NHL Grind Down: Sunday, January 10th
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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Buffalo Sabres at Winnipeg Jets – 03:00 PM EST
| Buffalo Sabres | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Ondrej Pavelec | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-22-4 | 19-19-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.24 | 2.68 | 19.80% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 2.66 | 2.80 | 14.80% | 77.30% |
The Buffalo Sabres started out the season much better than last year but now it seems that they have reverted back to the way they were playing a year ago. By only scoring nine goals in their last six games the Sabres have dropped their last six games and this afternoon’s game doesn’t look much better as Winnipeg is 11-5-1 on home ice. Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart make up the top line for Buffalo but the play here based on match up and recent play would be Jack Eichel, who skates on the second line but mans the point on the power play. Eichel has figured into six of the last Sabres nine goals while line mates Zemgus Girgensons and Jamie McGinn were in on three and two goals respectively. For opportunity purposes it makes sense to pair Eichel with O’Reilly as they get the top power play minutes together and have scored four goals in the last four games on the power play. To go a bit contrarian the play would be to pair Eichel with one of his two line mates. Rasmus Ristolainen is the play on defense as he has accumulated 26 points in the first 41 games and has two assists in his last four games.
After going 2-2-1 on the recent road trip the Winnipeg Jets return home to play the Buffalo Sabres. As mentioned above, the Jets have been playing pretty good at home so far and tonight it seems the top power play would be in order as the five players that get the most minutes also are the same players that occupy the top five in scoring for the Jets. Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little are the easy targets as they also skate on the top line with Drew Stafford with Wheeler being the more consistent of the three by assisting on five goals in the last six games. Mathieu Perreault has collected two goals in the last four games he has played while Andrew Ladd has been a bit quiet of late by finding the scoresheet just once in the last five games. Dustin Byfuglien rounds out the top power play unit but the play here may be Tyler Myers who has a three game point steak on the line as he heads into this afternoon’s game.
Elite Plays
BUF: Jack Eichel
WINN: Blake Wheeler
Secondary Plays
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen,, Evander Kane, Jamie McGinn
WINN: Bryan Little, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers
Ottawa Senators at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EST
| Ottawa Senators | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-16-6 | 31-7-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.74 | 2.86 | 18.50% | 77.10% | Team Stats | 3.17 | 2.15 | 25.60% | 85.00% |
If the playoffs were to end today the Ottawa Senators would be on the outside looking in. Their 46 points are tied for eighth in the Eastern conference so it’s not like there isn’t any hope as long as they can sustain some type of consistency in the second half of the season. Tonight the draw a tough matchup as the travel to Washington to take on a Capital team that has only lost three times all year on home ice. Defenseman Erik Karlsson leads the team in scoring by averaging more than a point a game with 46 of them through the first 42 games. With only seven goals in their last five games the Senators have been shuffling up their lines in search of trying to jump start what has become a stalled offense. Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone skate on both the top line and top power play line with Kyle Turris skating with them at full strength, but it is Mika Zibanejad and Milan Michalek that have been rounding out the top power play unit over the last few games. Washington has only given up 89 goals so far this season so it looks like the Senators will have to wait another game before they can get back on track.
Alexander Ovechkin scored his 499th goal the other night in 4-3 win at the New York Rangers. What this means is he now has a shot to score his 500th goal on home ice and by the way the Senators have been playing of late I’d say the odds are pretty good that he achieves that lofty milestone. The Caps did not have a morning skate so it is anyone’s guess as to whether or not John Carlson returns to the lineup tonight. What we do know is that Washington will be without the services of forward Marcus Johansson as he sits out the back end of his two game suspension. Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie join Ovechkin on both the top line and top power play units with Backstrom having the hot hand with three goals and three assist in his last five games. If Carlson doesn’t play Matt Niskanen remains in play as he has five assists in the last six games since filling in for the injured defenseman. Evgeny Kuznetsov had two goals and four assist over a four game stretch but has cooled off over the last two games.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, Milan Michalek,
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Matt Niskanen, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks – 07:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-18-3 | 26-13-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.90 | 2.79 | 21.80% | 79.30% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.35 | 22.50% | 81.50% |
It always seems that when teams aren’t scoring they automatically start to shuffle up their lines. It seems to have worked for Colorado as they have won their last three games and with the Avalanche facing a Chicago team that hasn’t given up many goals of late it may be a good thing that they have some talent on all three lines. Matt Duchene skates on the team’s top line and top power play unit and makes a decent play tonight as he has scored three goals to go along with three assists over the last six games. With Colorado being on the road the tandem of Gabriel Landeskog and Blake Comeau make an interesting choice as they also skate together, albeit not on the top line, but they do get the top power play minutes with Duchene. Defensemen Nick Holden and Tyson Barrie man the points on the power play but Barrie is the choice here as he has three goals and three assists in his last two games. To go a bit contrarian you can go with the full line of Landeskog, Comeau and Carl Soderberg who have accumulated five goals and 11 assists in the last six games.
Outside of the Florida Panthers the Chicago Black=hawks are one of the hottest teams in the league by virtue of winning their last six games. The current streak has them just six points away from the conference leading Dallas Stars and I would expect some high ownership numbers tonight. The Blackhawks are one of the easiest teams to decipher where DFS is concerned. The top line of Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, and Artemi Panarin is the chalk play while the second line of Jonthan Toews, Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw could be considered as a bit of a more contrarian play. If you are playing the first line Kane is the easy choice as he not only leads the league in scoring, he has eight points in his last six games to boot. Pair him with the red hot Panarin and the four goals he has scored in his last three games. Toews is the play from the second line as he has collected four goals and three assists in the last seven games he has played in. Defensively it’s Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook with the former having the edge over the last six games by an eight to five point margin on the score sheet.
Elite Plays
COL: None
CHI: Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Gabriel Landeskog, Blake Comeau, Matt Duchene
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Artem Anisimov
New Jersey Devils at Minnesota Wild – 08:00 PM EST
| New Jersey Devils | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-17-5 | 21-11-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.21 | 2.31 | 19.00% | 82.60% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.38 | 18.20% | 79.40% |
So far this year the NHL has shown a ton of parody as it has been very difficult, outside of few top teams, to figure out just what will happen next. The Devils have lost their last three games which has put them below Ottawa with 45 points in the standings. Tied for tenth place in the Eastern division is really not where they want to be but with injuries to Mike Cammalleri and John Moore, the Devils seem to be need more than a miracle to get back on track. New Jersey has scored 12 goals in their last seven games and without their team leader, could be in for a rough ride tonight. The top line of Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac and rookie Sergey Kalinin could very well be the third line for half of the teams in the league but it’s the best that the devils can put together. The second line is just as bad with Adam Henrique centering Lee Stempniak and the recently recalled Joseph Blandisi. This however is the line to use for your GPP plays as they are indeed the second line on the road and I am pretty sure their ownership levels will be low as well. The good news here is that Henrique does have three points in his last four games and that is saying something since the devils have only scored five goals during that stretch. Defensivley there is not much here especially since David Schlemko is listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
The only thing that will stop the Minnesota Wild from winning this game tonight is themselves. With the Wild playing in Dallas last night and maybe basking in the glow of beating the best team in the league by a score of 2-1 in your barn, you can see why there may be a bit of a letdown tonight. Their power play is a bit cold of late so maybe it’s best to just stick with the top line of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker for our cash plays tonight. Parise has four goals in his last three games and Zucker has two markers in his last four but it has been Koivu who has to pick it up as he has just three points in his last ten games. The second line of Jason Pomminville and Mikael Granlund have only tallied five points combined over the last ten games which makes Nino Niederreiter and his eight points over that time frame nothing more than a one-off. Speaking of one-offs, the very streaky Thomas Vanek netted a goal his 13th goal of the year last night while certainly getting his chances up on the top power play line.Ryan Suter is the choice on defense but even he only has three points in his last ten games.
Elite Plays
NJ: None
MIN: Zach Parise
Secondary Plays
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique
MIN: Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek, Ryan Suter
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks – 08:00 PM EST
| Detroit Red Wings | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Jimmy Howard |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-13-7 | 17-16-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.49 | 2.56 | 17.80% | 79.80% | Team Stats | 1.88 | 2.38 | 19.60% | 89.40% |
Backed by some good goaltending by Peter Mrazek the Detroit Red Wings have been able to win three of their last six games despite only scoring 12 goals in those games. Henrik Zetterberg has been trying to anchor the top line but his two goals and four assists in the last ten games could stand to be a bit better. Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyqvist haven’t been much help either as they only have four points each over the last ten games. Pavel Datsyuk skates on the second line but gets top power play minutes so his two goals and two assist in his last six games should make for a nice play tonight on the road. Dylan Larkin is the ultimate one-off tonight by virtue of scoring three goals and three assists in his last six games. He is clearly the most consistent scoring over the past few weeks. Niklas Kronwall plays the point on the power play but it may be rough sledding for that unit as the Ducks have killed off their last 23 penalties.
Anaheim continues to try to dig out of the hole they dug during the first part of the season. If the Ducks are to turn it around their top line had better start producing. Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry should see some high ownership tonight as they also double as the team’s top power play unit. Dteroit has given up power play goals in four of their last ten games, so it makes sense to start with those three players. Sami Vatanen is usually the defensive play bit with Shea Theodore getting top minutes on the power play next to him, the salary relief you get may be just too much to pass up. Theodore also shoots the puck a little bit and has not been in the negative on plus/minus sites in the last eight games. You can also use Ryan Kesler as a one-off tonight who has caught fire of late by grabbing four points in his last four games. That may not seem much but when you look at his 12 points in the 39 games before that, the four-in-four makes him look like Mario Lemieux.
Elite Plays
DET: None
ANA: Corey Perry
Secondary Plays
DET: Dylan Larkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Justin Abdelkader, Niklas Kronwall
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen