NHL Grind Down: Saturday, March 31st

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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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Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins

Florida Panthers Boston Bruins
Panthers Roberto Luongo Bruins Tuukka Rask
Record Record
39-29-8
Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK% Stats GF/GP GA/GP PP% PK%
Team Stats 3.00 3.00 19.07 81.11 Team Stats 3.29 2.54 23.05 82.68

The Panthers come into this one just three points away from the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just six games left on the schedule with three of them being against the conference leading Boston Bruins. The top line of Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Nick Bjugstad have been productive of late but it’s the second line that features Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Jamie McGinn that has racked up seven goals and eight assists over the last two weeks. Florida continues to keep McGinn and Bjugstad off of the top power play unit that has lit the lamp three times over the last four games. Barkov leads the team with 49 assists and 75 points while Trocheck’s 30 goals is tops on the team. Keith Yandle is the safest pick from the back line as he not only anchors the team’s top power play unit but has notched 18 of his 54 points while the Panthers had the extra attacker. Aaron Ekblad can be used here as well as he has lit the lmap twice to go along with three assists over the last eight games. With Boston in control of having the home ice advantage in the eastern Conference it will be hard to think that they will let up now.

The bad news is that it looks like Rick Nash will remain on the sideline for this one while it looks like Jake DeBrusk will return and play on the second line with David Krejci and Ryan Donato. Meanwhile the top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak should be seen in many cash game line-ups this afternoon. Marchand leads the team with 84 points while Pastrnak has 76 points in 76 games. Meanwhile Bergeron has collected 59 points in the 58 game she has played which means that they are all averaging a point-a-game of better while skating as the team’s top power play unit that has netted eight goals in the last seven games. Donato joins them along with defenseman Torey Krug to log more that 68% of the power play time when the Bruins draw a penalty. Krug is a solid play as he has racked up nine of his 57 points over the last five games while fellow defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller are the other options from the back line. The Bruins have another line that can score in David Backes, Danton Heinen and Riley Nash but sticking with the top line in your cash games should be the order of the day.

Top Plays

FLA: Aleksander Barkov
BOS: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak

Secondary Plays

FLA: Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau, Keith Yandle, Evgenii Dadonov, Aaron Ekblad, Nick Bjugstad
BOS: Torey Krug, Ryan Donato, David Krejci

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About the Author

elctrceye
Tom Woollam (elctrceye)

Tom Woollam is a freelance DFS writer and has been a member here at RotoGrinders.com since December 2011. He has played Fantasy Sports for the last 30 years and has been in the daily fantasy sports game for the last four. You can find him on twitter @elctrceye.