NHL Grind Down: Sunday, November 15th
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 write-ups 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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Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers – 07:00 PM EST
| Toronto Maple Leafs | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Bernier |  | Antti Raanta | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 5-8-4 | 13-2-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.18 | 2.76 | 16.00% | 78.00% | Team Stats | 3.06 | 1.65 | 19.50% | 85.70% |
The Maple Leafs have somewhat quietly strung together three straight wins and Mike Babcock looks to finally have this team moving in the right direction. However, traveling to Madison Square Garden to battle the New York Rangers on the second half of back-to-back games is a brutal matchup and one that I’m not eager to target, even on a two-game slate. With just 1.65 goals against per game this season, the Rangers own the NHL-best defense. With a pair of defenseman, Morgan Rielly and Dion Phaneuf, leading the Maple Leafs in scoring, their really the only two players on my cash game radar here. Guys like Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul have all flashed offensive upside and are appealing options as under-owned GPP targets.
Last year’s President’s Trophy winners own the best record in the NHL once again this season and will hit the ice tonight with a 13-2-2 record. They’ve now won eight straight games and own an 8-1-1 record at Madison Square Garden this season. They cruised to a 3-1 victory against the Maple Leafs when they squared off two weeks ago and there’s little reason to expect things to be different tonight. It’s been a very slow offensive start to the season for their offensive leader Rick Nash as the sniper has only found the back of the net twice through 15 games (after scoring 42 goals last season). However, Nash has picked up a goal and six assists over the past five games and remains the top target. He’s joined by Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello on both the top forward line and power-play unit, and both players should be highly targeted tonight as they’re to very strong starts. Derek Stepan joins up with all three of the previously mentioned forwards to center the #1 power-play unit, and with Toronto owning just a 78% penalty kill, he’s a strong play as well. On the blue-line, both Keith Yandle and Ryan McDonagh soak up the lion’s share of playing time with the man advantage and are therefore top-tier defensive options on this small slate.
Elite Plays
TOR: None
NYR: Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Keith Yandle, Henrik Lundqvist
Secondary Plays
TOR: Morgan Reilly, Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak
NYR: Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh
Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks – 08:30 PM EST
| Calgary Flames | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Karri Ramo |  | Scott Darling | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 6-11-1 | 9-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.44 | 3.72 | 16.70% | 75.00% | Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.53 | 19.00% | 80.40% |
It’s been a disappointing start to the 2015-16 season for the Flames, but they picked up a much needed win in Washington on Friday night and escaping the United Center with two points over the Blackhawks could go a long way towards getting them back on the right track. The Blackhawks took two of the three meetings between these two teams last season and own a 7-2-1 home record, so Calgary certainly has their hands full. With the dynamic trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler reunited on the Flames top forward line, that’s about as deep as I want to dig into the Flames for cash game purposes. Johnny Hockey leads the charge with 17 points through 18 games, but both Hudler and Monahan are both tied with 13 points. While that trio is extremely dangerous in the offensive zone, you’ll need to keep your expectation in check as they’ll likely be dealing with a major dose of both Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa’s stifling defense. One of Calgary’s biggest strengths is their impressive defensive corp, and despite the tough matchup, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton and Dennis Wideman all possess enough offensive upside to warrant cash game consideration on this two game slate.
The Blackhawks were pleased to get Duncan Keith back into action in St. Louis last night and they promptly picked defeated their Central Division rivals 4-2. They’ll head home this evening to take on the Calgary Flames and should be highly motivated to pick up two points before embarking on a grueling six game west coast road trip. Patrick Kane has been asbsolutely on fire to start the season and with 12 goals and 14 assists through 17 games, he’s tied with Tyler Seguin atop the NHL scoring race. He’s joined by the still underpriced Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov on the “second” line with all three players being exceptional options against this Calgary team that has allowed the most goals against in the league this season (3.72). While Jonathan Toes and Marian Hossa (and Mark Dano) may be a bit more focused on the defensive end of the ice than usual in this once, they’re stll elite options. Brent Seabrook has been terrific this season (4 goals and 8 assists) but his value takes a small hit with Duncan Keith once again back absorbing all of the playing time on the point of the Hawks lethal #1 power-play unit. Regardless, both players are terrific options here. It sounds like Scott Darling will get the call between the pipes, and although he’s struggled in his limited opportunities this season, he’s still the second best cash game option on the slate (behind Henrik Lundqvist).
Elite Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Secondary Play
CGY: Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Andrew Shaw, Teuvo Teravainen