NHL Grind Down: Monday, December 7th
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.
Nashville Predators at Boston Bruins – 07:00 PM EST
| Nashville Predators | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-8-5 | 14-8-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.62 | 20.70% | 75.00% | Team Stats | 3.28 | 2.84 | 30.60% | 78.50% |
At a glance, the Predators’ 13-8-5 record is quite respectable, but they’ve dropped two straight games and have now lost seven of their last nine contests. They’ll be very eager to get things turned around tonight in Beantown as they’re slated to open a home-and-home series against the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night. With Mike Fisher out of the lineup again tonight, James Neal takes a bit of a dent from a fantasy perspective as he’ll now share a line with Calle Jarnkrok and Viktor Arvidsson. That shifts some of the offensive pressure to the top line, where Mike Ribeiro centers the very dangerous Filip Forsberg and Cody Hodgson. Nashville’s success in this game will likely be tied directly to the success of their power-play as Boston’s 78.5% penalty kill is one of their most glaring weaknesses. This solidifies both Filip Forsberg and James Neal as solid plays up front, and locks in both Shea Weber and Roman Josi as top-tier options on the blue-line. I expect some offense from the Predators this evening, but they have struggled away from the Bridgestone Arena this season, so don’t get over-exposed.
The Bruins shutout the Canucks on Saturday to snap a mini two-game losing skid and will welcome to the Nashville Predators to Boston tonight. While Nashville has earned their reputation for being a very defensively sound hockey club, it’s impossible to ignore the Bruins’ prowess on the power-play this season, especially on just a three-game night. Boston will hit the ice with a league best 30.6% power-play and that’s where you’ll want to focus as the Predators uncharacteristically own an atrocious 75% penalty kill. Patrice Bergeron has already racked up 13 points on the power-play and he’s joined by Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson on the #1 power-play unit. Torey Krug has established himself as the point-man on that #1 power-play and has taken over as the fantasy star on the Boston blue-line. Zdeno Chara is still a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches, but this Nashville team is one of the few in the NHL that has an answer for his size.
Elite Options
NSH: Filip Forsberg, James Neal, Shea Weber, Roman Josi
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Torey Krug
Secondary Options
NSH: Mike Ribeiro, Cody Hodgson, Calle Jarnkrok, Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis
BOS: Ryan Spooner, Jimmy Hayes, Brett Connolly, Zdeno Chara
Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche – 09:00 PM EST
| Minnesota Wild | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-7-4 | 11-15-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.48 | 18.60% | 75.80% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.96 | 18.80% | 79.80% |
These two teams squared off on Saturday with Minnesota controlling play and picking up a 3-0 shutout victory over the Avalanche. The scene will shift to Denver this evening, but considering Minnesota’s 44-20 advantage in SOG in Saturday’s matchup, it’s difficult to expect the outcome to be much different. Zach Parise is the catalyst of the Minnesota offense and is joined by Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville on the top forward line. With Colorado being the worst puck possession team in the league by Corsi standards, all three forwards look like fantastic targets this evening. Play-maker Mikko Koivu and sniper Thomas Vanek join Parise on the top power-play unit, making both players fine options in all formats as well. On defense, Ryan Suter leads this team with 21 points and still carries a very reasonable asking price on some sites (FanDuel, for instance). Where still underpriced, he’s one of the top defensive options on the board. Alternatively, his defensive partner Jared Spurgeon is having the best offensive season of his young career and is locked into 22+ minutes of playing time per game.
The Avalanche enter tonight’s game in the cellar of the Central Division and are in the midst of one of the toughest stretches of their schedule this season. They were embarrassed by this Minnesota team over the weekend, but are hoping for revenge tonight. Somewhat surprisingly, Colorado has been unable to capitalize on the thin air in Denver as they’ve posted just a 3-6-1 record at the Pepsi Center. With that said, they’re one of the easiest teams in the league to break down from a fantasy perspective, so it would be a bit narrow-minded to overlook them completely on a three game slate. Their very dangerous top line of Nathan Mackinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene is one of the most dangerous groupings in the NHL and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the Colorado offense. Their matchup opposite Zach Parise is not ideal, but they certainly have enough fire power to bring home a GPP or two tonight. Tyson Barrie has taken the reigns as the point man of the #1 power-play and picked up 16 points in 24 games making him the top option on the blue-line. Erik Johnson and Francois Beauchemin also both see plenty of run with the man advantage and are fine secondary options.
Elite Options
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, Ryan Suter
COL: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog
Secondary Options
MIN: Thomas Vanek, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Jared Spurgeon
COL: Jarome Iginla, Francois Beauchemin, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie
Buffalo Sabres at Vancouver Canucks – 10:00 PM EST
| Buffalo Sabres | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-12-3 | 9-11-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.58 | 21.90% | 75.80% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.79 | 19.20% | 78.70% |
The Sabres defeated the Canucks in their first meeting this season, but after dropping a 4-2 decision last night in Edmonton, they’ll take the ice at the Rogers Arena as fairly heavy underdogs by Vegas standards. Ryan O’Reilly has led the charge offensively for this improving Buffalo squad, as he’s posted 9 goals and 13 assists in 27 games. He’s joined by Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart on a top forward line that has been rolling lately. O’Reilly has scored five goals and added four assists over the last 11 games. Alternatively, Jack Eichel headlines the second line with Brian Gionta and Jamie McGinn surrounding him. All six forwards see plenty of playing time with the man advantage, which gives them a nice fantasy boost as the Canucks own a very mediocre 87.7% penalty kill. On defense, former first-round pick Rasmus Ristolainen scored a pair of goals against the Canucks in that first meeting and has emerged as a real offensive threat with 18 points in 27 games.
The Canucks have lost five straight games and look to be in a total free-fall. They absolutely need to get things turned around tonight in a home matchup against the Sabres as their schedule takes an ugly turn starting Wednesday against the Rangers. With Willie Desjardins struggling to find any source of secondary scoring, he’ll continue to lean heavily on the Sedin brothers to carry the load offensively. Daniel Sedin is once again off to a terrific start to the season as he’s scored 12 goals and dished out 17 assists in 28 games. His brother Henrik is not too far behind with 8 goals and 18 assists. Those two are joined by Jannik Hansen on the top forward line and are easily the top three targets on this Vancouver team tonight. Radim Vrbata has been one of the most disappointing players of the young season as he’s been held off the scoresheet in four straight games and his -17 is the worst plus/minus in the NHL. On defense, Alex Edler and Yannick Weber share the duties on the point of the top power-play unit, but it’s Edler that has proven to be much more dangerous offensively.
Elite Options
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Jannik Hansen, Alex Edler
Secondary Options
BUF: Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Brian Gionta, Cody Franson
VAN: Radim Vrbata, Yannick Weber