NHL Grind Down: Saturday, November 21st
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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Philadelphia Flyers at Ottawa Senators – 07:00 PM EST
| Philadelphia Flyers | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 6-8-5 | 9-5-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 1.79 | 2.79 | 14.30% | 76.80% | Team Stats | 2.84 | 2.84 | 21.70% | 75.80% |
The Flyers travel up to Ottawa after a tough 1-0 overtime loss to the Sharks just two days ago. Coach Dave Hakstol has tried everything and although the team has looked a little bit better, the results still are not showing up in the win column. His latest tactic was to have a long meeting with Sean Couturier and his linemates yesterday, so we will see how that pans out. The only bright spot has been the play of rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere who has not only been reunited with his old AHL defense partner in Brandon Manning, he has a goal and an assist in the three games he has played in. All you need to know is that the Flyers’ six wins are tied for worst in the league.
Ottawa may be turning some kind of corner here as they were able to dispose of the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 3-0 on home ice on Thursday night. They are back at Canadian Tire Centre again tonight as they wrap up their five-game home stand. Their 5-2-1 record at home should be enough to handle the one-line Flyers tonight. Look for Bobby Ryan to return to lineup as there was some question as whether he would play tonight in light of the hit he took in Thursday night’s contest. Both teams take a lot of penalties so look for some power play goals in this one.
Elite Plays
Phila: None
Ott: Erik Karlsson
Secondary Plays
Phila: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere
Ott: Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad
Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins – 07:00 PM EST
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | James Reimer |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-9-4 | 9-8-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.30 | 2.65 | 21.00% | 80.60% | Team Stats | 3.33 | 3.11 | 34.50% | 72.00% |
The Maple Leafs will look to snap their string of five consecutive losses on the days when they have played their second game in two nights. After a 2-1 shootout win against Carolina and the fact that they travel to Boston may make this a tougher task than it appears. There is no doubt that Mike Babcock is getting into the heads of his new team as the Leafs look a bit more tougher and grittier than in seasons gone by. Look for Toronto to play a tough game but sputter in the end.
Boston comes into this game looking to improve on satisfying their customers as six out of ten times this season they have left TD Gardens with a feeling that they have wasted their money. Overall the Bruins have scored 60 goals, which is second only to Montreal in the Eastern Conference. The problem Boston seems to have is keeping the puck out of their own net. A lot of this can fall squarely on goaltender Tuukka Rask as his 3.18 goals against average and .890 save percentage are well below his career averages. Some may say it’s the team in front of him that is breaking down and while that is a fair assessment, Rask’s numbers should be a bit better than that considering he is one of the better goalies in the league.
Elite Plays
Tor: None
Bos: None
Secondary Plays
Tor: James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak
Bos: David Krejci, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron
San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST
| San Jose Sharks | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-8-0 | 12-7-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.47 | 14.00% | 77.60% | Team Stats | 2.26 | 2.26 | 14.90% | 83.60% |
San Jose comes into this game riding a four-game win streak as well as sporting a sterling 8-3 record on the road. This will be the fifth game of their six-game road trip and for all intents and purposes, the road doesn’t seem to bother them in the least. The Penguins tend to give up some penalties at times as they are ranked seventh in the league in that category, which would point you in the direction of San Jose’s top power play unit.
Pittsburgh has started to get their act together by evidence of the 7-3 record in their last 10 games. Currently in third place in the Metropolitan division, the Penguins will try to take advantage of what should be a tired San Jose team. Look for both lines to get in on the action with this game being one of the more enjoyable to watch tonight.
Elite Plays
SJ: Joe Pavelski
Pitt: Evgeni Malkin
Secondary Plays
SJ: Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns
Pitt: Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist
New York Rangers at Florida Panthers – 07:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-3-2 | 8-8-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 1.74 | 17.80% | 86.90% | Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.47 | 21.20% | 75.80% |
The Rangers will try to start a new winning streak tonight as a tough Tampa team was able to break their latest streak of nine games the other night at Amalie Arena. The Blueshirts are still on top of the heap in the Metropolitan division with 30 points thanks to a 14-3-2 record. Once again I look to the second line of the Rangers to do some damage against the Panthers, who get the last change to match against the top line of Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard.
Florida has been outshot in their last three games and although they were able to beat Tampa Bay in a home and home series, they weren’t as lucky on Thursday night as the Ducks put 41 shots on net en route to a 3-1 victory. It’s the same old story for the Panthers as Jaromir Jagr leads the team in scoring with seven goals and eight assists. While Florida does have some young talent, usually it’s goaltender Roberto Luongo saving the bacon night in and night out.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
Fla: None
Secondary Plays
NYR: Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan
Fla: Jaromir Jagr, Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad
Colorado Avalanche at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Reto Berra |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-11-1 | 12-5-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.84 | 18.70% | 76.90% | Team Stats | 2.94 | 2.28 | 21.80% | 86.00% |
After starting their seven-game road trip out on a high note by winning the first three games, the Avalanche have fell back to earth by dropping their last two. One has to think that the Washington Capitals will be too much for them as they not only have a better record, they are the better team. If Colorado is going to have any chance of winning this game they will need their second line of Blake Comeau, Carl Soderberg and Jarome Iginla to net a few goals tonight.
After a hot start the Capitals come into this game with a 2-3 record in their last five. Their 12-5-1 record is good enough for second place in the Metropolitan Division and a home date against Colorado is just what the doctor ordered to get back on track. Look for the top line to do most of the damage as the Avs will not be able to keep up in this one.
Elite Plays
Col: None
Wash: Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
Col: Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene
Wash: T.J. Oshie, Niklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Marcus Johansson