NHL Grind Down: Monday, January 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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Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers – 07:30 PM EST
| Edmonton Oilers | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Ben Scrivens |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-23-5 | 26-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.89 | 17.20% | 80.10% | Team Stats | 2.57 | 2.20 | 16.40% | 82.40% |
Edmonton snapped a four-game losing skid with a 2-1 shootout victory against the Flames on Saturday night. Unfortunately, they’ll head right back onto the road tonight where they own a league worst 5-14-4 record on the season. With Edmonton owning just 1.87 goals per game on the road this season and their opponent, the Florida Panthers, allowing just 2.20 goals against per game, this doesn’t look like the greatest spot for the Oilers. We’ve seen Todd McLellan shake up his forward lines lately with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins joining Taylor Hall and Iiro Pakarinen on the top line and Leon Draisaitl dropping down to play alongside Jordan Eberle and Benoit Pouliot on the second line. While Taylor Hall is easily the most dangerous weapon, he’s also been ice cold lately (just one goal in the last 14 games). Conversely, Jordan Eberle has been heating up and has now posted two goals and eight assists over the last 10 games. The Oilers haven’t seen much production from their blue-line this season, but Justin Schultz finally looks to be coming alive offensively and has scored two goals and added two assists over the last five games.
The Panthers rode an impressive 12-game winning streak to the top of the Atlantic Division, but their fortunes have turned around a bit lately as they’ve lost three straight games and, more importantly, are dealing with an injury to star blue-liner Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers will be ecstatic to return to Southern Florida after a very tough six game road trip and will drop the puck on a four game home stand against the cellar dwelling Edmonton Oilers. Despite mustering up just 14 SOG against the Oilers last week, Florida did manage to escape Alberta with two points. The Panthers may not be the most fantasy friendly team in the NHL, but their top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr have been an offensive force lately. Jagr leads the way with 15 goals and 17 points in 41 games and scored a goal against the Oilers in that first meeting. With Ekblad likely out of commission once again tonight, Brian Campbell will hop onto the point of the #1 power-play unit and becomes a solid value in all formats. With the Oilers allowing an ugly 3.13 goals against per game on the road this season, Florida deserves your attention.
Elite Options
EDM: None
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov
Secondary Options
EDM: Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Justin Schultz
FLA: Jussi Jokinen, Brandon Pirri, Brian Campbell
Pittsburgh Penguins at St. Louis Blues – 08:00 PM EST
| Pittsburgh Penguins | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Marc-Andre Fleury |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-16-7 | 26-15-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.39 | 19.00% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 2.46 | 2.48 | 20.70% | 85.50% |
Pittsburgh took some frustrations out on Carolina yesterday afternoon as they smoked the Hurricanes 5-0. While it was a big (and needed) win for Pittsburgh, it doesn’t erase the fact that this team has posted an ugly 8-12-3 record over their last 23 games. They’ll face a stiff test tonight as they head back onto the road to battle the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center. Obviously both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are elite offensive talents, and although they’ve been a bit disappointing by their standards this season, they’re clearly starting to get things rolling. Crosby scored a pair of goals in yesterday’s game and has now tallied eight goals and nine assists over the last 13 games. He’ll skate alongside Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist on the top line which leaves Malkin to play between Phil Kessel and the newly acquired Carl Hagelin on the second line. On defense, Kris Letang was held out of action yesterday and is set to be a true game-time decision tonight. He’s racked up five goals and seven assists over the last seven games and would obviously be a fine option if he’s able to suit things up. If Letang is unable to give it a go, Olli Maatta would inherit a much larger workload with David Warsofsky emerging as a fine value option.
The Blues have really struggled lately, but they’re hoping their 4-3 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens will get things turned around. When healthy, the Blues are one of the most loaded teams in the Western Conference, however, this team is far from healthy right now. Not only are they missing their #1 netminder in Jake Allen, but the press box is also loaded with talents such as Jaden Schwartz, Magnus Paajarvi, Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnersson. Despite all the injuries, the Blues still have three very capable scoring lines but it’s clearly not a secret that their offense runs through Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko has posted 24 goals and 21 assists in 46 games this season and joins fellow youngsters Jori Lehtera and Robby Fabbri on an explosive top line. On defense, Kevin Shattenkirk runs things from the point of St. Louis’ top power-play unit and has racked up 26 points in 38 games. He tallied an assist against Pittsburgh in their only other meeting and is a fine option in all formats. Both Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko also see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage and can generally be found at a fraction of the asking price.
Elite Options
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk
Secondary Options
PIT: Phil Kessel, Chris Kunitz, Carl Hagelin, Olli Maatta, David Warsofsky
STL: Jori Lehtera, Robby Fabbri, Paul Stastny, David Backes, Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo
Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets – 08:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Ondrej Pavelec | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-21-3 | 21-21-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.80 | 2.80 | 20.50% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.82 | 15.70% | 77.40% |
The Avalanche have lost three of their last four games but will head to Winnipeg having won both prior meetings against these Jets this season. Colorado has posted a respectable 13-7-2 record since the beginning of December and possess plenty of offensive firepower. With Winnipeg being one of the most penalized teams in the NHL this season and also sporting an ugly 77.4% penalty kill, I’ll be centering my attention on the Colorado power-play. Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon lead the team with 38 points a piece with Duchene centering the top power-play line and Nathan MacKinnon leading the charge with the second unit. Duchene has tallied two goals and two assists in the two prior meetings against Winnipeg and will be joined by Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Barrie on that top power-play (along with Blake Comeau and Nick Holden). With Erik Johnson missing his seventh straight game tonight, Barrie will log all the minutes he can handle and shoots up my rankings on the blue-line.
The Jets escaped the Xcel Energy Center with a 1-0 shutout victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night and will head hope to open a critical six game home streak tonight against the Avalanche. With Colorado being the worst puck possession team in the NHL this season (44.3 CF%), the Jets should not be overlooked tonight. Blake Wheeler has been their most dangerous offensive weapon all season and scored their only goal on Friday night. He’s tallied 13 goals and 31 assists in 45 games this season and posted a goal and an assist against Colorado in their two previous meetings this season. He’ll be joined on the top line by Drew Stafford and Bryan Little with all three players also seeing plenty of action with the man advantage. On defense, Dustin Byfuglien can rack up fantasy points across all categories and is given plenty of freedom in the offensive zone. He’s posted 11 goals and 14 assists in 45 games and unloaded 145 SOG, making him a fine option on the blue-line in all formats.
Elite Options
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien
Secondary Options
COL: Gabriel Landeskog, Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, Blake Comeau
WPG: Drew Stafford, Andrew Ladd, Mathieu Perreault, Jacob Trouba, Nick Holden
Buffalo Sabres at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST
| Buffalo Sabres | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-23-4 | 22-17-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.31 | 2.64 | 19.40% | 78.30% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 3.00 | 19.10% | 77.30% |
The two teams that battled for the first overall draft pick last season have both improved mightily this season and will meet tonight in the desert both still very much alive in the playoff races of their respective divisions. The Sabres stunned the Washington Capitals on Saturday and have now won three of their last four games. They rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in their only other previous meeting as well, so there’s at least some intrigue to this team tonight. Evander Kane scored a pair of goals in that first meeting and joins Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn on the top forward line. O’Reilly leads the Sabres with 17 goals and 21 assists in 45 games and has picked up points in five of the last six games. Exciting youngsters Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart team up to give Buffalo a very dangerous secondary scoring line as well. Eichel looks poised for greatness and Reinhart flashed his offensive upside with a hat trick against Winnipeg last week. On defense, Rasmus Ristolainen continues to put up nice offensive numbers and is on pace for a 53 point season. Cody Franson finally snapped his scoring drought with a goal against Washington and sees plenty of run on the point of the #1 power-play unit.
Arizona has dropped two straight games but still surprisingly find themselves sitting in second place in the putrid Pacific Division and have posted a respectable 12-7-3 record at home this season. While they were shutout 2-0 by New Jersey on Saturday, it’s worth noting that they outshot the Devils 38-16 in that game Cory Schneider stole several goals from them. With the Sabres owning an NHL worst 72.2% penalty kill on the road, I’ll be focusing my attention on the Arizona power-play where there are several nice value options. Mikkel Boedker has posted 33 points in 44 games and leads the team with 15 power-play points on the young season. He’s joined on the top power-play unit by Tobias Reider, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan up-front, with the supremely talented Oliver Ekmann-Larsson running things from the point. OEL saw his four game point streak snapped against New Jersey but has racked up seven goals and eight assists over the last 14 games. Alternatively, youngsters Anthony Duclair and Max Domi join Antoine Vermette on the second power-play unit and, with likely much less ownership percentages, they look like fine GPP options.
Elite Options
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen
ARI: Mikkel Boedker, Martin Hanzal, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options
BUF: Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Matt Moulson, Jamie McGinn, Cody Franson
ARI: Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Tobias Rieder, Shane Doan, Antoine Vermette
Ottawa Senators at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EST
| Ottawa Senators | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-18-6 | 23-18-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.98 | 17.90% | 75.80% | Team Stats | 2.84 | 2.72 | 21.50% | 80.20% |
After picking up an impressive victory over the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center on Saturday, the Senators will continue their five game road trip in Northern California tonight against the surging San Jose Sharks. Ottawa hasn’t managed to win back-to-back games since December 5th and things certainly won’t come easy tonight in the Shark Tank. While their defensive play can certainly be called into question, there’s no denying Ottawa’s offensive potential. Erik Karlsson leads the team (and all NHL defensemen) with 46 points in 45 games and scored a goal against the Sharks in their only previous meeting. If you can afford him, he’s very capable of a GPP busting multi-point game. Ottawa will look to push the pace as much as possible in this game, and each of their top two forward lines come with plenty of speed. Bobby Ryan scored a goal and added an assist against on Saturday and also posted a goal and an assist in the first meeting with San Jose. He’ll be joined by Kyle Turris and Mark Stone on the top line with the speedy Mike Hoffman joining Mika Zibanejad and Milan Michalek on a dangerous secondary scoring line.
Don’t look now, but the Sharks are finally gaining momentum. They picked up an overtime victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday and have now rattled off five straight victories. With Ottawa allowing a league worst 3.33 goals against per game on the road this season, there’s plenty to like from San Jose tonight. Joe Pavelski has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last two games, but he still leads the team with 43 points in 43 games and joins Joe Thornton (and Tomas Hertl) on the very dangerous top forward line. However, with Ottawa owning the league’s second worst penalty kill (75.8%), it makes sense to focus your attention on the San Jose power-play. Both Thornton and Pavelski are mainstays on the top power-play unit where they’re joined by Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Brent Burns. Alternatively, Marc-Edouard Vlasic may not be known for his offense, but he’s seeing a healthy dose of playing time on the second power-play unit and has racked up three goals and eight assists over the last 11 games.
Elite Options
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson
SAN: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Brent Burns
Secondary Options
OTT: Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, Milan Michalek
SAN: Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward, Marc-Edouard Vlasic