NHL Grind Down: Saturday, November 28th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2015-11-30 02:45:15

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 New York Rangers – 01:00 PM EST

Philadelphia Flyers					New York Rangers
			Steve Mason					Antti Raanta
			Record					Record
			7-10-5					16-5-2
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	1.73	2.82	15.90%	79.70%	Team Stats	3.00	2.00	20.30%	83.50%

With both teams playing yesterday, this one should be a no-brainer. The Rangers are the class of the division while the Flyers have been mired close to the bottom for a few years now. New York sits atop the Metropolitan division with 34 points and although Philadelphia has shown signs of life, I would expect the Rangers to be too much for them tonight. Both teams have a penchant for taking penalties, so I wouldn’t blame you for getting some exposure to the top power play units. Derek Stepan will be out 4-6 weeks with broken ribs from a hit sustained in yesterday’s game, so it is a bit unclear as to who coach Alain Vigneault will go with at the point on the top power-play. Look for Rangers rookie Oscar Lindberg to have a bigger role in Stepan’s absence as he has three points in his last four games. Speaking of rookies, Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has assumed top power-play minutes on the point while collecting two goals and an assist in his last three games.

Elite Plays

Phil: None
NYR: Rick Nash

Secondary Plays

Phil: Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Ryan McDonagh, Keith Yandle, Oscar Lindberg

Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST

Edmonton Oilers					Pittsburgh Penguins
			Anders Nilsson					Jeff Zatkoff
			Record					Record
			7-14-1					13-8-0
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.55	3.09	19.20%	79.10%	Team Stats	2.29	2.33	15.60%	83.60%

Pittsburgh takes the home ice tonight after playing in Columbus last night while the Oilers come in from playing the Red Wings. Edmonton is still Edmonton as they sit in last place in the Pacific division with a 7-14-1 record. If not for Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall, this team would barely be watchable. It does seem that Draisaitl has cooled off a bit as he has not registered a point in his last three games.The Penguins, on the other hand, have been playing good hockey of late by evidence of them winning 10 of their last 14 games. Evgeni Malkin is picking up the slack left behind by Sidney Crosby as he has scored five goals and three assists in his last five games. Pascal Dupuis is your punt here as he skates on the top line with Crosby and Patric Hornqvist, but receives no power-play time. The Oilers are middle of the pack in terms of giving up power-play goals as their penalty kill comes in at 79.7%, which ranks 18th in the league. Vegas has the Penguins as a heavy favorite on home ice tonight at -185, so expect some high ownership in your cash games.

Elite Plays

Edm: None
Pit: Evgeni Malkin

Secondary Plays

Edm: Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl
Pit: Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning – 07:00 PM EST

New York Islanders					Tampa Bay Lightning
			Jaroslav Halak					Ben Bishop
			Record					Record
			11-8-3					11-9-3
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.82	2.41	15.90%	81.70%	Team Stats	2.35	2.13	18.30%	81.30%

After playing the Panthers last night, the Islanders finish up their Florida tour with a stop in Tampa Bay to play Steven Stamkos and the Lightning. So far this season, both teams have underachieved, as they are in the middle of their respective divisions with 25 points going into last night’s action. The Lightning are coming in from Washington last night, but the home ice advantage should still give them the edge in this one. Look for Frans Nielsen to get in on the scoring for the Islanders as he plays second line but gets top power-play minutes. Nielsen has collected seven points in his last six games with his only pointless game during that stretch coming in Montreal on November 20th. Stamkos, on the other hand, has been held in check in four of the last five games tallying his only points (two goals, one assist) in a home game against Anaheim back on November 21st. He is still one of the elite players in the game and should be able to hit the score sheet tonight as the Islanders are killing off penalties at a rate of 81.1%.

Elite Plays

NYI: John Tavares
TB: Steven Stamkos

Secondary Plays

NYI: Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Brock Nelson, Nick Leddy
TB: Vladislav Namestnikov, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Anton Stralman

New Jersey Devils at Montreal Canadiens – 07:00 PM EST

New Jersey Devils					Montreal Canadiens
			Cory Schneider					Dustin Tokarski
			Record					Record
			11-9-1
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.33	2.43	21.10%	84.20%	Team Stats	3.61	2.17	24.40%	86.40%

Montreal is back at it again this year as they are atop the Metropolitan division with 36 points. Goaltender Carey Price returned for three games but is now out a week for what is being called a lower-body injury. This will thrust back up Mike Condon back into the starter’s role, but please check to make sure he is starting as I have a sneaky suspicion that the Canadiens may use Dustin Tokarski on the second end of a back-to-back. Devante Smith-Pelly will be your punt for tonight as he is skating on the top line. New Jersey has been playing just about .500 hockey all season and should put up a fight, but the home team should win the second half of this home and home series. Expect a low scoring game, much like last night as both teams rank in the top four in terms of killing off penalties.

Elite Plays

NJ: None
Mont: Tomas Plekanec, Max Pacioretty

Secondary Plays

NJ: Mike Cammalleri
Mont: P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov

Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:00 PM EST

Washington Capitals					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Braden Holtby					Jonathan Bernier
			Record					Record
			15-5-1					7-10-5
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	3.14	2.24	21.90%	83.90%	Team Stats	2.23	2.64	18.80%	81.70%

After losing a home and home to the Boston Bruins, Toronto will try to bounce back on home ice tonight against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Barry Trotz has the Washington club playing good defensive hockey as they sit in second place in the Metropolitan division with a goal differential of a plus 20. This is a marked improvement over years past and it will take a good effort from Mike Babcock’s squad to not only score on the Capitals, but keep them out of their net as well. Ovechkin has four goals and an assist in his last five games as the Washington power play is hitting on all cylinders by having a 25% success rate. Defenseman John Carlson has tallied two assists in each of his last two games to go along with his usual 2-4 shots per game, making him very much in play as well.

Elite Plays

Wash: Alexander Ovechkin
Tor: None

Secondary Plays

Wash: T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson
Tor: Tyler Bozak, Morgan Rielly

Jump to Page 1 2 3