NHL Grind Down: Saturday, October 29th
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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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UPDATE
TB: Stamkos and Palat now have Drouin on the top line with them which makes the second line of Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Vladislav Namestnikov a bit more lucrative in GPP play.
STL: Hitchcock is changing the lines again as David Perron is back and playing with Steen and Stastny, top line remains the same.
Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres
| Florida Panthers | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Anders Nilsson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-1-1 | 1-2-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.43 | 11.10% | 90.90% | Team Stats | 2.33 | 3.17 | 19.00% | 92.80% |
The Florida Panthers come into this matinee game with the Buffalo Sabres looking for their first road win of the season. Although they have been able to score seven goals on the road in three games so far, they ended up on the losing side in every one of them by a single goal. The power play has scored a goal in each of the last four games, so taking Jonathan Marchessault, Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr in this spiot may not be a bad idea if you want to get exposure to the early game. I normally don’t like the single early game, as by the time lineups lock at 1pm, there is still some morning skate information not out yet for the teams playing at night. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle play the points with the man advantage but have just three points between them so far this season. You can use Marchessault for a GPP one-off play, as he has scored five goals to go along with five assists in the first 10 games so far this season. Colton Sceviour has been moved to the second line to play with Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith and should only be used as GPP plays at best this afternoon.
Buffalo finds itself in quite the conundrum for it being this early in the season. I understand it is tough not having Jack Eichel and Evander Kane at your disposal, but this team needs to pick it up a bit. Kyle Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly have been joined by Matt Moulson on the top line a few games back, and it looks like head coach Dan Bylsma is going to be patient for at least one more game. He has no choice, as it is these three players, along with defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen that occupy the top four spots on the Sabres scoring sheet. Add second liner Sam Reinhart to the mix and you have Buffalo’s top power play unit. Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons play the wings between Reinhart but should only be used as deeper GPP plays today.
Elite Plays
FLA: None
BUF: None
Secondary Plays
FLA: Jonathan Marchessault, Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad
BUF: Kyle Okposo, Ryan O’Rielly, Matt Moulson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart
Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings
| Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Malcom Subban |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-2-0 | 4-2-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 3.29 | 10.00% | 90.00% | Team Stats | 3.13 | 2.25 | 24.00% | 73.90% |
I didn’t put much time into researching this, but shouldn’t a team that has started four different goaltenders in consecutive games get some kind of prize or something? It’s no wonder the Bruins lost their last three games, and now they get more bad news as David Pastrnak is suspended for two games after his illegal hit on the Rangers Dan Girardi on Wednesday night. Pastrnak will miss tonight’s game and Tuesday’s game at Florida. This puts a kink in the Bruins lines, but one has to think that Brad Marchand will stay with Patrice Bergeron on the top line while David Krejci is your one-off play here as he skates on the second line but gets top minutes with the man advantage. Ryan Spooner and Austin Czarnik are Krejci’s line mates and make for a decent GPP play tonight. Danton Heinen has been getting power play minutes as well, so maybe he moves up to the top line in Pastrnak’s absence. Defenseman Torey Krug has 21 shots on goal with nothing to show for it, while the aging Zdeno Chara has thgree points through the first seven games. You can find better defensemen for your rosters tonight.
After starting the season with two losses, Detroit has strung together a modest winning streak of six games heading into tonight. This game has all the makings of a trap game, as we have one hot team and one very cold almost goalie-less team. The Bruins have given up four goals while trying to kill a penalty, so that almost makes the streaky Thomas Vanek at least a decent one-off play tonight. Vanek has scored four goals to go along with four assists in eight games and has four points while playing on the top power play unit. Mike Green is also on that top unit, as he plays the point with Tomas Tatar, Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen fill out the top unit when the team has the man advantage. I don’t have a problem taking the top line here either, as Gustav Nyquist leads the team in points while Dylan Larkin leads the team in shots all the while being centered by the aforementioned Nielsen. If you want to drop to the third line, it’s Vanek and Darren Helm as the pair here with the latter grabbing four goals and assisting on three others in eight games. I’d look for Detroit to score some tonight, so just make sure you pair ‘em up!
Elite Plays
BOS: None
DET: None
Secondary Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Spooner, David Krejci
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek, Mike Green, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montréal Canadiens
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 1-1-3 | 4-0-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.43 | 3.86 | 26.70% | 88.90% | Team Stats | 3.63 | 1.50 | 14.30% | 92.00% |
If anything, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing some inspired hockey of late, and that is primarily due to all the young talent they have put on the ice so far this season. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have literally commanded respect as they have scored 10 of the team’s 24 goals in the first seven games. They usually get a lot of ice time with the man advantage, but tonight may not be a good time to go all in, as the Canadiens have been playing some pretty good hockey of late. Toronto’s second line of Mitchell Marner, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak look like an enticing GPP play here, as Montreal will have their top defensive players out against the Matthews line. Defensively Jake Gardiner has been the man on the power play but take a look at youngster Nikita Zaitsev, as he has been getting more than 22 minutes of ice time per game while grabbing an assist in four of the last five games.
The only game that Montreal has given up more than two goals in was their only loss back on October 15th, where they lost by a score of 4-3 in a shootout at Ottawa. For a team to go 7-0-1, it needs scoring from more than just its top line, which Montreal has, but for tonight, I think the top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher should be pretty high owned in cash games tonight. Each of those players have six or more points so far this season, while defenseman Shea Weber leads the team with three goals and six assists. All four are joined on the team’s top power play unit by second liner Alexander Radulov, who has added two goals and three assists so far on the young season. His line mates of Tomas Plekanec and Artturi Lehkonen have three points apiece and could be used in deeper GPP play. Look for the top line to do the damage tonight.
Elite Plays
TOR: Auston Matthews
MTL: Shea Weber
Secondary Plays
TOR: William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, James van Riemsdyk, Nikita Zaitsev
MTL: Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Marc-Andre Fleury |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-2-1 | 2-2-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.88 | 20.00% | 80.00% | Team Stats | 3.38 | 3.75 | 19.00% | 77.80% |
The Penguins come into this one with a cloud of uncertainty, as defenseman Kris Letang took of yesterday to go to the doctor to see exactly where is upper body injury is in terms of getting better. Usually, this rivalry is marred with a chippy offensive style to it, so there may be more than a few power play opportunities tonight. It’s not very often I say this, but Sidney Crosby is the perfect one-off play tonight, as there will be no doubt the Flyers will stop the more potent line of Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Chris Kunitz. All four play on the team’s top power play unit along with defenseman Justin Schultz that has three goals in the last seven chances with the man advantage. Conversely, the Flyers have given up four goals in the last four games while short-handed. You could use Crosby and his line mates of Scott Wilson and Patric Hornqvist as a GPP play, as they should have some more room on the ice than the Malkin line.
The Flyers are barely getting by in the Metropolitan division as their 3-4-1 record is tied for third place with New Jersey and Washington going into play last night. Losing two games to the Arizona Coyotes doesn’t look good on anyone’s resume, but they have scored 28 goals in eight games, and that counts for something. The top line that features Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds is in play here, as they have combined for 16 points through the first eight games. Brayden Schenn completes the top line as the Flyers keep that line intact when on the power play. Jakub Voracek is the one-off play here from the second line as he joins defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on the top power play while scoring three goals and adding five assists so far this season. If you want to stray from the top power play, you can roster Travis Konecny, who has seven points so far while skating on the second line with Voracek. Look for some goals in this one.
Elite Plays
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin
PHL: None
Secondary Plays
PIT: Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, Chris Kunitz
PHL: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere
Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils
| Tampa Bay Lightning | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-1-0 | 2-2-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.43 | 2.86 | 26.30% | 92.30% | Team Stats | 2.17 | 2.00 | 16.70% | 94.10% |
The Lightning are in the middle of a six-game road trip, while the Devils come into this one after losing a heartbreaker to the Chicago Blackhawks last night in overtime on home ice. Steven Stamkos leads the team from the top line with five goals and four assists in the first seven games and is usually a roster consideration on a nightly basis. Vladislav Namestnikov gets the call to skate with Stamkos on the top line, as well as receiving the lion’s share of ice time with the man advantage. Namestnikov has put that time to good use, as three of his four points have come on the power play. Nikita Kucherov completes the top line and has averaged a point a game so far this season. This has the makings of being a low-scoring game, so hopefully the game will be won or lost with the second line of Tampa as Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Jonathan Drouin should be seeing more open ice on the road. Through three games away from Amalie Arena, they have a combined three points and need to pick it up here if they want to sustain their current success rate. Alex Killorn is your one-off here, as he has managed to score enough to rank second on the team in scoring behind Stamkos. Victor Hedman still sees time on the team’s second power play unit but leads Anton Stalman in points by a count of five to through through the first seven games.
New Jersey continues to shuffle their lines, and I am not quite sure what the goal is here. After beating the Wild and Coyotes on home ice, they decide to switch up the lines and put Pavel Zacha back on the third line after grabbing two assists on four shots the game before. It almost serves them right that they lost the last game against Chicago as it seems they do not know how much chemistry counts for in this game. Ok, enough of my rant. The top line of Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri should be the play here on home ice as this line accounts for 10 of the team’s 15 goals so far this season. They all get power play minutes along with Zacha and defenseman Damon Severson. If the Devils were on the road, we could even dip to the second line, but for right now the only other player with more than two points that doesn’t play on the team’s top power play unit is P.A. Parenteau, so consider him your one-off here. The second line, which features Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique, has yet to get started as they have two pints each. A lot of this may be attributed to the juggling of lines, so tonight could possibly be a game where the find the scoresheet. Again, this could be a low-scoring game, so maybe not so much rostering in cash games and moderate GPP play is the order of the day.
Elite Plays
TB: Steven Stamkos
NJ: None
Secondary Plays
TB: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman
NJ: Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, Damon Severson, Pavel Zacha