NHL Grind Down: Sunday, March 25th

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2018-04-04 01:46:05 Premium Content Part of the product Combo Lite

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.

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins

Philadelphia Flyers					Pittsburgh Penguins
			Petr Mrazek					Matt Murray
			Record					Record
			38-25-12					42-27-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.99	2.88	20.16	75.96	Team Stats	3.25	3.03	25.96	80.33

As we come down to the last few weeks of the season we will no doubt run into our share big games just like the one we have here this afternoon. The Flyers were only two points away from the Penguins who held the second place spot in the Metropolitan Division. Their 88 points has almost guaranteed them a playoff spot so now the task at hand is to keep playing good hockey and stay healthy. The Flyers are a pretty easy team to dissect as Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny skate on the top line while Jakub Voracek has shown some true leadership skating with Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom on the team’s second line. Giroux’s 10 points over the last seven games has lifted his yearly total to the 90 point plateau while Voracek is second on the team with 80 points of his own. Both players are joined by Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds to form 80% of the team’s top power play unit that has scored five goals in their last 18 attempts. Couturier leads the team with 30 goals while Simmonds is the obvious one-off here as he skates on the third line while receiving the extra ice time opportunities. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere mans the power play point where he has found the score sheet 29 times this season. His 55 points is excellent for a defenseman while Ivan Provorov can be looked at for some salary relief as he has grabbed 34 points so far this season while playing second fiddle to Gostisbehere. Look for the Flyers to put up a fight here but maybe fall just a bit short.

The Penguins come into this one with a record of 27-8-2 on home ice and there’s no reason to think that they can’t outgun their in-state rivals this evening. This is the fourth and final meeting between these two teams which has seen Pittsburgh not only on the winning end of things but they have scored five goals in each of those three games. Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist will skate on the top line while Evgeni Malkin will center Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust on the team’s second line. Phil Kessel leads the troops from the third line as he skates with Conor Sheary and Derick Brassard which in all honesty could be the top line on at least half of the teams in the league. Kessel is the one-off here as he joins Crosby, Hornqvist and Malkin on the team’s top power play unit that has scored just two times over the past four games. Malkin has pulled away with the team leads in goals and points with 41 and 91 respectively while Crosby’s 56 assists is tops on the team. Kessel is jammed between them as he has seen 37 of his 83 points come with the man advantage. Speaking of the power play, look for defenseman Kris Letang to log tons of time this evening as he has put up 44 points this season while playing in 71 games so far this season. Olli Maatta and Jamie Oleksiak have been chipping in a little if you are looking for some salary relief to get away from Letang with Maatta and his 27 points being the better play of the two. Pittsburgh should be able to win this one in front of the home crowd this evening.

Top Plays

PHL: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek
PIT: Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby

Secondary Plays

PHL: Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Wayne Simmonds, Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov
PIT: Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel, Derick Brassard