NHL Grind Down: Sunday, November 27th
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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.
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Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-8-1 | 11-10-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.09 | 2.50 | 24.10% | 84.50% | Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.33 | 15.20% | 86.30% |
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to score goals at a consistent pace, as they have lit the lamp 69 times so far this season, which is tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for second-most in the Eastern conference. Although they are 4-2 over the last six games, they have been outshot in five of those games and that may come into play tonight as they face the now healthy Boston Bruins. Nikita Kucherov continues to light up the scoreboard as he now has 26 points in 21 games. Joining him on the top line is Alex Killorn and Vladislav Namestnikov. Boston will try to do everything to shut this line down, so maybe looking at the line of Ondrej Palat, Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Drouin wouldn’t be a bad idea for a GPP play on today’s short slate. At the very least, you have to consider Palat as a one-off, as he has six of his 12 points over the last four games. If you like playing hot hands, Palat is your guy here. Defenseman Nikita Nesterov made a splash early on the point, but has gone stone cold so taking the more consistent Victor Hedman is the easy play here if you like the Lightning this afternoon.
If the Bruins are to gain any ground in the Atlantic division, they better start taking care of business on home ice. They have just one win over the last five games and have scored just eight goals on those five games. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak is the top line to target here, as Marchand leads the team in assists and points with 12 and 18, while Pastrnak has recorded 16 points in the 16 games he has played in. He also leads the team with 12 goals. Torey Krug mans the point on the team’s top power play unit but has only six points so far this season. The second line of Matt Beleskey, David Krejci and David Backes are in play here as well with Krejci and Backes getting the extra minutes on the top power play unit. Beleskey is surprisingly second on the team in shots over the last five games, with one of the 15 finding the back of the net. With only six games on the slate, we can’t be too choosy today.
Elite Plays
TB: Nikita Kucherov
BOS: David Pastrnak
Secondary Plays
TB: Ondrej Palat, Vladislav Namestnikov, Victor Hedman
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, David Backes
Arizona Coyotes at Edmonton Oilers
| Arizona Coyotes | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Cam Talbot | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-10-2 | 12-8-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.42 | 3.26 | 12.50% | 78.60% | Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.55 | 18.20% | 87.30% |
What we have here is a classic home and home battle against two Pacific division teams. The last place Arizona Coyotes needed a goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the shootout to come away with a 3-2 victory on home ice Friday night. Tonight though, I don’t think they will be as lucky, as Connor McDavid will probably be one of the higher-owned players in cash game play. The top line of Max Domi, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata will be the line the Oilers try to shut down, which doesn’t leave much left to try to scrape a goal or two out of. The second line of Jamie McGinn, Anthony Duclair and Christian Dvorak don’t offer much in terms of consistency, so maybe looking on the back line is the way to go here. I’ve said in the past how Oliver Ekman-Larsson is usually the play, but Anthony DeAngelo has come out of nowhere to not only man the point with Ekman-Larsson on the top power play unit, he also has four points in his last five games. Besides a 4-1 win at Colorado, the Coyotes are 0-3 in their last four road games with a total of four goals to their credit. I’m not liking the Arizona side for cash games, and neither should you.
If there was ever a day to pay up for Connor McDavid, today is the day. The youngster has 28 points in 22 games and has five goals and four assists in his last five games. Milan Lucic and Jesse Puljujarvi are his line mates and should be one of the highest-owned lines on the slate. Leon Draisaitl makes for a decent one-off play here, as he has accumulated three goals and four assists over the last five games. That’s not bad when you consider he only had nine points in the previous 17 games. Playing on the team’s top power play helped out a little but not as much as it’s helped defenseman Oscar Klefbom. Ever since Klefbom was promoted, he has responded by finding the scoresheet five times over the last five games. Credit the Oilers for trying to get more players in on the scoring, as Klefbom only had three points in his previous 17 games. If you want to deviate from the cash crowd, you could always roll the dice with Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who skate on the team’s second line. Eberle does have five points over the last five games while Nugent-Hopkins has managed a goal and two assist on 16 shots.
Elite plays
ARZ: None
EDM: Connor McDavid
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Max Domi, Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, Anthony DeAngelo
EDM: Milan Lucic, Oscar Klefbom, Jordan Eberle, Leon Draisaitl
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes
| Florida Panthers | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | James Reimer |  | Michael Leighton | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-9-1 | 8-8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.65 | 14.10% | 82.00% | Team Stats | 2.47 | 2.68 | 19.70% | 92.30% |
Talk about parody. Of the nine games played last night, four of them went to a shootout while two others determined a victor in overtime and two more were one-goal games. The only “blowout” of the night was Toronto’s 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. This speaks volumes of how the league has become a bit watered down, and yet here we are ready to add the Las Vegas Golden Knights as a 31st team in the near future. This game should follow along those same lines, as Florida will look to the top line of Jaromir Jagr, Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen to lead them to victory tonight. Jagr and Barkov have finally come to life over the last five games, which has seen each player grab four points out of the 11 goals the team has scored. They also play on the top power play unit with Jontahan Marchessault, who leads the team in goals by lighting the lamp nine times so far this season. Marchessault should be used with line mate Vincent Trocheck on the road here, as both players lead the team in scoring through 21 games. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle are the choices on defense where both make decent plays from the blue line tonight. Yandle has been more consistent but Ekblad has been shooting more as evidence of leading the team with 16 shots over the last five games while tallying two goals in the process.
After winning five games in a row, Carolina has dropped their last two games as the ended their three-game trip of eastern Canada. By the way, all games ended with a score of 2-1. Despite going 4-2 in their last six games, the Hurricanes have only scored 11 goals, so looking at the Carolina netminder may not be a bad play tonight. Cam Ward should get the start tonight and may be the top goalie of the day. Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm make for a strong play on home ice here as both players have tallied four points over the last five games. For Lindholm that number represents over half of the points he had scored in the previous 15 games. Teuvo Teravainen completes the Rask line while Jeff Skinner makes for a great one-off play here, as he leads the team in scoring while firing a team leading 67 shots on net so far this season. Jordan Stall and Sebastian Aho skate alongside of Skinner and can be used here on a small three-game slate. Justin Faulk has been getting most of the minutes on the team’s top power play, as he has 18 shots on net over the last five games while finding the scoresheet just once over that time span. You could pivot to Noah Hanifin who has eight points through the first 20 games. There are probably better choices here for the blue line, including the two that play in Ottawa/New York Ranger game.
Elite Plays
Fla: None
CAR: None
Secondary Plays
FLA: Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Marchessault, Vincent Trocheck, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Justin Faulk
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets
| Nashville Predators | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-7-3 | 9-12-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.45 | 25.30% | 84.10% | Team Stats | 2.57 | 3.04 | 15.40% | 78.30% |
The Winnipeg Jets have given up seven power play goals over the last four games, so it’s probably safe to say we can start there when looking at Nashville today. Ryan Johansen has led the way with three power play points over the last four games and could have been used with line mate James Neal who leads the team with ten goals so far this season. Unfortunately Neal was placed in the injured reserved list yesterday. Filip Forsberg is an easy one-off here as he now skates with Johansen on the team’s top power play while playing on the team’s second line but may be bumped up to the first line in lieu of the Neal injury. Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith fill out the second line, which could make for a nice GPP play here, as the Jets will look to stop the top line as they will get the last line change on home ice. Mike Fisher has been a bit hot lately while skating on the third line and collecting four points over the last four games. Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm grab the extra minutes on the top power play unit, but if you aren’t going to select Josi, I’d look to P.K. Subban as he has scored two goals to go along with two assists over the last four games. Subban has also climbed up the Predator scoring chart with 14 points so far this season.
The Winnipeg Jets have lost all five games on their recent road trip and have no one to blame but themselves. It’s just plain stupid to put three of your top four skill players on one line and then your top goal scorer on a line with Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp. Of the six goals the Jets scored on the road trip, the top line of Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele managed to have a hand in half of them as they recorded a combined three goals and three assists. Laine went on to register eight shots on goal while finding the scoresheet just once via an assist. If the Jets keep the liens the same then you will want some exposure to the top line as they will receive the better match ups at home than they did on the road. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien snagged three of his 12 points over the last five games and could be a force tonight against a Nashville team that has given up ten goals in their last three road games.
Elite Plays
NSH: None
WIN: Mark Scheifele
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Filip Forsberg
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine
Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers
| Ottawa Senators | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Mike Condon |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-7-1 | 15-6-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.20 | 2.50 | 10.00% | 85.20% | Team Stats | 3.86 | 2.45 | 21.50% | 86.20% |
Backed by the strength of three straight wins, the Ottawa Senators have pulled into a second-place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic division. Here, we have another one of those teams that keeps the games close, as nine of their last 13 games have been decided by just one goal. The only downfall here is that Ottawa played a tough game last night as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 2-1 on home ice. Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Derick Brassard were the top line last night and will be tri the Rangers will look to shut down here at Madison Square Garden tonight. Kyle Turris makes for a decent one-off play here, as he has grabbed two goals and an assist over the last five games while line mate Ryan Dzingel has chipped in two assists on eight shots, as the Senators have scored 11 goals over that time frame. Bobby Ryan completes the second line while getting top minutes on the power play but just hasn’t been what Ottawa had expected from him so far. He could do better than the three goals and five assists he has to his credit over the 19 games he has played in. Erik Karlsson should be the highest owned defenseman in your cash games tonight. He is by far the best option as he leads the team with 17 points in 21 games while averaging more than 27 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis. The reason he needs to be on your cash game roster is simple. There is no there player that you really need to pay up for outside of Connor McDavid and if you are playing on FanDuel, he is in the early slate and won’t be available. Enough said.
Interestingly enough, the Rangers have gone 0-2-1 in their last three home games, so there will be a bit of urgency tonight as the Ottawa Senators come to town. New York has switched up their lines a bit, as Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash were being centered by Brandan Pirri while Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan had a new line mate in Jimmy Vesey. All but Fast see a good amount of power play time, as the Rangers go with the ‘play two lines evenly’ strategy when the have the man advantage. The Rangers have had quite a bit of scoring so far this season, and it has been distributed pretty evenly. So evenly, in fact, that 14 players have 10 or more points in the 22 games the Rangers have scored thus far. Michael Grabner leads the team in goals with 12 and defenseman Ryan McDonagh has 13 assists which also leads the team. Grabner is now on a line with J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes who are 1-2-3 on the Rangers scoring chart. On a small slate like today, there really is no right or wrong line to play where the Rangers are concerned.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
NYR: Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Kyle Turris
NYR: Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh