NHL Grind Down: Sunday, December 11th
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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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Ottawa Senators at Anaheim Ducks
| Ottawa Senators | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Andrew Hammond |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-10-2 | 14-9-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.41 | 2.56 | 15.90% | 82.60% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.61 | 21.30% | 81.00% |
The Senators will try to shake off a 4-1 loss in Los Angeles last night and bounce back to play some good hockey in Anaheim this afternoon. The top line of Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard and Mark Stone look to be a good GPP play here on the road. Both Hoffman and Stone have registered 20 points apiece so far this season as they both skate on the team’s top power play unit. They do well on the power play as 18 of their 40 combined points have come with the man advantage. Kyle Turris always makes for a good one-off play on the road as he skates on the team’s second line but jumps up to center both Hoffman and Stone when the Senators draw a penalty. Bobby Ryan and Ryan Dzingel skate with Turris on the team’s second line and although Ryan has missed some games he clearly isn’t performing the way that the Senators have hoped he would. Eight points in 22 games would indicate to me that maybe he needs a change of scenery, especially when Dzingel has 14 points and Turris 18 in 27 games so far this season. Erik Karlsson is the defenseman you want if you can afford him as he leads the team in points with seven goals and 20 assists. As an alternative it looks as though Dion Phaneuf is enjoying a swig from the fountain of youth as he has three points in his last five games. he also gets the extra work next to Karlsson on the team’s top power play unit.
Thanks to five wins over the last seven games Anaheim has pulled into the top of the standings in the Pacific Division. Rickard Rakell returned to the lineup last games and was immediately put back on the top line with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Rakell has notched 15 points in the 17 games he has played in so far this season which is pretty comparable to his line mates. Perry and Getzlaf usually lead the team in scoring almost every year but neither has cored many goals as Perry’s line is 5-18-23 while Getlzaf is at 2-20-22. You have to like the full line stack here on home ice especially against an Ottawa team that played yesterday afternoon. Ryan Kelser makes for a great one off play here as he joins Perry and Getzlaf on the top power play unit while leading the team in points with 12 goals and 12 assists in 12 games. For GPP plays you can choose either Andrew Cogliano or Jakub Silfverberg to pair with Kesler as they skate alongside of him when the team is at even strength. Each has four points over the last five games so either one would be okay to play here. Cam Fowler is your choice on defense as eight of his 17 points have come on the power play. Some folks may chase the game that Shea Theodore had the other day but don’t jump on this wagon until he shows he can do it on a regular basis. His three assists over the last five games represent 75% of his points so far this season.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris
ANA: Cam Fowler, Rickard Rakell
Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals
| Vancouver Canucks | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-14-2 | 16-7-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.30 | 2.89 | 14.60% | 85.30% | Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.19 | 16.70% | 82.30% |
The Canucks tried to mount a late comeback last night in Florida but the Panthers held on by getting an empty net goal to win the game by a score of 4-2. Now Vancouver travels north to face a tougher team in the Washington Capitals. The top line of Daniel Sedin, Brandon Sutter and Henrik Sedin make for a decent GPP option here as they form 60% of the Canucks top power play unit. Washington has given up goals while killing a penalty in four of their last six games so you may as well give it a spin. Henrik Sedin has grabbed four points over the last four games while his line mates have registered two points apiece over that same time period. Loui Eriksson looks like he’s finally starting to put things together as his three points over the last four games has him up to 11 points in 27 games. That, my friends is good enough for fifth place on the Canucks scoring chart. The third line is one of the streakiest in the league as Bo Horvat centers Sven Baertschi and Alexandre Burrows. This line is responsible for four of Vancouver’s last 11 goals and should only be used as a GPP play in the road, which they are tonight. Troy Stecher is the play on the back line as he gets the call to quarterback the team’s top power play unit. Again, I’d use caution here even in tournament plays.
Backed by wins in the last three games the Washington Capitals are slowly but surely climbing up the standings in the Metropolitan division. The Capitals have two scoring line which makes it awfully difficult for opposing teams to cover both lines. Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Marcus Johansson is the line to target here as they have been the most productive by far over the last five games especially since Oshie has returned to the lineup. Both Backstrom and Johansson lead the team in points with 24 and 21 respectively. Alexander Ovechkin usually has the team lead in scoring by now but is sitting in third on the Washington scoring chart with 12 goals and seven assists. All four of these players are joined by defesneman John Carlson to form the team’s top power play unit which had scored four goals in the last four games. Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov have seen a bump in production over the last five games but that is what will happen when you are on a line with one of the best in the league in Alexander Ovechkin. Look for Washington to score a few tonight against a Vancouver team that played in Florida last night.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Brandon Sutter, Troy Stecher
WSH: T.J. Oshie, John Carlson, Marcus Johansson
Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings
| Philadelphia Flyers | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Anthony Stolarz |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-10-3 | 13-12-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.21 | 3.10 | 25.00% | 80.70% | Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.71 | 15.20% | 84.10% |
The Flyers continue to give opponents the lead only to come back and get the victory late in the game. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek skate on the team’s top line along with Michael Raffl. This may be one of the more popular lines tonight based on Philadelphia’s recent scoring binge as they have scored 23 goals in the last six games. The power play is responsible for seven of those goals which is why you would choose Giroux and Voracek if you are looking at the top line. They have a combined seven goals and fourteen assists over the last six games with eight of those points coming with the man advantage. Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn skate on the second line and are joined by Travis Konecny but again just like the first line, Simmonds and Schenn are the plays here. Both have grabbed five points over the last five games and get to play with Giroux and Voracek on the Flyers top power play unit. Sahyne Gostisbehere looks to be back on track as he has sneaked into fifth place on the flyers scoring chart with five assists over the last five games. It certainly isn’t the production we saw last year, but it’s a start. The Flyers have one eight games in a row so you are either on the train or not.
With the Red Wings doing off-ice workouts yesterday head coach Jeff Blashill said that there were no lineup decisions made for tonight’s game. Detroit lost to Columbus by a score of 4-1 on Friday night so something may be in the works. The top line of Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha and Tomas Tatar is the line to target here at home as Zetterberg has five points over the last five games while Mantha has grabbed a goal and an assist over that same time frame. Tatar hasn’t been bad either as he has registered four of his 11 points over the last five games. Dylan Larkin leads the team in goals with nine as he skates with Frans Nielson and Luke Glendening at even strength. Both Nielson and Larkin have found some chemistry over the last five games with three points each while Glendening is the one to pass on here as he has just seven points all season. Thomas Vanek keeps on rolling along at an even clip as he now has 14 points in the 17 games he has played. Riley Sheahan and Gustav Nyquist skate with Vanek at even strength and could be used as a deeper GPP play here. The crazy thing about Detroit’s three lines is the fact that everyone except Glendening receives an almost equal amount of ice time when the team draws a penalty. Mike Green is the choice on defense as he just keeps finding the scoresheet with 16 points on the season. Nicklas Kronwall seems a bit slower as he gets up there in years so maybe passing on him here is a good idea.
Elite Plays
PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
Secondary Plays
PHL: Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Shayne Gostisbehere
DET: Anthony Mantha, Frans Nielsen, Dylan Larkin, Thomas Vanek, Mike Green
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild
| St. Louis Blues | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-8-4 | 14-8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.68 | 21.60% | 87.40% | Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.04 | 16.00% | 83.10% |
It appears that Jori Lehtera is back in the good graces of the St Louis coaching staff. He was spotted centering a line with two of the teams more dynamic players in Vladimir Tarasenko and Robby Fabbri. Tarasenko should be considered in play almost every night as his eight points in the last five games has lifted his point total to 31 points in 28 games. Fabbri has done well for himself over the last five games as he has lit the lamp three times while assisting on three other goals. While he Wild are busy trying to shut this line down the second line of Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny should have plenty of room to work with. Schwartz and Steen are the plays here as they not only have more points than Stastny over the last five games they also have more points than he does even though each has played in less games. Kevin Shattenkirk is the play form the point as he logs more than 20 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis while quarterbacking the top power play unit. Twenty minutes doesn’t seem like much until you see that he has six goals and 13 assists which is good for second in points on the team.
They tried it earlier in the season and didn’t work then so now I guess it’s time to try it again. What am I talking about you ask? Zach Parise has been re-reunited with Jason Pominville on the team’s top line with Eric Staal in between them. The smart thing to do would be to move Mikko Koivu up with them as that is the line that did a lot of damage in the past. Nonetheless Staal and Parise look to be the plays here as they will get ample opportunity on both even strength and power play. Speaking of Koivu, he has been in on three of the last ten goals the Wild have scored along with linemate Jason Zucker as each have lit the lamp twice and have an assist in the last four games. Charlie Coyle leads the team in goals with nine and although he skates on the third line he does join Parise and Staal when the Wild draw a penalty. Nino Niederreiter is the player you want if you want to pair up Coyle with one of his linemates. Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon are the choices on defense as they get the top minutes on the power play. Suter is usually reliable but it must be noted that Spurgeon and his three assists in the last four games represent 33% of his point total so far this season. St Louis is 4-7-1 on the road so maybe a Minnesota win is not out of the question here.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
MIN: Eric Staal
Secondary Plays
STL: Robby Fabbri, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen
MIN: Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers
| New Jersey Devils | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-9-6 | 19-9-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.48 | 2.81 | 16.30% | 84.50% | Team Stats | 3.45 | 2.38 | 21.80% | 84.90% |
I found it hilarious yesterday as I was listening to the Stars and Flyers at work when the announcer said that all but three teams in the conference have winning records. Well, there were only three teams in the Western conference without winning records as well. This is what happens when you count overtime or shootout losses as ‘non-losses’ but overtime losses. This brings us to the New Jersey Devils as they have only ‘lost’ four of their last ten games but have only managed to manufacture three wins. The devils almost have two good lines as Taylor Hall has made a big difference this year as he 20 points in 19 games while skating on a line with Adam Henrique and P.A. Parenteau. Hall also looks to be a great one-off play here as he has garnered eight points in the last five games, the man is hot.Depending on which line the Rangers choose to try to shut down, this line could be very much in play tonight. Mike Cammalleri, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmeiri would seem to be the more potent line as Zajac leads the team in points with 21 while Cammalleri has registered 17 points in 21 games played this season. Damon Severson quarterbacks the balanced power play unit that the Devils have been employing lately as he skates with hall, Henrique, Cammalleri and Palmieri when the devils have the man advantage. The Devils could surprise a few people tonight as the Rangers come into this one pretty banged up.
The Rangers are almost down to one reliable line with Rick Nash being out of the lineup for the next few weeks. Sure the second line of Jimmy Hayes, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner are among the scoring leaders in various categories but the question is how long can they keep it up? Grabner leads the team in goals with 13 while J.T. Miller leads the team with 21 points with Hayes right behind him with 20. They will need to keep the fires burning if the Rangers want to continue on their road to success. New York may already be seeing some chinks in the armor as they have scored just 19 goals in the last nine games and have scored more than two goals in four of those games. Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider are the play here on home ice as they are responsible for four of the last 12 goals the Rangers have scored. Stepan and Kreider also have a combined 11 points over the last five games and could easily be used as a cash game play tonight. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh and third liner Brandon Pirri join the Stepan line to form the team’s top power play unit that has scored five goals over the last six games. This could be a close Metropolitan division battle as most of them usually are.
Elite Plays
NJ: Taylor Hall
NYR: Chris Kreider
Secondary Plays
NJ: Travis Zajac, Mike Cammalleri, Damon Severson, Kyle Palmieri
NYR: Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller