NHL Grind Down: Saturday, November 26th
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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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Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators
| Carolina Hurricanes | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 8-7-4 | 12-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.47 | 2.68 | 20.00% | 92.20% | Team Stats | 2.20 | 2.50 | 10.20% | 85.00% |
The Hurricanes reeled off five straight wins to get themselves back into the playoff picture before dropping a hard fought 2-1 loss in Montreal on Thanksgiving night. Carolina is still looking for more scoring as they have only netted ten goals over the last five games so it was no surprise when goaltender Cam Ward was named the NHL’s second star of the week early Monday morning. Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm have each scored two goals and garnered two assists over the last five games while skating on a line with Teuvo Teravainen. Jeff Skinner is the other player who has lit the lamp twice over the last five games as he skates with Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho. It’s going to be tough to figure out which line Ottawa will decide to shut down so maybe its best we concentrate on the power play here. Carolina has scored three times over the last three games with the man advantage while Ottawa is starting to slip a little in the penalty kill department as they have given up three goals over the last two games while a man down. Two out of three Jeff Skinner points over the last five games have come on the power play, which would make the Carolina sniper a nice one-off play here. You can always pair Rask and Lindholm together. The choice on defense is either Justin Faulk or Noah Hanifin with Faulk being the choice here as he has fired 18 shots on net over the past five games.
Mark Stone has been on fire for Ottawa over the last five games as he has registered six of his 12 points over the last five games. Stone gets the extra minutes on the team’s top power play unit with Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard and team leader in points, defenseman Erik Karlsson. Hoffman and Brassard now have Stone on the right wing and look to be the line to target here as Hoffman has garnered four points over the last three games. Karlsson’s salary may be a little high considering his production so far this season as he has only four goals but does have 12 assists over the first 20 games. Ottawa had been one of those teams that tried to make three lines out of six skill players but now have added Bobby Ryan to skate with Turris and Ryan Dzingel making this a decent GPP play for tonight’s contests. We mentioned that Carolina has been playing tough lately so the order of the day is to use a little caution here.
Elite Plays
CAR: None
OTT: Erik Karlsson
Secondary Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Justin Faulk
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Mark Stone
Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Curtis McElhinney |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-5-3 | 10-9-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.11 | 2.33 | 29.40% | 82.70% | Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.65 | 14.50% | 81.30% |
As like most teams the Blue Jackets will play their third game in four nights as they stay in the Sunshine State to take on the Florida panthers. Their 5-3 victory over Tampa last night upped their road record to a very respectable 4-2-2 as they sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan division with 25 points. We all know that Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno are usually the plays on most night as they have been the most consistent players all season leading the team with 19 points each in 19 games. I wouldn’t fault you for using Brandon Saad with them for a full line GPP stack especially here on the road. Saad has done well with this group as he has five goals and 11 assists without being on the top power play unit with his two line mates. Cam Atkinson is the one tabbed to join Wennberg and Foligno on the team’s top power play unit and has done very well as nine of his 19 points have come when the Blue Jackets have the man advantage. It is for this reason that Atkinson makes for a very good one-off play tonight in all formats. It also doesn’t hurt that he has tallied three goals and three assists over the last five games which has left his line mates of Brandan Dubinsky and Boone Jenner in the dust as they have only managed six points apiece this season. Sam Gagner can be used as a one-off in GPP play as he continues to be efficient on the top power play unit while playing on the fourth line. Zachary Werenski is the play on the blue line here as eight of his 16 points have come on the power play. It will be interesting to see what Columbus does here as they were 2-0 in October when playing on back-to-back nights but have since dropped their last three games when in the same situation.
The Florida Panthers have won six of their last eight games and have successfully kept themselves from sliding into oblivion. Their 10-9-1 record has them in fifth place in the Atlantic division with 21 points but they still have a lot of work to do before April rolls around. Columbus is another team that played last night but like most teams that roll through, the Blue Jackets were just up the road in Tampa last night. Jonathan Marchessault continues to lead the team with 16 points as he skates on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith. Marchessault makes a decent one-off play here as he gets the top power play minutes alongside first liners Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr. Jussi Jokinen joing Jagr and Barkov on the top line making this the line to target on home ice for your tournament plays tonight. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle have been heating up from the blue line as Ekblad has tallied three of his five points over the last five games. Columbus is another team that can play hot and cold but I’d go on the cold side tonight after playing last night.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg
FLA: Jonathan Marchessault
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Nick Foligno, Cam Atkinson, Zachary Werenski
FLA: Aleksander Barkov, Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Jaromir Jagr
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs
| Washington Capitals | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-5-2 | 8-8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.74 | 2.21 | 16.70% | 82.80% | Team Stats | 3.10 | 3.25 | 21.10% | 82.00% |
The Washington Capitals remain as one of the top teams in the league despite an injury to T.J. Oshie as they have won both games without him as they head to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs tonight. Nicklas Backstrom has been flourishing on the second line for most of the season as he leads the team with 18 points in 20 games. He makes a great one-off play here as he gets exposure to Alexander Ovechkin and the top power play unit that has scored with the man advantage in each of the last three games. Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams joins Backstrom on the second line which makes for a nice GPP line stack tonight as Toronto has given up 67 goals so far this season. Only the Philadelphia Flyers have given up more goals in the conference so far this season. Besides Backstrom and his eight points over the last five games Alexander Ovechkin has grabbed five goals and one assist over the last five games and is almost always in play on a nitgly basis if you can afford him. To help soften the blow you can us Andre Burakovsky or Evgeny Kuznetsov to pair with Ovechkin as they skate with him on both the top line and top power play unit. John Carlson is the choice on defense here as he gets the most opportunities from the blue line. Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov are decent alternatives to the more shot taking Carlson but their points are about the same so far this season.
The Maple Leafs continue to shuffle up their lines in order to turn things around here in the early going. The good news is they are 7-3 on home ice while the bad news is that they just have three wins in their last eight games. James van Riemsdyk, Mitchell Marner and Tyler Bozak have been the most productive line over the last five games as they have a combined six goals and eight assists with van Riemsdyk leading the way with six points. This would be the line to target tonight on home ice as there is no doubt that they will want their best players matched up against whatever line they deem the weakest Washington Capital unit. The new line of Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and Connor Brown is probably viewed as the line third as it appears Mike Babcock has reunited Auston Matthews with William Nylander and Zach Hyman. Matthews will join the top power play unit from that line along with defenseman Jake Gardiner who has two of his four goals over the last five games. Toronto will more than likely face Braden Holtby but with the Capitals playing at home against Buffalo last night, they could come in a little tired here.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
TOR: James van Riemsdyk
Secondary Plays
WSH: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Andre Burakovsky
TOR: Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner, Auston Matthews
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins
| New Jersey Devils | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Keith Kinkaid |  | Matt Murray | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-6-4 | 12-6-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.32 | 2.42 | 13.40% | 81.70% | Team Stats | 2.95 | 2.75 | 21.40% | 77.90% |
You can’t find a hotter player in the league than Mike Cammalleri who has netted two goals and assisted on four others in the two games he has played since his return from injury. Both teams are working on their third game in four nights so this one could get a bit messy. Travis Zajac is Cammalleri’s line mate and chalked up five points in the last five games which would make this duo a decent GPP play tonight against a Pittsburgh team that has given up four goals in the last two games while a man down. The second line of Kyle Palmieri, P.A. Parenteau and Adam Henrique has not done much so far this season as none of them have hit the double digit plateau in scoring so far this season. Defensemem John Moore and Kyle Quincey make for an interesting one-off GPP play as they both have tallied four points over the last five games. I have a strange feeling about Beau Bennett and Pavel Zacha from the third line as both saw a considerable amount of power play time last game and could be a sneaky play here against a Pittsburgh defense that has been giving up goals in bunches over the past two weeks. Seven to Washington, Five to the Rangers and six to Minnesota is clear evidence of that. Now before you say anything, I know, those teams may have a bit more scoring prowess than New Jersey but still the fact remains, a lot of goals have ended behind Pittsburgh goaltenders.
Pittsburgh comes home to play the New Jersey Devils after playing five of their last six games on the road. Their home record of 7-2-1 would indicate that they will shake off last night’s 6-2 loss at Minnesota and take care of business against a team that is just 3-6-2 when playing away from home. Sidney Crosby should lead the charge as he has six points over the last five games while Conor Sheary and Carl Hagelin have just one assist each while playing on the top line with Crosby over that same time period. Sounds like a one-off to me here. Phil Kessel has been on an absolute tear lately as the often criticized malcontent has grabbed seven even strength points over the last five games. Evgeni Malkin and rookie Jake Guentzel are his line mates and make for a decent GPP stack tonight as they have added three points apiece over the last five games. Guentzel actually has only played in three games so far which would make him a good play while providing a bit of salary relief. There’s only one play on the back line and that is Kris Letang as he quarterbacks the point on the power play while averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time per game. I have a feeling Pittsburgh may see quite a bit of ownership in cash games tonight.
Elite Plays
NJ: Mike Cammalleri
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel
Secondary Plays
NJ: Travis Zajac, John Moore
PIT: Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
Montréal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings
| Montréal Canadiens | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-4-2 | 10-10-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.10 | 2.19 | 22.70% | 82.50% | Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.60 | 14.90% | 79.70% |
We all know how good Montreal plays on home ice so now it’s time to see if they can improve on their 3-3-1 road record as they face the Red Wings in Detroit tonight. The only saving grace the Canadiens may have is that Detroit played in New Jersey last night and tonight’s game will make their third game in four nights. Alexander Radulov and Alex Galchenyuk make for a decent duo tonight as they keep piling up the points. Galchenyuk has 21 points in 21 games while Radulov didn’t miss a beat when he missed a few games and has 17 points in 19 games. Shea Weber and Andrei Markov have been scoring from the blue line as they man the points on the top power play unit. Both players are second on the team in points with 17 as Markov has the upper hand on Weber over the last five games by a tally of six points to four. Weber also leads the team in shots with 16 over the past five games. Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty play on the top power play unit with Radulov and the blue liners and now skate on the team’s second line with Tomas Plekanec which upgrades them to a decent GPP play on the road against a Detroit team that has given up eight goals in the past three games. Montreal has only played three games on the road in November and has lost them all by only scoring a total of four goals. Even though Detroit may be tired, I’d still not go overboard on the Canadiens tonight.
The Red Wings come home for a three-game home stand after a productive two-game with wins in Buffalo and New Jersey over the last three days. They needed extra minutes in both games to win but they did get the job done. Jeff Blashill continues to shuffle up the lines looking for more production however and maybe he has found something as the five goals they scored last night is the first time they have tallied more than three goals in any game since October 25th when the beat the Carolina Hurricanes on home ice by a score of 4-2. Gustav Nyquist and Thomas Vanek look to be in play here as both will get the first shot on the power play while being joined by Dylan Larkin at even strength. The power play has struggled all month as they just have three goals with the man advantage in the past 11 games. Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg make for an interesting play here as the young Mantha has found the scoresheet four times in his first six games while his 13 shots is tied for the team lead with Larkin over the last four games. Zetterberg has three assists over the last four games which may be a perfect fit for the highly touted Mantha. Frans Nielsen has scored two of his five goals over the last four games as he has Justin Abdelkader and Luke Glendening as his line mates on the team’s third line. I’d look for Mike Green to join the top power play soon as the aging Niklas Kronwall has certainly seen better days as he has just one assist since his return nine games ago. In the meantime Ryan Sproul continues to be cheap across the industry as he sees decent time with the man advantage from the point.
Elite Plays
MTL: Alexander Radulov
DET: None
Secondary Plays
MTL: Alex Galchenyuk, Andrei Markov, Shea Weber, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek, Anthony Mantha, Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Sproul