NHL Grind Down: Monday, December 18th
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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Anaheim Ducks at New Jersey Devils
| Anaheim Ducks | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-11-8 | 18-9-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.76 | 18.09 | 83.72 | Team Stats | 3.06 | 2.94 | 19.80 | 82.76 |
The Ducks have been getting a bit healthier but still miss Corey Perry as he is out with a lower body injury and Patrick Eaves who has seen just two games of action all season. Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell have also missed time so it’s almost a miracle that the Ducks are just one point away from a spot if the playoffs were to start today. Getzlaf skates on the top line with Jakob Silfverberg and Kevin Roy while Rakell gets Adam Henrique and Andrew Cogliano as his line mates. It only took the Anaheim power play five seconds to light the lamp against Washington Saturday night which features Getzlaf, Rakell, Silfverberg and Henrique. While the injured Perry leads the team with 22 points it is Rakell and his 20 points that is the only other player on the team that has reached that plateau. Henrique has done well since coming over from the team that the ducks face tonight as he has grabbed three goals and three assists in his first eight games in an Anaheim sweater. Defenseman Cam Fowler is the last piece of the power play puzzle as his assist against Washington gave him his third power play point of the 10 he has collected so far this season. Fowler also missed time this season and it looks like he is just getting back up to speed. Brandon Montour is an alternative on the back line as his 16 points is good enough for third on the team. The only drawback is that Anaheim has not scored more than four goals in a game since November 15th which was 16 games ago.
The Devils come into this one looking to improve on the 8-5-2 record in front of the home crowd. The good news is that it looks like their leading scorer in Taylor Hall is set to make his return. Hall was out of action for the last two games and should return to the top line to skate with Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri, who is also returning from an injury. Brian Gibbons will stick on the second line with Travis Zajac and Blake Coleman while Jesper Bratt, Brian Boyle and Stefan Noesen skate as the team’s third line.
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