NHL Grind Down: Sunday, April 2nd
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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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Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks
| Boston Bruins | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Anton Khudobin |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 42-30-6 | 50-21-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.61 | 20.90% | 85.10% | Team Stats | 2.97 | 2.55 | 18.60% | 78.10% |
The Bruins took one step closer to the playoffs yesterday with a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Boston is now sitting with 90 points in the Atlantic Division and was ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning by five points going into last night’s action. Tampa does have a game in hand and if they won last night they could certainly make things interesting. This is why the Bruins must keep on putting points on the board, even if it’s just a point for going into overtime. Chicago will look to shut down the top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Backes which would make David Pastrnak a nice one-off here. Pastrnak plays on the team’s top power play unit and has notched 23 of his 66 points with the man advantage. Marchand is one goal shy of having a 40 goal season but it’s Pastrnak that is the one that should have a lot of room on the ice tonight. Drew Stafford and David Krejci skate with him at even strength and could be used a full line stack for tournament play here. Defenseman Torey Krug could be one of the better point plays tonight as he has found the score sheet 50 times this season while anchoring the team’s top power play unit from the back line. The Atlantic Division is tightening up and the Bruins could surely help themselves here.
The Hawks have rebounded from two bad games in Florida to come back and beat both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Chicago has clinched the best record in the conference and could look to rest guys with just four games remaining on the schedule. Tanner Kero continues to draw the lucky straw as he has centered Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin for a few games now and has been able to snag five points over the last eight games. Kane and Panarin should be the chalk here so adding Kero to the mix will only help you out salary wise. Nick Schmaltz and Jonathan Toews skate on the second scoring line with Richard Panik and could be looked at for deeper tournament play here. The Bruins should come out ready to play but having that game last night against Florida may have left them a bit pekid coming down the stretch. Duncan Keith is the play on the back line as he soaks up almost all of the ice time when the Blackhawks have the man advantage. Keith has managed to find the score sheet 51 times so far this season and he isn’t done yet. Chicago is three points away from Washington as far as the best team in the league goes and a win here could get them that much closer to being the best team in the league.
Elite Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand
CHI: Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
BOS: David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Krejci
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Richard Panik, Duncan Keith
New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres
| New York Islanders | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 36-29-12 | 32-33-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.99 | 14.80% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 2.49 | 2.75 | 25.30% | 77.30% |
The Islanders slim chances of making the playoffs just got a lot slimmer with the injury that John Tavares sustained the other night. He is listed as week-to-week and his return is not likely to happen this season. It’s going to be awfully tough to even trust these guys tonight let alone try to figure out what lines they may use. Anders Lee and Josh Bailey are the preliminary favorites to score if the Islanders are able to do so as Lee has the team lead in goals with 29 of them while Bailey’s 39 assists is tops on the team. Most of their points have been a by-product of Tavares and his team leading 66 points so without him the Islanders seem to be out of luck. Joshua Ho-Sang has been showed some flashes of brilliance as he has registered nine points in the 16 games he has played with the parent club. Andrew Ladd and Brock Nelson could also figure in to the top six so check the research tools here at Rotogrinders to see who is actually on what line tonight. Defenseman Nick Leddy could be the only playable option if you want to force an Islander into your line up. Leddy quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit and his 41 points is good enough for fourth on the team.
Buffalo has been out of the playoff picture for quite a while now but should have the upper hand on their in-state rivals tonight. Kyle Okposo will not dress for tonight’s game which would make the line of Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and Tyler Ennis to be the one to target tonight. Kane leads the team with 26 goals while O’Reilly’s 52 points ranks second on the team. Jack Eichel is the one-off play here as he leads the team with 55 points in the 56 games he has suited up for. Marcus Foligno and Sam Reinhart are his line mates at even strength but his 24 points on the power play is almost undeniable against an Islander team that has given up two power play goals in their last five times the team was shorthanded. Rasmus Ristolainen is the play from the back line as he has grabbed 25 of his 44 points while the team had the extra attacker. He logs over 26 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis which makes him a decent play on the back line tonight. Buffalo has won three of their last four home games and should be able to best a very depleted New York team tonight.
Elite Plays
NYI: None
BUF: Jack Eichel
Secondary Plays
NYI: Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, Josh Bailey
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins
| Carolina Hurricanes | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Matt Murray | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-28-14 | 47-19-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.75 | 17.80% | 85.30% | Team Stats | 3.36 | 2.78 | 22.00% | 80.50% |
The Hurricanes had a nice run there but may have seen their playoff dreams crushed last night as the Dallas Stars shut them out by a score of 3-0 in front of the home crowd. Carolina still has 84 points and is chasing the Bruins who have 90 points with four games left. They now hit the road for a tough game here in Pittsburgh so it will be interesting to see just how much fight they have left in them. Jeff Skinner feels like a one-off play here as he is the only reliable scorer the team has. His 32 goals and 57 points lead the team in both categories while Sebastian Aho is the next closest player to him with 47 points on the season. Aho skates with Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm but just like most of the other Hurricanes players, they are unreliable. Outside of those four players Victor Rask is the only other player to notch 43 or more points this season. Meanwhile Justin Faulk has been solid on the back line during Carolina’s 13 game point streak as he had grabbed five points over the last eight games before last night’s debacle. It’s tough to keep going at the pace the Hurricanes were cruising at so maybe they can get up off the deck and score a few goals here tonight.
The Penguins are slowly but surely getting a bit healthier as they welcomed Jake Guentzel back to the top line the other night. He took his spot next to Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary which sent Bryan Rust down to the second line to play with Nick Bonino and Patric Hornqvist. With Crosby leading the team with 84 points you can look for that line to be the chalk line here tonight. Guentzel has grabbed 26 points in 34 games while Sheary has racked up 51 points in 57 games. This is what skating next to a superstar can do as both Guentzel and Sheary are living proof. Phil Kessel looks to be the one-off here from the third line as he has notched 28 of his 66 points with the man advantage. Again, getting any exposure to a guy that has 84 points is always a good thing. Evgeni Malkin was not on the ice for practice yesterday and to make matters worse it has been reported that defenseman Kris Letang has suffered a setback that has hindered him from returning to the lineup. Chris Kunitz seems to be injured as well so it’s probably best to stick with the top line here tonight. This means that Justin Schultz will continue to quarterback the team’s top power play unit and can be used with confidence here tonight.
Elite Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
PIT: Sidney Crosby
Secondary Plays
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Justin Faulk, Jordan Staal
PIT: Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, Patric Hornqvist, Conor Sheary
Nashville Predators at St. Louis Blues
| Nashville Predators | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Juuse Saros |  | Jake Allen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 40-27-11 | 42-28-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.92 | 2.71 | 19.40% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.61 | 21.60% | 84.30% |
The Nashville Predators either need one point in the next four games or need the Kings to not get 2 points in any of their last five games to get into the end of the season tournament. This seems to be a lock but by giving a good effort today and at least coming away with a point would be the way to go tonight. It looks like Nashville has stuck with the top line of Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen despite having an injury to James Neal who was skating in the top six. The Blues will have to watch this line very carefully as all three of its members have recorded 57 points or more so far this season. Johansen collected his 60th point yesterday which leads the team while Forsberg lit the lamp for his team leading 31st goal in yesterday’s 3-0 win over the Wild. Mike Fisher, Kevin Fiala and Calle Jarnkrok skate on the second line and should only be used as a deeper tournament play. Fisher could be the one-off here as he has collected 40 points so far this season. Defenseman Roman Josi is the play on the back line as he quarterbacks the teams’ top power play unit. Josi has collected 48 points in the 69 games he has suited up for and should have a decent chance to find the score sheet tonight.
The Blues were able to come away with a point in their 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. That point sealed their spot in the 2017 playoffs and will now look to see what seed they will actually be. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen should be the chalk line here tonight. As a trio they have combined for six goals and 11 assists over the past seven games while they sit 1-2-3 on the Blues scoring chart for the season. Tarasenko’s next point will be his 70th while Steen’s 35 assists is tops on the team. The second line of David Perron, Patrik Berglund and Magnus Paajarvi could be used as a sneaky stack here as this line has lit the lamp eight times over the last seven games. That’s not too bad and it gives the Blues exactly what they want, a second scoring line. Alex Pietrangelo has done a fine job quarterbacking the top power play unit form the back line. He has grabbed five of his 41 points over the last two weeks as he has taken the top spot vacated by the Kevin Shattenkirk at the end of the trading deadline. Look for the Blues to improve on their 22-11-5 record at home tonight.
Elite Plays
NSH: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
Secondary Plays
NSH: Viktor Arvidsson, Roman Josi, Mike Fisher
STL: Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Patrik Berglund
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets
| Washington Capitals | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 51-18-8 | 49-20-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.22 | 2.22 | 23.60% | 84.00% | Team Stats | 3.05 | 2.27 | 20.10% | 82.70% |
Washington comes into this one as the best team in the league but the Columbus Blue Jackets are right behind them just four points away. They both play in the same division so whoever wins the division will more than likely have home ice advantage through the Conference Finals. Call this a preview of things to come if you will as we watch and see if the Columbus defense can shut down the top line of Alexander Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom. Ovechkin leads the team with 33 goals but his 66 points pales in comparison to Backstrom’s team leading 83 points. Any way you slice it you probably want to have a little exposure to these two players tonight. Marcus Johansson could be a cheap exposure option here as he skates on the second line but jumps up with the top line when the Capitals have the man advantage. This has worked out well as he and linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov have compiled 56 points apiece while playing in every game so far this season. Justin William is the third part of that even strength line in case you were thinking of stacking them up for tournament play this evening. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is the play on the back line as he has compiled seven points over the last six games. This is a test for both teams so maybe it’s best to pass on the game and just sit back and enjoy it.
Both teams come into this one with two wins apiece in the season series and will look to tonight’s game to break the tie. There has been a sense of urgency over the last two games as the Blue Jackets have only been able to muster nine goals in the last six games. This has caused head coach john Tortorella to start over thinking again and come up with all kinds of line combinations which have been on display over the last two weeks. Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson saw a lot of time together in the last game while Brandon Saad, Boone Jenner and Alexander Wennberg skated together as a second scoring line. These guys have been in the top six for most of the year and should be the ones to target tonight. Atkinson leads the team with 34 goals and 63 points while Jenner and Dubinsky have led the forwards with three points over the last seven games. That’s not a lot of points and it will take a team effort to get back on track tonight. Zachary Werenski is the play from the back line as he leads the defensive corps with 47 points so far this season. Columbus will look to improve on their 28-10-4 home record and beat a good team in the process.
Elite Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
Secondary Plays
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Marcus Johansson
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad, Zachary Werenski