NHL Grind Down: Monday, March 21st
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 York Rangers – 07:00 PM EDT
| Florida Panthers | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 40-23-9 | 40-24-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.42 | 17.00% | 81.20% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.61 | 18.00% | 77.30% |
After a quick 5-3 home loss the Florida Panthers hit the road again for their fourth road game over the last five and this time they land in Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. With only ten games left on the year it’s safe to say that both teams are in good shape to make the year end tournament. The Panthers have scored 29 goals over the last seven games with five of them coming with the man advantage. This could come in handy as the Rangers have given up three goals in the last five games while a man down. The top line that features Jaromir Jagr, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau also doubles as the team’s top power play unit. Huberdeau leads the way with eight points over the last seven games while Jagr has tallied three goals and four assists over that same time period. Barlov is starting to heat up by virtue of his three goals and four points in the last five games. The second line could be in play here as well as Jussi Jokinen has scored a point in nine of the last ten games with line mates Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith finding the score sheet at least nine times over the last ten games. It looks like the panthers have gone to the one defenseman theory when it comes to the top power play unit which means that forward Nick Bjugstad gets to the play the point next to Aaron Ekblad. Bjugstad makes an excellent one-off play here as very quietly he has lit the lamp three times and assisted on three others goals in his last five games. Although Henrik Lundqvist is a formidable goalie I think the Panthers should register a few goals tonight.
New York could easily find themselves not hosting the first playoff round if they aren’t careful. Their 88 points is good for second place in the Metropolitan division but with the Islanders sitting in fourth place with 85 points things could turn very quickly. The Rangers have only scored ten goals in the last five games as their only was a 2-1 victory against the Ducks in Anaheim last Wednesday. Rick Nash has played six games since his injury and although has been skating on the top line he has nothing to show for it. Line mate Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello are the plays from the top line as they also get the top minutes on the team’s first power play unit. Brassard has scored six points in the last seven games and while Zuccarello has been silent in the last four games he did manage to find the score sheet seven times in the previous six games. The same holds true for Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider as they too get the top minutes on the power play but have come up empty over the last three games. Stepan had eight points in the previous seven games while Kreider registered four points in six games before the ensuing scoring drought. Believe it or not defenseman Keith Yandle is in the same boat as he had five points in five games before his last three games that saw him not score a point. Scoring is contagious folks and with the rangers back on home ice they hope to start the engine as the playoffs are just a few weeks away.
Elite Plays
FLA: None
NYR: None
Secondary Plays
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Jussi Jokinen, Nick Bjugstad, Aaron Ekblad
NYR: Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Keith Yandle
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders – 07:00 PM EDT
| Philadelphia Flyers | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Thomas Greiss | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-24-12 | 38-23-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.57 | 2.60 | 18.50% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 2.74 | 2.46 | 19.40% | 85.10% |
Hey! Remember when the Flyers shut out the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers back in early October? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. The Flyers are 8-2-1 over the last 11 games and have become, at least for the time being, part of the playoff conversation. With only 12 games remaining Philadelphia currently sits just three points away from the Detroit Red Wings who occupy the eighth and final playoff spot in the eastern conference. Just when the Flyers had some good news with the return of Jakub Voracek, they promptly received the bad news that Michal Neuvirth will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Steve Mason can’t possibly handle all the goaltending chores as he has at times been as brittle as the relationship between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Look for Anthony Stolarz to get a game or two in before the end of the season if for no other reason than to give Mason a rest. Brayden Schenn has been leading the Flyers in scoring over the last ten games with 11 points and six of them being goals. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds have chipped in at least nine points over the last ten games. All three are joined with Voracek on a power play that looks to return to form from earlier in the season where they had scored ten goals over seven games with the man advantage. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere rounds out the five man power play unit and has scored four goals over the last six games. If it is a few contrarian plays that you seek look no further than either Michael Raffl or Sean Couturier as both play on the second line and have found the score sheet at least seven times over the last ten games.
There are only four teams in the NHL that have less than ten losses on home ice and the Islanders are one of them. Although the New Yorkers have lost their last three games something must be said to the fact that they have played 12 of the last 14 games on the road and have won both home games during that stretch against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers. Arthur Staples, who is the Islanders beat writer, has said the lines will remains the same as last game which means that John Tavares will skate on the team’s top line with Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson. Tavares has scored three goals and had assists on three others in the past eight games while Nelson and Strome have managed just three goals between them over the last ten games. This could be due to the fact that Tavares plays on the team’s top power play unit while the other two players do not. Tavares is in play tonight especially with the Flyers giving up three goals over the last four games while being a man down. Look for second liners Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to do some damage tonight as well as they skate with Tavares on the top power play unit and have combined for five goals and 12 assists in the last ten games. Anders Lee makes a decent one-off play here by virtue of not only playing on the top power play unit but by finding the scoresheet six times over the last ten games. Defenseman Nick Leddy has gone cold of late as he has not registered a point in his last five games after grabbing seven points in the five previous games. New York will score some goals tonight and probably take home the victory in the process.
Elite Plays
PHL: Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
PHL: Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere Michael Raffl
NYI: Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Nick Leddy, Anders Lee
Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:30 PM EDT
| Calgary Flames | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Niklas Backstrom |  | Jonathan Bernier | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-35-6 | 25-35-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 3.08 | 15.80% | 74.70% | Team Stats | 2.30 | 2.83 | 14.50% | 81.00% |
Win, lose or draw the Calgary Flames seem to have been scoring some goals lately. 19 in the last four games to be exact as their latest victim was the Montreal Canadiens as they disposed of them by a score of 4-1 last night. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan each have at least six points over the last seven games and look to continue the scoring binge tonight against a Toronto team that has won three of their last four games. The second line could be the best bet here however as the streaky Michael Frolik has netted three goals to go along with three assist over the last four games. In the last seven games both Joe Colborne and Mikael Backlund have lit the lamp four times with Backlund having the edge by assisting on four goals to Colborne’s two. Mark Giordano could be the defensive play of the night as he registered 11 points in the last ten games with four of those points finding the back of the net. Dougie Hamilton has been placed on the team’s top power play line and is definitely a cheaper option with eight points in his last ten games.
As if the pickings weren’t slim enough it now appears that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without the services of Leo Komarov, Nikita Soshnikov and Peter Holland for tonight’s contest against the Calgary Flames. This turn of events would seem to make the Maple Leafs a very nice GPP option on such a small slate. Nazem Kadri his usual ice time but with his three points over the last ten games maybe this is not the way to go when choosing Toronto players for your roster. Ex-Senator Milan Michalek has been able to hit the score sheet three times over the past three games while Pierre Parenteau also has four points in the last four games he has played in. William Nylander has all the hype of a rising star in which we got to see a glimpse of last game as he collected two of his four NHL points that he has to his credit in his first 11 games in the league. Zach Hyman is another youngster who could find some space tonight as he has demonstrated a knack for finding the back of the new as evidence by scoring three goals over the last seven games. Jake Gardiner is back on the top power play unit and has found the score sheet five times over the last ten games. The Leafs should score a few goals in this one so check the resources here at Rotogrinders to find out exactly what the lines will be tonight then pair them up.
Elite Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano
TOR:None
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik
TOR: Pierre Parenteau, Milan Michalek, William Nylander, Jake Gardiner
Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators – 08:00 PM EDT
| Los Angeles Kings | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Quick |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 44-22-5 | 36-23-13 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.23 | 21.10% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.56 | 19.60% | 80.60% |
The Kings continue to look like a team that has all the makings of winning yet another Stanley Cup. They have won 11 of their last 14 games and hold a four point lead over the second place Anaheim Ducks for the top spot in the Pacific division. It looks like Kris Versteeg will miss this game due to a lower body injury he sustained in the last game which would no doubt jumble up the lines a bit for head coach Darryl Sutter. He likes mixing up the lines as it is so this current situation should be right in his wheelhouse. Check @lakingsinsder for the practice lines from this morning’s skate but for now here is the best guess scenario. After the injury Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic found Tyler Toffoli skating on their line and that is probably the best solution that Sutter could come up with as that would leave the second line intact. Kopitar is in play here as opposing teams cannot keep him off of the score sheet as he has registered 13 points over the last ten games. Lucic is close behind with ten points in as many games. Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown also make good plays here provided that Brown does indeed stay on the second line with Carter. Brown has lit the lamp three times to go along with an assist in the last four games while Carter has grabbed three goals while in the midst of registering eight points over the Kings last seven games. On defense the choices are either Jake Muzzin or Drew Doughty. Either make for a decent play on a four game slate it’s just a matter of what salary cap space you have that will determine which one to choose.
After winning nine of their last twelve games the Nashville Predators were presented with the unenviable task of facing two of the best three teams in the league over a four day period. Friday night’s game in Washington didn’t go too well as the Capitals took the victory home the 4-1 victory. Tonight Nashville returns home to face the red hot Los Angeles Kings who not only lead the Pacific division but have a sterling record of 7-2-1 over the last ten games. James Neal has been the hottest player of the last five games for the Predators by collecting four goals and two assists while line mate Ryan Johansen has accrued five points in the last seven games. The Kings play tough defensively and have actually given up less goals on the road than they have at home. Filip Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith are doing their best ‘New York Ranger’ impression as they had tallied 27 points over the last ten games but have just registered one Forsberg goal in their last five games. This is the team’s top power play unit and is also the line that Nashville will probably put out against the Kings non-shutdown line. Roman Josi and Shea Weber make fine choices on the point as they have for seven assists over the last four games.
Elite Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar
NSH: James Neal
Secondary Plays
LAK: Milan Lucic, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Mike Ribeiro, Craig Smith, Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg