NHL Grind Down: Friday, January 6th
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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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Toronto Maple Leafs at New Jersey Devils
| Toronto Maple Leafs | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-12-8 | 16-16-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.03 | 2.81 | 20.30% | 84.70% | Team Stats | 2.28 | 2.90 | 13.20% | 84.00% |
Head coach Mike Babcock’s plan to slowly ease his younger players along seems to be working as the lines seemed to have settled down a bit as opposed to earlier in the season. The line of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Mitchell Marner was the clear cut top line earlier in the season but now the individual talent of rookie Auston Matthews has seeped into his line mates as well. Connor Brown and Zach Hyman each have five points over the last five games as they are tied for ninth on the team along with defenseman Morgan Reilly with 17 points. Leo Komarov, Nazem Kadri and William Nylander make up a third scoring line for the Leafs as both Nylander and Kadri could be worth a look here as a GPP pairing. Nylander has collected four points in the last four games and has a solid eight goals and 18 assists so far this season. While Reilly has collected 17 points its Jake Gardiner that makes the stronger play from the back line. He anchors the team’s top power play unit and has scored six times to go along with his 20 points. This could bode well for Toronto tonight as they have scored seven goals in the last six games with the man advantage.
The good news for the Devils is that they have a decent 10-4-2 record in front of the home crowd. The bad news is that their 16-16-7 record is only good enough for seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. It gets a bit complex in the Eastern Conference but the short of it comes down to their 39 points are just six points away from the eighth and final playoff spot. Travis Zajac will be in uniform tonight and will be centering the third line along with Sergey Kalinin and Nick Lappin. He will no doubt be placed on the top power play unit as that is how the Devils eased Taylor Hall back into the lineup when he came off his latest injury. Hall leads the team with 25 points in just 29 games played and makes for a decent one-off play here as he skates with Pavel Zacha and P.A. Parenteau on the team’s second line. Parenteau has lit the lamp three times over the last six games and looks to be a decent player to use if you are looking to pair Hall up with someone. The top line of Mike Cammalleri, Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique should be the line worth considering for cash games if you are looking to shy away from the chalkier favorites tonight. Palmieri has registered five of his 22 points over the last six games while Cammalleri has ten goals and 11 assists in the 33 games he has played in so far this season. With John Moore out Damon Severson is the play on the back line as he will quarterback the team’s top power play that has scored just one goal in the last 30 attempts. This is not good by any stretch of the imagination but what Severson does bring to the table is 19 points in 39 games played which averages out to almost a half of a point per game. Look for the Devils to come out and give the red hot Maple Leafs a run for their money on home ice tonight.
Elite Plays
TOR: Auston Matthews
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner, Zach Hyman
NJ: Travis Zajac, P.A. Parenteau, Kyle Palmieri, Damon Severson, Adam Henrique
Nashville Predators at Florida Panthers
| Nashville Predators | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Juuse Saros |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-14-7 | 16-15-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.68 | 20.30% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.31 | 2.64 | 15.70% | 84.30% |
The Nashville Predators started their three game road trip off on the right foot last night with a resounding 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tonight they travel down the road a bit to take on a Florida Panther team that has won just one game in their last six tries. That was the second time this season that the Predators have scored six goals only this time they did it without James Neal, who leads the team with 14 goals. Neal was given the ‘maintenance day’ tag from the team spokesman after he missed the morning skate but it turns out that is dealing with an upper body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Without Neal Nashville had to juggle a few things up but the one thing they did do was leave the top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala intact. Johansen leads the team in points with 14 power play points. This is important because the Panthers have given up five goals over the last seven games while trying to kill a penalty. Mike Fisher leads the team with six power play goals and was moved to center Austin Watson and Colton Sissons. This move did wonders for Sissons as he became the first player in NHL history to score a hat trick with the second goal being an empty-net goal. The third line that featured Viktor Arvidsson, Calle Jarnkrok and Colin Wilson also added a few points in last night’s game as they combined for a total of four assists. I took a little extra time on breaking down last night’s game because head coach Peter Laviolette put the lines together in such a way that the Lightning could not possibly cover all of the talent that was spread across three lines. Roman Josi is the defenseman to use as he 20 ppoints on 111 shots so far this season while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Neal’s status for tonight’s game is still in question so obviously the play here is to stick to the guys that score on a regular basis.
Florida has been grinding it out of late in light of the loss of Aleksander Barkov who still leads the team in points with 29 of them coming into tonight. Even though they have one win over their last six games they have come away with a point in three of the five losses. Pretty soon they are going to have to find a way to win those games if they want to stay in the playoff hunt as they currently have to jump over two teams to get to the Boston Bruins who are just four points above them in the standings. Vincent Trocheck has been centering the top line along with Jaromir Jagr and now you can add Jonathan Marchessault to the mix as he looks to take over the left wing in place of Seth Griffith. This is a good move here as Marchessault leads the team in goals with 11 and could be nice compliment here in Barkov’s absence. Trocheck and Jagr as they have combined for eight points over the last four games so adding Marchessault can only help matters, especially on home ice tonight. You can take a look at the second line but that’s about it even on a short slate like tonight. Jussi Jokinen, Nick Bjugstad and Reilly Smith make up that second line that has Smith leading the way with 16 points in 37 games. The Panthers have gone to a four man forward scenario when they draw a penalty so this may give Bjugstad a little more value as he skates with Trocheck, Jagr, Marcessault and defenseman Keith Yandle on that top unit. Yandle has now become the play on the back line but we can’t forget about Ekblad who still leads the team with 135 shots on goal. The problem is he only has 11 points to show for it so maybe the demotion off of the top power play unit will get him back into gear.
Elite Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen
FLA: None
Secondary Plays
NSH: Filip Forsberg, Mike Fisher, Viktor Arvidsson, Roman Josi
FLA: Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Marchessault, Jaromir Jagr, Keith Yandle
Carolina Hurricanes at Chicago Blackhawks
| Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Scott Darling | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-14-7 | 24-12-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.62 | 18.80% | 88.50% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.43 | 18.30% | 74.80% |
A lot has happened to the Carolina lineup over the last 48 hours. They claimed Ty Rattie off of waivers and inserted him on the top line with Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask they welcomed the return of defenseman Justin Faulk with open arms. The Hurricanes gave the Blues their fourth home loss last night by a score of 4-2. Now they go into Chicago on short rest and will try to give Chicago their fifth. Skinner and Rask always make for a good GPP play on the road as they are usually fairly cheap across the industry while leading the team in points with 28 and 27 respectively. The second line of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak were shut out in last night’s game but nonetheless make a good target for tournament play tonight. Aho seems to be the one-off play however as he has two goals and two assists in the previous four games before last night, he has also positioned himself in third place on the Hurricane scoring chart with eight goals and 13 assists. The return of Justin Faulk will help alleviate a lot of problems that Carolina has had in trying to fill the defensive position on the top power play unit. Noah Hanifin and Brad Pecse had tried their best but the just don’t measure up to the talent that Faulk possesses. With only 11 other teams in action tonight it may be hard to stay away from some of the team’s top players, even if only as a tournament one-off play.
Chicago needed overtime to come back and beat the Buffalo Sabres last night on home ice. The win stopped a three-game home losing streak which should continue tonight against a travelling Carolina team. Much like last night Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov should see a lot of ownership in both GPP and cash game play tonight. Kane now leads the team in points with 40 while Panarin is just one point behind. Meanwhile, Anisimov’s two goals last night upped his team lead to 18 in 38 games played. Jonathan Toews makes for a decent one-off play here as he Chicago has gone to a four-man forward power play system which has left defenseman Brent Seabrook out in the cold. This is a good move on head coach Joel Quennville’s part as he now has his top players on a power play unit that will see at least 65% of the ice time with the man advantage. Marian Hossa returns tonight and can be used with Toews as a GPP play or maybe just use Hossa as a cheaper play if you want to load up on another team like Toronto or Anaheim. Duncan Keith is the play on the back line as he will now get the most time on the power play where the defensive position is concerned. Eight of his 27 points have come via the power play so there’s no reason not to use him tonight.
Elite Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin
Secondary Plays
CAR: Victor Rask, Sebastian Aho, Justin Faulk, Teuvo Teravainen
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa
New York Islanders at Colorado Avalanche
| New York Islanders | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Calvin Pickard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-15-6 | 12-25-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.86 | 3.08 | 15.00% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 2.03 | 3.37 | 13.30% | 77.80% |
The Islanders continue their four game road trip with a stop in Colorado to play the worst team in the league. Not only does the Avalanche have the least amount of goals scored so far this season, they have given up the most as well. Meanwhile, the New Yorkers have won four of their last five games while falling in Minnesota by a score of 6-4. The top line of John Tavares, Josh Bailey and Anders Lee should be under heavy consideration for your tournaments plays tonight. This is another one of those weird situations where all three players on the top line lead the team in something. Tavares leads in points with 27, Lee leads in goals with 14 while Josh Bailey leads the team with 19 assists. They also play on the top power play unit in which Colorado has given up 11 goals over the last eight games while trying to kill a penalty. We are going to skip the second line of Brock Nelson, Shane Prince and Anthony Beauvillier and go straight to the third line to pluck our one-off play in this game, which would be Ryan Strome. Strome skates with the top line on the power play which gives him an added advantage over anyone on the second line tonight. Add to the fact that he has collected two goals and three assists over the last four games making him a very decent cheap play tonight. Nick Leddy mans the blue line and is probably the best choice the islanders have to offer. He does get the majority of the power play minutes while sitting in fifth place in team scoring with just 15 points. You may be better off looking somewhere else for your defensemen tonight. The only thing that would keep me on him is the fact that they are playing Colorado.
As mentioned above, the Colorado Avalanche are now easily the worst team in the league. 77 goals for and 129 against does not bode well if you even want to think about playing a competitive style of hockey. What’s even worse is that it doesn’t matter what lines they try to put together, the simple fact is that they do not have enough talent to even be a one-line team. Nathan MacKinnon will center Gabriel Landeskog and Rene Bourque as the team’s top line but even MacKinnon has been a disappointment so far this season. Sure he leads the team with 25 points but when you consider that would only be good enough for third place on the Buffalo Sabres. It is only then that you realize how bad this is. Landeskog hasn’t done much either as he has only managed 12 points in the 26 games he has played in. What this team lacks is a true leader and claiming Matt Nieto off of waivers is just another example of the futility this front office is going through. Matt Duchene is the closest thing to a leader as he skates on the team’s second line with Jarome Iginla and Mikko Rantanen. Duchene and Rantanen have actually been two of the brighter spots on this team as Duchene has collected 24 points in 34 games while Rantanen has registered seven of his 17 points with the man advantage. Defenseman Tyson Barrie is the best offensive defenseman the team has but yet they refuse to put him on the top power play unit. Barrie has three goals and 17 assists which places him third in team scoring. As you can see the Avalanche cannot be counted on in cash games but could be used in tournament play if you are making multiple lineups.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares, Anders Lee
COL: None
Secondary Plays
NYI: Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Nick Leddy
COL: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Mikko Rantanen
Arizona Coyotes at Anaheim Ducks
| Arizona Coyotes | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-22-5 | 20-12-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.08 | 3.24 | 14.00% | 75.00% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.70 | 23.30% | 81.90% |
It just doesn’t seem fair that both Colorado and Arizona are in play on a night that has just six games scheduled, but here we are. Arizona is the second worst team in the league and has scored 82 goals so far this season. The Coyotes have dropped their last eight games and look to make it nine tonight as they finish up their three game road trip tonight against Anaheim. Arizona has only scored 13 goals in the last eight games so using some common sense here is first and foremost. Tobias Rieder, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata make up the team’s top line at both even strength and when they have the man advantage. Vrbata leads the team with nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points. This is even worse than Colorado as at least MacKinnon has 25 points. On the bright side, Hanzal has recorded three points in the last five games but I have a feeling that Anaheim can easily shut this line down which means that only Vrbata should be looked at for tournament plays and that’s if you are making multiple lineups. The second line of Anthony Duclair, Jamie McGinn and Christian Dvorak have been a disappointment so far this season as Dvorak leads this bunch with four goals and eight assists in 34 games. Arizona is the away team so maybe, if you like playing the lottery, take a gamble on this line and hope for the best. Alex Goligoski and Oliver Ekman-Larsson man the points on a power play unit that has scored 16 goals all season. Ekman-Larsson can be used in GPP play as he is the best offensive defenseman they have and is second in team scoring with seven goals and 12 assists.
Anaheim is tied with San Jose for the top spot in the Pacific Division so a win here could give them a little breathing room as they will have played two more games than the Sharks after tonight’s action. Their 12-4-2 record should be enough to give you enough confidence to use a few of their players in cash game play tonight. Ryan Getzlaf has missed both practices on Wednesday and Thursday which makes his status for tonight’s game very much in question. Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell will skate with Joseph Cramarossa while the second line of Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano also make for a decent line stack for cash game play tonight. Kesler gets the call to skate on the top power play with Perry and Rakell which makes him a nice one-off play tonight. He not only has led the team with three goals and three assists in the last five games, he leads the team in scoring with 34 points through the first 40 games. Cam Fowler is usually the play on the back line as he quarterbacks the top power play unit that has scored just three goals over the last seven games. The injury to Getzlaf now forces the Ducks to use two defensemen on the top power play unit which is where Sami Vatanen comes in. Vatanen has ten power play points with most of them coming from the second power play unit. Now he gets a chance to show that he belongs on the top unit that could surely use the help. Look for Anaheim to win this one going away against a listless Arizona team.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
ANA: Ryan Kesler
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal
ANA: Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen