manner. Rookie sensation Dylan Larkin will once again rejoin Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader on the top line. This line showed plenty of chemistry earlier this season and this news gives Larkin a major fantasy boost. It’s taken awhile, but Pavel Datsyuk finally looks to be back to full speed and he’s now scored a goal and added five assists over the last six games. He’ll skate with Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm on the second forward line and also help run things from the point of the #1 power-play unit. Nicklas Kronwall was lost for 3-4 weeks with a knee injury, so Mike Green has inherited all the minutes he can handle (including time alongside Datsyuk on the point of that #1 power-play unit). Kronwall’s injury also opened the door for the offensively talented Brendan Smith to work with the second power-play unit and he’s a fine punt play tonight especially considering Buffalo’s subpar 79.8% penalty kill.
Buffalo will return home tonight for a rare January home game, and while this team is certainly more dangerous than it was last season, they’re still not an overly reliable source for fantasy goodness. They fell 2-1 in Colorado on Wednesday night and have posted a 4-8-0 record over their last 12 games while averaging just 1.92 goals per game during that stretch. With Petr Mrazek owning a 5-1-1 record and 1.41 GAA in seven starts this month, Buffalo looks better served for GPP use tonight. With that said, Dan Bylsma has two very strong forward lines at his disposal. Ryan O’Reilly headlines the top line and leads the team with 17 goals and 23 assists in 47 games this season. He’s joined by Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart and that trio offers a size/speed combination that creates some matchup problems for the slower Detroit Red Wings. However, Coach Blashill will likely shadow that group with Pavel Datsyuk pesky defense which hurts puts a small dent into their fantasy outlook. Alternatively, #2 overall pick in last year’s NHL draft Jack Eichel hasn’t disappointed in his rookie season. The phenom has picked up 30 points in 47 games and leads Jamie McGinn and Phil Varone on the second forward line. Eichel has already lit the lamp twice against Detroit this season and has tallied five goals and eleven assists over his last 15 games. On defense, another former first round pick Rasmus Ristolainen continues to put up fine offensive numbers in what looks to be his breakout campaign. He runs the point of Buffalo’s #1 power-play and, with Detroit owning an ugly 72.9% penalty kill since losing Drew Miller back in early December, looks like a fine option on the blue-line tonight.
Elite Options
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Mike Green
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel, Rasmus Ristolainen
Secondary Options
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Smith
BUF: Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn, Cody Franson
New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes – 07:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Eddie Lack | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-16-5 | 20-19-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.61 | 17.80% | 78.90% | Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.72 | 17.40% | 80.70% |
Despite outshooting the Vancouver Canucks 49-20, the Rangers needed overtime to escape with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. They’ll head to Carolina tonight looking to capture their first back-to-back victory since November 23rd. During that span, the Rangers have stumbled their way to an ugly 9-13-3 record and now find themselves barely hanging on to second place in the Metropolitan Division. Tonight they’ll head to Raleigh to battle a Carolina team playing on the second half of back-to-back games and who they’ve defeated in both prior meetings this season. This is a tougher matchup than it may appear for New York for two main reasons; 1) Carolina is allowing the fewest shots against in the NHL this season (26.1 SA/G), 2) New York owns just a 8-11-3 road record. Offensively, Rick Nash has still yet to score his first goal of 2016, but the sniper has picked up at least one assist in three straight games and owns a goal and an assists in two games against Carolina this season. Derick Brassard is expected to be back in action tonight after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness. He’s slated to join Rick Nash and the team’s leading scorer Mats Zuccarello on the top forward line. On defense, both Ryan McDonagh and Keith Yandle are both well worth a look. McDonagh has dished out six assists over the last six games and is a mortal lock for 20+ minutes of ice-time per night. Keith Yandle has been somewhat quiet lately but has already picked up a pair of assists against Carolina this season and is one of the better puck moving defensemen in the league.
It took extra time for Carolina to get on the board last night in Toronto, but thanks to 32 save shutout from Eddie Lack, they managed to pick up a 1-0 overtime victory. They’ll head home tonight for a battle with the New York Rangers (if Winter Storm Jonas allows it) tonight looking to avenge a pair of losses to them already this season. With Carolina averaging just 2.33 goals per game this season and spreading their scoring out across three different scoring lines, they’re not the most appealing time from a fantasy perspective. Justin Faulk leads the team with 33 points in 48 games and is a dangerous weapon on the point of their #1 power-play, but he’s posted just three points over the last 12 games and won’t come cheap. Up-front, Eric Staal headlines the top line with Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm. While Staal is a fine option there, it’s also worth noting that Versteeg has racked up 5 goals and 15 assists in 22 home games. Eric’s brother Jordan scored the game winner in Toronto last night and also lit the lamp against the Rangers in their last meeting. He’s posted four goals and four assists over the last eight games and looks like a fine secondary play tonight.
Elite Options
NYR: Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard
CAR: None
Secondary Options
NYR: Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh, Keith Yandle
CAR: Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Justin Faulk
New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators – 07:30 PM EST
| New York Islanders | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Jaroslav Halak |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-15-6 | 22-18-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.42 | 17.60% | 87.70% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.98 | 18.40% | 76.20% |
The Islanders outshot the Vancouver Canucks 48-26 in their meeting on Sunday, but ultimately fell 2-1 in a shootout to snap their two-game winning streak. They’ll set off on a one game road trip tonight in Ottawa to battle a Senators team who defeated them in their only previous meeting this season. After a strong start to the season, the Islanders have cooled off lately and own just a 6-7-1 record over their last 14 games and have also been far less effective away from home (9-8-3 road record). With all of that said, the Ottawa Senators have allowed 3.60 goals per game over their last ten games and their 33.5 SA/G this season is the worst in the NHL. Jack Capuano has spread out his scoring weapons across three different lines, and while that makes sense from a real-life perspective, it does muddy the waters a bit for DFS users. With that in mind and considering Ottawa’s terrible 76.2% penalty kill, it seems prudent to focus on the Islanders power-play. John Tavares has been earily quiet lately but is still a very dangerous weapon as the center of the #1 power-play unit. Kyle Okposo actually leads the team with 33 points in 43 games and joins Anders Lee and Tavares up-front with the man advantage. With both Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic out of commission, Nick Leddy is locked into huge minutes (including plenty of run on the point of that #1 power-play unit). He’s picked up two goals and six assists over the last ten games and still comes with a very reasonable price-tag on most sites.
The Senators were an absolute disaster in the early going against the Devils last night and headed to the locker room after the first period down 5-0. While they won’t be winning awards this season for their defensive performance, this team does still have plenty of offensive firepower. Erik Karlsson picked up a goal and two assists in their 3-2 victory over this New York Islanders team earlier this season and he leads all NHL defenseman with 49 points. He’s expensive, but clearly a unique talent on the blue-line if you can afford him. Offensively, Dave Cameron can counter the Islanders forward depth with two very dangerous forward lines of his own. Bobby Ryan has picked up points in three straight games and has now posted 15 goals and 25 assists in 46 games. He’ll be joined by Mika Zibanejad and Milan Michalek on one line, leaving speedster Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone to play alongside Kyle Turris (who’s expected to be back tonight) on the top line. Hoffman has posted 11 goals and 9 assists in just 18 home games this season and lit the lamp against the Islanders in the first meeting.
Elite Options
NYI: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Nick Leddy
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Erik Karlsson
Secondary Options
NYI: Anders Lee, Frans Nielsen, Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, Marek Zidlicky
OTT: Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad
Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers – 07:30 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-13-4 | 26-15-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.92 | 2.27 | 22.30% | 82.10% | Team Stats | 2.52 | 2.26 | 15.50% | 82.80% |
The Blackhawks saw their 12 game winning streak come to an end last night in Tampa, but will head south to Miami looking to start a new streak against the Florida Panthers. With the Panthers allowing just 2.26 goals against per game, they’ll have their hands full once again tonight. Patrick Kane picked up yet another assist last night and has now racked up five goals and four assists during his current four game point streak. He’s running away with the NHL scoring crown and remains a top-tier option despite the less than ideal matchup. Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov continue to thrive alongside him on the ‘Hawks top line and both players can be stacked with Kane to lower the average cap hit. Jonathan Toews is a dominant force on both ends of the ice, and while he’ll have some added defensive responsibilities against Jagr and company in this matchup, he’s caught fire offensively lately and posted 10 goals and 8 assists over his last 17 games. Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw will join him both at even strength and on the #2 power-play unit and look like very nice GPP targets. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook both log huge minutes and see a heavy workload on the point of the #1 power-play. They’re both rock solid cash game options but their ceiling slightly restricted considering the Panthers solid overall defensive system and penalty kill.
The Panthers had a 12 game winning streak of their own recently snapped and while that hot streak propelled them to the top of the Atlantic Division, they’ve now followed it up with four straight losses. Drawing the Blackhawks on the second half of back-to-back games is a blessing, but squaring off against the Blackhawks has definitely not been a recipe for fantasy success lately. Florida’s top line of Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov have carried the load offensively this season, but they also draw the toughest matchup on the board tonight as both Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa will shadow them as much as possible. With that said, Jagr scored a goal against the Blackhawks in their first meeting and has tallied 11 goals and 10 assists in 20 home games this season. The Panthers current losing skid has coincided with Aaron Ekblad departure from the lineup with a concussion, but the 19 year-old star has been cleared to play tonight and should immediately step back into his usual heavy workload. He’s posted 19 points (and a +17) on the young season and sees plenty of run on the point of the #1 power-play unit.
Elite Options
CHI: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Artemi Panarin, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad
Secondary Options
CHI: Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov, Andrew Shaw, Teuvo Teravainen
FLA: Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Jussi Jokinen, Brian Campbell