NHL Grind Down: Sunday, February 26th
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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 Dallas Stars
| Boston Bruins | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-24-6 | 24-27-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.62 | 19.90% | 86.30% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 3.18 | 18.00% | 73.50% |
The Bruins have done a good job of keeping themselves in the playoffs by winning five of their first six games since firing head coach Claude Julien. At the time, a lot of writers claimed the firing was a good move but that the timing was bad. The team is making them eat their words, as those five wins have helped them stay within two points of grabbing the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their upcoming schedule is also favorable, as they play teams like Arizona, Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Calgary in the next two weeks. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Backes serve as the team’s top line, with the former two players getting the extra ice time when the Bruin s draw a penalty. Marchand leads the team with 26 goals and 35 points and, as predicted, Backes has upped his game by scoring six of his 28 points over the last seven games. Peter Cehlarik, David Krecji, and David Pastrnak skate on the second line with Pastrnak making a decent one-off here. His six goals and eight points over the last seven games has him tied for Marchand with 26 goals, while his 49 points is second on the team; that’s not bad considering he has only played in 49 games this season. Ryan Spooner plays on the top power play unit form the third line and can be used here against a Dallas team that has given up at least one power play goal in 11 of the last 14 games. Torey Krug is your play on the back line, as he quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit form the back line. Sixteen of his 38 points have come with the man advantage, while Zdeno Chara is next on the Bruins defensive scoring list with 17 points. Look for the Bruins to score a few here, as Dallas has a defense that is leaky at best.
Dallas had a confidence builder of a game last time out, beating the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 5-2 in front of their home crowd on Friday night. The win gave Dallas their second win in a row, and that is something they have only done four times this season. The odds are against them though here, as they have won three games in a row just once all season. Head coach Lindy Ruff continues to shuffle up the lines, but this time it was out of necessity, as the Dallas Stars have become sellers, which is evidenced by their trading their third best scorer to the Anaheim Ducks late Friday afternoon. Tyler Seguin skated with Patrick Sharp, and Antoine Roussel, while Jamie Benn and Brett Ritchie were centered by Cody Eakin. What this means is that instead of having maybe five forwards to count on, you now have four. Seguin and Benn are the easy ones, as they are almost point-per-game players that skate on the team’s top power play unit. After that, it gets tricky. Both Jiri Hudler and Jason Spezza have the talent, but both have been injured this season, thus suppressing not only the performance, but their statistics as well. I’d keep Eakin with Benn and either Sharp or Roussel with Seguin. John Klingberg is usually the defenseman we target here, as he has 33 points so far this season while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. I say usually because when the Stars are fighting for a playoff spot they go with their best guys, but now things may change a little bit. Esa Lindell saw the top minutes on the power play unit and could be a decent punt play here, as he responded with two assists in the 5-2 win. Boston is tough, but Dallas normally finds a way to score a few goals; their real problem is that they tend to give up goals, as well.
Elite Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
Secondary Plays
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Torey Krug, David Krejci
DAL: Antoine Roussel, Cody Eakin, John Klingberg
Calgary Flames at Carolina Hurricanes
| Calgary Flames | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Eddie Lack | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-26-4 | 25-24-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.81 | 19.80% | 80.60% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.82 | 16.60% | 86.50% |
The Flames came up with a big road win Friday night, defeating the Florida Panthers by a final tally of 4-2. Tonight they go for their fourth road win in a row against a Carolina team that has posted an 18-8-2 record on home ice. Calgary’s 68 points has them as the seventh playoff seed in the Western Conference if the playoffs were to start before last night’s action. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland skate on the team’s top line while Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik are a second scoring line that the Flames possess. Gaudreau has found the score sheet 40 times in the 52 games he has played while Monahan’s 20 goals is tops on the team. Carolina may opt to try to shut this line down which means that the second line should see a little more room on the ice tonight. Backlund has lit the lamp four times en route to scoring nine points in the last eight games. His 44 points isn’t bad either, and he leads the team in scoring by three points over Tkachuk. Defenseman T.J. Brodie continues to see time with the man advantage but it looks like it is evening out a bit, as both Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano are getting their opportunities, as well. Hamilton is the safest play, and his seven points in the last eight games now has him just one point of hitting the 40 mark for the season.
Eddie Lack guided the Hurricanes to a decisive 3-0 win over the depleted Ottawa Senators Friday night on home ice. The Hurricanes play well in front of the home crowd, so another win tonight is not out of the question here. Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm found Victor Rask on their line last game while Jeff Skinner and Lee Stempniak skated with center Teuvo Teravainen. The three goals the Hurricanes scored against Ottawa must have seemed like a blowout, as the team had scored just four goals in the previous five games. Skinner leads the team with 30 goals and 39 points, while Rask and Aho each have registered 33 points apiece so far this season. Jordan Staal has collected six points in the last seven games while skating on the team’s third line. Defenseman Justin Faulk is the choice on the back line here, as he has assumed the lion’s share of the minutes when the team goes on the power play. Faulk has fired 150 shots on net this season that has yielded 11 goals and 14 assists so far this season. The only thing that is a bit concerning is Carolina’s play before beating up on an injury riddled team.
Elite Plays
CGY: Mikael Backlund
CAR: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Dougie Hamilton
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Victor Rask, Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers
| Columbus Blue Jackets | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 38-16-5 | 40-19-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.19 | 2.45 | 21.90% | 82.20% | Team Stats | 3.28 | 2.57 | 19.10% | 81.60% |
Fresh off of giving the New York Islanders a “good old fashioned shellacking” last night on home ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets will head East to Madison Square Garden and take on the New York Rangers, looking to improve on their 16-7-4 record away from the home crowd tonight.The win gave Columbus their fourth win in six games, which puts them smack dab in the middle of all the action that has become the Metropolitan Division. Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, and Boone Jenner should be the line to target tonight, as it appears that Brandon Saad was back up on the top line skating with Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno. Atkinson leads the team with 51 points, while Dubinsky has notched nine of his 31 points over the last nine games. Zachary Werenski and Seth Jones are the options from the back line and at this point, either of them could be in play tonight. Werenski was hot from the start while manning the team’s top power play unit. Jones has been seeing just about the same amount of ice time with the man advantage. Werenski has 36 points while Jones was just two points behind him going into last night’s game.
The Rangers needed overtime to dispose of the Devils last night, but in the end, they outlasted New Jersey by a score of 4-3. The win keeps the Rangers on a pace to make the playoffs easily, as their 82 points is good for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers run three scoring lines out there on a nightly basis, and last night it was the line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Mats Zuccarello that did the trick but combining for two goals and three assists. Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and Jimmy Vesey skate on the second line, which has been sluggish lately, as Nash leads this group with five points over the last 10 games. J.T. Miller leads the team with 47 points while he has combined for nine goals and 14 assists over the last 10 games with line mates Jimmy Hayes and Michael Grabner. Ryan McDonagh is usually the choice on the back line, but Brady Skjei found the score sheet yet again last night, which squarely puts him in the middle of your radar screen. Skjei now has 29 points in 60 games. Look for the Rangers to give the Blue Jackets a good game as they look to improve on their 19-11-2 record in front of the home crowd tonight.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
NYR: J.T. Miller
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Alexander Wennberg, Seth Jones
NYR: Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Derek Stepan, Michael Grabner
Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators
| Edmonton Oilers | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Juuse Saros | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-21-8 | 30-22-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.53 | 20.60% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.85 | 2.73 | 19.50% | 82.30% |
The Oilers continue their six-game road trip as they pull into Nashville tonight looking to improve on their 2-2 record on the trip. Edmonton has stayed in the playoff race, and their 74 points had them in third place in the Pacific Division before last night’s action. The closest team to them is the Calgary Flames, who have 68 points with 20 games left on each team’s schedule. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Patrick Maroon skate on the team’s top line and should be in play almost every night. McDavid and Draisaitl get the extra minutes on the top power play unit and should be used here as a duo for tournament play. McDavid has racked up 69 points so far this season while Draisaitl has lit the lamp 23 times for the team lead. Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle make up the second even-strength unit and for all intents and purposes have been pretty good of late. Eberle has collected 36 points, while Lucic is right behind him with 33 points on the season. Defenseman Oscar Klefbom has seen the most minutes from the back line when the Oilers draw a penalty. Klefbom has responded by pumping in three goals and assisting on three others over the last eight games.
Nashville played one of their better games of the year last night, defeating the Washington Capitals by a score of 5-2 in front of the home crowd. They remain at home tonight to face another decent team in the Edmonton Oilers. The win slid the Predators into third place in the central Division and will need a win here tonight to stay ahead of the St. Louis Blues. In an unprecendented move, James Neal was dropped to the fourth line to skate with Harry Zolnierczyk and Vernon Fiddler. I can assure you that both of those guys haven’t skated with talent like that since high school. Neal didn’t register a shot, let alone find the score sheet, as that move seems very peculiar to me. Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson is the line to target here, as they not only had a least two points each last night, but are also 1-2-3 on the team’s scoring chart. Mike Fisher scored a power play goal last night, as he centers the second line with Kevin Fiala and Craig Smith. Fisher is better with better pieces around him, so I wouldn’t go chasing points here tonight with him. Roman Josi is on fire from the back line; he fired in two more goals last night, which now gives him 12 points in the last 10 games. Another option is P.K. Subban, who has also been doing well of late with 10 points in the last 10 games.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
NSH: Ryan Johansen
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom
NSH: Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks
| St. Louis Blues | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-24-5 | 38-18-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.87 | 21.30% | 84.70% | Team Stats | 2.97 | 2.56 | 18.50% | 76.70% |
The St. Louis Blues looked like they were going to another team that would benefit from a coaching change, and they still might even though they lost their last two games before their mandatory break. Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny, and Alexander Steen skated on the top line before the break and should be the line to target tonight. Tarasenko leads the team with 28 goals and 58 points, while Steen has grabbed five of his 39 points over the last nine games. Jaden Schwartz jumps up from the second line to join the top line when the Blues draw a penalty. What this effectively does is put all of the Blues top players together to have a better chance of scoring with the extra attacker. Schwartz will skate with Patrik Berglund and Magnus Paajarvi at even strength and could be a line to target tonight for deeper tournament plays. Berglund had notched six goals in the last nine games before the break and could make for a decent one-off play here. Kevin Shattenkirk is the chalk play from the back line, as his seven points led the team in scoring in their nine games before the break. This gets him up to second on the team in scoring with 42 points. Twenty of those points have come with the extra attacker, which could be open for business tonight, as Chicago has given up four power play goals in their last six games.
The Blackhawks come into this one winning eight of their last nine games with their only loss being to Edmonton right after their mandatory week off. Chicago has climbed up the Central Division standings and is now just three points away from being the best team in the conference. In the beginning of the season, Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, and Artemi Panarin was the go-to line, and although they continue to be consistent, we have some other players in the mix, as well. One would think that Kane’s seven goals and five assists would lead the team in points over the last eight games, but alas! He doesn’t! Jonathan Toews has come alive over the last three weeks, which have seen him grab 15 of his 44 points over the last eight games. Richard Panik skates with Toews at even strength while both join Panarin and Kane when the Hawks draw a penalty to form the top power play unit. Panik will give you some salary relief here, as his five goals and five assists over the last eight games is good enough for third on the team behind Toews and Kane. Duncan Keith is the play on the back line especially since Chicago has gone to a four forward power play unit. Keith has recorded 41 points so far this season and could find the score sheet again tonight as the Blackhawks try to improve on their 19-8-4 record in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
CHI: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
STL: Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz, Paul Stastny
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Duncan Keith, Richard Panik, Artem Anisimov