NHL Grind Down: Saturday, March 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 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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Colorado Avalanche at Detroit Red Wings
| Colorado Avalanche | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Calvin Pickard |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-46-3 | 27-31-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 1.91 | 3.22 | 13.00% | 78.30% | Team Stats | 2.38 | 3.03 | 13.10% | 81.90% |
Nothing like a dud like this game to kick off the afternoon festivities in the NHL. There are only two games this afternoon, which means we have a healthy eight-game slate to work with tonight. In the meantime, we may as well take a look at these two games. Detroit comes into this game in dead last in the Atlantic Division, while Colorado is the worst team in the NHL. There are only two teams that do not have double digit wins on the road and Colorado is one of them yes they are that bad. Nathan MacKinnon, Sven Andrighetto, and Mikko Rantanen skate on the team’s top line, while Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog have Rene Bourque on the right wing to complete the team’s second line. MacKinnon leads the team with 44 points, while defenseman Tyson Barrie leads the team with five points in the last eight games. Barrie and MacKinnon are as close as you can get to cash game plays tonight. Simply put, the Avalanche just don’t score enough goals to warrant any kind of consideration for any DFS format today. Sure, Colorado has won a few road games in their last 19 attempts, even in those wins they’ve failed to score more than two goals. That is just bad hockey, folks.
After losing to the Avalanche on Wednesday, Detroit came out and took care of business on Thursday night by beating Arizona by a score of 5-4. Although the Red Wings are in last place in the Atlantic Division, they have at times shown that they can score a few goals. Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, and Gustav Nyquist should be considered the chalk plays here, as they skate on the team’s top line. Zetterberg has grabbed nine of his team-leading 57 points over the last eight games, while Tatar leads the team in goals with 18. Frans Nielsen centers the second line along with Darren Helm and Anthony Mantha. The third line can chip in some goals, and Dylan Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, and Andreas Athanasiou have combined for 14 points over the last eight games. Niklas Kronwall and Mike Green are the choices from the back line, with Green being the safer play here. He has notched four points over the last eight games, which is five points short of Kronwall’s season total. Look for the Red Wings to avenge the 3-1 loss they suffered on Wednesday night.
Elite Plays
COL: None
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
Secondary Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene, Mikko Rantanen
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen, Mike Green
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders
| Columbus Blue Jackets | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Thomas Greiss | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 45-18-6 | 33-26-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.17 | 2.32 | 21.60% | 83.00% | Team Stats | 2.93 | 3.00 | 15.20% | 80.70% |
Thanks to winning seven of their last 10 games, the Blue Jackets have moved within two points of the Washington Capitals of being the best team in the league. They also have a game in hand over Washington but will not be able to use it, as the Capitals are in play later on tonight. The only three losses Columbus has suffered over the last 10 games have been on the road, which is where they find themselves tonight. Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg, and Nick Fioligno will try to get things started, as they skate on the top line, while Brandon Dubinsky centers Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner on the second line. Atkinson has been a great one-off all season, and there’s no reason not to use him in that capacity this afternoon. He leads the team with 59 points while getting the extra minutes with the top power play unit. Sam Gagner has turned it up a bit over the last eight games, lighting the lamp four times and assisting on four other goals while his line mate in Oliver Bjorkstrand has notched five points over that same time period. Bjorkstrand has 10 points in his 19 this season, and he now skates on the top power play unit with Wennberg, Foligno, and Atkinson. Defenseman Zachary Werenski quarterbacks the team’s top power play from the point where he has registered 21 of his 44 points while enjoying the man advantage. Seth Jones can be used here as well, as he has tallied 39 points in 63 games so far this season. The Islanders will be hungry tonight, as they are just one point away from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
New York has done a great job staying in the playoff conversation despite only having one scoring line. Their 77 points has them just one point away from becoming the eight seed in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs were to start today. John Tavares, Anders Lee, and Josh Bailey will be the easy chalk here, as they skate on the top line, as well as the top power play unit. They will be afforded every chance to expose the Blue Jackets’ weaker lines, as they will get the last change being the home team. Tavares has chalked up eight of his team leading 60 points over the last nine game while Bailey’s 39 assists is tops on the team. I am sure the 7-0 drubbing that Columbus handed them back on February 25th is still fresh in their minds, so look for a little jump from this line tonight. Josh Ho-Sang has provided some punch from the second line, grabbing six points over the last nine games while skating with Andrew Ladd and Brock Nelson at even strength. Ryan Strome has received a lot of ice time on the team’s top power play unit but has just eight power play points to show for it. Strome skates on the third line and should only be viewed as a punt play here. Nick Leddy handles the chores from the back line, as he too has gotten in on the scoring of late. Leddy’s seven points in the last nine games now has him credited with 11 goals and 28 assists so far this season. Look for the Islanders to put up a fight in this one.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Zachary Werenski, Brandon Saad
NYI: Josh Baily, Ander Lee, Nick Leddy, Josh Ho-Sang
Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Washington Capitals | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 45-17-8 | 34-27-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.16 | 2.16 | 21.10% | 84.10% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.72 | 22.00% | 80.70% |
The Capitals have won just one of their last six games, and their stranglehold on the Metropolitan Division has dwindled to just a two point lead. Their 96 points is best in the league, but both Columbus and Pittsburgh are right behind them and coming fast. Alexander Ovechkin has re-joined T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom on the team’s top line, which also doubles as 60 percent of the top unit when the Capitals have the extra attacker. Backstrom has been on fire regardless of who his line mates are, notching seven of his team-leading 71 points over the last eight games, while Ovechkin leads the team with 28 goals. Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Justin Williams skate on the team’s second line with Johansson having the golden ticket and moving up to play with the top line when Washington has the extra attacker. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk seems the likely choice here on the back line, as his two-game suspension is over and has joined the ranks while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. It’s odd, but the Capitals’ current slump coincides with the acquisition of Shattenkirk. It does seem strange that Washington would go out of their way to solidify their team for the playoff run and actually play worse, but that is exactly what seems to be happening. The Capitals are in no danger of not making the playoffs, so I’m sure their only concern is to get on a roll somewhere around the middle of next month.
Tampa Bay has played through injuries throughout the season and has been able to stay in the playoff conversation. Their 77 points has the team just one point shy of qualifying for the end of the season tournament if it started today. Steven Stamkos is back skating with the team but will not return until he is 100 percent recovered from his injury. In the interim, Tyler Johnson has missed a few games over the last week and should be back in the lineup soon. Nikita Kucherov is the safest play here; he leads the team with 31 goals and 69 points while skating on the top line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat. Eleven of those points have come over the last nine games, while Palat and Point have combined for nine points over that same time period. Alex Killorn, Jonathan Drouin, and Yanni Gourde skate on the team’s second line, with Drouin making a decent one-off here. Twenty-one of his forty-three points have been recorded while the team had the man advantage, as he is afforded every opportunity to skate on the top power play unit that has scored three goals in the last five games. Defenseman Victor Hedman is the chalk play here, as he anchors the team’s top power play unit. Hedman has chalked up 59 points so far this season while leading the team with 27 power play points. Washington has given up 21 goals over the last six games, so now may be as good of time as any to go the opposite way.
Elite Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
TB: Nikita Kucherov
Secondary Plays
WSH: Kevin Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson
TB: Victor Hedman, Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point
Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes
| Nashville Predators | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-24-11 | 29-27-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.93 | 2.76 | 20.40% | 79.90% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.82 | 17.40% | 84.40% |
Nashville’s current three-game winning streak has slid them safely into the third spot in the Central Division with 81 points. With only 12 games left, it is safe to assume that they will be playing at least one round in the end of the season tournament, as the Los Angeles Kings are in ninth place in the division with 75 points. The Predators have to pick up a few more points for sure and they can start by beating the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson will lead the way; they have eacked up over 50 points so far this season. They also skate as the team’s top power play line that was very hot at the end of February but has lit the lamp just three times so far this month. James Neal makes for a decent one-off play here, as he skates on the third line but joins the top line when the Predators have the extra attacker. Neal’s five points over the last seven games is a sign that he is starting to heat up again, so look for him to add to his 21 goal and 17 assist point total tonight. Mike Fisher skates on the second line with Kevin Fiala, and Craig Smith and can be used as a one-off here, as he has notched 40 points so far this season with hardly any exposure to the top line. Defensemen Roman Josi and P.K. Subban are the choices on the back line and are in play tonight, as they have both been producing over the last seven games with five assists each. Nashville should be able to pull one out here against a Carolina team that has won just three games on home ice in their last 10 attempts. Nashville switched up their lines at the end of last game and could switch them up here tonight.
It’s almost time to thank the Carolina Hurricanes for participating in this season’s NHL campaign. Their 70 points has them in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, as their 175 goals scored is the third-worst in the conference. Jeff Skinner leads the team with 23 goals and 46 points while skating on a line with Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm. While this is their top line, it looks like that they should be considered for tournament play only, especially with nine other games on the schedule tonight. Rask has 41 points to his credit, while Lindholm’s 29 points is tops on the team. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen skate on the Hurricane’s second line and have been consistent over the last nine games by compiling a combined six goals and 11 assists over the last 18 days. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin is on a hot streak, as his eight points over the last nine games shoot his seasonal total up to five goals and 23 assists. Justin Faulk is still the play on the back line, however, as he gets the majority of the minutes with the man advantage. Faulk has found the score sheet 30 times so far this season, which is good enough to lead all of the Carolina defensemen in the scoring category. Look for the Hurricanes to competitive in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
NSH: Filip Forsberg
CAR: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson, James Neal, Roman Josi
CAR: Victor Rask, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm, Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk
New York Rangers at Minnesota Wild
| New York Rangers | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Antti Raanta |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 44-24-3 | 43-20-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.17 | 2.59 | 18.80% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 3.25 | 2.41 | 20.70% | 83.70% |
This game should be interesting, if only for the mere fact that both teams have three lines that can score at almost any time. Not too many teams can say that, and the fact that they both have over 220 goals so far this season is a reflection of that fact. Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, and Mats Zuccarello play on the Rangers’ top line, which also doubles as their top power-play unit. This is important because the Rangers have scored five of their last 13 goals, while having the extra attacker. This could match up well tonight against a Minnesota team that has given up power goals in four of their last five games. Mika Zibanejad steps up from the second line to joins the top line on the power play, as he centers J.T. Miller and Rick Nash on the team’s second line. Miller makes for a decent one-off here, as he leads the team with 51 points. Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes skate on the third line that sees Grabner leading the team with 27 goals so far this season. Ryan McDonagh is the play on the back line, as he has seen 13 of his 38 points come while quarterbacking the top power play unit. Brady Skjei has cooled off a bit, as he has recorded just two assists in the last eight games. Look for a tough battle here against a Minnesota team that has lost just nine times on home ice this season.
Thanks to their 4-6 record over the last 10 games, the Wild have lost their grip on the Central Division lead, as the Chicago Blackhawks are now three points up on them going into tonight. They are in a true scoring slump, as the only time they have lit the lamp more than twice over the last eight games which will certainly make your statistics over the last few weeks look a little depressed. Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, and Jason Zucker will try to help pull the team out of the slump, as they form one of the more consistent lines the Wild have. Granlund leads the team with 24 goals and 41 assists, while Koivu’s 52 points Is good enough for third on the team. Nino Niederreiter, Eric Staal, and Charlie Coyle skate on the team’s second line, while Zach Parise and Jason Pominville skate with Erik Haula on the third line. Staal makes a nice one-off here, as he has notched seven of his 53 points over the last eight games. Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba are the choices on the back line, as they both get the extra minutes on the team’s top power play unit. Suter leads the defensive corps with 36 points, while Dumba has added three points over the last eight games. With the playoffs just around the corner, Minnesota will need to get back on track tonight.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
MIN: Mikael Granlund
Secondary Plays
NYR: Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh
MIN: Mikko Koivu, Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle, Zach Parise, Jason Zucker, Ryan Suter