NHL Grind Down: Saturday, November 12th
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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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Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers
| Minnesota Wild | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Michal Neuvirth | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-4-1 | 6-7-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.08 | 2.00 | 16.20% | 88.60% | Team Stats | 3.36 | 3.57 | 29.10% | 77.10% |
Thanks to five points in the last four games Eric Staal has pulled into a tie for the Wild scoring lead with defenseman Ryan Suter. Each has ten points as they look to improve on those totals tonight against a team that just played in Toronto last night. Staal is joined by Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter on the top line while defenseman Matthew Dumba joins all of them to comprise the top unit when they have the man advantage. The top line could be used in GPP plays as Minnesota has scored three power play goals in the last four games while they have accumulated five goals and six assists over the last four games. Second liner Mikael Granlund can be used as a one-off here from the second line but I’d just use him for some GPP salary relief. Devan Dubnyk has only given up five goals in the last six starts, so if he’s in net, he would easily make a decent GPP play tonight.
Nothing new to see here, the Flyers score some goals and let in more than they score. The good news is that we don’t care about how many they let in, unless of course you roster their goalie but who would do that on a ten game slate? The Flyers have given up a league leading 57 goals while scoring 52 goals goals, which is second in the league only to the New York Rangers who have scored 58. The only thing that makes ne hesitant here is that the club played like garbage last night in Toronto and they will probably face one of the hottest goalies over the past two weeks in Devan Dubnyk. Nonetheless Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds have been reunited with Brayden Schenn on both the power play and the top line. Now, who knows what will happen after last night’s 6-3 blowout to Toronto as we very well may see yet another lineup change but Giroux and Simmonds should be safe at the very least. Jakub Voracek and Travis Konecny skate on the second line so you can get fancy a bit here and go with them otherwise Voracek is your one-off play here as he gets top line power play minutes. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere as has caught fire of late as he has three points over the last five games but Mark Streit continues to be the go-to guy while ‘The Ghost’ works through his sophomore slump.
Elite Plays
MIN: None
PHL: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds
Secondary Plays
MIN: Eric Staal, Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle
PHL: Mark Streit, Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere
Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils
| Buffalo Sabres | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 5-5-4 | 7-3-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.00 | 2.23 | 20.90% | 82.70% | Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.25 | 15.60% | 79.10% |
Buffalo and New Jersey have had their share of problems scoring this year and it was on full display last night as the Devils won the 2-1 overtime game on a penalty shot goal by Andy Greene. Now we have the distinct pleasure to watch it all over again as the team’s travel south to New Jersey in what could be one of the least relevant games of the night. Ryan O’Reilly returned to center Evander Kane and Kyle Okposo as the top line and will surely have their problems tonight. I mean if they only had five shots on net last night imagine how the Devils will wrap them up tonight when they get their best defensive unit out there against them. They do however lead the team in scoring but at this juncture they look like a GPP play tonight at best. Matt Moulson and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would be the other one-offs here if they were playing almost any other team in the league. Folks, these guys only have 27 goals in 14 games which is less than 2 a game, it’s best to look elsewhere tonight.
The Devils fired 43 shots on net last night and barely came away with the overtime win. If they can repeat that pressure tonight one would think that Taylor Hall and Travis Zajac could easily be found in GPP plays and maybe even a little in cash games tonight. Hall is the one-off here as he continues to shoot the puck like there’s no tomorrow as he has fired 57 shots on net in just 13 games. He led the team last night with six while P.A.Parenteau had 5 shots on net while serving as their line mate on both regular shifts and when the team had the man advantage. Defenseman Damon Severson could be hearing footsteps from Yohann Auvitu as the latter almost saw as much ice time on the power play as the former. Severson is still the play here though if you want to go with a Devils stack as he leads the New Jersey defenseman in points with nine while five have come with the man advantage. Mike Cammalleri was scratched for personal reasons last night so if you are looking to sway away from the pack Pavel Zacha and Adam Henrique would fit the bill here although not advisable.
Elite Plays
BUF: None
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo
NJ: Travis Zajac, Damon Severson
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes
| Washington Capitals | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Philipp Grubauer |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-3-1 | 3-6-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.17 | 13.20% | 80.00% | Team Stats | 2.46 | 3.38 | 20.00% | 89.70% |
Washington outlasted Chicago last night to take home a 3-2 overtime victory on Madison Avenue last night. There is no reason in the world to think that the Capitals will change up their lines so the top line of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie should be in play here. Yes, yes I know I don’t like taking top lines on the road especially in a back-to-back situation but the Hurricanes are just a bad team, period. I gave you Marcus Johansson last night as a one-off and it paid off, so tonight let’s double down on this as he gets exposure to Ovechkin while getting top power play minutes while skating on the second line. You could play Evgeny Kuznetsov along with Johansson as they skate on the second line together but I would use this only as a GPP play as the young russian is well off his pace from last year. John Carlson is the play on defense as he has grabbed five of his six points over the last five games. Yes, he’s heating up.
The news keeps getting worse for the Hurricanes as now it seems that defenseman Justin Faulk has been placed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury. What’s worse is that Bryan Bickell was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which is an attack of the central nervous system. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family through these trying times. Speaking of trying times, the on ice woes continue as well as Carolina has won just one game in their last six. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask are the plays here as this duo seems to be the only skill players they have. They have scored 11 of the teams 33 goals while playing on the top power play unit as well as taking regular shifts together. Noah Hanifin is the play on defense and you could even use second liner Jordan Staal as a one-off a he has recorded two points on 15 shots in the last six games. Carolina has only scored nine goals in the five games they have played in November so listing anyone else except defensemen Ron Hainsey and Jacob Slavin is truly pointless. Both defensemen have garnered three points each over the last six games. The Capitals played last night but they won’t be tired enough for it to make a difference tonight.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
CAR: None
Secondary Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, John Carlson
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Noah Hanifin
New York Islanders at Florida Panthers
| New York Islanders | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 5-7-2 | 6-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.71 | 3.00 | 10.50% | 75.90% | Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.57 | 18.40% | 82.00% |
The Islanders come into this one a total mess as they have only managed two wins over the last eight games. Any team that decides to put Cal Clutterbuck on your top line with John Tavares deserves to lose every night. Josh Bailey rounds out the top line which also serves as the top power play line that has just managed one goal with the man advantage over the last six games. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and Calvin DeHaan lead the team in scoring over the last five games with Tavares and that should tell you all you need to know. Anders Lee and Brock Nelson could be used in deeper GPP tournaments, but at the rate these New Yorkers are going, even that is a stretch. To Nelson’s credit he is second on the team in points with ten, right under Tavares and his 11 points. Although Florida has dropped to the basement in the Atlantic division, they are still 5-3 on home ice.
The Panthers finish up their three-game home stand and should be able to score a few goals against an Islander team that has given up 44 of them in 14 games. Jonathan Marchessault continues to lead the team in scoring with seven goals and 13 points through the first 14 games. Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr skate with Marchessault on the top line and are joined by defenseman Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad to round out the team’s top power play unit. Yandle has been starting to heat up as he has collected four assist over the last five games. Jason Demers however has been playing better as well as he has two goals and two assists in the team’s last five games. The second line of Vincent Trocheck, Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith could be used as a GPP play if the Panthers were on the road, but on home ice Trocheck looks like a one-off to me.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares
FLA: Jonathan Marchessault
Secondary Plays
NYI: Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson
FLA: Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Keith Yandle
San Jose Sharks at Tampa Bay Lightning
| San Jose Sharks | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 8-6-0 | 8-5-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.43 | 17.80% | 88.60% | Team Stats | 3.14 | 2.71 | 26.30% | 88.10% |
After impressive road wins against Washington and Florida the Sharks will now try to hit the trifecta by beating a team that is 5-1-1 on home ice. Four of the top five players that reside on the team’s top power play unit not only lead the team in points, but they have outscored their teammates over the last five games as well. That’s pretty consistent if you ask me. Brent Burns is the defensive play here if you can afford him as he is just one point shy of being a point-per-game player through the first 14 games. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton control things from the top line and now they have a decent one-off play in Joel Ward riding shotgun with them as he takes the right wing with the players who have a combined 25 points through the first 14 games. Logan Couture has managed two points over the last five games while centering Joonas Donskoi and Kevin LaBanc while Patrick Marleau rounds out the team’s top power play unit skating with the very streaky Tomas Hertl. Marleau is yet to pick it up and could be in danger of losing his spot on the top power play unit.
Tampa Bay comes into this one by lighting the lamp seven times over the last five games while enjoying the man advantage. Both power play units have done the damage as Steven Stamkos and line mate Nikita Kucherov have been red hot of late as evidence of their combined 15 points over the last five games. They don’t play on the power play together much but keeping them together may be a decent play here. It always seems like we talk about how Anton Stralman gets the top power play minutes but it has been fellow defenseman Victor Hedman who is the hot one here as he has two goals and four assists in the last five games. If you want to drop to the second line Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat is the duo here while Valtteri Filppula makes a decent one-off play here as he has four points over the last four games. Tampa is good on home ice and there’s no reason to think they don’t get at least three goals tonight.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
TB: Steven Stamkos
Secondary Plays
SJ: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Joonas Donskoi
TB: Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Tyler Johnson