NHL Grind Down: Sunday, April 10th
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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Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders – 0:700 PM EDT
| Philadelphia Flyers | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Thomas Greiss | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-27-14 | 45-26-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.59 | 18.30% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.53 | 18.80% | 85.40% |
With a 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh on Saturday, the surging Flyers finally punched their ticket into the Stanley Cup Playoffs and ended the season of the Boston Bruins. Tonight, with the lineups for these four games much more in question that at any other part of the season, you’ll need to be very careful using some of the usual elite plays as their respective coaches may decide to give them some rest before the playoffs get into full swing. With that said, Wayne Simmonds has been on fire for this team and is a major reason they’ll season will continue. He’s racked up seven goals and two assists in his last seven games and is slated to join Claude Girioux and Brayden Schenn once again on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Giroux leads the Flyers in scoring and has potted three goals and an assist in four games this season against the Islanders, just be sure to check his status as gametime approaches. On defense, Shayne Gostisbehere should be looking to tie a bow on what was a terrific rookie season. With assists in back-to-back games, he’s now tallied 16 goals and 29 assists in 63 games and should be motivated to finish on a high note to help his case for a potential Calder Trophy. Alternatively, Mark Streit snags the power-play time on the point when Goistisbehere gets a break and has also picked up assists in conseuctive games.
While a win today would push the Islanders ahead of the cross-town rival New York Rangers, it also looks like it oddly come with a tougher route to the finals. With that said, I’m not convinced that Jack Capuano’s team will be giving maximum effort tonight. Assuming they’re in the lineup, the trio of Frans Nielsen, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo are easily the most dangerous options as linemates on the top line and #1 power-play unit. Tavares leads the charge with 33 goals and 37 assistgs this season and has posted 40 point sin 38 games at the Barclays Center this season. He’s been red-hot down the stretch as he’s scored a goal in four straight games while also racking up five assists in that span. Dollar for Dollar, Frans Nielsen may just be the top option up-front. He’s one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL, has posted his second career 20-goal season and his price-tag doesn’t reflect his new role alongside Tavares and Okposo. On the blue-line, both Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuck have been relied on heavily all season and are faced with some added responsibilties with Travis Hamonic watching from the press-box. Leddy has tallied 22 points in 34 games since the All-Star break and has the luxury of joining Tavares, Okposo and Nielsen on the #1 power-play unit
Philadelphia Flyers
CF%: 50.5, CP60: 114.2, 5×5 Differential: 4
Elite Options: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere
Secondary Options: Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Michael Raffl, Mark Streit
New York Islanders
CF%: 49.6, CP60: 111.3, 5×5 Differential: 8
Elite Options: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen
Secondary Options: Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuck
Anaheim Ducks at Washington Capitals – 07:30 PM EDT
| Anaheim Ducks | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 44-25-11 | 55-17-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.31 | 23.00% | 87.10% | Team Stats | 3.04 | 2.35 | 22.40% | 84.80% |
The Ducks are basically the only team with anything overly important on the line tonight as a win over the Capitals would give them the Division title in the Pacific Division. Obviously facing the President’s Trophy winners is far from ideal, but with Alex Ovechkin reaching the 50-goal plateau in last night’s game, it’s possible the Capitals take their foot off the gas tonight. Anaheim’s offense has come alive down the stretch as they’ve posted a Western Conference best 3.35 goals per game since the All-Star break and possess two very dangerous scoring lines. Ryan Getzlaf leads the the team in points and has racked up 32 points in 33 games during the second half. He’ll be joined by long time partner Corey Perry and Jamie McGinn at both even strength and on the #1 power-play unit making all three fine options on this two game slate. Alternatively, Ryan Kesler has rebounded from a dreadful start to the season and has now racked up 10 goals and 20 assists in 32 games since the break. He’s picked up three goals and two assists in the last four games and his fearless playing style is ideal for this time of year. On defense, it looks like Sami Vatanen will sit out tonight again after missing yesterday’s game. This means a bigger workload for the likes of Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and rookie Shea Theodore. All three will see plenty of time on the point with the man advantage and are fine options tonight.
The Capitals helped T.J. Oshie get some revenge against his former team last night and, in the process, also saw Alex Ovechkin reach the 50-goal plateau once again and saw Braden Holtby tie Martin Broduer’s record for the most wins in a season. With that said, my interest in the Capitals tonight hinges on Barry Trotz’ decision with his netminder. If he roles with Holtby once again, he’s looking to help get the likely Vezina Trophy winner the record on his own, but if we see Philipp Grubauer get the nod, it’s a clear signal that they’re going to be resting up tonight to prepare for their opening round matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. The matchup is not ideal as Anaheim has allowed an NHL low 2.32 goals against per game in the second half of the season, but if you get word that Holtby will be between the pipes, the usual suspects of Ovechkin, Backstom, Kuznetsov, Oshie, Carlson and Niskanen are all very much in play.
Anaheim Ducks
CF%: 52.4, CP60: 107.6, 5×5 Differential: -6
Elite Options: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
Secondary Options: Jamie McGinn, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Shea Theodore
Washington Capitals
CF%: 51, CP60: 110.2, 5×5 Differential: 38
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Secondary Options: T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, John Carlson, Matt Niskanen