NHL Grind Down: Saturday, February 13th
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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New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers – 01:00 PM EST
| New Jersey Devils | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-21-7 | 24-20-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.22 | 2.24 | 20.30% | 83.00% | Team Stats | 2.40 | 2.60 | 17.70% | 79.30% |
The Devils come into this one looking to stay in the Eastern conference playoff hunt, and as of now they would be just one point away. Needless to say, a win today would go a long way. Mike Cammalleri did not make the trip, so the Devils will once again be without their leading scorer in terms of points per game. Although the Devils are 6-2-2 in their last ten games, they have only scored 12 goals in their last seven games, which would indicate that they have been getting some good play in between the pipes. Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak lead the charge as they skate on the team’s top line as well as grab the extra minutes on the top power play. Speaking of the power play, it has produced nine goals in the last eight games and should get some opportunities against Philadelphia this afternoon. Tyler Kennedy and defenseman Eric Gelinas also are on the top power-play unit and have each collected three assists in the last six games. New Jersey has scored 124 goals which is dead last in the Eastern conference, so it may be wise to look elsewhere for your cash games plays today.
After a brief three-game losing streak, the Flyers came off the deck to score five goals and notch the win against the Buffalo Sabres on home ice Thursday night. The top line of Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux is the line to target today as they not only are the team’s top three scorers, they play as a unit on the team’s top power play. Simmonds leads the group with eight goals and 11 points in the last 10 games, while Voracek and Giroux have 12 and 10 points respectively over that same time frame. Brayden Schenn is your one-off here as he skates on the second line, but has tallied eight points in the last nine games thanks to getting some extra minutes on the power play. Shayne Gostisbehere is the play on defense as he brings his 10-gamegame scoring streak into this game today.
Elite Plays
NJ: None
PHL: Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere
Secondary Plays
NJ: Lee Stempniak, Adam Henrique, Eric Gelinas
PHL: Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn
Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild – 02:00 PM EST
| Boston Bruins | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-19-6 | 23-21-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.94 | 2.74 | 23.80% | 83.20% | Team Stats | 2.46 | 2.48 | 17.90% | 78.20% |
After getting lambasted by the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 9-2 on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins rebounded back nicely to beat the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 6-2 as they embarked on a six game road trip. Boston’s road record is 17-5-3 so there’s no reason to think they can’t go into Minnesota and come out with a victory this afternoon. Boston shuffled their lines last game and it seemed to work out just fine, the only problem being is what line to target. Brad Marchand could possibly be the hottest player in the league by scoring a goal in ten of his last 11 games. Patrice Bergeron skates next to him on the top line and although he only has two goals and 19 shots over the last three games they make a decent pairing. David Krejci skates on the second line and has grabbed two goals to go along with six assists over the last eight games. Krejci and Bergeron skate on the team’s top power play line along with third liners Loui Eriksson and Ryan Spooner. Eriksson got back on track over the last two games but Spooner may need a little more time to develop the chemistry needed to produce on a more consistent basis. Defensman Torey Krug gets the extra power play minutes but it has been Zdeno Chara who not only has more points, he has found the scoresheet five times over the last seven games.
The Minnesota Wild have only won three games in their last 18 games but the good news is, at least they have been starting to score some goals. Outside of the top power play unit there isn’t much to see here as is the case with most one line teams that do not score much. The top line of Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle and Mikko Koivu have started to heat up as they have a combined two goals and six assists in the last two games. Coyle may be the play though as he has five goals to go along with an assist in his last eight games. Thomas Vanek and defenseman Ryan Suter also play on the team’s top power play unit which has scored a goal in each of the last five games. Vanek has tallied three assists while Suter has a goal and four assists over the last four games.
Elite Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand
MIN: None
Secondary Plays
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Loui Eriksson, Ryan Spooner, Zdeno Chara
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter, Thomas Vanek
Nashville Predators at Florida Panthers – 07:00 PM EST
| Nashville Predators | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-21-9 | 32-17-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.69 | 19.20% | 78.20% | Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.22 | 17.20% | 82.40% |
If the season were to end today the Nashville Predators would be the eighth and final seed in the Western conference. Unfortunately there are still 27 games to be played and they have three teams behind them that are just three points away, so there is plenty of time to either improve or fall out of the race altogether. The good news is Nashville has been scoring some goals despite their 1-3-1 record over the past five games. The top line of Ryan Johansen, James Neal and Calle Jarnkrok have hooked up for five goals and five assists over the last four games while second liner Filip Forsberg has added another four goals and two assists in the last three games he has played in. Mike Ribeiro skates on the second line next to Forsberg but gets the added benefit of playing on the team’s top power play line next to Johansen and Neal. Defensively you have two choices in either Shea Weber or Roman Josi. Both play on the power play and it has been Josi who has had the hot hand of late by virtue if grabbing six points in his last five games. Look for this game to be a little sloppy as both teams have played last night.
Florida has been one of the biggest surprises this year as they lead the Atlantic division with 70 points which is also good for second in the conference. The Panthers have dropped three of the last four games and look to turn things around tonight against the Nashville Predators. As reported by Florida beat writer Harvey Fialkov, it looks like the Panthers will have to wait until early next week to get Aleksander Barkov back into the lineup. Barkov is suffering from one of those mysterious ‘upper body’ injuries. With the injury to Barkov, head coach Gerard Gallant has move Nick Bjugstad to the top line to play with Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Huberdeau. Jagr is the play here as he not only skates with the second line to form the team’s top power play unit, he has also recorded six points in his last five games. Speaking of the second line, they have been on fire of late as they have a combined 14 goals to go along with 20 assists over the last ten games. Jussi Jokinen leads the way with three goals and nine assists while Reilly Smith has six goals and five assists. Rounding out the trio is Vincent Trocheck who has contributed 11 points over that same ten game time frame. Defenseman Brian Campbell is back on the team’s top power play and has risen to the occasion as he has tallied nine of his 23 points in the last nine games. Aaron Ekblad can also be considered here but his value has been diminished by being pulled off the top power play unit.
Elite Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen
FLA: None
Secondary Plays
NSH: James Neal, Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Filip Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Jussi Jokinen, Vincent Trocheck, Reilly Smith, Brian Campbell
Ottawa Senators at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EST
| Ottawa Senators | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Joonas Korpisalo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-25-6 | 22-28-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.80 | 3.09 | 18.20% | 73.80% | Team Stats | 2.50 | 3.09 | 17.80% | 80.00% |
With both Ottawa and Columbus ranked 29th and 30th in goals against, this one could see a lot of scoring. Where the Senators are concerned defenseman Erik Karlsson has to be in the conversation as he not only leads the team in scoring he has accumulated 14 points in his last ten games. The top line of Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan and the recently injured Kyle Turris make up the team’s top line but have slumping of late even with the extra minutes they see on the top power play unit. The second line is intriguing here especially on the road as Mark Stone leads the way with six goals and three assists in the last six games. Zack Smith and Jean-Gabriel Pageau round out the top six and each have at least six points in their last six games.
Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has kept the Blue Jackets competitive in recent games as he has had a save percentage of at least .960 in three of the last five games. They have scored 11 goals in the last five games so we have to dig a bit deeper to see where the production may come from tonight. The Blue Jackets employ players from three different lines to make up the team’s top power play unit. This could be the reason they have only scored seven goals in their last 16 games with the man advantage. Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson skate on the second line and have been the most productive over the past nine games by finding the scoresheet nine times each going into tonight’s game. Scott Hartnell and Brandon Saad skate on the first line and have combined for seven goals and two assist over the last nine games. That isn’t close to the production of Dubinsky and Atkinson but they could score a goal or two tonight against the defensively challenged Senators. Seth Jones mans the point on the power play and even though he has two assists in his last three games, you could probably do better at the defensive position tonight.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
CBJ: None
Secondary Plays
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Mark Stone, Jean-Gabriel Pageau
CBJ: Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Saad, Seth Jones
New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes – 07:00 PM EST
| New York Islanders | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Jaroslav Halak |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-18-6 | 24-21-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.47 | 19.40% | 87.10% | Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.60 | 15.90% | 81.50% |
Although John Tavares and Kyle Okposo have been skating on different lines it looks like they are still a formidable force on the power play. The Islanders have scored six power play goals in the last six games so it’s no surprise that Tavares and Okposo have been finding the scoresheet more frequently of late. Tavares has five goals and eight assists in the last ten games while Okposo has registered 12 points over that same time frame. Nick Leddy has been helping out from the point by virtue of his nine points he has registered in the last nine games. If you want to split up Tavares and Okposo you can put Mikhail Grabovski with Tavares and Frans Nielsen with Okposo. Nielsen and Anders Lee complete the power play unit but it is Grabovski that has lit the lamp three times and has three assists in his last eight games. Carolina is always tough at home but by playing last night, they should be a bit tired.
Carolina comes into this one on the losing end of two straight 2-1 shootout losses with the latest being last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes have trouble scoring at times as exemplified by their top line of Eric Staal, Elias Lindholm and Kris Versteeg combining for only five goals and ten points over the last ten games. The second line however has been the one doing the most damage with Jordan Staal leading the way with ten points over the last ten games he has played. Joakim Norstrom and Andrej Nestrasil complete the team’s second line and should only be considered as GPP plays, especially after playing last night. Defenseman Justin Faulk was held out of last night’s game with a leg injury and according to Hurricane beat writer Chip Alexander, he ‘could’ play tonight, so stay tuned. Jeff Skinner makes a fine one-off play as he has collected six points over the last six games. Skinner has always had the talent but it seems that whatever line he is put on, the chemistry just doesn’t work.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo
Car: None
Secondary Plays
NYI: Nick Leddy, Mikhail Grabovski, Frans Nielson, Anders Lee
CAR: Jordan Staal, Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner, Andrej Nestrasil