NHL Grind Down: Monday, April 4th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-04-05 02:13:36

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.

New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
New York Rangers					Columbus Blue Jackets
			Antti Raanta					Sergei Bobrovsky
			Record					Record
			43-26-9					31-39-8
Team Stats	2.85	2.63	19.20%	77.90%	Team Stats	2.53	3.05	17.20%	80.90%

After dropping back-to-back very winnable hockey games in a row, the Rangers will look to get back on the winning track as they head to Columbus for tonight’s tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers have left victorious in all three prior meetings between these two teams and clearly have the motivation factor in their favor. With Rick Nash back to full speed and Eric Staal added at the trade deadline, Alain Vigneault now has three dangerous scoring lines at his disposal. While Nash and Staal are intriguing options thanks to their proven offensive success, the top line of Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello will cause John Tortorella to lose the most sleep. Zuccarello has tallied three goals in the three prior meetings with Columbus while Stepan has had success as well (two goals and an assist) and has racked up three goals and six assists in the last six games. Keith Yandle and Ryan McDonagh soak up the majority of the playing time on the point of the New York power-play and are fine options tonight in all formats.

The Blue Jackets not only have nothing left to play for at this point, but they’ve also been dominated by this New York squad this season and sit in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division. They’ve posted an ugly 2-8-0 record over their last ten games and are pretty difficult to trust in cash games at this point in the season. To further muddy the waters, John Tortorella has spread his most dangerous offensive weapons across the different scoring lines. Cam Atkinson has grabbed the team lead with 50 points in 77 games this season and has picked up points in three straight games and has tallied 18 goals and 13 assists in 38 games on home ice. Meanwhile Brandon Saad posted a hat trick over the weekend against the Carolina Hurricanes and has racked up four goals and three assists in his last six games. Scott Hartnell has been held pointless in each of his last five games but remains an intriguing GPP option as he can rack up fantasy points in just about every way possible. Seth Jones quarterbacks the Jacket’s top power-play unit and is averaging a full five minutes of extra ice-time since joining Columbus mid-way through the season. David Savard also sees plenty of run with the man advantage (as does Ryan Murray) and has dished out three assists in the last two games, giving him some GPP appeal as well.

New York Rangers

CF%: 47.2, CP60: 108.2, 5×5 Differential: 32
Elite Options: Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Keith Yandle
Secondary Options: Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, Derick Brassard, Ryan McDonagh

Columbus Blue Jackets

CF%: 48, CP60: 109.2, 5×5 Differential: -19
Elite Options: Cam Atkinson
Secondary Options: Brandon Saad, Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Hartnell, Seth Jones

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Tampa Bay Lightning					New York Islanders
			Ben Bishop					Thomas Greiss
			Record					Record
			45-28-5					42-26-9
Team Stats	2.74	2.35	16.30%	84.30%	Team Stats	2.71	2.55	18.40%	84.80%

Devastating news struck the Tampa Bay Lightning at the worst possible time over the weekend as Steven Stamkos will almost assuredly missing the remaining of the season (playoffs included) due to a blood clot in his right arm. With Stamkos watching from the press-box, John Cooper will need his former “second” line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov to take over as the offensive leaders. Kucherov happens to be tied with Stamkos for the team lead in points with 64 and is fresh off of an impressive three point game against the New Jersey Devils over the weekend. He’s racked up five goals and four assists in his last six games this trio proved to be very dangerous in the playoffs throughout last year’s post-season. It’s hard to say that anyone benefits from the Stamkos injury, but it does open the door for Valtteri Filppula to play some bigger minutes. He has a 25 goal season on his resume and will lead Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan on the second line while also seeing a healthy dose of playing time on the power-play. The matchup is not ideal for Victor Hedman as the Islanders own an impressive 84.8% penalty kill, but he’s too talented to ignore on the blue-line. He tallied a goal and an assist against New Jersey on Saturday and has now posted 46 points and a plus 24 in 77 games this season.

The Islanders were embarrassed over the weekend by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-0 defeat, but had won each of the three games prior and have put themselves in decent shape to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders have been far more successful at the Barclays Center as they own a solid 24-10-4 home record this season. They’ll look to catch the Lightning feeling bad for themselves tonight and two points would pull them even with the cross-town New York Rangers for a third place tie in the Metropolitan Division. John Tavares leads this team with 61 points and is just one goal shy of his third career 30-goal season. He’s tallied 25 goals and 21 assists in 36 home games this season and leads Josh Bailey and Ryan Strome on the top forward line while also headlining the #1 power-play unit. Alternative, Kyle Okposo trails just behind with 58 points and joins forces with Frans Nielsen (and Nikolay Kulemin) to give Jack Capuano a very formidable secondary scoring line. Both Nielsen and Okposo also join Tavares on the top power-play unit, solidifying them as fine options on tonight’s somewhat short slate. On defense, Nick Leddy has found his groove. The former first-round draft pick has tallied two goals and 19 assists in 30 games since the All-Star break and is one point shy of his first 40 point season. He’ll run the show from the point of the top power-play unit and should see an increased workload with Travis Hamonic lost for the season. Johnny Boychuk hasn’t done much lately, but should also see a heavier workload and lit the lamp the last time he faced this Tampa team.

Tampa Bay Lightning

CF%: 52.3, CP60: 106.8, 5×5 Differential: 24
Elite Options: Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman
Secondary Options: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Valtteri Filppula, Anton Stralman

New York Islanders

CF%: 49.8, CP60: 111.4, 5×5 Differential: 6
Elite Options: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Nick Leddy
Secondary Options: Anders Lee, Frans Nielsen, Ryan Strome, Johnny Boychuk

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:30 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Florida Panthers					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Roberto Luongo					Garret Sparks
			Record					Record
			44-25-9					28-39-11
Team Stats	2.79	2.45	17.00%	80.10%	Team Stats	2.35	2.86	15.20%	80.40%

The Panthers clinched a playoff spot with their win against Montreal on Saturday but still need to finish strong as their still looking to secure the Atlantic Division title. While Tampa Bay was served with some very bad news over the weekend, they still sit just two points behind the Panthers meaning Florida simply can’t afford to leave two points on the table in this very winnable game tonight. The Vincent Trocheck injury stung a bit for this team, but with the trade deadline acquisitions of both Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell, the Panthers are still able to roll out three very capable offensive forward lines. With that said, it’s the top two lines that need to be on your cash game radar. Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr lead the charge on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Jagr continues to defy his age and scored his 26th goal of the season on Saturday and has now posted two goals and five assists during his current five game point streak. While those three are the primary options, Jussi Jokinen has torched the Maple Leafs for three goals and an assist in their three prior meetings and is part of a very dangerous second line alongside Nick Bjugstad and Reilly Smith. On defense, both Aaron Ekblad and Brian Campbell receive the lion’s share of the minutes on the point of the the Florida power-play and are terrific options in all formats against the struggling Maple Leafs.

Mike Babcock’s inaugural season behind the Toronto bench was well known to be a rebuilding situation, and while this team has plenty to be excited about their near future, they just aren’t cash game options in this matchup. They’ve averaged just 2.35 goals against per game this season and have also been riddled by key injuries up front to the likes of James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov, Joffrey Lupul and Milan Michalek. With that said, Nazem Kadri tallied a hat trick when these two teams met last week and the former first round pick has now sits 11th in the league with 260 SOG. He’s far too inconsistent (and a plus/minus liability) for my liking, but does offer enough of an upside to be targeted in GPPs. On defense, it looks like Mike Babcock is giving Morgan Rielly a heavy workload hoping to groom him for next season. He’s racked up 25+ minutes of ice-time in each of the last two games and has shown plenty of offensive upside with 34 points in 78 games. The 22-year old mans the point of Toronto’s top power-play unit and is in play where he’s still cheap enough.

Florida Panthers

CF%: 48.7, CP60: 98.8, 5×5 Differential: 28
Elite Options: Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Jussi Jokinen
Secondary Options: Jiri Hudler, Nick Bjugstad, Reilly Smith, Aaron Ekblad, Brian Campbell

Toronto Maple Leafs

CF%: 51.8, CP60: 113.6, 5×5 Differential: -31
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Nazem Kadri, P.A. Parenteau, Michael Grabner, Morgan Rielly

Arizona Coyotes at St. Louis Blues – 08:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Arizona Coyotes					St. Louis Blues
			Mike Smith					Brian Elliott
			Record					Record
			35-36-7					46-23-9
Team Stats	2.59	2.94	18.60%	77.90%	Team Stats	2.64	2.41	21.50%	84.50%

Arizona has been officially eliminated from playoff contention, but they’re still looking to make an impression Dave Tippett for next season as they picked up an impressive 3-0 victory against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. They’ll head out of a four game road trip to wrap up the season that begins tonight against a St. Louis team currently fighting for the Central Division crown. St. Louis has allowed just 2.37 goals against per game and have easily dismissed the Coyotes in both prior meetings, so it’s wise to look elsewhere in cash games. Oliver Ekman-Larsson leads the team with 52 points and is easily the most attractive fantasy option. While Max Domi leads the forwards with 51 points this season, he’s been awfully quiet lately while the trio of Alex Tanguay, Antoine Vermette and Anthony Duclair have carried the load offensive over the last several weeks. With that said, the matchup is terrible and they’re all too inconsistent for my liking.

The Blues bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Boston Bruins on Friday with a much needed 5-1 victory over the Avalanche last night to pull back within two points of the Dallas Stars in the Central Division. With the Chicago Blackhawks looming as the opponent for whichever team falls short for the Division title, St. Louis should obviously playing with some added urgency tonight. The Blues showed off their offensive depth last night, and while that’s great news for their playoff chances, it makes things just a bit more difficult from a daily fantasy perspective. With that said, there’s not denying that the top line of Alex Steen, Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko have the most upside and should be targeted comfortably in all formats. With two assists last night, Tarasenko extended his point streak to five games and has now racked up 36 goals and 33 assists this season. Steen has picked up at least one point in all three games since returning to the lineup and already owns two goals and two assists in the two prior meetings with this Arizona hockey club. On defense, Kevin Shattenkirk is the top option. He quarterbacks the top power-play unit and sees a fantasy boost as the Coyotes own just the league’s 27th ranked penalty kill. Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko also see a healthy dose of playing time with the man-advantage, making them fine options as well.

Arizona Coyotes

CF%: 47, CP60: 110, 5×5 Differential: -10
Elite Options: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options: Alex Tanguay, Antoine Vermette, Anthony Duclair, Martin Hanzal

St. Louis Blues

CF%: 51.9, CP60: 106.5, 5×5 Differential: 17
Elite Options: Alex Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Kevin Shattenkirk
Secondary Options: David Backes, Jori Lehtera, Troy Brouwer, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko

Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks – 10:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Los Angeles Kings					Vancouver Canucks
			Jonathan Quick					Ryan Miller
			Record					Record
			46-27-5					29-36-13
Team Stats	2.71	2.32	20.70%	81.20%	Team Stats	2.24	2.83	16.00%	82.20%

The Kings were disappointed by a 3-2 home loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday, but still have control their own destiny in their quest for the Pacific Division title over the next four games. They’ll head to Vancouver tonight to face a very beatable Vancouver team who they’ve defeated in each of their last three meetings. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 70 points in 77 games and has absolutely torched the Canucks this season, scoring two goals and adding six assists in their four meetings. He’s tied atop the NHL leaderboard with his teammates Tyler Toffoli with a +33 and both players look to be top tier options up-front in this very favorable matchup. Jeff Carter looks to be heating back up as he’s scored five goals and added three assists in his last five games and joins forces with Toffoli on the second forward line while also seeing plenty of run alongside Kopitar on the top power-play unit. Milan Lucic was brought on to this team for this time of the year and he’s showing his grit with three goals and 12 assists in his last 16 games. Drew Doughty is the top option on the blue-line and is just one point shy from posting his second career 50 point season. Jake Muzzin has cooled off a bit lately, but with 39 points in 78 games, he’s a fine secondary option in all formats.

Vancouver may have won each of their last two games, but this team owns just a 9-19-2 record over their last 30 games and look to be desperately needed a complete roster overhaul this offseason. They’ve scored a Western Conference worst 2.24 goals per game this season and tonight’s matchup against a hungry and defensively stout Los Angeles teams is far from ideal. As always, the Sedin twins lead this team in scoring and are really the only “safe” fantasy options on this roster. Daniel Sedin leads the way with 60 points in 78 games and but has posted just two goals (and no assists) in his last nine games. I’m simply staying away in all formats and advise that you do the same… outside of using them as a completely contrarian GPP stack.

Los Angeles Kings

CF%: 56.1, CP60: 110.3, 5×5 Differential: 17
Elite Options: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty
Secondary Options: Milan Lucic, Tanner Pearson, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez

Vancouver Canucks

CF%: 47.2, CP60: 104.7, 5×5 Differential: -27
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Jannik Hansen, Dan Hamhuis