NHL Grind Down: Saturday, October 22nd
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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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San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings
| San Jose Sharks | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 46-30-6 | 41-30-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.89 | 3.00 | 22.50% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.55 | 3.00 | 18.80% | 81.50% |
The Sharks are possibly the easiest team to predict in all of NHL DFS. Although their top power play unit comes from three lines, it’s always the power play unit players that do the scoring. Defenseman Brent Burns leads the way by having a hand in nine of the 14 goals San Jose has scored this season. The top line features power play specialists Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski while their line mate in Tomas Hertl is the only player outside the ‘power play five’ to have more than one point. Logan Couture plays on the second line while Patrick Marleau skates on the third line. So there it is, plain and simple. The other second and third line wingers all have one point as well, so there’s no need to start taking risks like that on a big slate like tonight.
After their 5-3 win against Nashville last night the Red Wings look to continue their three game winning streak as they host the San Jose Sharks. The southern Californian team has given up four goals while a man down in just 13 attempts so maybe taking a few players on the power play is in order here. Through five games Thomas Vanek leades the team with having a hand in four of the goals with the man advantage while defenseman Mike Green, Frans Nielsen, Henrik Zetterberg and Darren Helm have two points of the six times Detroit has lit the lamp on the power play. Okay, so how does all this break down? That’s a tough question as Vankek is on the third line with Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm. I say third line because that is what they are slated as but all three have seen some power play time in some capacity. Besides defenseman Mike Green leading the team in points, this whole line is ranked second to fourth in team scoring with a total of eight goals and eight assists of the 14 goals the Red Wings have scored so far this season. Coach Jeff Blashill switched up the lines for last game and just on the result alone, should go with the same roster tonight. Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg skate on the team’s top line and top power play unit while Green, Vanek and second liner Frans Nielsen join them to complete the five man unit. The second power play unit features second liners Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader, which also sees a little less than equal time with the man advantage. Green is certainly in play so the choice is take the third line, which is hot, or the top power play unit.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns
DET: Mike Green
Secondary Plays
SJ: Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau
DET: Thomas Vanek, Gustav Nyquist, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, Frans Nielsen
Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers
| Carolina Hurricanes | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-31-16 | 41-27-14 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.39 | 3.50 | 16.80% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 2.57 | 4.00 | 18.90% | 80.50% |
The Hurricanes continue their brutal six-game road trip to start the season by playing game five tonight in Philadelphia. They have scored at least three goals in three of those four games, so taking the top line here in a GPP may not be a bad idea. Victor Rask, Lee Stempniak and Jeff Skinner not only skate on the team’s top power play line they also each have five points each while netting four of the team’s five goals with the man advantage. The Flyers have given up three goals in 13 attempts while short-handed so look for the top line to at least get one tonight. Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin are the plays on defense as they have each contributed four points so far this season. If you want to really dive deeper for GPP play, I’d look at Teuvo Terevainen and Sebastian Aho who skate on the second line with Elias Lindholm. It looks like they are starting to gel and if that happens, the Hurricanes can easily win a few games more than they did last year.
The Flyers win against the Kings on opening night is now looking more like an aberration than it does the norm, as they have dropped their last three games. Claude Giroux and Jakob Voracek lead the team in points without the benefit of scoring a goal while Wayne Simmonds and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Mark Streit join them on the team’s top power play unit. Three of their 13 goals have come with the man advantage but that may not be good enough tonight as Carolina has given up just one short-handed goal in 166 attempts. Matt Read looks like a one-off play as he leads the team in scoring with four goals so maybe he will get a little more opportunity tonight. Voracek skates with Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier on the second line making it a “take-your-pick” kind of night for the Flyers tonight.
Elite Plays
CAR: None
PHL: None
Secondary Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Lee Stempniak, Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin
PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins
| Montreal Canadiens | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 38-38-6 | 42-31-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 1.50 | 16.20% | 81.90% | Team Stats | 2.88 | 2.25 | 20.50% | 82.20% |
It looks like old times atop the Atlantic Conference, where both Boston and Montreal occupy the top two spots. Of course it’s early in the season, but the big thing for Montreal is that they got their goaltender back between the pipes. The top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher are off to a good start as they have all registered four points each while serving as the team’s top power play unit. Defenseman Shea Weber and Andrei Markov complete the top power play unit that has tallied three goals with the man advantage in the first four games. The second line of Tomas Plekanec, Artturi Lehkonen and Alexander Radulov could be in play here on the road as they make up the second line. If you are looking for one-offs David Desharnais and defenseman Jeff Petry have somehow accumulated four points through the first four games, but based on history, I wouldn’t expect that to continue much longer.
Patrice Bergeron returned to the Bruins line up with a bang as he scored the game winning goal with just a minute and fifteen seconds left to beat the Devils in a hard fought 2-1 contest. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand should be his line mates again tonight as that line accounted for both goals on home ice. Bergeron was put on the top power play with the Bruins other line that consists of David Backes, David Krejci and Danton Heinen while defenseman Torey Krug rounds out the top unit that has struggled to score with the man advantage. I’d stick with the Bergeron line here in cash games as Marchand and Pastrnak lead the team in points with nine and seven respectively. Once you realize the Bruins have only scored 13 goals, these numbers look pretty good.
Elite Plays
MTL: None
BOS: Brad Marchand
Secondary Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Shea Weber
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, David Backes, David Krejci, Torey Krug
Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-42-11 | 47-26-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.34 | 3.50 | 15.40% | 81.60% | Team Stats | 2.85 | 3.75 | 22.60% | 80.30% |
With the Hawks dropping to 2-3 last night thanks to a 3-2 loss at Columbus, I’d be surprised if head coach Joel Quenneville will keep the lines together much longer. He has a penchant for hitting the panic button in troubled times. Speaking of panic, Richard Panik leads the team in both goals and points with five and seven respectively. I doubt that he will keep up his 71 percent shooting percentage, but for now he is in play with line mates Jonathan Toews and Tyler Motte. They had a full line goal last night and it seems that Motte is fitting in nicely as well so maybe it’s just a bit of chemistry that’s needed on a team that has a few new faces over the past year. The second line of Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov used to be the top line for the power play, but based on last game, it was Toews taking the place of Anisimov. Like I said, “Coach Q” likes to mix it up, so look for defensemen Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith to be mainstays on the power play points. Kane will always be there as well, but after that, it’s anyone’s guess, as you now have entered the revolving door that is the Blackhawks when they are not playing a decent brand of hockey.
Head coach Mike Babcock has the young Leafs scoring some goals; now they have to work on keeping the puck out of the net. They are a straight up even 14 goals on each side of the ledger while their record stands at an even 1-1-2. Toronto runs out three lines that have the ability to score with the top line that features Auston Matthews and William Nylander leading the way with a combined 11 points on the first 14 goals so far this season. They both play on a power play unit with Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev that shares almost equal time with the second unit. Speaking of that second unit with the man advantage Babcock has decided to keep the line of Tyler Bozak, Mitchell Marner and James van Riemsdyk together, as they are joined by defensemen Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick. The Blackhawks have given up 11 power play goals 19 times whole short-handed this season, so it really doesn’t matter which way you go; just keep the pairs together.
Elite Plays
TOR: Auston Matthews
CHI: Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
TOR: William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Colorado Avalanche at Florida Panthers
| Colorado Avalanche | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-39-4 | 47-26-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.75 | 18.00% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.25 | 16.90% | 79.50% |
The Avalanche are obviously doing a bit better than they were under ex-coach Patrick Roy. With wins against Dallas at home and road wins against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, we can almost forgive the 3-0 loss at Washington last Tuesday night. The Avalanche have scored 14 goals with 12 players contributing at least two or more points, so it seems like the scoring is balanced to some extent. Joe Colborne, who skates on the team’s third line has earned some top power play looks as he leads the team in goals with three while adding an assist into the mix. Florida is usually a tough defensive team, so it’s “buyer beware” for rostering any Av’s tonight. The top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Jarome Iginla should have the most coverage on them, so maybe taking Matt Duchene and Carl Soderberg may not be a bad GPP play tonight. Defenseman Erik Johnson receives the lion’s share of the power play minutes, but Tyson Barrie and even Patrick Wiercioch have chipped in on a team that has a balanced scoring attack.
I am not sure why defenseman Jason Demers saw north of four minutes of power play time on Thursday night, but it something to surely keep an eye on. The Panthers come into this one on a two-game losing streak as they look for a win on home ice against the Colorado Avalanche. Look for Alexander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Marchessault to lead the way from both the top line and top power play unit. Colorado has given up six goals in 17 attempts while a man short, so adding Aaron Ekblad to the mix may not be a bad idea, as he is their best offensive defenseman. Marschessault and Barkov each have two goals and three assists of the Panthers 11 goals so far this season. The second line of Jussi Jokinen, Vincent Trochek and Reilly Smith has almost been a non-factor as the have a combined five points so far this season. Kyle Rau will fill in for the injured Jokinen tonight, so maybe that will give them spark. Time will tell. Stick with the top line on home ice tonight.
Elite Plays
COL: None
FLA: Aleksander Barkov
Secondary Plays
COL: Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Marchessault, Aaron Ekblad