NHL Grind Down: Friday, October 28th
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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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UPDATE
Car: Jeff Skinner took line ushes with Lee Stempnial and Victor Rask, so maybe just take those two since Skinner is a game time decision.
Col: The Avalanche apparently have Gabriel Landeskog on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen an since they are the home team, they look pretty enticing.
NYR: The Rangers have dropped J.T. Miller from the Zibanejad line and have inserted Pavel Buchnevich.
Ana: Ryan Getzlaf took line rushes today so it looks like he’s in the line up tonight.
Chicago Blackhawks at New Jersey Devils
| Chicago Blackhawks | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Keith Kinkaid | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-3-0 | 2-2-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.43 | 3.43 | 20.80% | 42.90% | Team Stats | 2.17 | 2.00 | 16.70% | 94.10% |
Marian Hossa returns tonight and that can be only good news for the Chicago Blackhawks as he is slated to skate on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. Panarin is your one-off here as he gets the top power play minutes with first liners Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Richard Panik completes the top line as he leads the team with six goals while being second in points, next to Anisimov’s nine, with eight. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook man the points on the team’s top power play and on this short slate, either is fine tonight. There are two concerns however if we are going to roster Chicago players tonight. One is that Cory Schneider is a pretty good goaltender in his own right andf is 3-0 when the Devils play on home ice giving up just five goals in those three games. The second is head coach joel Quenneville as this guy is a loose cannon and could switch the lines up at ant second, especially if the Devils continue the scoring prowess they showed the other night.
It looks like finally the Devils are starting to show a little chemistry of late. I know scoring five goals against and Arizona team isn’t a big feat as me and five of you folks reading this out there could score a few on them, but it’s a start. We have the added bonus of Chicago not being able to kill penalties as they have given up a whopping 14 goals while short-handed so far this season. With the Devils being on home ice I see no reason why Taylor Hall, Pavel Zacha and Kyle Palmieri wouldn’t be in play in cash games tonight. They form the team’s top line and get the first crack against the feeble Chicago penalty kill unit. Travis Zajac makes a nice one-off here as he skates with the aformentioned top line. If you want top pair up with Zajac, take his line mate in Mike Cammalleri. Defensively Damon Severson is your play here as he completes the top power play unit and is also leaving the rest of the Devils defensemen in the dust with four points compared to their cumulative total of three assists.
Elite Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane
NJ: None
Secondary Plays
CHI: Jonathan Toews, Artemi Panarin, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
NJ: Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Pavel Zacha, Travis Zajac, Damon Severson
New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes
| New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Eddie Lack | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-2-0 | 1-2-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.86 | 2.57 | 21.10% | 84.20% | Team Stats | 3.00 | 4.00 | 28.60% | 90.00% |
After beating Washington on their home ice Saturday night, the Rangers have won their last two games against Arizona and Boston and hit the road for one game against Carolina tonight. This is Carolina’s season opener as they were only to grab one win on their six game road trip to open the season and that was against the Calgary Flames. If you watched the St Louis Blues on Wednesday after being on the road for a while, you know that some teams come up a bit flat in their first game back on home ice. Chris Kreider has been out the last few games with neck spasms but taking his line mates in Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello isn’t a bad play here, especially if the Hurricanes try to stop the teams other line. Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Jimmy Vesey is the trio that Carolina may try to stop, now whether they can do it or not is another story as they have given up 24 goals in just six games. Brandon Pirri is your one-off here as it is hard to believe he’s still on the fourth line, but skates on the team’s top power play where three of his six points have come from. Ryan McDonagh is your defenseman here as he logs 25 minutes of ice time per night while playing the point on the top power play unit. Remember, if Kreider is back in the lineup he will probably go back to where he was replacing J.T. Miller on the Zibanejad line.
The Rangers have only taken four penalties in the last three games, so maybe targeting the Carolina power play may not be the best of ideas. They have scored six goals while having the man advantage on 24 power play tries, which isn’t bad at all. Victor Rask and Lee Stempniak have four goals apiece as the skate on the top line as well as get the first shot on the power play as well. Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm join the aforementioned two players on the top power play unit. Both Aho and Lindholm come from different lines which would make the decent one-off plays tonight. Noah Hanifin continues to play on the top power play unit but maybe Justin Faulk is the better play here as he is logging almost 24 minutes of ice time per game while getting some time with the man advantage. One a short slate it may just as well be best to stick with Rask and Stempniak for cash games and if you want to add their line mate in Andrej Nestrasil, he could probably give you some much needed salary relief.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
CAR: None
Secondary Plays
NYR: Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan
CAR: Victor Rask, Lee Stempniak, Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin, Sebastian Aho
Ottawa Senators at Calgary Flames
| Ottawa Senators | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Andrew Hammond |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-2-0 | 1-4-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.33 | 3.33 | 7.10% | 71.40% | Team Stats | 3.00 | 3.63 | 4.00% | 74.20% |
Erik Karlsson once again leads the team in points while logging more than 26 minutes of ice time from the back line. Calgary has been playing better of late as they have chalked up two road wins against St Louis and Chicago. Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard play on the team’s second line while getting the first crack with the man advantage. Both have found the scoresheet four times in the first six games. Calgary will probably try to shut down the top line of Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and Mark Stone. The Flames have given up six power play goals over the last five games so pairing Hoffman with Stone makes sense as they are on the top power play unit with Karlsson, Ryan and Brassard. The only hesitation we may have is that the Senators have only lit the lamp one time with the man advantage. That may be because they don’t know how to draw penalties. We can use the stat that they had two power play opportunities or less in half of their games so far. Ryan Dzingel leads the team in goals, but that won’t last for long if he continues to log less than 12 minutes a night. There’s no way he can keep up his shooting percentage of scoring on every other shot he takes. Besides the Winnipeg and Colorado game, this one could be one of the higher scoring ones of the night.
The Flames have scored three power play goals in their last two games and guess what? The won both of them! Isn’t a crazy notion to think that if you actually work on special teams that you could actually win a game or two along the way? It just so happens that Ottawa had also given up six goals while being short-handed in the last five games, so now the question is, who do we play? Dennis Wideman has to be considered as he now gets top power play minutes with fellow defenseman Mark Giordano back on the blue line. Wideman has two goals on with the man advantage while Giordano has 20 shots on goal and four points in the last five games. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan skate on the team’s top line with Alex Chiasson but its Troy Brouwer who gets the bump from the second line to complete the team’s top power play unit. Gaudreau seems to have shaken off his bad start so look for him to find the scoresheet tonight. Maybe the huge contract he signed is finally sinking in. If you want to take Brouwer and Kris Versteeg, I wouldn’t be opposed to that either as they both skate on the second line and should be able to score tonight.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau
Secondary Plays
OTT: Derick Brassard, Bobby Ryan, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris
CGY: Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan, Dennis Wideman, Troy Brouwer
Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche
| Winnipeg Jets | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Michael Hutchinson |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 2-3-0 | 3-2-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 3.67 | 10.00% | 68.80% | Team Stats | 3.20 | 3.20 | 29.40% | 69.60% |
Patrik Laine scored his fifth and sixth goals last night, both on the power play, as the Jets downed the Dallas Stars by a score of 4-1 last night. Colorado has given up seven goals while trying to kill a penalty in their first five games. If the Avalanche decide to take penalties in tonight’s game, the Jets could easily make them pay. Joining Laine on the team’s top line is Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele and can be used tonight in both cash and GPP plays on a six game slate like tonight. Their value is obviously on the power play as Colorado will try to shut them down as they get the last line change on home ice. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien skates with them on the top power play unit as evidence by last night’s game where all four saw over seven minutes of ice time while the Dallas Stars took seven minor penalties. These four players lead the team in scoring so looking for a GPP play may be a dubious task here. Nikolaj Ehlers and Mathieu Perreault are the closest we can get as they both skate on the second line and have three points each, Perreault shoots a little more though as he has 19 shots to Ehlers 14. Colorado has had six days off so I doubt they will be flat after playing for road games.
Give the Colorado Avalanche almost a week of and what happens? You guessed, all the lines are jumbled up. The top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Jarome Iginlia is probably the safest bet here as Winnipeg comes in from playing at home against Dallas last night. Duchene has five points in five games and will skate with Iginla on the top power play unit. Blake Comeau and carl Soderberg will come up from the bottom six to play with them while having the man advantage with defenseman Tyson Barrie rounding out the unit. It is for this reason that both Soderberg and Comeau can be used as one-off plays tonight. Colorado has been able to score four or more goals in three of their first five games and should be able to get at least that tonight on home ice. Nathan MacKinnon is on the second line with Mikhail Grigorenko and Mikko Rantanen. This should make for an interesting line as it was Rantanen getting injured in rookie camp and is just now getting back up to full speed. Rantanen scored 24 goals and had 36 assists for San Antonio last year before getting a nine game call up, in which he did nothing at all. I don’t recall him getting a chance to play with the likes of a MacKinnon though, feeling lucky?
Elite Plays
WIN: None
COL: Matt Duchene
Secondary Plays
WIN: Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien, Mathieu Perreault
COL: Jarome Iginla, Tyson Barrie, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon
Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks
| Edmonton Oilers | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 5-1-0 | 4-1-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.86 | 2.43 | 16.70% | 87.00% | Team Stats | 2.00 | 2.29 | 13.00% | 82.30% |
After their first two wins over Calgary a lot of folks took into consideration that it was the Flames and that the Oilers still had a lot of work to do to make them think they are a good team. Well, so far so good as we are now a little more than two weeks in and not only were they tied with the rangers in goals going into last night with 27 of them, their 6-1 record is the best in the western Conference. The first line of Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic account for ten of those goals as well as have a cumulative total of 12 assists to boot. Second liner Leon Draisaitl is right up there where points are concerned as he has two goals and four assist, which currently ranks him third on the Oilers scoring chart. Draisaitl always make a good one-off as long as he is scoring because he skates on the top power play unit with the whole McDavid line. Defenseman Andrej Sekera sees the most ice time of any Oiler as he is up over 22 minutes a game while manning the point on the power play. Sekera does only have three assists so maybe a change to Darnell Nurse in his spot on the power play may be coming up as I think the Oilers are expecting a little more out of that position with the man advantage. The Canucks have only taken six penalties in the last three games but have given up two goals over that span while short-handed.
The Canucks started out on fire by chalking up four wins to start the season but lately, they have been anything but. By scoring just five goals in regulation over the last three games, well you know the rest. They still are 4-2-1 right behind Edmonton in the standings so getting back on the horse should be the task of the day. There are reports that the top line of Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Loui Eriksson will stay intact but Brandon Sutter will take Eriksson’s spot on the team’s top power play unit. Youngsters Troy Stecher and Philip Larsen are listed as the defenseman on the power play and they should be pretty cheap, so grabbing one of them may open up some valuable cap space in either cash games or GPP plays tonight. The line for GPP’s tonight could be Sutter, who has five points, while Jannik Hansen and Markus Granlund have three points apiece. On a short slate, sometimes things that don’t make sense make perfect sense come one in the morning.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
VAN: None
Secondary Plays
EDM: Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Van: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Brandon Sutter