NHL Grind Down: Sunday, February 18th
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.
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Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
| Philadelphia Flyers | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Michal Neuvirth |  | Brandon Halverson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-19-10 | 27-27-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.93 | 2.81 | 21.54 | 75.00 | Team Stats | 2.80 | 3.05 | 20.44 | 82.07 |
The Flyers have been able to earn points in 11 of their last 14 games while winning nine of those contests. This has done wonders for a team that was once ranked 26th in the league back on November 22nd who now find themselves in third place in the Metropolitan Division just five points away from the Washington Capitals for the division lead. Much like yesterday not much has changed where the Flyers are concerned as Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier skate on the top line with Travis Konecny while Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek have Nolan Patrick as their line mate. Either line is fine to stack this afternoon as long as you have either Giroux or Voracek in there as both have registered more than 64 points apiece so far this season. You could of course have both in your line-up as they along with Simmonds and Couturier anchor the team’s top power play unit that has not only lit the lamp five times in the last five games, they also receive over 68% of the ice time when the Flyers have the extra attacker. Shayne Gostisbehere is the strong play from the blue line as he anchors the top power play unit and has grabbed 10 of his 45 points over the last two weeks. Ivan Provorov can be used for some salary relief but his 27 points will not get you the upside the Gostisbehere provides on a nightly basis. Look for the Flyers to find a way to win this one against a tired Ranger team.
The only thing that the Rangers have going for them in this one is that the game is being played in their own barn. Their 18 home wins is good enough for the sixth highest total in the conference but the sad reality is that their road record has drug the team down to the bottom of the standings. This is just like watching The Titanic slowly get swallowed up by the ocean with nothing anyone can do about it. Their 6-3 loss in Ottawa yesterday was a testament to that as the New Yorkers lost for the 10th time in the last 13 games. Michael Grabner looks to have become the best player that the Rangers have as he netted his 24th and 25th goals of the season yesterday while being re-united with Pavel Buchnevich and J.T. Miller on the Rangers second line. Meanwhile the Rangers are sticking to their guns as they keep running out Rick Nash on the first line to skate with Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. Zuccarello has managed to lead the team with 32 assists and 41 points while Grabner’s 25 goals has him tied for 15th in the league in that category. Ryan McDonagh is usually the choice on the back line but he was held out of yesterday’s game with an upper-body injury. This would leave Brady Skjei and his 18 points as your only viable choice as no other Ranger defenseman besides McDonagh and the injured Kevin Shattenkirk has eclipsed 12 points this season. The Rangers are not a good team so using them as a GPP play is really the only way to go here.
Top Plays
PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
NYR: Michael Grabner
Secondary Plays
PHL: Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds, Travis Konecny
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller
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