NHL Grind Down: Saturday, January 6th
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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St. Louis Blues at Philadelphia Flyers
| St. Louis Blues | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-15-2 | 17-15-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 2.44 | 14.86 | 82.44 | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.88 | 20.42 | 75.00 |
The St Louis Blues roll into chilly Philadelphia to take on a Flyer team that resembles more like Jekyll and Hyde than a consistent hockey team. The Blues have been using good goaltending to stay on top of the Central Division as the team has gone 4-4 over the last few weeks by scoring just 16 goals over that time period. Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Scottie Upshall now skate as the top line while Patrik Berglund, Alexander Steen and Kyle Brodziak serve as the team’s second line. Meanwhile Paul Stastny, Tage Thompson and Vladimir Sobotka make up a potential third scoring line as the Blues have tried to do what most teams have been trying to do of late and that is make three lines out of six talented players. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Brodziak has been the benefactor here as he leads the team with five points over the last six games. Tarasenko and Schenn are the chalk plays here which sees Schenn leading the team with 17 goals and 25 assists through 43 games. They both anchor the top power play unit t6hat has only managed one goals in the last eight games. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is the choice on the back line as he has lit the lamp seven times to go along with 21 assists so far this season while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Colton Parayko can be looked at as well as he has grabbed 22 points so far this season. That isn’t bad as a second defensive option as some teams barely have two defensemen that have cracked 10 points apiece so far this season.
Although the Flyers have gone 5-4-1 in their last 10 games they still remain in the basement of the Metropolitan Division. The good news is that they were still only four points out of a playoff spot going into last night’s action which still gives the Philly faithful at least some hope of seeing playoff action this spring. The Flyers are another team that tries to make three lines as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds all find themselves on different lines but get the majority of the ice time when the Flyers have the extra attacker. Sticking with these guys is the way to go as the team has scored seven of their last 19 goals with the man advantage. Sean Couturier is a decent option to pair with Giroux as they skate on the team’s top line that sees Giroux leading the team with 48 points while Couturier is enjoying a breakout season with 38 points in the 40 games so far. Travis Konecny completes the top line if you are in the mood for a full line stack. Defensively the Flyers offer up either Shayne Gostisbehere or Ivan Provorov and the decision here is easy. Take Gostisbehere if you want to pay up and have a small higher ceiling or roster Provorov who seems to be pushing for more power play time as evidence of his two power play goals on Thursday evening. There is no middle with this team you are either going to get a ton of points or none.
Top Plays
STL: Brayden Schenn
PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
Secondary Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Paul Stastny
PHL: Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds, Ivan Provorov
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