NHL Grind Down: Sunday, March 20th
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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Anaheim Ducks at Winnipeg Jets – 03:00 PM EDT
| Anaheim Ducks | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Ondrej Pavelec | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-22-9 | 29-37-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.26 | 23.20% | 87.10% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.96 | 15.00% | 78.50% |
After shutting down the Boston Bruins Friday night by a score of 4-0 the Anaheim Ducks hit the road for a five game road trip. Their first stop is across the border as they take on the lowly Winnipeg Jets who are the worst team in the Western conference. If the Ducks have any aspirations of trying to catch the Kings for Pacific division supremacy, they have to take care of business on the road against non-playoff teams. The ducks have two lines that can score so it’s just a matter of who the jets want to try to shut down which, in theory, will give the other line more room to maneuver on the ice. The line of David Perron, Ryan Getzlaf and Brandon Pirri would normally serve as the first line as they have seemed to find some chemistry of late as both Perron and Getzlaf registered assists in the last few games while Pirri is the newcomer and may need a little more time to figure out where his line mayes will be on the ice. The second line seems to be the one in play here as Corey Perry has been on fire of late by virtue of lighting the lamp six times and assisting on five other goals in his last ten games. Rickard Rakell has been put on the second line with Perry and both get the top power play minutes thanks to an injury to defenseman Sami Vatanen. This makes a good combo as Rakell has two goals and two assists over the last four games and has always seemed to work well with Perry. Cam Fowler is the play on the point as he soaks up all the power play minutes with the aforementioned injury.
The Winnipeg jets have been a mess of late as they have only scored 23 goals over the last ten games en route to claiming victory in just four of them. Oddly enough Mark Scheifele has been in on 12 of them and with him being on the top line with Blake Wheeler would seem to make a great one-off play tonight. Drew Stafford skates on the top line with Scheifele and Wheeler and has scored a goal in every other game over the last six and did not score last game so if you like narratives, there you go. Mathieu Perreault is the only second liner as he skates on the top power play and has four assists over the last eight games. Not great I know but playing with cult hero Mark Dano and Alex Burmistrov really doesn’t get you much help on the offensive side of things. Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom man the points on the power play that has scored just one goal over the past eight games. Not much to see here, especially with Byfuglien’s high price so it’s probably best just to move along.
Elite Plays
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
WIN: Mark Scheifele
Secondary Plays
ANA: Rickard Rakell, David Perron, Jamie McGinn, Cam Fowler
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Drew Stafford, Mathieu Perreault, Dustin Byfuglien
Columbus Blue Jackets at New Jersey Devils – 05:00 PM EDT
| Columbus Blue Jackets | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Keith Kinkaid | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-34-8 | 34-31-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.56 | 3.06 | 18.00% | 80.90% | Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.53 | 20.90% | 81.70% |
After a spirited 6-3 Columbus win last night, both teams will travel east to do it all over again at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight. The Blue Jackets will try to keep the scoring going even though both teams really have nothing to play for except for a spot on the team next season. Boone Jenner has collected seven points in as many games while line mate Cam Atkinson has lit the lamp six times to go along with two assists over the last ten games. Both get the first crack on the top power play unit which could be a key factor in tonight’s match up as there is no doubt the devils will come out a bit tougher on home ice. Or at least that’s the thought process anyway now whether it happens or not is a whole different story. For you ambulance chasers out there I am sure you will love Oliver Bjorkstrand as he scored his first two goals last night against these same New Jersey Devils. Alexander Wennberg also gets to see some top power play minutes and makes a good one-off play here as he has accrued five points over the last five games. Seth Jones and Ryan Murray get the call on the points with jones having the upper hand by virtue of scoring 15 of his 25 points in the 29 games he has played for the Blue Jackets.
Last night it was the second line that features Kyle Palmieri who got all the accolades in the 6-3 loss so in theory, it should be the top line that does the damage at home tonight. The top line had been doing well before taking to the ice last night as Devante Smith-Pelly has scored seven goals and has added three assists in his last nine games. Tyler Kennedy has also chipped in with five points over the last five games but the most odd stat may be the fact that Adam Henrique has scored seven goals in his last nine games without tabulating any assists. The top line does make for a good play but you can go right back to Palmieri if you are looking for a one-off in this one as he has nine points over his last eight games. With defenseman David Schlemko injured Damon Severson saw over three minutes of power play on the point with John Moore. Either can make for a good play tonight as the teams are more than likely going to pick up where they left off last night, which means more goals will be scored.
Elite Plays
CBJ: None
NJ: None
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Cam Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Seth Jones, Alexander Wennberg, Ryan Murray
NJ: Devante Smith-Pelly, Adam Henrique, Tyler Kennedy, Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri, John Moore
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins – 06:00 PM EDT
| Washington Capitals | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 51-14-5 | 39-24-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.16 | 2.30 | 23.20% | 84.10% | Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.44 | 17.80% | 83.80% |
The Washington Capitals are in the midst of putting together a memorable season as they lead the league 107 points through 70 games thus far. They also have a goal differential of a plus 63, which is more than double of any other team in the league. The Penguins played yesterday as they took it to the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-1 so they may come into this one a bit tired. Look for the second line that features Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie to get some run here. Kuznetsov has seven assists while scoring a point in each of his last five games and Oshie has all of a sudden caught fire as well by virtue of lighting the lamp five times and assisting on four other goals in the last ten games. Alex Ovechkin is always in play it’s just a matter of if you want to pay up for him or not. Matt Miskanen has been handling the point on the team’s top power play unit and has netted just four points over the last ten games. Marcus Johansson rounds out the power play unit and since he plays on the third line should only be viewed as a one-off play here to help free up salary space.
Pittsburgh should be able to use this game as a test for the playoff run as they had just played yesterday and face one of the best teams in the league on home ice. Sidney Crosby has been here before and it’s always fun to see him go up against Alexander Ovechkin. Crosby’s stats at home are phenomenal but we can’t discount the six goals and 12 assists he’s had over the last 11 games either. Pair him up with either Patric Hornqvist or Chris Kunitz as both have notched at least seven points over the last 11 game with Hornqvist finding the net more often with six goals to go along with five assists. Someone must have told nick Bonino not to shoot the puck as much because as soon as he had a game with no shots, he gets two assists, go figure. Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin are his line mates and make a decent GPP play for tonight’s contests. Kris Letang and Justin Schultz get the minutes on the team’s top power play unit from the back line with Letang being the play as he has eight points over the last 11 games. Tonight we will see what the penguins are really made of as this could be their toughest test of the year.
Elite Plays
WAS: Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
Secondary Plays
WAS: T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Andre Burakovsky, Matt Niskanen
PIT: Chris Kunitz, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin
Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens – 07:00 PM EDT
| Calgary Flames | Montreal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Niklas Backstrom |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-35-6 | |||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 3.08 | 15.80% | 74.70% | Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.81 | 16.80% | 83.80% |
Going into last night Calgary was just one goal away from being tied with Ottawa for giving up the most goals in the league with 222 of them. The Flames went 3-2-1 on their last home stand which was pretty good for a team that is tied for last place in the Pacific division with only 66 points. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are easily the most talented players the Flames have but on the road, the going does get a bit tougher. The ‘dynamic duo’ has combined for five goals and eight assists over the last five games but one has to remember that they were all home games. Taking one of the as a one-off play is fine, especially on a night when there are only seven games. Believe it or not the second line of Joe Colbourne, Mikael Backlund and Micael Frolik may be a decent GPP play tonight. I know it sounds almost ludicrous but hear me out. Their opponent tonight is the Montreal Canadiens who haven’t been anywhere near the Montreal teams of old this year and on top of that they also played the Senators last night in Ottawa. Frolik has netted five goals and nine points over the last ten games while Backlund has accrued eight points over that same time period. Joe Colborne has also contributed by scoring four goals to go along with two assists in the last seven games he has played in so as you can see, they have not only been getting their chances but cashing in some along the way as well. Mark Giordano is the choice on defense as he has scored four goals and assisted on seven others over the last ten games. I’m not saying that the Flames can win this one, but they could get very close.
The way the Montreal Canadiens have been playing of late surely must have Maurice ‘The Rocket’ Richard turning over in his grave. These bunch of bums can’t even score a goal on the Ottawa Senators, the Ottawa Senators for petes sake! I guess by now you can tell I had rostered some Montreal players last night but tonight brings a new slate as the Canadiens take on the hapless Calgary Flames. Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk should be able to do something tonight as they were on the ice for three goals while trying to score a power play goal. That does wonders for your plus/minus rating. Anyway Pacioretty does have eight points in his last seven games while Galchenyuk has scored ten goals to go along with two assists in the past 11 games. Andrei Markov is still the play from the point as he receives most of the power play time with fellow defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. There’s no need to look at the second line here as Lars Eller and Paul Byron have basically made Tomas Plekanec unrosterable.
Elite Plays
CGY: None
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Michael Frolik, Joe Colborne
MTL: Andrei Markov, Nathan Beaulieu, Sven Andrighetto
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks – 08:30 PM EDT
| Minnesota Wild | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-28-11 | 42-24-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.53 | 19.10% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.43 | 22.50% | 78.60% |
After losing four of the last five games the Minnesota Wild finally look like they actually want to make the playoffs as they chalked up a nice 3-2 shootout win yesterday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The wild have two problems going into tonight. the first one I already mentioned and the second one is the fact that they now have to travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks. Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle have been finding the scoresheet of late but look to settle in with new line mate Jason Zucker. Coyle has three goals and five assist in his last ten games while Koivu has three goals and assists over the last seven games he has played. Zucker did grab an assist yesterday as the whole line was credited with a point on the Wild’s second goal which came just 16 seconds into the third period. Zach Parise has not been up to par of late by evidence of his one goal scored over the last ten games. He has however grabbed five assists in those games but just hasn’t looked like himself since he came back from injury. Nino Niederreiter makes for a good one off play here as he has lit the lamp three times and assisted on two other goals in the last four games. Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba man the points on the team’s top power play unit but again, there are better defensive plays out there tonight. In fact, this may be a good night to pay up for a few of them.
After weeks of tinkering with his lineup it finally looks like Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville has gone back to what has worked so well for most of the year. Look for Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin to light it up tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Kane finally got back on the board after going three games without a point and Panarin looked totally lost at times as he has not found the scoresheet in the last four games. This is the line to target for cash games tonight but that doesn’t mean that Jonathan Toews, Andrew Ladd and Marian Hossa should be overlooked. After coming back from injury it only took Hossa two games before grabbing goals in the last two games and we all know when that starts to happen Chicago is liable to put up four goals on any given night. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have not found the score sheet in the last four games either but look for that to change tonight as Quenneville has definitely ‘put the band back together’.
Elite Plays
MIN: None
CHI: Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Suter
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook