NHL Grind Down: Saturday, January 9th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2016-01-11 17:24:15

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.

Washington Capitals at New York Rangers – 01:00 PM EST

Washington Capitals					New York Rangers
			Braden Holtby					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			30-7-3					22-14-4
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	3.15	2.13	25.40%	84.60%	Team Stats	2.93	2.58	19.30%	80.50%

After consecutive road losses to Carolina and Columbus some folks around the industry proclaimed it was the end of the hot streak the Capitals had been on since the beginning of the season. Washington picked up the pace however with road wins against Boston and the New York Islanders and look to a game today at Madison Square Garden to decide whether this five game road trip will be a failure or a success. The top line of Alexander Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom comprise not only the top line for Washington but also get the majority of the ice time on the power play as well. Due to his two goals and three assist over the last five games Backstrom has tied second line Evgeny Kuznetsov for the team lead in points with 37. Ovechkin has five goals in his last six games while Oshie has been cold of late by only grabbing three points in his last eight games. It looks like John Carslon did not skate again yesterday which prompted beat writer Chuck Gormley to say that he may very well be a no go for today’s game. This would keep Matt Niskanen in the mix for top power play minutes which wouldn’t be a bad thing considering three of his last four assists over the last five games have come with the man advantage. Marcus Johansson will not be available for Washington tonight as he has been suspended two games for an illegal check on the Islanders Thomas Hickey.

The Rangers have split both games they have played against the Capitals so far this year as they won back in early November by a score of 5-2. The second game on December 20th was a different story however as the Capitals boated raced the Rangers by a score of 7-3. This will be only the third meeting so far between these division rivals and as you can see, they seem to have no problems finding the scoresheet. The Rangers are 15-5-1 on home ice and although they play a tough defensive team they look to improve on that record tonight. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard skate on the top line and are joined by Rick Nash to form the team’s forwards on the power play unit. Brassard has scored three goals in the last five games while Nash has tallied five points in his last four games. Derek Stepan finally got on the board by netting two goals in the last game and looked a bit better since coming back from injury just two games ago. Playing on a line with Nash and Stepan is Jayson Megna and should only be considered for GPPs plays as long as you take either or both of the other two players. Defenseman Dan Boyle has been getting top minutes on the power play and has responded with three goals and two assists in his last seven games.

Elite Plays

WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
NYR: None

Secondary Plays

WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen, Evgeny Kuznetsov
NYR: Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Dan Boyle, Ryan McDonagh

New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers – 01:00 PM EST

New York Islanders					Philadelphia Flyers
			Jaroslav Halak					Steve Mason
			Record					Record
			22-14-5					17-15-7
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.71	2.46	18.30%	85.80%	Team Stats	2.21	2.69	16.50%	78.20%

The Islanders come into this one hanging on to second place in the Metropolitan division with the Rangers and Devils just one and four points behind them respectively. The New Yorkers haven’t helped themselves out and their 4-6 record in their last ten games would indicate that maybe they have been struggling a bit. The odd thing here is in the four games that they have won they have scored five or more goals in three of them while out of the six games they have lost they haven’t scored more than two goals in any game. They have scored power play goals in four of their last six games and that would be a good starting point to start our research for this game, especially since the Flyers have given up eight goals in the last seven games while short-handed. John Tavares is always a staple on the top power play line and usually is joined by Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen and defenseman Nick Leddy. It looks like head coach Jack Capuano has taken Josh Bailey off the power play unit and has inserted line mate Anders Lee to give him another chance to get things going. Okposo and Nielsen make decent cash plays as they skate second line and each have two goals to go along with three assists in their last five games. Although Leddy saw his five game point scoring streak snap last game, but he still has a goal and five assists in his last six games.

The bad news is that the Flyers go into this game without their best defenseman as Shayne Gostisbehere as he has been ruled out for tonight’s game. He apparently went knee-to-knee with Mikko Koivu and the biggest concern here is, it’s the same knee he tore the anterior cruciate ligament which cost him most of last season. Mark Streit received some extra power play time due to the injury but I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael Del Zotto got a shot at top power play minutes as his second of two goals were able to put the Minnesota Wild away on Thursday night. The new second line of Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Michael Raffl have been on fire of late with Schenn grabbing two goals and four assists in his last three games while Couturier has bigger sample size of nine games and compiling ten points. The top line sees Claude Giroux struggling of late by evidence of hitting the scoresheet just two times in the last nine games. Jakub Voracek has been the most productive over the last ten games by evidence of his eight assists to go along with three goals over that time frame.

Elite PlaysNYI: John Tavares PHL: None

Secondary Plays

NYI: Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Anders Lee, Nick Leddy
PHL: Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, Mark Streit, Michael Del Zotto

Toronto Maple Leafs at San Jose Sharks – 07:00 PM EST

Toronto Maple Leafs					San Jose Sharks
			Jonathan Bernier					Martin Jones
			Record					Record
			16-16-7					18-18-2
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.56	2.59	18.90%	80.30%	Team Stats	2.66	2.84	21.30%	81.30%

The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this one in seventh place in the Atlantic division but as we mentioned on Thursday that doesn’t tell half the story. After a rough start the Maple Leafs have been playing well above .500 hockey and have given any team in their way a run for their money. After beating the Ducks last Wednesday they dropped a tough 2-1 game in Los Angeles Thursday night. They finish their three game west coast road trip with a visit to San Jose who has a home record of 5-12 so far this season. The top line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and P.A Parenteau has been serviceable of late but the second line makes more sense tonight as not only have they been producing, they are on the road. Nazem Kadri has collected three goals to go along with eight assists while Leo Komarov has netted five goals and assisted on six others in their last ten games. As we mentioned on Thursday, defenseman are always tough to play but Jake Gardiner does have a goal and seven assists in his last eight games.

San Jose sits in seventh place in the Pacific division and by taking a look at their horrendous record at home it isn’t hard to figure out why. In an effort to get some balanced scoring head coach Peter DeBoer has shaken up the lines a bit for tonight’s game. Tomas Hertl will join Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski on the top line while Patrick Marleau will skate with Joel Ward and Matt Nieto on the second line. This leaves Logan Couture to skate with Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi. With all this movement it is probably best to stick with the power play and you can start with Thornton and Pavelski. With 38 points Pavelski leads the team and should be heavily considered for your lineups tonight especially since he has scored seven goals to go with five assists in his last ten games. Thornton has been chugging along in his last ten games by pointing in eight of them and compiling a total of 11 points in those games. Defenseman Brent Burns has six goals to go with six assists in his last eight games and would make a good play if you choose to spend up on the back line tonight. If you want to go a bit contrarian make sure you keep the lines together as it will be awfully tough to take down a GPP if you aren’t getting points from all three players on any given line.

Elite Plays

TOR: None
SJ: Joe Pavelski

Secondary Plays

TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Jake Gardiner
SJ: Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joel Ward

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EST

Carolina Hurricanes					Columbus Blue Jackets
			Cam Ward					Sergei Bobrovsky
			Record					Record
			17-18-7					15-24-3
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.33	2.71	16.50%	79.40%	Team Stats	2.48	3.19	18.50%	80.70%

Here’s a game that features the bottom two teams in the Metropolitan division and the fun thing is that this is a rematch of last night’s game, which was won by Carolina by a score of 4-1. In the standings and on the ice it looks like Carolina is indeed the better team but that doesn’t mean Columbus can’t get up off the deck and pick up a win tonight. Victor Rask was a late scratch which made coach Bill Peters shuffle up the lines a bit. Elias Lindholm skated on the top line with Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg while Jordan Staal dropped down to center the second line between Andrej Nestrasil and Joakim Nordstrom. Because of the quick turnaround, the team will more than likely not practice this morning making it a bit tougher to determine Rask’s availability. Rask was trying to return from an upper body injury and was even a full time participant in yesterday’s morning skate, so it’s all speculative as to whether or not he re-injured himself or was simply just not ready to return. The Blue Jackets are at the bottom of the barrel by virtue of their 33 points and 135 goals against which leads the league in both of those categories. The Hurricanes have only scored seven goals in their last four games so playing Columbus again could be a good thing considering that they have scored over half of their goals against them over that four game time period. The safest bets would be Eric Staal and defenseman Justin Faulk as they are in the top three on the teams scoring list. Faulk has been running cold of late but continues to shoot the puck as he has tallied 17 shots in his last four games. Eric Staal skates top line and top power play which is almost ideal as Columbus has given up eight goals in their last seven games when skating a man down. Jordan Staal has had a hand in four of the last seven goals as he has collected a goal and an assist in each of the last two games. Because the Hurricanes are on the road Jeff Skinner may be considered as a one-off as he skates on the teams third line but leads the team in goals with 15.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will have to start to adjust to life without Ryan Johansen as head coach John Tortorella got his wish and sent him to Nashville in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones. As if the Jackets lines weren’t going to be shuffled enough, it now looks like Nick Foligno may miss tonight’s game as he was taken down by a hit close to the head last night and did not return. The top line of Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinksy and Cam Atkinson should lead the charge tonight against a Carolina team that has only given up nine goals in their last five games. Dubinsky and Atkinson have each tallied 2 goals and two assists in their last five games but it has taken Jenner two extra games to equal their individual production. Brandon Saad skates on the second line and was cruising along by scoring in seven straight games but has not found the scoresheet in the last two games he has played in. Scott Hartnell and Alexander Wennberg join him on the second line and are in play tonight. Newly acquired Seth Jones joins Ryan Murray on the point and should be a welcomed addition in the Blue jackets move to shore up the back line.

Elite Plays

CAR: None
CBJ: None

Secondary Plays

CAR: Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Justin Faulk, Kris Versteeg
CBJ: Brandon Saad, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Ryan Murray

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators – 07:00 PM EST

Boston Bruins					Ottawa Senators
			Tuukka Rask					Craig Anderson
			Record					Record
			21-14-4					19-16-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	3.08	2.69	28.60%	82.30%	Team Stats	2.76	2.90	18.80%	77.00%

Boston comes in fresh off a win last night in Newark as the Bruins downed the Devils by a score of 4-1. It was the Bruins second win in their last seven games with the other win coming against these same Ottawa Senators back on December 29th. The only concern here is that the Bruins are playing their second game in two nights and could be a little tired but that doesn’t seem to bother them much as they are 2-0 on the second end of back-to-backs this season. Both times it occurred on the road as the wins were against Tampa bay and the New York Islanders so they should be fairly safe to play tonight as Ottawa has given up the most goals of any team in the Eastern conference with 123 of them. The top power play line consists of Loui Eriksson, Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Spooner who have all tallied at least five points in their last six games. If you want to go to the second line on the road your best bet would be to stick with Spooner and pair him with Matt Beleskey as he has scored three goals to go along with two helpers in the last six games. Torey Krug mans the point on the power play and is the selection here if you want to take a Boston defenseman. There could be some merit in taking Zdeno Chara but he has only found the scoresheet just three times in the last ten games. The wild card here is the return of Brad Marchand as he will figure into the top six somewhere, but of now where that is isn’t too clear. Marchand found himself with a three game suspension after clipping the Senators Mark Borowiecki back in the 7-3 win in late December so look for this game to have a little extra flavor to it.

I mentioned above about how the Senators have given up a few goals but have only scored 12 goals in their last seven games. Defenseman Erik Karlsson has been head and shoulders above the rest of the team as he has scored in eight of the last ten games. After that the scoring has been a bit streaky. Bobby Ryan had a good game against St Louis two games ago but that was his only three points he has scored in his last five games. Mike Hoffman has just one goal in his last five games while Kyle Turris and Mark Stone only have one assist each over the last five games. Milan Michalek is a bit better with three goals and an assist in his last seven games so as you can see, the pickins may be a bit slim tonight. Ryan,Turris and Stone play as the top line and Hoffman and Eriksson join them as the top unit on the power play. The second line of Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad and Michalek could produce a goal or two against the tired Bruins, which make them a decent GPP play.

Elite Plays

BOS: None
OTT: Erik Karlsson

Secondary Plays

BOS: Patrice Bergeron, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug, Ryan Spooner
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Milan Michalek

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