NHL Grind Down: Saturday, February 27th
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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Arizona Coyotes at Philadelphia Flyers – 01:00 PM EST
| Arizona Coyotes | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Louis Domingue |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-28-6 | 27-22-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.70 | 3.07 | 18.90% | 77.90% | Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.62 | 18.40% | 78.90% |
Arizona plays their fourth road game in since Monday and so far the results haven’t been too good. They have only scored five goals while dropping all three games by one goal so they have been competitive but it seems they just don’t have enough to put the over the hump. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson continues to lead the team in points and should be in play against a Flyer team that has given up 30 or more shots in three of the last four games. It will be interesting to see what line the Flyers try to shut down as they Coyotes have shuffled them up a bit before the last game. One would have to think the line of Max Domi, Antoine Vermette and Mikkel Boedker will be the line to target and I will tell you why. Martin Hanzal is probably the team’s best center which would create more opportunities for wingers Tobias Rieder and Anthony Duclair, who has 16 goals on the season. Shane Doan leads the team with 22 goals and has two goals and two assists in his last five games. If it is salary relief you are looking for take a peek at defenseman Michael Stone as he is getting top power play minutes and averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game. With Arizona not scoring much of late I would be hesitant to use them in cash games unless it’s a one-off of say Ekman-Larsson or Max Domi.
Thursday night was a big night for the Flyers as they took advantage of losses by New Jersey, Carolina and Ottawa to stay in the Eastern conference playoff hunt by beating a Zach Parise-less Minnesota team by the score of 3-2 on home ice. Philadelphia has 65 points and only need to make up a few points to get to eighth place and pass the Pittsburgh Penguins who have 68 points. Arizona has given up five power play goals in the last seven games and that should make it a bit easier to get some Flyers in your lineups tonight. There is no word on the injury to Claude Giroux as it has been speculated that he has been suffering from a concussion so the Flyers will probably go with what they have been running out there the past few games. San Gagner, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn make up the team’s top line and they also get the extra duty on the power play as well. Both Schenn and Simmonds have at least four points in their last five games but it is Gagner who will provide some salary relief as well as provide some upside as he is fitting in nicely on the top line by virtue of scoring two goals in the last three games. Jakub Voracek is your one-off play here as he skates on the second line but gets the lion’s share of the power play minutes along with the top line and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Be careful here however as Voracek is dealing with an ‘lower body’ issue and along with team mate Claude Giroux, is listed as day-to-day. It’s a good thing this is the first game of the day as we will know before lock as to who is in and who is out. Speaking of ‘The Ghost’, he is in play tonight although plenty may be off him as he has pointed in the last two games after his big 15 game point scoring streak.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
PHL: None
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Max Domi, Martin Hanzal, Anthony Duclair, Shane Doan, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
PHL: Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Sam Gagner, Jakub Voracek*, Shayne Gostisbehere
St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators – 03:00 PM EST
| St. Louis Blues | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-19-9 | 30-21-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.44 | 2.35 | 21.50% | 86.60% | Team Stats | 2.56 | 2.53 | 19.60% | 79.80% |
This could be a story of two teams going in different directions as the Blues have lost their last two games while the Predators have won their last three without defenseman Shea Weber. Even though goaltender Brian Elliott is out for four weeks with a lower body injury it would be premature to write them off just yet. This comes on the heels of another big blow as Alexander Steen has another three weeks until he is re-evaluated from his upper body injury. All this means is the second line will have to step up their game a bit as the top line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz cannot carry the load by themselves. They are however on the top power play unit with David Backes and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk that has scored 11 goals in the last nine games. While Tarasenko and Schwartz make good plays tonight it is Backes that is the one-off for cash games by virtue of playing on the third line as he has three points in his last five games. Shattenkirk has been picking up some slack lately with one goal and two assists on ten shots in his last five games. Much like the Flyers with their injuries both Lehtera and Schwartz did not skate today but head coach Ken Hitchcock did say it was a ‘maintenance day’ for Schwartz. Lehtera may not be so lucky however as he is still recovering from the puck in the face he received in the Blues last game.
Somehow the Nashville Predators have turned 11 goals in the last five games into a 4-1 record. A big part of this and to no surprise of anyone has been the play of goaltender Pekka Rinne who has allowed just four goals in his last four starts. On the offensive side of things Filip Forsberg has had a part of five of the last 11 goals including four goals which makes him a strong play against the Brian Elliott-less Blues. Mike Ribeiro and Crag Smith are also in play here as they skate not only skate on a line with Forsberg but the trio gets the first shot on a power play unit that has scored four goals over the last six games. Ryan Johansen and James Neal make decent GPP plays as both have the talent but are in a bit of a slump of late. Shea Weber may return today and if that is the case Ryan Ellis will see some of his ice time slip away. Ellis has three points on nine shots in the last five games but will undoubtedly be taken off the team’s top power play unit should Weber return. Defenseman and team scoring leader Roman Josi makes a decent play for both cash games and tournament plays tonight.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
NSH: Filip Forsberg
Secondary Plays
STL: Jaden Schwartz*, David Backes, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jori Lehtera*, Paul Stastny
NSH: Mike Ribeiro, Roman Josi, Craig Smith, James Neal, Ryan Johansen
Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins – 03:00 PM EST
| Winnipeg Jets | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Michael Hutchinson |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-30-4 | 30-21-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.93 | 16.10% | 77.00% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.58 | 18.40% | 83.90% |
The big news out of Winnipeg was the trade of Andrew Ladd going back to Chicago for once flash in the pan Blue Jacket Marko Dano. This comes on the heels of hearing the bad news that Bryan Little would be out for the rest of the season. With the Jets in last place in the Central division it wouldn’t be surprising if they made a few more moves by the end of next week. With that said there are a few plays that could be used from the Winnipeg side tonight. Blake Wheeler can be used in as a one-off in cash games or use the whole top line in a GPP. Wheeler has seven points in his last seven games while line mates Mark Scheifele has seven in five games with Nikolaj Ehlers rounding out the trio with three assists in his last three games. Another one-off in GPP action could be Joel Armia who skates on the third line but has earned some minutes on the team’s top power play unit by scoring two goals to go along with three assists in his last five games. Defensively Dustin Byfuglien makes a good play if you can afford him but there are probably better spots if you want to pay up at the defense position tonight. If you want to take a flyer on a d-man take a look at Tobias Enstrom and Jacob Trouba who both had two points in the Jets whipping of the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
After waiting 25 days it appears that Evgeni Malkin will rejoin the Penguins and reclaim his spot centering the second line. This should give a bump to Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel who have been struggling of late. Yes it’s true that Kessel does have four goals in his last seven games with Hagelin a bit further back with just three points in his last nine games so Malkin should have some kind of positive effect tonight. For cash games I have a sneaky suspicion that Pittsburgh’s top line will be out in force tonight which is headed up by none other than Sidney Crosby. We already know about Crosby’s home numbers which tallies up to 37 points in 29 games while he has a paltry 19 points in 29 road games. Chris Kunitz and Patric Horquist have more even numbers at home and on the road but nonetheless should be in play with Crosby for tonight’s contests. Kris Letang is the play on defense and this is what I meant by other better plays than Byfuglien at this price point. Letang quarterbacks the power play and that will come into play tonight against Winnipeg who has given up seven goals while a man down in their last five games.
Elite Plays
WIN: Blake Wheeler
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
Secondary Plays
WIN: Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien, Nikolaj Ehlers
PIT: Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel
Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets – 03:00 PM EST
| Florida Panthers | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Joonas Korpisalo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-18-7 | 25-29-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.28 | 16.60% | 81.40% | Team Stats | 2.55 | 3.02 | 17.60% | 80.80% |
The Panthers are another team that has been involved in some close games of late but unlike the Coyotes, they have managed to win three of their last four games because of solid goaltending. Aleksander Barkov returned to the lineup Thursday night and scored two goals in their 3-2 win over an Arizona club that has been having its problems as indicated above. Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen complete the team’s top line and also double as the first power play unit to hit the ice when the situation arises. Jokinen has three goals and five points in his last five games while Jagr remains productive with three goals to go along with an assist in his last four games. Although they skate on different lines both Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad make good one-off plays tonight especially on the road as they have each grabbed two points over the last four games while getting a total of at least 12 shots on net in those games. Brian Campbell is the play on defense as he plays the point on the team’s top power play unit and has collected three assists in his last six games.
It appears that finally the Blue Jackets are starting to develop some chemistry as their 6-3-1 record in their last ten games would seem to indicate. Still mired in last place in the Metropolitan division there is no doubt that Columbus may be ‘sellers’ with just one week from the trading deadline. Of the 14 goals the Jackets have scored in the last five games only three players have more than one which includes “(player-popup)Nick Foligno”:/players/nick-foligno-17136’s hat trick on Thursday night against Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils. Brandon Saad skates on the top line with team scoring leader Scott Hartnell and Alexander Wennberg but is the only one on the team’s top power play unit. Saad can be used as a one-off in cash games but as far as the whole line goes I think it’s a GPP play only. Brandon Dubinsky skates on the second line but gets the first crack on the power play which also makes him a nice one-off play as he has three points in his last five games to go along with a team leading 19 shots. Matt Calvert and the aforementioned Foligno may have led the team to victory over New Jersey but Foligno is the one that will have more opportunity in tonight’s game as he skates with defensemen Jack Johnson and Seth Jones to complete the team’s top power play unit. Given the choice, I’d take Jones here as he continues to shoot the puck while Johnson has fallen off the map altogether.
Elite Plays
FLA: Aleksander Barkov
CBJ: None
Secondary Plays
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, Vincent Trocheck, Brian Campbell
CLB: Brandon Saad) Scott Hartnell, Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinsky, Seth Jones
New York Rangers at Dallas Stars – 04:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Antti Niemi | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-20-6 | 38-18-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.52 | 17.30% | 77.70% | Team Stats | 3.23 | 2.84 | 22.10% | 79.50% |
Looking for a little more offense the Rangers made a few changes to their top two line last game to no avail. It is unclear whether they will stick to them for today’s afternoon tilt, but they did only manage two goals on Thursday night so anything is possible. Dallas should try to shut down the line of Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello and J. T. Miller as this line has done the most damage over the last five games by scoring a combined six goals and five assists over that time frame. This would leave the second line that features Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider with more room to maneuver against a Dallas team that has been defensively challenged in recent games. Miller should be able to benefit skating with Brassard and Zuccarello but has been doing fine on his own by finding the scoresheet five times over the last five games. The wildcard here is Kevin Hayes as his two goals and three assists in the last five games has earned him a couple looks on the team’s second power play unit. If you like playing players with the hot hand, Hayes should be on your radar tonight. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh returned to the lineup three games ago making the back line a bit murky when it comes to power play time. McDonagh, Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle all saw close to even ice time on the power play but for my money I’d stick with the more productive and healthier Yandle.
Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff strikes again! This time Valeri Nichuskin drew the lucky straw and was placed on the top line on the wing with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. All this really doesn’t matter much anyway once they get to the playoffs because we all know to win the Stanley Cup you need goaltending, which Dallas does not have. Benn and Seguin are almost always in play and as long as Nichuskin is on that top line he is as well, especially on home ice as he will provide some major salary relief. Jason Spezza skates on the second line but produces primarily because he skates on the top power play unit. Patrick Sharp has been demoted to the third line but is in play for the same reason Spezza is as they both get plenty of exposure to Seguin and Benn with the man advantage. Sharp has registered six points and Spezza five over the last five games, so the opportunity is always there as long as they stay on the top power play unit. Defenseman John Klinberg rounds out the useful Dallas players as he is back on track by evidence of grabbing four assists in his last five games. Because Dallas is the home team, the top line is in play but I’d be just a bit wary if the Rangers use Henrik Lunqvist between the pipes as he has been one of the hotter goalies in the league with a .922 save percentage.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
Secondary Plays
NYR: Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Keith Yandle, Chris Kreider
DAL: Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg