NHL Grind Down: Monday, January 9th
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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Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils
| Florida Panthers | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | James Reimer |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-16-8 | 16-17-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.24 | 2.63 | 14.90% | 84.80% | Team Stats | 2.24 | 2.90 | 13.50% | 82.30% |
The nightmare season just continues for the Florida Panthers as they were smoked 4-0 over the weekend by the Boston Bruins and sit well out of playoff position as the halfway point of the season. They own just a 6-7-7 record since Thanksgiving and are averaging just 2.24 goals per game this season, making them tough to target in DFS. To make matters a bit worse today, they’ll travel to a New Jersey to battle a Devils team that happens to be one of the slowest paced teams in league this season (104.08 CP60). This would normally be a game I’d have very little interest in targeting (and still is to some degree), but on just a four-game slate, we can’t afford to simply overlook anything here. With Alexander Barkov sidelined (along with Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau), Florida’s once deep forward crew is now rather thin. With that in mind, it’s their top line of Jonathan Marchessault, Vincent Trocheck and Jaromir Jagr that should grab your attention. Marchessault and Jagr are both tied with 25 points on the season while Trocheck has turned things on lately with three goals and three assists in the last six games. He’s also already potted a pair of goals in two previous games against New Jersey this season and remains very reasonably priced across the industry. Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad remain true workhorses on the Florida blue-line and both players are fine options this evening. They both soak up nearly all of the available playing time with on the point of the power-play and, despite their mediocre seasons thus far, both have multi-point upside.
After a really solid 9-3-3 record to start the season, things have quickly turned ugly in New Jersey. Much like their opponent this evening, they have really, really struggled since Thanksgiving as they’ve posted an ugly 6-7-5 record since that time. They too are only averaging 2.24 goals per game this season and much of what was written above applies here as well. Offensively, the Devils have two lines worth targeting but Taylor Hall is the headliner. Despite missing a large chunk of the season, he’s still tied for the team lead with 25 points (in 31 games). Hall averages over three shots on goal per game as well which gives him the solid floor you should be looking for in cash games. Throw in the fact that he’s posted seven goals and ten assists in 15 home games this season, and he’s easily the top player to target here. Hall will be joined by Travis Zajac and P.A. Parenteau on the top forward line, leaving Adam Henrique to center Michael Cammalleri and Kyle Palmieri on a very capable secondary scoring line. On defense, there never seems to be a ton to get excited about in New Jersey in recent memory (maybe since Brian Rafalski left?), but Damon Severson is emerging as a fine mid-tier option. The 22 year-old has picked up 20 points in 41 games and has already dished out a pair of assists against the Panthers this season.
Florida Panthers
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.84 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -17, 110.66 CP60
Elite Options
Vincent Trocheck ($6,300 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.6 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 96.35 PDO
Jaromir Jagr ($5,800 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.71 CF60, 2.77 xGF60, 101.33 PDO
Secondary Options
Jussi Jokinen ($5,300 FD, $4,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.16 CF60, 2.56 xGF60, 95.38 PDO
Jonathan Marchessault ($5,600 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.27 CF60, 2.17 xGF60, 98.25 PDO
Keith Yandle ($5,600 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.47 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 97.89 PDO
Aaron Ekblad ($5,400 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.76 CF60, 2.29 xGF60, 96.05 PDO
Expected Netminder
Roberto Luongo – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 6.5 GPP
New Jersey Devils
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 46.8 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -22, 104.08 CP60
Elite Options
Taylor Hall ($7,000 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.27 CF60, 2.48 xGF60, 98.45 PDO
Secondary Options
Adam Henrique ($5,300 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.91 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 100.85 PDO
Kyle Palmieri ($5,600 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 46.92 CF60, 1.87 xGF60, 104.21 PDO
Travis Zajac ($4,700 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.17 CF60, 2.17 xGF60, 98.96 PDO
Damon Severson ($4,300 FD, $3,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.06 CF60, 2.22 xGF60, 96.23 PDO
Expected Netminder
Cory Schneider – My Ratings (out of 10): 7 Cash, 7 GPP
Washington Capitals at Montréal Canadiens
| Washington Capitals | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-9-5 | 25-9-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.03 | 16.40% | 87.10% | Team Stats | 3.08 | 2.30 | 21.30% | 80.30% |
In a battle between two of the world’s best goaltenders, the Washington Capitals will invade the Bell Centre looking to add to their five game winning streak. Washington shut out the Ottawa Senators over the weekend and made headlines by finally putting an end to the Columbus Blue Jacket’s 16 game winning streak last Thursday. They’ll face another very stiff test tonight as the Canadiens own a very impressive 15-3-2 home record this season. Obviously, breaking down the Washington Capitals has to start with #8 Alex Ovechkin. With 18 goals and 12 assists in 39 games, he’s actually having a rather disappointing season by his standards. However, his 151 shots on goal are the second best mark in the NHL and he’s topped 50 goals in three straight seasons, making him a matchup proof play on a daily basis. Nicklas Backstrom is slated to continue playing alongside him on the top line, but with T.J. Oshie looking unlikely to suit up tonight, Barry Trotz seems ready to give Brett Connolly a shot as the third-wheel on that top line. Connolly does not have much offensive upside, but he would become an intriguing value play if this does indeed happen. Sophomore Evgeny Kuznetsov finally looks to be heating up as he’s posted a goal and five assists in the last three games. He’ll skate alongside Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams on the second line and those three will be key for Washington moving forward as their opposition continues to focus plenty of time and energy trying to slow down the Ovechkin line. John Carlson is the top option on the Washington blue-line. He owns five goals and 17 assists in 39 games this season and leads the team with well over 23 minutes of ice-time per game. He runs the show from the point of the #1 power-play unit and is a fine option despite the very tough matchup.
For a brief moment, the Montreal Canadiens looked a bit vulnerable, but they’ve seemed to fix that as they’ve now picked up wins in each of their last three games and still sit on top of the Atlantic Division. Montreal picked up a tightly contested 2-1 victory the first time these two teams squared off this season and I’d expect a similar defensive type of battle this evening as Washington has allowed an NHL low 2.03 goals against per game this season. Up-front, the Canadiens have been decimated by injuries. Brendan Gallagher now joins the likes of Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais and Andrew Shaw on the injured reserve and the weight of their scoring falls firmly on the backs of their top forward line consisting of Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov. Pacioretty looks poised to put this team on his back as he’s scored at least on goal in three straight games and posted 14 goals and added five assists over the last 16 games. Meanwhile Radulov has pushed his point streak to six games and Danault has emerged as a terrific value option as most sites have been slow to react to his new role with this offense. On defense, Shea Weber continues to log all the playing time he can handle and is a rock solid option in all formats. He’s picked up two assists in each of the last two games and will put a four-game point streak on the line tonight. Alternatively, Jeff Petry continues to benefit from Andrei Markov absence and has been putting up solid numbers lately. He’s very reasonably priced, quarterbacks the #2 power-play unit, and lit the lamp in the first meeting against the Capitals.
Washington Capitals
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.33 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 28, 110.12 CP60
Elite Options
Alex Ovechkin ($8,800 FD, $8,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.36 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 102.35 PDO
Secondary Options
Nicklas Backstrom ($6,600 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.38 CF60, 2.62 xGF60, 102.73 PDO
Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,700 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.12 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 104.24 PDO
Marcus Johansson ($5,200 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.82 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 103.4 PDO
Expected Netminder
Braden Holtby – My Ratings (out of 10): 8 Cash, 8 GPP
Montreal Canadiens
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.58 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 27, 117.03 CP60
Elite Options
Max Pacioretty ($7,500 FD, $6,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.56 CF60, 2.94 xGF60, 100.72 PDO
Shea Weber ($6,500 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.49 CF60, 2.67 xGF60, 102.08 PDO
Secondary Options
Alexander Radulov ($6,200 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.24 CF60, 3 xGF60, 101.99 PDO
Phillip Danault ($4,400 FD, $4,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.66 CF60, 2.78 xGF60, 98.5 PDO
Tomas Plekanec ($5,100 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.06 CF60, 2.64 xGF60, 101.79 PDO
Jeff Petry ($5,500 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 68.46 CF60, 3.17 xGF60, 102.78 PDO
Expected Netminder
Carey Price – My Ratings (out of 10): 8 Cash, 8 GPP
Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets
| Calgary Flames | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-18-2 | 19-20-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.76 | 20.70% | 81.60% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.98 | 17.20% | 77.10% |
After picking up a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Calgary will head out on a quick one-game road trip looking to climb their way right into the thick of things in the Pacific Division. They were very cold out of the gates this season, but Calgary has turned things around and somewhat quietly own a solid 17-8-1 record over their last 26 games. With Winnipeg allowing a troubling 2.98 goals against per game this season, this does look like the most fantasy friendly game to target on this small slate. Johnny Gaudreau is the clear offensive leader of the Flames and he’ll join forces with Sean Monahan and Alex Chiasson both at even strength and on the #1 power-play unit. Gaudreau dished out a pair of assists against the Jets in their only previous meeting this season and his drastic home vs road splits from last season finally appear to be a thing of the past. While the trio on the top line will certainly command plenty of attention this evening, the second line of Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik should be on your radar as well. Tkachuk, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft, has picked up at least one point in nine straight games and has racked up a goal and 12 assists over his last 12 games. The Calgary blue-line has been a terrific source for fantasy production all season, and I’ll be targeting it heavily tonight considering the fine matchup and Winnipeg’s ugly 77.1% penalty kill. Mark Giordano is widely viewed as the top option, but I’m firmly on Team Dougie Hamilton. Also worth noting is that T.J. Brodie has picked up his offense lately with two goals and seven assists in his last 11 games and also sees a very healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage.
The Jets return home after a three-game road trip, but they just can’t seem to gain much momentum. They hit the halfway point owning a very mediocre 19-20-3 record and to make things worse, they rookie phenom Patrik Laine to a concussion. While the Laine injury is certainly a huge blow to this offense, Paul Maurice still has plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal and tonight’s matchup against the Calgary Flames isn’t one to shy away from. Mark Scheifele has taken a huge step forward this season and leads the charge with 37 points in 39 games. He’ll miss playing alongside Laine, but his linemates Nikolaj Ehlers and Drew Stafford are both more than capable up providing some consistent offense. Meanwhile, Blake Wheeler has stayed out of the spotlight for most of the year, but he remains a very dangerous scoring threat. Wheeler owns 11 goals and 21 assists in 42 games this season and I expect him and his linemates Mathieu Perreault and Bryan Little to step up their offense to help offset the Laine injury. Dustin Byfuglien hasn’t looked quite as dangerous offensively as he has in recent seasons, but he’s still a very intriguing option on the blue-line. Big Buff owns five goals and 19 assists in 42 games this season and his ability to rack up the peripheral stats makes him a top-notch target this evening in all formats. Alternatively, Jacob Trouba has actually grabbed the reigns as the point-man of the #1 power-play unit and still sports a very reasonable asking price. He saw his five game point streak snapped on Saturday, but with a pair of goals and eight assists over his last 12 games, he’s a solid option as well.
Calgary Flames
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 50.39 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -7, 109.51 CP60
Elite Options
Johnny Gaudreau ($7,600 FD, $7,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.28 CF60, 2.48 xGF60, 96.41 PDO
Mark Giordano ($6,400 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.55 CF60, 2.47 xGF60, 100.3 PDO
Dougie Hamilton ($6,000 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.71 CF60, 2.96 xGF60, 97.1 PDO
Secondary Options
Sean Monahan ($6,600 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.55 CF60, 2.35 xGF60, 97.67 PDO
Mikael Backlund ($6,100 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.91 CF60, 2.77 xGF60, 99.57 PDO
T.J. Brodie ($4,500 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.93 CF60, 1.95 xGF60, 96.57 PDO
Expected Netminder
Brian Elliott – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7 GPP
Winnipeg Jets
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.64 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -11, 104.12 CP60
Elite Options
Blake Wheeler ($7,100 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.04 CF60, 2.8 xGF60, 95.52 PDO
Mark Scheifele ($7,600 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.41 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 102.39 PDO
Dustin Byfuglien ($6,400 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.3 CF60, 2.48 xGF60, 97.28 PDO
Secondary Options
Bryan Little ($5,800 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.78 CF60, 3.04 xGF60, 95.93 PDO
Nikolaj Ehlers ($6,600 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.62 CF60, 2.42 xGF60, 101.38 PDO
Mathieu Perreault ($4,700 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.15 CF60, 2.6 xGF60, 92.82 PDO
Jacob Trouba ($4,900 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.96 CF60, 2.54 xGF60, 99.82 PDO
Expected Netminder
Connor Hellebuyck – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7 GPP
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings
| Dallas Stars | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Kari Lehtonen |  | Peter Budaj | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-16-8 | 20-16-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 3.03 | 17.20% | 75.20% | Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.40 | 16.50% | 83.50% |
Nothing seems to be going right for the Dallas Stars lately. Not only have they now dropped three straight games, but they were also forced to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from St. Louis yesterday. With Jamie Benn still likely sidelined for the next two games, they’ll have the unenviable task of trying to snap their losing streak at the Staples Center where the Los Angeles Kings own a solid 12-5-1 record this season. With Benn sidelined, things are pretty straight forward for the Stars tonight as Tyler Seguin will be leaned on very heavily to carry the load offensively. He leads the club with 39 points in 40 games and has punished Los Angeles this season by scoring a goal and adding two assists in their two prior meetings. Both Jason Spezza and Jiri Hudler are slated to join him on the top forward line which makes them both very much fantasy relevant. Those three are likely going to be shadowed all over the ice by Anze Kopitar pestering defense, but they’re too talented to ignore on this short slate. Alternatively, both Cody Eakin and Patrick Eaves are still seeing time alongside Seguin on the Star’s #1 power-play unit which solidifies them as fine value options, particularly in GPPs. On defense, John Klingberg has tallied a goal and an assist in each of the last two games and appears to be fully out of Lindy Ruff’s doghouse at this point. Klingberg facilitates things from the point of the #1 power-play unit and has already dished out a pair of assists against Los Angeles this season.
The Kings have been very tough to figure out this season. They’re barely holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and, despite being loaded with talent, haven’t won back-to-back games in nearly a month. They did pick up a very important 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and this six-game home-stand could be the turning point in their season (for good or bad). They’re clearly missing Tyler Toffoli offensive abilities, but this is still a two-headed offensive attack with Anze Kopitar centering Marian Gaborik and Trevor Lewis on one line and Jeff Carter skating between Tanner Pearson and Devin Setoguchi on another. The Kopitar/Gaborik/Lewis line is clearly very dangerous and capable of a big night offensively, but my preference is to target the Carter line this evening. Carter has terrorized this Dallas team in their two prior meetings this season; scoring three goals and adding an assist. He’s scored three goals and added three assists in his last four games and should benefit from Dallas’ up-tempo style of play. On defense, Drew Doughty is the reigning Norris Trophy winner and quarterback’s the #1 power-play unit. He dished out a pair of assists on Saturday night and is a rock solid cash game option this evening. Alec Martinez might not be as well known as Doughty, but he’s arguably been the King’s top defenseman this season. Martinez has posted a very solid 22 points in 40 games and ranks near the top of the NHL with 85 blocked shots.
Dallas Stars
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 49.88 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -2, 117.99 CP60
Elite Options
Tyler Seguin ($8,700 FD, $7,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.05 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 99.39 PDO
Secondary Options
Jason Spezza ($6,600 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.04 CF60, 2.44 xGF60, 98.03 PDO
Jiri Hudler ($4,100 FD, $3,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.01 CF60, 2.27 xGF60, 98.65 PDO
Patrick Eaves ($5,500 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.7 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 96.69 PDO
Patrick Sharp ($5,500 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.28 CF60, 1.95 xGF60, 96.3 PDO
John Klingberg ($5,600 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.38 CF60, 2.45 xGF60, 100.79 PDO
Expected Netminder
Kari Lehtonen – My Ratings (out of 10): 5.5 Cash, 6 GPP
Los Angeles Kings
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 54.51 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 1, 108.55 CP60
Elite Options
None
Anze Kopitar ($6,700 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.76 CF60, 2.85 xGF60, 97.51 PDO
Drew Doughty ($6,300 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.63 CF60, 2.51 xGF60, 100.16 PDO
Alec Martinez ($5,300 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.34 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 96.51 PDO
Secondary Options
Marian Gaborik ($4,500 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.62 CF60, 3.44 xGF60, 95.53 PDO
Tanner Pearson ($5,400 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.56 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 100.6 PDO
Jake Muzzin ($4,400 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.19 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 95.29 PDO
Expected Netminder
Peter Budaj – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP