NHL Grind Down: Monday, February 29th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-03-02 03:48:06

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.

Arizona Coyotes at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Arizona Coyotes					Pittsburgh Penguins
			Louis Domingue					Marc-Andre Fleury
			Record					Record
			27-29-6					31-21-8
Team Stats	2.69	3.08	18.50%	77.80%	Team Stats	2.62	2.55	18.30%	83.50%

The Coyotes have dropped five straight games and their once promising looking start to the season is a long way back in the rear view mirror at this point. They’ve posted an ugly 3-10-1 record over their last 14 games and it’s pretty hard to imagine them suddenly turning things around in Pittsburgh tonight against a very motivated Penguins squad. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has scored goals in back-to-back games and has now tallied five goals and nine assists in 13 games since the All-Star break. He easily leads the team with 48 points in 62 games this season and is the only Arizona player I’d even consider in my cash games. With this team likely receiving plenty of phone calls as today’s 3PM trade deadline looms, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to see them move several of their veteran forwards. Max Domi, Mikkel Boedker, Shane Doan and Martin Hanzal have some GPP appeal (assuming they stay put) but I wouldn’t over-extend yourself here.

The Penguins welcomed Evgeni Malkin back to the lineup on Saturday and cruised to an easy victory over the Winnipeg Jets. While Malkin was held off the scoresheet, his footprint was all over the game as his linemate Carl Hagelin scored a pair of goals. Malkin’s return is not only a huge boost to this Pittsburgh teams playoff hopes, but also to both Hagelin and Phil Kessel who join him on the second forward line. Sidney Crosby has cooled off a bit lately but has posted eight goals and seven assists in 12 games since the All-Star break and makes his line mates Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist fine options as well. With Arizona having allowed a league worst 3.08 goals against per game this season, all six members of those top two lines can be used with confidence. Kris Letang scored his 10th goal of the season on Saturday and has been on an absolute heater for months. He’s posted nine goals and 23 assists over his last 25 games and runs the show on the point of Pittsburgh’s lethal #1 power-play unit. With Arizona also sporting an ugly 77.8% penalty kill, he’s a splendid option in all formats tonight. The Rangers acquired the skilled Justin Schultz from Edmonton over the weekend and he should benefit enormously from the change in scenery.

Arizona Coyotes

CF%: 46.8, CP60: 108.5, 5×5 Differential: -8
Elite Options: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options: Martin Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker, Max Domi

Pittsburgh Penguins

CF%: 52, CP60: 109.8, 5×5 Differential: 5
Elite Options: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
Secondary Options: Phil Kessel, Chris Kunitz, Carl Hagelin, Justin Schultz

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

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Columbus Blue Jackets					New York Rangers
			Curtis McElhinney					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			26-29-8					36-20-6
Team Stats	2.56	3.02	17.70%	80.90%	Team Stats	2.82	2.52	17.50%	77.70%

The Blue Jackets may be well out of playoff contention, but John Tortorella has this team playing its best hockey of the season. Columbus has posted a 9-2-3 record over their last 14 games and is fresh off of an impressive victory over the Atlantic Division leading Panthers on Saturday. While visiting Madison Square Garden has now been easy for opposing teams this season, Columbus is still very much in play tonight, specifically in tournaments. The problem with targeting Columbus is that they have three balanced scoring lines making it difficult to pinpoint the correct group. Scott Hartnell leads the team with 41 points in 61 games and posted a goal and an assist in Saturday’s game. He’s joined by Brandon Saad and Alexander Wennberg on the top line with Brandon Dubinsky centering Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson on the second line. Alternatively, Nick Foligno posted 73 points last season and flashed some of his offensive upside with a hat trick on Thursday night. Seth Jones finally potted his first goal in a Columbus sweater on Saturday and has now posted 12 points in 22 games with the Blue Jackets. He’s averaging over 24 minutes of ice-time with his new club and sees plenty of run on the point of the top power-play unit.

The Rangers will put their 22-6-3 home record on the line tonight as the Columbus Blue Jackets invade Madison Square Garden. New York is fresh off of back-to-back impressive road wins over Dallas and St. Louis and are doing their best to hold off the surging Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division. With Columbus sporting an ugly 3.02 GA/G this season, you’ll likely want some exposure to the Rangers tonight. They made a big move yesterday in acquiring Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes and the change of scenery could be just what the former 45-goal scorer needs. Early indications are that Staal will skate alongside Derick Brassard and J.T. Miller on the second line, leaving Derek Stepan to center Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider on the top line. Both Brassard and Zuccarello have scored at a point-per-game clip this season on home ice and have combined for three goals in the two prior meetings with Columbus this season. They’re still very fairly priced on most sites and solid targets in this one. Ryan McDonagh and Keith Yandle continue to log heavy minutes both at even strength and on the point of the Ranger’s power-play making them both worth consideration on the blue-line.

Columbus Blue Jackets

CF%: 47.9, CP60: 108, 5×5 Differential: -10
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Scott Hartnell, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad, Seth Jones

New York Rangers

CF%: 47.8, CP60: 107.4, 5×5 Differential: 36
Elite Options: Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard
Secondary Options: Derek Stepan, Eric Staal, Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh

Calgary Flames at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Calgary Flames					Philadelphia Flyers
			Jonas Hiller					Steve Mason
			Record					Record
			26-31-4					28-22-11
Team Stats	2.69	3.08	16.10%	73.30%	Team Stats	2.46	2.61	18.50%	79.30%

With the deal to send Jiri Hudler to the Florida Panthers over the weekend, the Flames will likely be in full “sell mode” today. They’ve now dropped four straight games and seven of their last eight, making them very hard to trust in cash games. David Jones looks to be set to take Hudler’s spot on the top line alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, which is a big fantasy boost for him. Gaudreau has posted four goals and 11 assists in 12 games since the All-Star break and his two goal performance against the Senators on Saturday extended his point streak to seven games. Monahan has been hot as well, scoring a goal and adding an assist against the Senators and owning five goals and nine assists of his own since the break. With the Flyers owning an subpar 79.3% penalty kill, the trio of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton are all in play on the blue-line. Giordano has posted 37 points in 61 games and is the top option but it’s been Brodie rolling lately. He racked up three assists in Saturday’s game against Ottawa and has dished out 14 assists in their last 12 games.

Claude Giroux returned to action on Saturday and wasted no time netting his 17th goal of the season. He’s tallied 50 points in 58 games and is joined by Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. With the Calgary Flames allowing an NHL worst 3.08 goals against per game this season and sporting the worst penalty kill in the league also, they’re all three terrific options tonight. A lower-body injury forced Jakub Voracek out of Saturday’s game and his status remains uncertain for tonight’s game. Former first-round pick Sam Gagner has lit the lamp in consecutive games and now has three goals in his last four. He’s joined by Sean Couturier and Ryan White on the second power-play unit and is an intriguing GPP option. On defense, Shayne Gostisbehere has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last three games since seeing his 15-game scoring streak snapped. Still, the Calder Trophy hopeful owns 34 points through 43 games and quarterbacks the teams top power-play unit. He’s still reasonably priced on most sites and is a top tier option on the blue-line.

Calgary Flames

CF%: 47.6, CP60: 110.7, 5×5 Differential: -13
Elite Options: Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie
Secondary Options: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton

Philadelphia Flyers

CF%: 50, CP60: 112.5, 5×5 Differential: 1
Elite Options: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere
Secondary Options: Brayden Schenn, Sam Gagner, Mark Streit

Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:30 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Tampa Bay Lightning					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Ben Bishop					Jonathan Bernier
			Record					Record
			35-22-4					21-29-10
Team Stats	2.72	2.39	17.00%	83.00%	Team Stats	2.35	2.92	14.60%	80.20%

Tampa Bay sent a message to the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 victory over the Bruins last night and have now strung together six straight wins to pull within two points of the division leading Florida Panthers. John Cooper’s squad has posted a 17-5-0 record over their last 22 games and certainly look capable of making another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals this spring. It’s a two headed beast for the Lightning up-front, as both of their top two forward lines are extremely dangerous and are terrific options considering Toronto has allowed a league worst 3.83 goals against per game since the All-Star break. It’s been the Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn, Ryan Callahan doing most of the damage lately. Stamkos lit the lamp for the sixth straight game last night and has now posted seven goals and six assists in his last 12 games. Meanwhile, Callahan has added four goals and four assists during his current four-game point streak. Nikita Kucherov has been a bit quiet lately but appears healthy and loves playing alongside the speedy Tyler Johnson. On defense, both Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman are locked into very heavy workloads and see plenty of run with the man advantage. With a plus matchup awaiting them, both can be used with confidence in all formats.

The Maple Leafs have dropped both prior games against the Tampa Bay Lightning this season and have completely crumbled down the stretch with a 5-14-3 record in their last 22 games. With Tampa Bay allowing just 2.39 goals against per game this season and having rattled off six straight wins, making fading the Toronto Maple Leafs a pretty easy decision in cash games. Nazem Kadri saw a three-game point streak snapped in Montreal on Saturday but is the best option. He centers the top forward line and logs a healthy dose of playing time on the top power-play unit. He’s collected five assists in his last four games and his 208 SOG ranks 10th in the NHL. Alternatively, P.A. Parenteau has tallied five goals and four assists in 12 games since the break and owns a pair of assists in the two prior meetings against Tampa Bay. He was forced out of Saturday’s game, but all signs point to his return this evening. With that said, I’ll reiterate that rolling with any Maple Leafs should be reserved for GPP use only.

Tampa Bay Lightning

CF%: 52.4, CP60: 105.6, 5×5 Differential: 15
Elite Options: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Ryan Callahan, Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman
Secondary Options: Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat

Toronto Maple Leafs

CF%: 51.4, CP60: 113.8, 5×5 Differential: -21
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Nazem Kadri, P.A. Parenteau, Leo Komarov

Detroit Red Wings at Dallas Stars – 08:30 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Detroit Red Wings					Dallas Stars
			Petr Mrazek					Kari Lehtonen
			Record					Record
			31-20-11					38-19-6
Team Stats	2.52	2.52	17.20%	81.90%	Team Stats	3.21	2.84	22.10%	79.30%

Detroit escaped Coors Field with two very important points on Saturday night against the Avalanche in the Stadium Series and have now won two straight games after losing all four games on a tough road trip before that. Coach Blashill has three very capable scoring lines at his disposal, but it’s the top line of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Just Abdelkader that are the safest cash game options right now. Zetterberg has been very quiet lately, but still leads the team with 41 points in 62 games meanwhile Datsyuk has also cooled off lately but has still posted six goals and five assists in 13 games since the break. Meanwhile, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar surround Riley Sheahan on the second line with Brad Richards playing alongside speedsters Andreas Athanasiou and Dylan Larkin. With the Dallas Stars being the fastest paced team in the NHL, Larkin and Athanasiou’s speed should be on full display. The Wings haven’t gotten much production from their blue-line lately, but both Mike Green and Niklas Kronwall soak up nearly all of the playing time on the point of the power-play and see a fantasy boost from both the expected fast pace as well as Dallas’ poor 79.3% penalty kill.

A two-game losing streak has dropped the Stars a point behind the Chicago Blackhawks in the Central Division and the Stars desperately need to right the ship after going just 1-4-1 over their last six games. They cruised to an easy 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in their only previous meeting this season are averaging a Western Conference best 3.21 goals per game this season. While they’ll likely see a full dose of the pestering defense of Pavel Datsyuk, Dallas’ top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Valeri Nichushkin are terrific options, as usual. Seguin has picked up points in three straight games, has tallied seven goals and five assists in 13 games this month and scored a goal and added an assist against the Red Wings in that first meeting. Meanwhile, Jamie Benn saw a four game point streak snapped on Saturday and has now tallied four goals and eight assists in his last 11 games. Nichushkin has recorded points in three straight games and unloaded seven shots on goal against the Rangers on Saturday, making him one of the better value plays on the board as long as he stays on that line. Alternatively, Jason Spezza has tallied three goals and two assists in the last five games and both he and Patrick Sharp join Seguin and Benn on the top power-play unit. John Klingberg runs things from the point of that top power-play unit and dished out a pair of assists against Detroit in that first meeting. He’s posted 52 points in 63 games, making him an excellent target on the blue-line.

Detroit Red Wings

CF%: 51.4, CP60: 100.4, 5×5 Differential: 5
Elite Options: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk
Secondary Options: Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Dylan Larkin, Niklas Kronwall, Mike Green

Dallas Stars

CF%: 53.5, CP60: 116.4, 5×5 Differential: 6
Elite Options: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg
Secondary Options: Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky