NHL Grind Down: Sunday, January 7th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2018-01-07 15:20:08 Premium Content Part of the product Core4

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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 DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers

Buffalo Sabres					Philadelphia Flyers
			Robin Lehner					Michal Neuvirth
			Record					Record
			10-22-9					18-15-8
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.22	3.37	11.90	80.16	Team Stats	2.83	2.88	20.42	75.00

The Sabres gave the Winnipeg Jets a run for their money on Friday night but ended up with the short end of the stick in the 4-3 affair. The loss was Buffalo’s 22nd of the year as they are the residents at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo serve as the team’s top line while Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Zemgus Girgensons skate as the team’s second line. Eichel is the easy one-off here on the road as he leads the team with 20 assists and 35 points so far this season. Reinhart joins him as they get the bump to pay with O’Reilly and Kane on the Sabres top power play line which logs over 67% of the ice time when the team has the man advantage. Kane is a decent play here as well as his 16 goals is tops on the team. Rasmus Ristolainen is the defesneman to target here as he soaks up most of the time on the back line when the Sabres have the extra attacker. The only downfall here is that Ristolainen has been having a horrible season but his 14 points still leads all Buffalo defensemen in the scoring category. The Flyers played yesterday so there’s no telling which team they will face this afternoon.

The Flyers did as predicted yesterday as they beat yet another good team as they downed the St Louis Blues in front of the home crowd by a tally of 6-3. The win now has the Flyers just two points away from the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference despite how bad they have looked at times. Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny skate on the team’s top line while Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds skate on the second and third lines respectively. This is important as Giroux, Couturier, Voracek and Simmonds all skate on the top power play line while all four occupy four of the five spots on the Flyers seasonal scoring chart. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and his 31 points are good enough for fourth on the team while Giroux’s three point game yesterday has him at a team leading 51 points so far this season. Ivan Provorov could be an alternative for the talented Gostisbehere as he has garnered five of his 19 points over the last five games. For what it’s worth Valterri Filppula and Michael Raffl skate with Voracek on the team’s second line but its best to stick with the top line on home ice this evening.

Top Plays

BUF: Jack Eichel
PHL: Claude Giroux

Secondary Plays

BUF: Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Sam Reinhart
PHL: Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds