NHL Grind Down: Saturday, March 3rd
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.
Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Philadelphia Flyers | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-20-10 | 44-17-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.94 | 2.77 | 20.85 | 75.42 | Team Stats | 3.52 | 2.68 | 23.89 | 77.57 |
The Flyers kick off an eight game slate that sees five games start before the normal 7pm start time. Philadelphia came up with a clunker the other night that saw the visiting Carolina Hurricanes take them to the woodshed by a score of 4-1. The loss kept the team in second place in the Metropolitan Division just one point behind the Washington Capitals. Wayne Simmonds has missed the last five games and could be available as early as Monday. In the interim Oskar Lindblom has taken his spot on the second line with Jakub Voracek and Nolan Patrick. Meanwhile the top line of Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier remain the line to take if you are looking for a full line stack. They have combined for six goals and 13 assists over the last seven games while Giroux continues to lead the team with 75 points. Voracek is the one-off here as his 69 points is good enough for second on the team while skating with Patrick, Giroux and Couturier on the team’s top power play unit. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere rounds out the top power play unit as he has grabbed 25 of his 50 points while the Flyers had the extra attacker. Ivan Provorov could be used for a little salary relief as he is one point away from notching his 30th point this season. Brandon Manning has been hot as he has lit the lamp twice while assisting on three other goals over the last two weeks. Look for the Flyers to stumble a bit here against a team that is 21-6-2 on home ice.
The status of Nikita Kucherov is unclear as Tampa bay heads into an afternoon tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers. His league leading 82 points will certainly be missed but the team is pretty deep and are not on top of the Conference because of just one player. Brayden Point, J.T. Miller and rookie of the month Yanni Gourde have been skating on the top line while Steven Stamkos and his 72 points feels like the one-off play here. Ryan Callahan and Chris Kunitz join him on the 5×5 situations and for the most part Stamkos has made them more productive than usual. Kunitz has registered five points over the last seven games while Callahan has been able to chip in with a goal and three assists over that same time frame. Tyler Johnson skates on the third line but has been skating on the top power play line with Stamkos and Point over the last few games. This would make Johnson more of a GPP punt play than an actual one-off but take it for what it is worth. Defenseman Victor Hedman is the clear choice on the back line as he soaks up a good chunk of the power play time from the back line. He has seen 19 of his 45 points come with the man advantage while fellow defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev has seen his production drop off dramatically over the last month or so. Tampa should be able to take the victory lap tonight and win their 22nd game in front of the home crowd this evening.
Top Plays
PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
TB: Steven Stamkos
Secondary Plays
PHL: Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom
TB: Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Victor Hedman, Chris Kunitz, Tyler Johnson
Unlock the complete breakdown of EVERY matchup today with a free 7-Day Trial!
- To read this full article for today’s NHL games, you need to have a subscription to RotoGrinders Premium, our advanced content package.
- A Premium subscription will allow you to access this article, as well as Consensus Value Rankings, LineupHQ, premium videos, daily picks from top-ranked players and more.