NHL Grind Down: Sunday, December 13th
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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New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders – 05:00 PM EST
| New Jersey Devils | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Jaroslav Halak | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-10-4 | 17-8-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.48 | 2.34 | 21.40% | 82.00% | Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.33 | 21.50% | 85.40% |
The Devils have been one of the more surprising teams to start the 2015-16 season, and after starting the season 0-3-1, they’re 15-7-3 in the 23 games since. They split a home and home series against the Islanders earlier this season, but will have their hands full today as the Islanders look to be playing their best hockey of the season right now. They Islanders have allowed just 2.33 goals against per game this season, but on a three game slate, you just can’t glance over anyone. Adam Henrique will once again be watching from the press box which is a big blow to this team offensively, but Michael Cammalleri has been an offensive force this season and is still the top option even without his center. Cammalleri has scored 11 goals and added 19 assists in 29 games this season and will be joined by Lee Stempniak and former first round pick Jacob Josefson on the top line. Guys like Kyle Palmieri and Patrik Elias have shown plenty of offensive upside and see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage, making them fine secondary options. There’s not a ton to love from the blue-line for the Devils, but both Damon Severson and John Moore soak up nearly all of the available time on the point of the power-play, making them the top targets.
The Islanders picked up a 3-2 overtime win in Columbus last night, and will host the Devils having won five of their last six games. While I expect New York to pick up two points in this one, the Devils are the slowest paced team in the NHL this season (88.5 CP60) and will likely do their best to slow things down and clog up the neutral zone. The slow pace is obviously not ideal for fantasy production, but the each of the Islanders top two forward lines have proven to be very explosive. John Tavares and Kyle Okposo headline the top line (with Brock Nelson) and Frans Nielsen has come alive lately and leads Anders Lee and Josh Bailey on a very capable secondary scoring line. It’s a crowded blue-line for the Islanders, as Nick Leddy, Marek Zidlicky, Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic have all flashed plenty of offensive upside.
Elite Plays
NJD: Michael Cammalleri
NYI: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen
Secondary Options
NJD: Lee Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri, Patrick Elias, Damon Severson, John Moore
NYI: Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuck, Marek Zidlicky
Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues – 06:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-16-1 | 16-9-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.93 | 17.80% | 80.70% | Team Stats | 2.52 | 2.45 | 17.20% | 87.00% |
Colorado defeated the Nashville Predators last night, but still find themselves in the cellar of the Central Division with just a 13-16-1 record. They’re the worst team in the league by Corsi standards (43.8 CF%) and were dominated by this St. Louis team in their five meetings last season. Gabriel Landeskog has missed the last two game with a back injury and is his status is very much in doubt for tonight’s game. I’m not too high on Colorado in this matchup, but even without Landeskog, the duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene require your attention. With that said, they’ll be staring at a very difficult matchup opposite the strong defense of Alex Steen, David Backes and Troy Brouwer. If you’re looking to take a trip down narrative street tonight, give Erik Johnson a look as he’ll take on the team that drafted his #1 overall back in 2006. While he’s a fine option on the blue-line, it’s been his partner on the point of the #1 power-play,Tyson Barrie, putting up the best fantasy numbers. Just tread carefully as the St. Louis Blues own the league’s best penalty kill at 87.5%.
St. Louis will likely be very popular selections on tonight’s short slate, and the majority of the focus will fall firmly on the shoulders of Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko leads the team with 17 goals and 11 assists in 29 games and has already fired 105 shots on goal. He’ll be joined by Paul Stastny and Magnus Paajarvi on the top line, with the latter two being fine value plays. While the Steen/Backes/Brouwer line will be focused on slowing down the Avs top line, they’re still very dangerous offensively and look like a terrific group to target in GPP’s. On defense, it’s three guys that need to be on your radar; Kevin Shattenkirk quarterbacks the #1 power-play unit and is the top option, but both Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo log heavy minutes and have put up fine offensive numbers thus far.
Elite Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny, Alex Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk
Secondary Plays
COL: Jarome Iginla, Blake Comeau, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie
STL: David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko
Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks – 07:00 PM EST
| Vancouver Canucks | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-11-8 | 16-10-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.70 | 18.90% | 80.40% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.50 | 22.20% | 81.00% |
The Canucks have bounced back from a five game skid with two straight victories, but it’s hard to imagine them picking up two points in the United Center tonight against the Blackhawks. Contrary to the wishes of Willie Desjardins, the Cancuks have been extremely easy to break down from a fantasy perspective this season. With hardly any consistent secondary scoring, the Sedin brothers have had to carry this team offensively all season. While the matchup against the extremely disruptive defense of both Jonathon Toews and Marian Hossa is a daunting one, the Sedin’s have combined for 22 goals and 40 assists in 30 games this season. With the Blackhawks owning a middling 81.0% penalty kill, they need to at least be on your GPP radar. Jannik Hansen joins them on the top forward line, and with eight goals and eight assists on the season, he’s a fine option where he’s still cheap. On defense, Alex Edler is the one player to consider. He’s routinely logging nearly 25 minutes of ice-time per game and holds the reigns as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit.
If you’ve been living under a rock you might not have heard about Patrick Kane 25 game point streak. Kaner leads the NHL with 19 goals and 26 assists in 30 games and is the premier play on the board tonight. He’s clearly thriving alongside the talented Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov and Vancouver simply has nobody capable of slowing that trio down. They should all be very popular selections tonight and are dangerous players to fade in cash games. Alternatively, the Toews/Hossa/Teravainen line will need to focus the bulk of their attention on slowing down the Sedin line, but they’re obviously very dangerous offensively as well. Duncan Keith is the workhorse on the blue-line for the defending champs and has posted 14 points in 20 games this season. Brent Seabrook joins him on the point of the top power-play and is also off to a very strong start offensively with five goals and 15 assists in 30 games.
Elite Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith
Secondary Plays
VAN: Jannik Hansen, Radim Vrbata, Alex Edler
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa, Teuvo Teravainen, Brent Seabrook