NHL Grind Down: Sunday, October 23rd
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.
Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets
| Edmonton Oilers | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-43-8 | 35-39-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 3.20 | 18.10% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 4.00 | 14.80% | 78.40% |
This game is the first of a series of outdoor contests to be played this season. Please note the 3pm EST start time. Now that goaltender Cam Talbot and his wife had twins last week, he can now get back to concentrating on stopping pucks from going into the net. Talbot has started every game so far this season and it’s so far so good as the Oilers are out to a 4-1 start. The power play has gone scoreless in the last three games but may have an opportunity tonight as Winnipeg has given up five goals while trying to kill 14 penalties in their first four games. The top line of Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic should be in play here as they get the most power play minutes while collecting 18 points through the first five games. Second liner Leon Draisaitl joins them with the man advantage and makes an excellent one-off play here, as he has tallied two goals and six points so far this season. Defenseman Andrej Sekera completes the the top unit but may be in danger of getting bumped if he doesn’t start producing. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Benoit Pouliot make for an interesting play as they skate on the third line while getting second-tier power play minutes.
The top line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mathieu Perreault and Blake Wheeler should make a fine chalk line stack for cash game plays today while Patrick Laine, Mark Scheifele and Drew Stafford man the second line for the team. Scheifele leads the team in points with six, while Wheeler is right behind him with three goals and two assists. Patrik Laine is making his presence felt as well as he has a team leading four goals to start the season. If you are looking for pairs, I’d go with Wheeler and Ehlers as they play on the team’s top power play unit. Scheifele, Stafford and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien compromise the rest of the top line when the Jets have the man advantage. Look for a bit of scoring in this one, and make sure you have the most exposure to either Wheeler or Scheifele.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
WIN: Blake Wheeler
Secondary Plays
EDM: Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl
WIN: Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien
Minnesota Wild at New York Islanders
| Minnesota Wild | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Darcy Kuemper |  | Jaroslav Halak | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 38-33-11 | 45-27-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.75 | 18.50% | 77.90% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.80 | 18.30% | 84.50% |
Minnesota comes into this one fresh off a 2-1 loss in overtime in New Jersey last night. This is Minnesota’s second loss on the season and both have come on the road. The bad news for the Wild is they have three more games on the road, including tonight at the New York Islanders, before they return home next Saturday to take on the Dallas Stars. Minnesota seems to be a one line team and to me, that is the reason for the heavy home/road splits. Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle and Eric Staal make up the team’s top line as well as get the first shot on the power play that has lit the lamp just twice in five games. Ryan Suter and Matt Dumba join the top trio to form the rest if the top unit with the man advantage. The second line consists of Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund and Chris Stewart bit on today’s small slate you may want to get a piece of the third line for your GPP’s. Zac Dalpe, Chris Stewart and Nino Neiderreiter all have three points through the first five games.
The Islanders continue their five game home stand as they host the Minnesota Wild tonight. The Islanders are 2-1 so far on home ice while the Wild come in from Newark after playing the Devils last night. Beating a travelling Arizona team by just one goal on Friday night isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of a team we may want to jump on, but it is what it is. John Tavares centered Andrew Ladd and Josh Bailey last game while Anders Lee, Jason Chimera and Brock Nelson will serve as the second line. Nelson makes a great one-off play here as he has been the Islanders best player by chalking up a point in every game so far this season. Ryan Strome is also in that category as he joins the Tavares line along with returning defenseman Nick Leddy to form the team’s top power play unit. Johnny Boychuk played well in Leddy’s absence so maybe he sees a bit more ice time today as well. On a short slate like today, you may have to take a few chances.
Elite Plays
MIN: None
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
MIN: Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle, Eric Staal, Zach Parise
NYI: Andrew Ladd, Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy
Arizona Coyotes at New York Rangers
| Arizona Coyotes | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Louis Domingue |  | Antti Raanta | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-39-8 | 46-27-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.54 | 4.50 | 17.70% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 2.84 | 3.00 | 18.60% | 78.20% |
When third and fourth liners Brad Richardson and Jordan Martinook lead your team in points, you know you are in trouble. They have had a hand in four of the 12 goals the Coyotes have scored this season. On top of that, another nine players have two points or more. That’s a lot of scoring and not a lot of guys doing it if you ask me. My question is, where is last year’s phenom Max Domi or Anthony Duclair? Domi has one point, and Duclair has yet to hit the score sheet through the first four games. Tobias Rieder, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata seem to have the most talent while the line of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Christian Dvorak need to either gel or they will certainly be broken up. Losing three in a row does that to a team once in a while, as we have seen with teams like the New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the defenseman to target here as he and fellow defenseman Alex Goligoski skate with Domi, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan make up the team’s top power play unit.
The Rangers beat a tough Washington team last night in their own building by a score of 4-2, as they continue to do their “win a game, lose a game” mentality. I think that break that string tonight as they 1-4 Arizona Coyotes. The top line is the one to target here, as Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and mats Zuccarello are the team’s top scorers with Kreider leading the way with three goals and four assists. Brandon Pirri makes a great one-off play here on a short slate as he sees some power play time while skating on the team’s fourth line. The second of Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and the upstart rookie Jimmy Vesey could also be considered a cash play tonight against an Arizona team that has lost all three games on their current six-game road trip. Defensively, Ryan McDonagh is the play here, as he and Adam Clendening get almost equal time with the man advantage, although McDonagh usually gets the first crack at it. The Rangers should score a few goals tonight, as they should have even more room on the ice than they did last night in Washington.
UPDATE: Lundqvist in, Kreider is out
Elite Plays
ARZ: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
NYR: Chris Kreider
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Tobias Rieder
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Brandon Pirri
Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks
| Vancouver Canucks | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-38-13 | 46-25-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.27 | 1.50 | 15.80% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.80 | 23.10% | 87.20% |
In their first loss of the season, the Canucks lost on the road in a shoot out to Los Angeles Kings by a score of 4-3 last night. They will take a short jaunt to take on the Ducks in Anaheim tonight. Beat writer Jason Botchford wrote a great article this morning on how the Canucks looked physically spent last night but still hung in there. This is, after all, their sixth game in nine days, and tonight may find it hard to get some gas in the tank. Head coach Willie Desjardins is following in the steps of what seems to be at least 75 percent of the team’s in the league as he shuffled up his lines last night as Loui Eriksson didn’t even start on the top line with Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, Sven Baertschi did. Eriksson was dropped to the third line with Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen as he was still featured on the team’s top power play line. The second line of Brandon Sutter, Markus Granlund and Jannik Hansen could be a decent GPP play here but Sutter is the guy you want as he not only leads the team in scoring, he receives over 65 percent of the time on the ice with the man advantage. Okay, we know that the Sedin brothers, Sutter, and Eriksson comprise 80 percent of the team’s top power play unit, and that is different as it was usually the first line and Alexander Edler and Ben Hutton. Desjardins has elected to go with the four forwards and defenseman Philip Larsen, which seems to have worked as the team connected with the man advantage last night with Larsen grabbing one of the assists. The Canucks are a tired team, but on a four-game slate, you may have to try to squeeze one or two onto your roster.
Even though the Ducks’ beat Philadelphia on the road by a score of 3-2 on Thursday night, the fact still remains that they have only found the back of the net 10 times in five games. Now, to be fair, all of those games were on the road, as they are just one of two teams to have their home opener, the other one being Carolina. One would have to assume that both Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will be the chalk tonight on home ice against a tired Vancouver team, especially Getzlaf who has had a hand in half of the Ducks goals so far this season. While Nick Ritchie does not play on the top power play unit he does make a decent punt option on a short slate by skating with the aforementioned superstars on the top line. The second line of Ryan Kesler, Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg are also in play here with Kesler getting a small bump as he gets plenty of extra ice time with the man advantage. Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler are the choices on defense as they have accounted for three of the team’s 10 goals while assisting on four others. They also get the extra time when Vancouver takes a penalty, which they should a few times tonight. Look for Anaheim to grab the win on home ice tonight.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Brandon Sutter, Philip Larsen
ANA: Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler, Ryan Kesler
Goaltenders (please check to insure the goalies listed are starting on the research pages here at RotoGrinders)
1. Antti Raanta – New York Rangers – With Henrik Lundqvist beating Washington last night, look for Raanta to get the nod.
2. Jaroslav Halak – New York Islanders
3. John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks