NHL Grind Down: Saturday, February 18th
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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 write-ups 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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St. Louis Blues at Buffalo Sabres
| St. Louis Blues | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-22-5 | 25-23-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.88 | 22.00% | 84.60% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 2.69 | 23.30% | 74.30% |
The Blues have turned things around as of late, winning seven of their last eight games and turning what looked like the Titanic into a cruise ship headed for a sunny island. Their record of 31-22-5 has them in third place in the Central Division with 67 points. Vladimir Tarasenko leads the team with 27 goals and 55 points as he skates on the top line with Jori Lehtera and Alexander Steen. It’s no surprise that he skates on the top power play unit, as there’s no way to tally that many points without the extra ice time. Steen joins him when the Blues draw a penalty, along with second liners Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund. It looks like Paul Stastny is out again, which is why Berglund gets the bump here. David Perron is the third part of the second line at even strength. The second line could be used as a tournament play here, as there’s no doubt that Buffalo will try to shut down the Blues top line. Berglund has scored six goals in the last eight games, while Schwartz is fourth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists. Kevin Shattenkirk makes an excellent cash game play here, especially if you are playing the early slate only. Shattenkirk quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit, as his 20 power play points not only leads the team but has propelled him into being the team’s second-highest scorer of the season.
Believe it or not, the Buffalo Sabres are just three points away from qualifying for the playoffs. They have been healthy for the most part over the last month, which has helped the team become a bit more competitive, and now they’re knocking on the door of the playoffs. Ryan O’Reilly centers the top line with Kyle Okposo and Justin Bailey, while Jack Eichel will skate with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart. O’Reilly and Okposo are easily the chalk here, as Okposo leads the team with 38 points while O’Reilly is hot on his heels with 12 goals and 25 assists. They both play on the top power play unit along with Reinhart and Eichel from the second line, which has scored five times in the last six games. Eichel looks to be a decent one-off play here, as he leads the team with 10 points over the last eight games. Eichel missed a good chunk of time in the beginning of the season, which is why he has only 31 points in the 37 games he has suited up for. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is the furthest you need to look this afternoon, as the youngster has collected 19 of his 34 points while quarterbacking the top power play unit. St Louis has been playing very well of late, but that doesn’t mean that the Sabres won’t score some goals this afternoon.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
BUF: Kyle Okposo
Secondary Plays
STL: Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz, Patrik Berglund
BUF: Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evander Kane
Winnipeg Jets at Montréal Canadiens
| Winnipeg Jets | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-29-5 | 31-19-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.87 | 3.17 | 17.90% | 76.70% | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.55 | 21.40% | 79.40% |
Winnipeg has only won one of their last five games, and they have had a heck of a time all season keeping the puck out of their own net. They can score goals, however, which is what we need to concentrate on this afternoon. Bryan Little centers Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine, while Mark Scheifele will center Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault. Laine leads the team with 27 goals, while Scheifele has the lead with 33 assists and 58 points. Montreal will have to choose which line they want to try to shut down, as they have given up four goals in each of their last four games. The trick here is to keep the line mates together. So, for example, if you take Scheifele, either grab Wheeler or Perreault; if it’s Laine you like, take either Little or Ehlers. For my money, it’s Scheifele and Wheeler, as they have both registered seven or more points over the last eight games. Dustin Byfuglien looks like the better defenseman on paper (and maybe he is), but both he and Trouba have been finding the score sheet lately, so it may not matter which one you choose here. Byfuglien does lead all Winnipeg defensemen with 36 points, while his 179 shots on goal are second on the team.
This will be Claude Julien’s first game behind the bench since he was hired earlier in the week. Montreal is in first place in the Atlantic Division with 70 points, which is just four ahead of the Ottawa Senators. Already, Julien is starting to employ what he thinks will help Montreal become a better team. Alex Galchenyuk will center Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov on the team’s top line. Pacioretty leads the team with 28 goals and 50 points while Radulov’s 28 assists is tops on the team. Galchenyuk has only played in 37 games this season, but there’s no need to worry here, as this line should get plenty of opportunities to score this afternoon. Brendan Gallagher looks like he will return to the lineup and skate on the second line with Tomas Plekanec and Paul Byron. Gallagher is normally in on most of the Montreal scoring but injuries have slowed him down this year, as he has tallied 18 points in the 40 games he has played in this season. Phillip Danault has been shifted to the third line, which should deflate his value a bit as he was centering the top line under his old boss. Andrei Markov has returned on the back line, and, for all intents and purposes, has picked up exactly where he left off. He quarterbacks the top power play unit along with Shea Weber and has tallied five points in the last eight games. Weber, on the other hand, has tallied 18 of his 32 points on the man advantage, which leads the team.
Elite Plays
WIN: Mark Scheifele
MTL: Max Pacioretty
Secondary Plays
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien
MTL: Alexander Radulov, Alex Galchenyuk, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov
Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings
| Washington Capitals | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-11-6 | 22-25-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.41 | 2.09 | 22.10% | 84.50% | Team Stats | 2.37 | 3.00 | 11.80% | 80.20% |
The Capitals had won 19 of their last 22 games before their mandatory break after last Saturday night’s game. The only thing that could stop this team, most likely, was a week-long break, so it will be interesting to see how they return to the ice tonight. Alexander Ovechkin leads the team with 26 goals, while line mate Nicklas Backstrom has dibs on the assist and scoring lead with 43 and 60, respectively. T.J. Oshie is the third part of this power trio that gets the extra ice time when the Capitals go on the power play. Marcus Johansson joins them from the second line and can be used here, as his 40 points has him tied for fourth on the team in points with Oshie. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams skate with Johansson at even strength and look to be a decent GPP line stack here. Detroit will try to shut down the top line, which should leave some more room on the ice, which should in turn create more scoring opportunities. Kuznetsov could be used as a one-off here, as his 44 points are good enough for third on the team. Matt Niskanen seems to get the call when Washington draws a penalty from the back line. Niskanen has tallied 32 points so far this season, which is just four more than fellow defenseman John Carlson. Both are in play this afternoon.
Detroit may have a hard time scoring this afternoon against a team that has given up just 121 goals so far this season. The Red Wings have seemingly fallen out of playoff contention, as they are the worst team in the Eastern Conference with 55 points. Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg will try their best from the top line, while Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Andres Athanasiou skate on the team’s second line. Mantha and Zetterberg are the favorites here; they have combined for six goals and nine assists in the last eight games. Zetterberg also leads the team in scoring, with 28 assists and 41 points. Vanek leads the team with 14 goals and can be used as a one-off play this afternoon. The Red Wings have only scored 10 goals in the last six games, so it’s actually a shame that they are one of six teams to choose from for this afternoon’s early slate. Mike Green is the best offensive defenseman Detroit has as he has lit the lamp 10 times while adding 16 assists so far this season. For you NBAers, you will notice that Niklas Kronwall is on the top power play unit. This basically means nothing, as the aging Kronwall has managed just six points in the 33 games he has suited up for this season.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
Secondary Plays
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Matt Niskanen, Marcus Johansson
DET: Anthony Mantha, Thomas Vanek, Mike Green
New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils
| New York Islanders | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-20-10 | 24-23-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.95 | 2.93 | 15.80% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.81 | 16.30% | 81.20% |
The Islanders have done a great job of getting the most out of the mediocre talent on their team. Their 62 points has them just one point out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and they could desperately use a win here. They did beat their in-state rival in the New York Rangers at home on Tuesday night, but they’ll need some production from the second line to pull this one out tonight. John Tavares, Anders Lee and Josh Bailey skate as the team’s top line and also serve as the first players on the ice with the man advantage. Tavares leads the team with 48 points, which is followed by Bailey’s 39 points, while Lee’s 35 points is third on the team. Yes, the Islanders are a one-line team, so if you shut them down, you usually win the game. Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome are the two players who need to have good games if the Islanders have any chance to win. They have been getting better, which is part of the reason the Islanders have surged upward in the Eastern Conference standings. Strome is the better choice, as he skates on the top power play unit and has grabbed eight of his 22 points over the last nine games. Nelson has three goals and four assists over that same time frame, which is why this duo makes for an interesting GPP play. Nick Leddy is the only defenseman to consider here, as he rounds out the top power play unit that receives more than 65 percent of the ice time every time the Islanders draw a penalty. Leddy is tied for fourth on the team with Nelson, as they both have 31 points so far this season.
New Jersey might be the most frustrating team in the league. Just when you think you can trust them, they get shut out by the Ottawa Senators in their own building. The Devils’ 58 points still have them as part of the playoff conversation as they head into tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac would seem to be the chalk here, that is if you think you can trust the Devils for your cash games. Hall leads the way with 24 assists and 37 points in the 47 games he has suited up for, while Palmieri has the team lead in goals with 15. Adam Henrique centers Miles Wood and Mike Cammalleri on the team’s second line and should probably be looked at only if you are making a few GPP lineups tonight. Cammalleri was on fire early in the season but has since fizzled out, while Henrique has just one more point than him with 15 goals and 16 assists. Defensively, they are a mess as well, with Damon Severson leading the blue liners with 24 points in 57 games played. After that, it’s slim pickings, so maybe it’s best to look elsewhere for your defensive choices tonight; it’s just so tough to project scoring from a team that scores as infrequently as this team does.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
NYI: Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Nick Leddy, Brock Nelson
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Mike Cammalleri
Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks
| Edmonton Oilers | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-19-8 | 35-17-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.53 | 20.40% | 81.40% | Team Stats | 2.88 | 2.56 | 19.60% | 76.80% |
The Oilers had an easy time on Thursday night, when they dismantled the Philadelphia Flyers on home ice. Tonight would seem to be a little different, as they head into Chicago to play a Blackhawks team that is 18-7-4 in front of the home crowd. Both teams have 70 or more points in the Western Conference and should be in good shape for the playoffs. Connor McDavid centers the top line, along with Patrick Maroon and Jordan Eberle. McDavid continues to impress, as his 66 points leads the league; he is counted on every night to make something happen. Anytime you can get exposure to the best player in the league, it’s always a good thing, so pairing him up with one of his line mates may pay off. Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic and Anton Slepyshev play on the Oilers second line and can be viewed as a nice GPP play. Both Draisaitl and Lucic play on the top power play unit with McDavid, while Slepyshev should create some salary cap space to fit other studs into your lineup. Draisaitl leads the team with 10 power play goals and 20 power play points, as his 51 points is second on the team. Mark Letestu makes for a GPP one-off play here as (God knows why) he gets tapped from the fourth line to play on the top power play unit. He does have 26 points, which is just enough to keep him in the punt play conversation. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been dropped to the third line and can easily be a one-off GPP play. Defenseman Oscar Klefbom is back on the top power play unit and should be looked at as a GPP play tonight. Again, anyone having exposure to McDavid is worth a look.
Chicago went on their mandatory break last Saturday night after they beat these same Oilers in Edmonton by a score of 5-1. The win was Chicago’s fifth in a row, which has helped them remain in second place with 75 points in the Central Division. For cash games, Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, and Artem Anisimov will be the chalk. Anisimov leads the team with 20 goals, while Kane’s 39 assists and 58 points are tops on the team. Panarin settles in between these guys on the Blackhawks scoring chart with 51 points. With Chicago being the home team, they will get to dictate what line the Kane line gets to face, thus creating plenty of scoring opportunities. This is always a good thing, as it is a “more the merrier” type of mentality when it comes to winning your contests. Jintahn Toews could make a decent one-off here, as he was hot right before the break as evidence of recording seven of his 35 points in the last seven games. He will skate with Nick Schmaltz and Richard Panic, while Marian Hossa skates on the third line. Duncan Keith is the play from the back line, and he has registered 14 of his 40 points with the man advantage. Fellow defenseman Brent Seabrook is back on the top power play unit with him, so even he can be in play for your cash game selections tonight. Look for Chicago to pick up where they left off with the Kane line leading the way.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Patrick Maroon, Milan Lucic, Oscar Klefbom
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook