NHL Grind Down: Saturday, October 24th
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 write-ups 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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Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild – 06:00 PM EDT
| Anaheim Ducks | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 51-24 | 46-28 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.70 | 15.70% | 81.00% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.41 | 15.80% | 86.30% |
The Anaheim Ducks lost to the Predators on Thursday, bringing their record to 1-4-1 to start the season. The Ducks have only scored six goals on the season and Anaheim’s lone victory this year came against the Minnesota Wild, who they will face again today. Anaheim Coach Bruce Boudreau invoked sweeping changes across the lineup after the loss to the Predators, placing Mike Santorelli and Chris Stewart on the top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf. Boudreau’s new second line will feature Rickard Rakell and Patrick Maroon with Corey Perry. The Ducks are in a complete tailspin right now and are struggling to find their identity. While Boudreau’s line juggling could produce some value plays in low-priced forwards who will have more opportunity, the matchup against the defensively strong Wild reduces the likelihood of that proposition. The Ducks are a better hockey team than they have shown this year, but a cautious approach may be best until the team recaptures their identity.
The Minnesota Wild have suffered two defeats this year and one came on the road at the hands of the struggling Anaheim Ducks. The Wild will look to even the season series at home today and extend their record on the year to 5-1-1. Zach Parise leads the Minnesota attack with six goals and eight points over six games. Parise’s linemates Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville each have four points on the year and Ryan Suter has six assists. Much of the Wild’s production has come on the power-play which is converting at 27.8%. Though the Anaheim Ducks are not playing their best hockey, the matchup is not as strong on paper as it may appear. The Ducks are middle-of-the-road on the defensive end of the puck, averaging 2.67 goals against per game, and have an 88.2% success rate on the penalty kill. While the Wild are likely to win this game, a low scoring affair wouldn’t be out of the question. Minnesota is a -155 Vegas favorite.
Elite Plays
ANA: None.
MIN: Zach Parise, Ryan Suter
Secondary Plays
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Sami Vatanen
MIN: Mikael Granlund, Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu
New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres – 07:00 PM EDT
| New Jersey Devils | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-36 | 23-51 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.15 | 2.55 | 19.30% | 80.60% | Team Stats | 1.87 | 3.28 | 13.40% | 75.10% |
The New Jersey Devils head to Buffalo tonight to face the Sabres who will be playing on the back-to-back. The Devils get a nice opportunity tonight to capitalize on a downtrodden Buffalo team that suffered a lopsided 7-2 defeat to Montreal last night. New Jersey’s top line of Mike Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, and Lee Stempniak has formed solid chemistry, and the three have combined for 20 points in seven games. While many may not have noticed, New Jersey will be looking for their fourth consecutive win tonight, having won all of the last three games either in overtime or the shootout. The Devils figure to be popular fantasy options on this slate, as their prices across the industry are quite cheap and their matchup against the Sabres on the back-to-back is elite. Additionally, the Sabres will have Linus Ullmark in net, who will be starting his first NHL game. While I would normally recommend pivoting off the top line in tournaments as a great contrarian option in this scenario, the rest of this New Jersey lineup doesn’t pack much scoring punch. Power-play defensemen Damon Severson, Eric Gelinas, and David Schlemko are all dirt cheap and could be worth fliers as the Devils are converting on the man advantage at 24% and the Buffalo penalty kill is an abysmal 63.2%. Cory Schneider will start for the Devils and he is in a great spot as the Sabres only average 1.71 goals per game, but still put over 30 shots on net a game.
The Buffalo Sabres were embarrassed by Montreal last night, losing 7-2, and now have to play on the back-to-back (3rd game in 4 days) against New Jersey. Buffalo is 2-5-0 to start the season and is only averaging 1.71 goals per game. While Buffalo was bound to continue to struggle this year after reconstructing their roster, the injection of offensive talent in the form of Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, and Evander Kane was expected to produce more goals. Though the talent is there on the offensive side of the puck, the Sabres have yet to gel and, due to their defensive deficiencies, are a team to target against. No player on this club has over four points in seven games. The Devils are far from an elite NHL club, but they have started to find some scoring touch recently and they play formidable defensive hockey. The matchup on the back-to-back is poor for the Sabres, even on home ice, and unless you see a rebound narrative following the brutal loss to Montreal, I would steer clear.
Elite Plays
NJD: Mike Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, Cory Schneider
BUF: None.
Secondary Plays
NJD: Lee Stempniak, Travis Zajac
BUF: Jack Eichel, Tyler Ennis, Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens – 07:00 PM EDT
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Bernier |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-44 | 50-22 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 3.13 | 15.90% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.24 | 16.50% | 83.70% |
The Toronto Maple Leafs head into Montreal tonight to face an undefeated Canadiens team playing on the back-to-back. The Leafs are 1-3-2 to start the season, having lost to the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout on Wednesday. Despite their poor record, Toronto hasn’t been as bad as many expected and Coach Mike Babcock appears to be succeeding in instituting a culture change for this club. The Leafs have been keeping games reasonably close and playing decently on the defensive side of the puck. James van Riemsdyk has yet to have a multi-point game this year and appears to be struggling with finding his touch in the absence of former linemate Phil Kessel. Toronto faces a tough task tonight, playing the best team in the NHL on the road. Targeting Leafs players for fantasy purposes would be a highly risky and contrarian maneuver, even with Montreal on the back-to-back. The Canadiens are two wins away from tying the NHL record of ten consecutive victories to start a season and will have Vezina winner Carey Price back in net after Rookie backup Mike Condon got the win last night. Proceed with caution.
The Montreal Canadiens are undefeated, winning eight straight games to start the season. Given Montreal’s impressive forward depth, improved blue-line, and elite goaltending, it actually isn’t all that surprising that the Canadiens have found success early on. The Canadiens destroyed the Buffalo Sabres 7-2 last night. P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec each had three assists in the win, Brendan Gallagher had two goals, but the first star of the game was defenseman Andrei Markov who managed a goal and four assists! Markov is now tied with Plekanec and captain Max Pacioretty for the team scoring lead with nine points in eight games. The Gallagher – Plekanec – Pacioretty line has 26 points on the year and is in a great spot to continue to produce tonight, at home, against the Leafs. Toronto allows nearly three goals against per game and their penalty kill is not very good, only denying opponents at a 79.2% clip. As last night’s box score indicates, the Canadiens top defensive pair won’t hesitate to join the offense, Subban and Markov are both in play if you can afford them. Carey Price is the best goalie in the NHL right now and I would roster him with confidence tonight in both cash games and tournaments. Montreal is a -230 Vegas favorite.
Elite Plays
TOR: None.
MTL: Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Brendan Gallagher, P.K. Subban,
Secondary Plays
TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Joffrey Lupul
MTL: Andrei Markov, Alex Galchenyuk
Arizona Coyotes at Ottawa Senators – 07:00 PM EDT
| Arizona Coyotes | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-50 | 43-26 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.01 | 3.26 | 20.00% | 76.70% | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.54 | 16.80% | 82.90% |
After a surprising start to the season, the Arizona Coyotes have lost four straight games, including a 4-1 defeat to the Rangers on Thursday. The Coyotes continue their road trip in Ottawa tonight, facing a Senators team that is also in a 0-1-2 rut. Despite their record, the Coyotes have demonstrated that they can put the puck in the net and there are pieces on this club that provide significant fantasy value. Max Domi is now the focal point of the Arizona offense and he will compete with Connor McDavid for the Calder Trophy this year as the league’s best Rookie. Domi is a future NHL All-Star who has incredible speed and hands. While his price has risen around the industry, he makes a worthwhile tournament play when paired with linemates Anthony Duclair and/or Martin Hanzal. This trio has accounted for 24 points over seven games. The matchup against Ottawa is decent, as the Senators allow almost three goals against per game and have a poor penalty kill that is only executing at a 77.4% success rate. Arizona’s power-play quarterback, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, is firmly in play. Don’t expect Arizona to win this game, but a 4-3 loss wouldn’t be surprising.
The Ottawa Senators fell to the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in the shootout on Thursday. While the Ottawa offense continued to put the puck in the net, the defensive effort from the Senators was lackluster. New Jersey is not a high powered offense, yet the Senators gave up four goals. The Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Mark Stone line has been impressive to begin the year for Ottawa (24 points in 7 games), but we may see a shake-up tonight as Hoffman is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Hoffman did not partake in the morning skate and Curtis Lazar replaced him on the top line. Mika Zibanejad had his first multi-point effort of the season on Thursday, is cheap across the industry, and can easily be paired with skilled scorer Bobby Ryan. The match-up on home ice against Arizona is one of the best you can get and I expect the Senators to score multiple goals in this game. Arizona doesn’t defend well and struggles with possession. When targeting the Senators, don’t forget about All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson has yet to score this year, but is due to find the twine and a multi-point performance tonight wouldn’t be surprising.
Elite Plays
ARI: Max Domi, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
OTT: Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris, Mark Stone
Secondary Plays
ARI: Anthony Duclair, Martin Hanzal
OTT: Mika Zibanejad, Bobby Ryan, Curtis Lazar
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EDT
| New York Rangers | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 53-22 | 33-31 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.02 | 2.28 | 16.80% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.72 | 23.40% | 77.10% |
The New York Rangers will look for their third straight victory tonight as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers in a rivalry game. The Rangers followed Monday’s shutout of San Jose by defeating the Coyotes on Thursday 4-1 and appear to be in great form, averaging 2.75 goals scored per game and only allowing two goals against per game. Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, and Keith Yandle all potted their first goals of the year against Arizona, though Nash’s was an empty-netter. Nash’s linemate Mats Zuccarello leads the Rangers with six points on the season. The Rangers have dominated the Flyers over the past two years and, considering Philadelphia’s struggles to begin the year, are in prime position to do so again tonight. The Rangers present a balanced attack with several lines capable of scoring, which will be hard for the thin Flyers. Defensive forward Sean Couturier is likely to miss the game for Philadelphia with an upper-body injury. The Nash – Derek Stepan – Zuccarello line is the primary fantasy target here, but the second line, anchored by Kreider and Derrick Brassard, is a solid low-owned tournament option. Henrik Lundqvist is playing inspired hockey to start the season and is always a high floor high ceiling play.
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in overtime on Wednesday in a come-from-behind that may jump-start their season after a poor start. The Flyers scored two third period goals to tie the game against Boston and won it in overtime on a stinging top-shelf one-timer from Claude Giroux. Philadelphia’s offense runs through the Giroux – Jakub Voracek duo and they each hit the scoresheet twice against Boston, which could be a sign of things to come. While the match-up against the defensively stout Rangers is less than ideal, Giroux and Voracek are capable of scoring against any defensive combination in the league when they are at their best. Look for Mark Streit to get involved as well, as he notched three assists against Boston and quarterbacks the Philadelphia power play.
Elite Plays
NYR: Henrik Lundqvist, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, Keith Yandle
PHI: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Mark Streit
Secondary Plays
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Derick Brassard, Dan Boyle
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Sam Gagner, Michael Raffl