NHL Grind Down: Friday, October 14th
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.
NOTE: Listed team records/statistics are from 2015/16 season.
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators
| Chicago Blackhawks | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 47-26-9 | 41-27-14 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.85 | 5.00 | 22.60% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 19.70% | 81.20% | ||
The Blackhawks will try to regroup after a 5-2 home loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. There is no doubt that the Nashville Predators will be all over Patrick Kane and his line mates which makes Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa look just a tad better on a night with only three games. I’m not saying discount Kane as he is one of the better player’s in the league, but for tonight he may not be the best option. Richard Panik has become a decent low priced option as he was awarded a spot with Toews and Hossa on the power play while skating with them on the first line. Nick Schmaltz was supposed to play on the power play but after Panik scored a power play goal I would have to say his stock rises slightly. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the options on the blue line as both receive the lion’s share of the power play minutes.
UPDATE: It appears that Coach Quenneville isn’t going to wait around before shaking things up. I would assume the power play lines stay together, but this is what the new lines look like from practice:
Panarin-Toews-Panik, Motte-Anisimov-Kane, Hartman-Kruger-Hossa, Hinostroza-Schmaltz-Tootoo
We still have to figure that the Predators will try to shut down the Kane line so downgrade Marian Hossa and upgrade Artemi Panarin.
Since being fired in Philadelphia after three games in 2013, head coach Peter Laviolette has taken the Predators to the playoffs the last two years. They beat Anaheim in round one last year in seven games while losing to the San Jose Sharks in the semi-finals in the same fashion. The big news over the summer was the blockbuster trade that sent Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for P.K. Subban. On the surface Subban should give them more power from the point while sacrificing a little on the defensive end. Both Subban and Roman Josi are good plays on the blue line tonight. Up front it’s hard not to say that Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen are not the chalk plays as they will skate on the team’s top line as well as get the first crack on the first power play unit as well. The tricky part is the third piece of this line as Kevin Fiala is slated to skate with them at even strength while we may see Craig Smith as the winger on the power play unit. James Neal, Colin Wilson and Mike Fisher are set as the second line while Smith, Mike Ribeiro and Calle Jarnkrok make up the third line. This is why the Predators have been successful over the past few years as it appears they have three strong lines to come at any team on any given night.
Elite Plays
CHI: None
NSH: Filip Forsberg, P.K. Subban
Secondary Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
NSH: Ryan Johansen, James Neal, Roman Josi
Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames
| Edmonton Oilers | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-43-8 | 35-40-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 4.00 | 18.10% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 7.00 | 17.00% | 75.50% |
Round one of the ‘Battle of Alberta’ went to the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night as they opened their new arena with a 7-4 win over the Calgary Flames. Tonight they switch venues and travel to Calgary for the second game of the young season. Connor McDavid scored two goals in that game and should be in play again tonight with line mate Jordan Eberle, especially if Calgary is in the mood to take penalties again as they took six of them on Wednesday night. The second line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Benoit Pouliot and Anton Slepyshev is also in play here on the short slate as the Flames will no doubt try to control the McDavid line on home ice. I’m not opposed to taking Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi either as both had meaningful power play minutes while skating on the third line. Oscar Klefbom saw the most time on the ice for not only the team but on the power play as well and should be considered in play tonight. Andrej Sekera saw just a little less time than Klefbom but both players were able to muster an assist in Wednesday night’s win. Look for more goals in this one and with only three games on the docket, don’t be afraid to take players from both teams.
The disappearance of Johnny Gaudreau on the road continues. As I stated in Wednesday night’s Grind Down, Gaudreau’s numbers on the road are downright pitiful. We won’t have to worry about that tonight though as the Flames take to the home ice which means Gaudreau and his new contract should have no problem finding the scoresheet tonight. If you are going to roster # 13 you may as well go ahead and take his line mate and power play partner Sean Monahan. The trick now becomes, who will be playing next to them. The answer to this question is vital as Kris Versteeg started on the top line but was replaced by Troy Brouwer in the third period of Wednesday night’s game. The Flames only registered one point from their top six in game one and but I wouldn’t bet on that happening again as they should be able to score a few points tonight on home ice. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett should round out the top six but for my money I’d stick with Monahan and Gaudreau for your cash game selections. Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton saw the most playing time back on the point during the power play but if you have to dig a bit deeper on tonight’s three game slate, I wouldn’t be opposed to rostering T.J. Brodie as he racked up an assist the other night while seeing some looks on the second power play unit.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau
Secondary Plays
EDM: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera
CGY: Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano, Troy Brouwer
Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings
| Philadelphia Flyers | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Jonathan Quick | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 41-27-14 | 48-28-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 18.90% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.00 | 20.00% | 81.40% | ||
The Flyers just may have walked into a good spot here especially with the injury to the King’s goaltender Jonathan Quick. Tanner Pearson has one game left on his suspension and as I mentioned on Wednesday, Marian Gaborik will be out for a few weeks with an injury. All of this added up to just 22 shots in Anaheim the other night while they found themselves on the short end of a 2-1 final. Philadelphia is in the middle of a youth movement and die-hard Flyers fans got a glimpse of that last year when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere racked up 17 goals and 29 assists in just 66 games in his rookie season. This season, fellow defenseman Ivan Provorov has made the squad as well as winger Travis Konecny. I like Konecny tonight along with Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier as they are set to make up the Flyers second line. Voracek ran into some tough luck last year and should be in line for a decent rebound season. Claude Giroux will once again assume his position on the top line as well as skate on the top power play unit along with Wayne Simmonds. The Kings don’t give up many goals so pairing Giroux with Simmonds or Voracek with Konecny is probably about the furthest I’d go here with Gostisbehere on defense. Nick Cousins is your one-off here though as it looks like he will skate with the aforementioned four players, excluding Konecny, on the team’s top power play unit.
The Kings could be in a bit of trouble until they get all their players back healthy and skating again. Jeff Zatkoff may very well get the start here as the injury to Jonathan Quick may prove to be more than just a ding as the Kings officials have indicated that the knee injury ‘doesn’t look good’. It took the Kings only 49 seconds on their only power play to light the lamp against the Sharks on in their 2-1 loss Wednesday night. Tyler Toffoli did the honors while Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar picked up the assists. Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin were also on the ice so pairing Toffoli with ex-Flyer Carter could be the best play of the night if you look to roster some Los Angeles players. Their line mate in Teddy Purcell did absolutely nothing with his 12 plus minutes of ice time. Until Peason gets back, I’d stick with guys on the power play only.
Elite Plays
PHL: None
LAK: None
Secondary Plays
PHL: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jakub Voracek
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin