NHL Grind Down: Saturday, December 16th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2017-12-16 20:11:10 Premium Content Part of the product Core4

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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.

Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild

Edmonton Oilers					Minnesota Wild
			Cam Talbot					Alex Stalock
			Record					Record
			13-17-2					17-11-3
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.91	3.25	18.39	72.12	Team Stats	2.87	2.81	21.59	82.91

Over the last few weeks Edmonton has been one of the most ‘hot and cold’ teams in the league. They are 3-3 in their last six games and have scored 20 goals in the three wins and just two goals in the three losses. Connor McDavid leads the charge from the top line as he and Milan Lucic are joined by third liner Leon Draisaitl and fourth liner Mark Letestu on the team’s top power play unit that has netted four goals in the last four games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centers the second line along with Mike Cammalleri and Patrick Maroon while Jesse Puljujarvi joins McDavid and Lucic on the top line when Edmonton his in a 5×5 situation. McDavid’s nine points over the last six games has helped build is lead to 39 points over Draisaitl, Lucic and Nugent-Hopkins who all have 22 points so far this season. Oscar Klefbom and Matt Benning both get to play on the power play from the back line but it has been Darnell Nurse who has accumulated five points in the last six games. Nurse has 11 points while the other two defensemen mentioned have just eight points apiece. Edmonton has problems scoring at times as they look to beat a Minnesota team that is 10-3-1 in front of their home fans.

Alex Stalock has been filling in nicely for the injured Devan Dubnyk and will need to continue to do so if the Wild want to stay in the playoff hunt. Thanks to winning seven of the last 10 games Minnesota has been able to stay in fourth place in the central Division with 37 points and should be able to pick a few easy points here tonight against a one-line Edmonton team. Eric Staal leads the team in points from the top line with 27 of them as he centers Jason Zucker and Zack Mitchell while Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter skate on the team’s second line. Charlie Coyle comes up from the third line to skate with Staal, Zucker and defensemen Mike Reilly and Ryan Murphy when the Wild have the extra attacker. Granlund has been productive over the last two weeks as he has notched five of his 20 points over that time frame while the top forwards on the power play have combined for six goals and nine assists over that same time frame. Defensemen Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba have each grabbed four points over the last two weeks which makes Suter the better play as his 18 points leads all Wild defensemen in that category. As long as the Wild play their defensive style of hockey the home crowd should go home happy this evening.

Top Plays

EDM: Connor McDavid
MIN: Eric Staal

Secondary Plays

EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mark Letestu, Milan Lucic
MIN: Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Suter