NHL Grind Down: Saturday, March 12th
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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Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres – 01:00 PM EST
| Carolina Hurricanes | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-26-11 | 27-33-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.46 | 2.65 | 17.50% | 82.70% | Team Stats | 2.35 | 2.64 | 19.20% | 81.50% |
Carolina had a nice victory Thursday night in Boston as they edged the Bruins 3:2. It was their third win in four games, with their only loss coming in overtime in Tampa. The Hurricanes have scored three goals in each of these games in large part to the play of Jeff Skinner who has three goals and two assists alongside 19 shots on goal during this March stretch. Overall, the Hurricanes are working hard as a team and draw a decent matchup against Buffalo, but it’s hard to put too much faith into them. Philip Di Giuseppe makes for a reasonable punt option given streaking Skinner, and with Justin Faulk on the shelf, opportunity on the blue line for youngsters Jaccob Slavin and Noah Hanifin is there, but temper expectations.
Buffalo comes into this home matchup vs. the Hurricanes with little incentive, while their opponent still has realistic, yet unlikely aspirations of making the playoffs. Buffalo’s top line of Evander Kane, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart has found success since their culmination this month. Jack Eichel has three goals, two assists and 26 shots on goal in six March games. Evander Kane has alternated games which he has recorded and hasn’t recorded a point. Sam Reinhart has also found some success as he’s tallied 5 points this month. With all of this said, it’s hard to trust a team with little to play for, especially against a team dreaming of the playoffs. Your salary is better spent elsewhere.
Elite Plays
CAR: None
BUF: None
Secondary Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
BUF: Evander Kane, Jack Eichel
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins – 01:00 PM EST
| New York Islanders | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 37-20-8 | 38-23-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.85 | 2.45 | 19.50% | 85.90% | Team Stats | 2.99 | 2.70 | 21.20% | 82.20% |
The Islanders never-ending road trip heads to the TD Garden for a battle of two teams in prime position for the playoffs. The Islanders recently lost starting goalie Jaroslav Halak for 6-8 weeks, so Thomas Greiss will be asked to shoulder the load. He’s been a durable backup for the Islanders this season and comes into this tilt with an 18-6-4 record, 2.23 GAA, and .929 sv%. Furthermore, the road hasn’t been his nemesis like many other goalies as he sports a solid 8-3-1 record with numbers mimicking his season numbers. Other than a 2:1 victory at home vs. the Penguins on the 8th, the Islanders have played eight consecutive road games. In spite of all these road games, the islanders have managed to only lose in regulation twice in their last 15 games played altogether. Much of this can be attributed to the play of John Tavares who has 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) over the last two months after mediocre production in the previous two months. Nick Leddy has also picked up his play of late. Much like Tavares, the Islanders’ defenseman had a unremarkable December and January but has 18 points in as many games during February and March.
After three consecutive OT games vs. playoff teams Washington, Florida, and Tampa Bay, the Bruins found themselves in another one on Thursday night as they fell to the undermanned Hurricanes. It was the Bruins 3rd game in 4 nights and the early start here doesn’t set up much better for them. Nonetheless, the Bruins have won both meetings this year, both on the road. Bruins’ center Patrice Bergeron has been dynamite all season and is having his best season in a decade. Mr. Selke has 61 points (28 goals, 33 assists, +14) in 67 games along with 230 shots on goal. He should be involved once again. He’s recorded a point (6 goals, 5 assists) in all but one of his last nine games. Linemate Brad Marchand is also an interesting option, but his price is near Bergeron’s and Marchand doesn’t get the power-play time. The second line of Loui Ericsson and David Krejci are also in play given their mid-range salaries and talent level. If you’re looking for cheaper options which offer exposure to Boston’s first and second line, Lee Stempniak and David Pastrnak are the guys you want.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares, Nick Leddy
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug
Secondary Plays
NYI: Kyle Okposo
BOS: Brad Marchand, David Krejci
New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings – 02:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-22-6 | 33-23-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.55 | 18.20% | 77.40% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.60 | 17.10% | 80.70% |
The Blue Shirts make their way to Joe Louis Arena for an afternoon matchup vs. Detroit. The Rangers continue to battle even without stars Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist, who is slated to return today. While the Rangers have been exceptional at home where they are 23-7-3, they haven’t found the same success on the road where they are 16-15-3. Furthermore, pinpointing a Rangers skater can be troublesome as they have more depth than most teams, especially with the recent acquisition of Eric Staal which gives them three bonafide number one centers along with Stepan and Brassard. On defense, Keith Yandle has found the scoresheet in his last three games, but hasn’t been on the good side of +/- in nearly a month. Furthermore, over the years the Rangers vs. Red Wings match-ups have been low scoring.
Detroit battled back from an early two goal deficit to edge the Jets on Thursday night. Goals from Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin, who was moved back to the top line in effort to spark the young rookie, helped the Red Wings keep pace in the playoff race. Henrik Zetterberg also ended an eight game scoring drought as he assisted on Larkin’s goal. Shots haven’t been hard to come by for the aging Swede as he’s fired 24 shots on net in his last five games. Pavel Datsyuk is an interesting option as he’s excelled at home, recording 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists, +12) in 26 games, but the upside is limited in a less-than-ideal matchup.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
DET: None
Secondary Plays
NYR: Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Keith Yandle
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk
Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers – 07:00 PM EST
| Philadelphia Flyers | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-23-11 | 37-21-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.58 | 18.30% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.39 | 16.40% | 81.50% |
Philadelphia picked up a big win last night in Tampa Bay to move them two points back of the Wings and three points back of the Penguins with a game in hand in the playoff wild-card standings. It marked their sixth win in seven games. This will be the third meeting this year, but first since October. After the Panthers pasted them 7:1 on October 10th, the Flyers responded at home a first period goal from Brayden Schenn was the first and last goal of the game. Speaking of Brayden Schenn, his price has shot tremendously over the last month. The Flyers’ winger has 5 goals and 3 assists in his last five games and has been finding the scoresheet consistently for over a month which coincides to Giroux and Simmonds producing. All in all, as good as the Flyers have been, they’re in a tough spot against Florida who has been sharp at home (21-9-5). The Flyers’ skaters should be used in tournaments only.
After dropping five of six, Florida broke out and clobbered the Senators 6:2. The ageless one Jaromir Jagr had two goals and has 11 points in his last 10 games. At home, he has 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists, +12) in 33 games. Jonathan Huberdeau also had a goal and an assist in his second game back after a two week absence. Aleksandr Barkov didn’t find himself in the score sheet, but he’s having himself a dynamite season. At home, Barkov has 24 points (15 goals, 9 assists, +8) in 25 games. This has been one of the best lines in hockey dating back to the second half of last season when Jagr joined the Panthers. They are in play in all formats. The second line is also in play, in fact it was them who did a bulk of work in the blowout win. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and three helpers. Jussi Jokinen had a goal and an assist which makes it nine consecutive games with a point. Additionally, young defenseman Aaron Ekblad scored another goal. Keep in mind that Florida is three lines deep which can make them hard to target.
Elite Plays
PHI: Claude Giroux
FLA: Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Jussi Jokinen
Secondary Plays
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Vincent Trocheck, Reilly Smith, Aaron Ekblad
Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets – 07:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Ondrej Pavelec | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-30-4 | 27-35-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.83 | 19.30% | 81.70% | Team Stats | 2.55 | 2.96 | 15.30% | 78.50% |
Colorado grabbed a big win the other night as they blanked the Ducks at the Pepsi Center. However, they also lost Gabriel Landeskog for three games due to a cheap shot. Colorado continues to give up more shots than they take yet they’re in the thick of the playoff race. They have scored three or more in six of their last seven and are likely to find success vs. Winnipeg which is bottom five in goals allowed per game. The Jets have an awful penalty kill and they take a lot of penalties. Nathan MacKinnon comes into this game with two goals, four assists and 29 shots on goal in his last seven games. He isn’t a safe play by any means, but he should find his way into the scoresheet today. Matt Duchene picked up a goal in the Avs win over the Ducks and has been Colorado’s best player on the road where he has 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) in 33 games. On defense, Tyson Barrie is the guy to target, but be mindful of the +/- risk.
Winnipeg has had a rough go of it over the last month as they’ve recorded only two wins in their last twelve games. Big Dustin Byfuglien was forced to exit the Jets’ last game early and his status is unknown at the moment. After sending Ladd to Chicago, the Jets are down to one line, but it’s a line that has been producing and should find their way into the scoresheet tonight. Blake Wheeler is the safest of the group considering his shot volume. Furthermore, he’s been a menace on home ice (7 goals, 25 assists) in 33 games and has torched the Avalanche in his career, as he’s tallied 23 points in just 19 games. Center Mark Scheifele has been on fire over the last few weeks. In his last 10 games, Mark has poured in eight goals and six assists. Much like Wheeler, Mark has been a beast on home ice where he has 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists, +11) in 25 games. Both Wheeler and Scheifele make for strong plays.
Elite Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele
Secondary Plays
COL: Mikkel Boedker, Tyson Barrie
WPG: Drew Stafford, Dustin Byfuglien (questionable)