NHL Grind Down: Sunday, February 12th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2017-02-13 01:19:17

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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.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

San Jose Sharks at New Jersey Devils

San Jose Sharks					New Jersey Devils
			Martin Jones					Cory Schneider
			Record					Record
			33-18-5					23-21-10
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.71	2.38	17.70%	81.00%	Team Stats	2.30	2.80	16.30%	81.20%

The Sharks come into this one playing two games in the last three nights as they try to break a four game losing streak. They will more than likely have to do it without Logan Couture who is a mainstay on the team’s second line and sat out yesterday’s game with an injury. The injury caused the Sharks to shake things up a bit as Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton were joined by Melker Karlsson on the top line and Kevin Labanc moved back into the top six as he skated with Patrick Marleau and Mikkel Boedker. The only danger of a team like San Jose losing one of their top five players is that they really don’t have anyone to step up and play on the top power play unit, let alone have enough players to make a second decent scoring line. This is probably the reason why they were only able to manage one goal against the listless Philadelphia Flyers yesterday afternoon. Brent Burns is the choice from the point however as his 57 points has him in tied for fourth in the league in scoring. Patrick Marleau has been hot lately as he has grabbed 13 points in his last 10 games. Only Nicklas Backstrom and David Pastrnak have more points since January 21st. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton are the only other two plays to consider here as Tomas Hertl joins the other two featured players on the team’s top power play unit.

After having a six day break the Devils will get back to the business of trying to sneak their way into the playoffs. Their 56 points has the team just five points away from the last spot in the Eastern Conference. They had won three straight before the break including a decisive 5-1 win in Columbus last Saturday. As with all winning teams the Devils have kept their top lines together which means that Taylor Hall will skate with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri while Adam Henrique will center Miles Wood and Mike Cammalleri. The Devils catch the Sharks at a good time as this will be their third game in four days and have lost their last three games. Hall would seem to make sense as a one-off here as he has 13 goals to go along with 22 assists to lead the team with 35 points in just 44 games. Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique had snared seven points each in the seven games before the break and look to be a nice GPP play this afternoon. Henrique also leads the team with 15 goals while Palmieri is second on the team with 32 points. Pavel Zacha was starting to heat up as he had registered six of his 14 points in the seven games. New Jersey has won four of those games and like all teams, when you start to score it’s easy to pick them as they all usually have a hand in a goal or two. Defensively the Devils have had no one really step up as Andy Greene is back on the point when the team has the man advantage. His 10 points does pale in comparison to Damon Severson who leads the defensive corps with 24 points. I think I’d pass here.

Elite Plays

SJ: Brent Burns
NJ: Taylor Hall

Secondary Plays

SJ: Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton
NJ: Adam Henrique, Kyle Palmieri, Mike Cammalleri, Travis Zajac

Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild

Detroit Red Wings					Minnesota Wild
			Jared Coreau					Devan Dubnyk
			Record					Record
			22-23-10					36-12-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.43	2.98	12.10%	81.10%	Team Stats	3.30	2.30	20.50%	82.30%

Detroit lost their eighth game out of the last ten yesterday as they put another nail in their playoff coffin. The loss has the team sitting at 54 points which is now seven points away from the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That doesn’t seem too bad but when you consider that they’d have to jump over eight teams to get there the odds seem astronomical. Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha and Gustav Nyquist serve as both the team’s top line and top power play unit. Zetterberg leads the team with 40 points ans looks to be a one-off here on the road against a very tough Minnesota team. Frans Nielsen returned to center the second line with Tomas Tatar and Dylan Larkin. Third liner Thomas Vanek could be heating up again as has reclaimed the team lead by netting his 14th goals of the season last night against Columbus. Mike Green is the best the Red Wings have to offer on the back line as his 26 points is 17 points more than any other defensemen on the team.

Minnesota bounced back from their overtime loss against Chicago to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout by a score of 2-1 in front of the home crowd on Friday night. The win put the team in first place by five points over Chicago in which they had two games in hand going into last night’s action. Nino Niederreiter has snared nine points in the last eight games and has assumed the team lead with 18 goals to his credit. Eric Staal and Charlie Coyle skate on the top line alongside of him and we will have to wait and see how the chemistry works out as Coyle should make this the line to target. All three players have tallied over 40 points this season and should get the juicy match ups against a Detroit team that is playing their third game in four nights. Mikko Koivu centers the second line with Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund in tow. Granlund surprisingly leads the team with 49 points while both Koivu and Zucker are dead even with 38 points so far this season. Zach Parise has been shipped back to the third line to play with Jason Pominville who has recorded 10 of his 33 points over the last eight games. I guess Pommy is glad to have his buddy back on a line with him. Ryan Suter is the play on the back line although he has not found the score sheet in the last eight games.

Elite Plays

DET: None
MIN: Mikael Granlund

Secondary Plays

DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha, Thomas Vanek, Dylan Larkin, Mike Green
MIN: Nino Niederreiter, Eric Staal, Jason Pominville, Jason Zucker, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu

Colorado Avalanche at New York Islanders

Colorado Avalanche					New York Islanders
			Calvin Pickard					Thomas Greiss
			Record					Record
			15-35-2					24-19-10
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.04	3.35	14.80%	78.60%	Team Stats	2.98	2.90	15.70%	81.20%

After a brief nine goal outburst in two games the Colorado Avalanche have reverted back to their non-scoring ways by losing the last two games with a total of three goals to their credit. This has been the norm for an Avalanche season that has scored just 106 goals so far this season. To put this in perspective, the Washington Capitals have tallied 192 goals so far this season and will probably have twice as many as Colorado by the time April rolls around. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen are the best bets if you are looking for a line to stack in a tournament from the Colorado side. They have combined for eight goals and 11 assist over the past seven games while MacKinnon leads the team with just 38 points. Matt Duchene centers Tom Nieto and Mikhail Grigorenko which makes Duchene a one-off here as his line mates are almost totally useless. Yes, I know Nieto has three goals in the last seven games but let’s face it, he is still Tom Nieto who couldn’t even hold onto a spot on the scoring starved San Jose Sharks. Mark Barberio and Nikita Zadorov are the best plays from the back line especially with the injury to Tyson Barrie. This is basically a coin flip if you feel the need to roster an Avalanche defender this evening.

The Islanders 6-2-2 record over the last 10 games has given them enough life to stay in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Their 58 points has them just three points away from Boston and Philadelphia who are tied for the last playoff spot in the conference. John Tavares, Josh Bailey and Anders Lee will be the line to target here as they lead the charge from the top line and top power play unit. They each have garnered eight points in the last eight games which also leads the team in that department. Brock Nelson skates on the second line with Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Strome . Both Nelson and Strome could be in play here as they too have grabbed a bunch of points over the last eight games. They have grabbed seven points apiece to be exact which is 33% of Strome’s seasonal output. Nick Leddy remains the choice on the back line as he leads the defensive corps with 10 of his 28 points coming via the power play. Look for the Islanders to come away with a victory here.

Elite Plays

COL: None
NYI: John Tavares

Secondary Plays

COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog
NYI: Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Nick Leddy

Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators

Dallas Stars					Nashville Predators
			Antti Niemi					Pekka Rinne
			Record					Record
			22-24-10					26-21-8
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.73	3.16	17.50%	73.50%	Team Stats	2.72	2.56	19.00%	82.80%

The Dallas Stars came away with a resounding 5-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes last night in front of the home crowd. The win kept them in the playoff hunt for now as they travel to Nashville to take on the Predators in a key Central Division matchup. Jamie Benn is the clear cut play here as he skates on the top line with Cody Eakin and Patrick Eaves. Not only has Benn recorded five goals and five assists in the last eight games, he is also breathing down the neck of Tyler Seguin with 49 points in 52 games for the team lead. Seguin makes for a decent one-off play here as he skates with Radek Faksa and Antoine Roussel and jumps up with Benn and Company to skate on the top power play unit. Seguin has amassed 207 shots on goal while collecting 20 goals and 31 assists. Meanwhile Eaves has held onto the team lead with 21 goals so far this season. John Klingberg is the play on the back line as he anchors the team’s top unit when the Stars draw a penalty. He has registered 12 of his 31 points while skating with the extra attacker. The only other player that could be used as a tournament punt play would be Devin Shore. He has been pretty decent considering he plays on the third line as he has collected eight goals and 15 assist so far this season.

Nashville looks to extend their six point lead over the Dallas Stars which will hopefully break the eighth place tie with the Los Angeles Kings for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. There’s no telling what head coach Peter Laviolette will do now as the Predators dropped their third game over the last four they have played. The latest move saw Viktor Arvidsson back on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg while James Neal was bumped back down to the third line to play alongside of Calle Jarnkrok and Colin Wilson. Mike Fisher plays on the second line and the real problem is that maybe they only have five skilled players who just can’t fit across three lines. Arvidsson’s hat trick yesterday has given him the team lead with 18 goals while Johansen continues to lead the team with 40 points. Jarnkrok has the hot hand however as he has lit the lamp four times and has added five assists over the last eight games. Jarnkrok has just 11 points in his previous 47 games. Defenseman Roman Josi is back on track after his injury and has netted two goals and two assist in the last four games he has played in. P.K. Subban is more of a distant memory than anything as his 20 points in 39 games is more than likely not what Nashville expected when they traded for him.

Elite Plays

DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
NSH: Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen

Secondary Plays

DAL: Patrick Eaves, John Klingberg, Cody Eakin
NSH: James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi

Montréal Canadiens at Boston Bruins

Montréal Canadiens					Boston Bruins
			Carey Price					Tuukka Rask
			Record					Record
			31-18-8					28-23-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.89	2.50	22.10%	79.20%	Team Stats	2.63	2.68	20.30%	85.90%

Thanks to only winning three of their last 10 games Montreal’s lead in the Atlantic Division has slipped to just six points. Ottawa is in second place and after today will have five games in hand on the division leaders so a win here is almost imperative. Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov and Phillip Danault have done most of the scoring from the top line as they have combined for 23 points over the last nine games. Pacioretty leads the way with seven goals and four assists and also leads the team with 28 goals and 50 points. You can use him as a one-off here in cash games or use the full line for your tournament plays this evening. After that the scoring drops off dramatically as third liner Andrew Shaw has grabbed three points in the last nine games. Alex Galchenyuk is either not fully healed from his injury or his line mates in Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron just aren’t that good. I would guess the latter as Byron’s ex-team, the Calgary Flames, are paying Lance Bouma 2.1 million dollars per year while the Canadiens are paying Byron just 1 million a year as both have three-year contracts. Byron wasn’t even worth keeping in the Calgary Flames eyes for pete’s sake. Anyways, defensemen Shea Weber and the healthy Andrei Markov now man the points when Montreal has the man advantage. This means that Nathan Beaulieu will drop to the second power play unit which will decrease his value.

This is a big game for the Bruins as they can pull within six points of the division leading Canadiens with a win on home ice tonight. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Backes is the line to target here as Boston will take every opportunity to keep the top line away from Montreal’s best defensive unit. Marchand and Bergeron have recorded 12 points since January 21st which is good enough to be tied for fifth in the league over that time frame. Marchand also leads the team with 33 assists and 57 points on the season. David Pastrnak makes a decent one-off play here as he skates on the second line with David Krejci and Peter Cehlarik. Pastrnak has tallied 14 points over the last eight games as he has taken over the team lead with 25 goals. Ryan Spooner and Frank Vatrano could be used as punt plays here as they have combined for three goals and seven assists over the last seven games from the third line. Torey Krug should be in your line ups today from the back line as the Boston blue liner has collected 16 of his 35 points while playing on the team’s top power play unit. Sit back and enjoy this one folks as this should be the best game of the day.

Elite Plays

MTL: Max Pacioretty
BOS: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak

Secondary Plays

MTL: Alexander Radulov, Phillip Danault, Shea Weber, Andrei Markov, Alex Galchenyuk
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Backes, David Krejci

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