NHL Grind Down: Thursday, December 22nd
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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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Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Matt Murray |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-7-5 | 21-5-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.45 | 2.76 | 22.30% | 79.10% | Team Stats | 3.30 | 2.07 | 27.10% | 81.20% |
The Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and they’re making sure the rest of the NHL knows remembers. They steamrolled the New York Rangers 7-2 on Tuesday night and have yet to lose a game in regulation yet during the month of December (8-0-2 record). They’ll look to continue their very strong play as they head to Columbus tonight to face a Blue Jackets team that appears ready to finally be a major factor this spring. Let me preface this by stating that the Penguins have simply too much firepower to be overly concerned about matchups, but this is definitely not the same Columbus team we’ve grown accustomed to in recent seasons. They’ve allowed just 2.07 goals against per game (tops in the Eastern Conference) and pushed their winning streak to ten games with a win over Los Angeles on Tuesday night. If you’ve been playing DFS all season, you’re already well aware of Pittsburgh’s lethal two-headed offensive attack. Sidney Crosby has racked up 36 points in 27 games and makes whoever plays alongside him an immediate fantasy option. Evgeni Malkin headlines the second forward line and actually leads the team with 37 points. Now, Mike Sullivan has been tinkering with his lines, so you’ll need to monitor the news following the morning skate to get an idea of how things will shake out. Guys like Crosby, Malkin, Hornqvist and Kessel are clearly fine options every time they take the ice, but the real decision you’ll need to make tonight is if they’ll be worth their high-dollar ticket prices. On defense, With Kris Letang and Trevor Daley both injured, the door is wide open for Justin Schultz to make a significant impact. He’s still reasonably priced on most sites despite the fact that he’s racked up six goals and nine assists over his last 11 games. He temporarily has a firm grip as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit and is arguably the best dollar-for-dollar option on this Penguins team this evening.
If you’re a Columbus fan (or simply a fan of compelling hockey), then you should really be looking forward to watching this game. Columbus has shot themselves in the foot with very poor start in each of the last two seasons, but they look to finally be putting things together this time around. As mentioned above, they’ve picked up ten straight wins to pull within one point of the Penguins for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with three games in hand on the Penguins. A win tonight would send a message that this team is very much legit and foreshadows what could be one terrific playoff series in five months. Columbus has utilized a very balanced scoring attack to their advantage thus far this season, but it’s their top two lines that stand out as particularly strong fantasy options. Cam Atkinson is off the the best start of his young career and is clearly thriving skating alongside Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky on one line, while the trio of Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno have been terrific as well. Atkinson leads the Blue Jackets with 33 points in just 30 games and has been dominant on home ice as he’s tallied nine goals and 12 assists in just 15 games at Nationwide Arena. Pittsburgh figures to be content fighting fire-power with fire-power this evening meaning plenty of open ice for all six forwards. On defense, Zach Werenski has been an integral part of Columbus’ success. He may be just 19 years-old, but he’s been poised with the puck and his playmaking ability makes him a dangerous weapon on the point of their #1 power-play unit. Alternatively, Seth Jones has posted four goals and four assists in 11 home games this season and leads the team in average ice-time. He sees a healthy dose of playing time on the point of the second power-play unit and the fact that he’s overlooked by most makes him a nice GPP target.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.72 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 17, 119.55 CP60
Elite Options
Sidney Crosby ($9,100 FD, $8,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 72.01 CF60, 3.82 xGF60, 101.52 PDO
Evgeni Malkin ($8,500 FD, $7,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.01 CF60, 3.16 xGF60, 103.19 PDO
Justin Schultz ($4,800 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.7 CF60, 3.31 xGF60, 103.46 PDO
Secondary Options
Phil Kessel ($7,400 FD, $6,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.67 CF60, 2.44 xGF60, 103.93 PDO
Conor Sheary ($5,200 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 66.31 CF60, 3.71 xGF60, 103.9 PDO
Patric Hornqvist ($7,200 FD, $6,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 72.91 CF60, 4.08 xGF60, 101.46 PDO
Expected Netminder
Matt Murray – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Columbus Blue Jackets
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 50.69 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 22, 112.75 CP60
Elite Options
Cam Atkinson ($6,900 FD, $7,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.21 CF60, 2.57 xGF60, 102.69 PDO
Brandon Saad ($6,600 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.41 CF60, 2.87 xGF60, 105.65 PDO
Zach Werenski ($5,700 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.54 CF60, 2.46 xGF60, 101.08 PDO
Secondary Options
Boone Jenner ($5,000 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.88 CF60, 2.47 xGF60, 100.93 PDO
Alex Wennberg ( FD, DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.01 CF60, 2.31 xGF60, 103.09 PDO
Nick Foligno ($6,300 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.88 CF60, 2.67 xGF60, 103.13 PDO
Seth Jones ($5,200 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.16 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 101.64 PDO
Expected Netminder
Sergei Bobrovsky – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 8 GPP
Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres
| Carolina Hurricanes | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-11-7 | 12-11-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.68 | 21.70% | 91.30% | Team Stats | 2.19 | 2.52 | 23.20% | 73.70% |
A compressor problem caused the cancellation of the Hurricanes home game against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, so Carolina should have some very fresh legs this evening as they head into Buffalo to battle a Sabres team who they just defeated over the weekend. Carolina was slow out of the gates this season, but have quietly played very well down the stretch; posting a 10-5-3 record over their last 18 games. Up-front, the trio of Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask and Derek Ryan have carried the load offensively over the past several weeks. Skinner leads the team with 26 points in 30 games and his 112 shots on goal has him ranked inside the top 10 of the entire NHL. His linemate Victor Rask sits just one point behind him at 25 on the season, and it may have been a long path to the NHL for Derek Ryan, but the 29 year-old has made the most of his opportunity by racking up 12 points in just 18 games. All three forwards also run the show on the #1 power-play unit, making them very fine options this evening considering Buffalo’s horrendous (and NHL worst) 73.7% penalty kill. With that penalty kill still in mind, both Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin (and to some degree Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin) slide up my rankings on the blue-line. Faulk is the most offensively gifted of the bunch and has racked up a pair of goals and three assists over his last five games. Meanwhile, Hanifin is developing into the top pair defenseman Carolina was hoping for when they drafted him fifth overall in the 2015 draft. His upside is limited, but he’s still cheap and is a fine punt option in all game formats. Buffalo has been surprisingly strong defensively this season (just 6.89 SCA60), so my focus will be solely on the Carolina power-play.
Buffalo dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole on Tuesday night to eventually take the lead against the Florida Panthers but were unable to hold on and ultimately lost in a shootout. Buffalo has not been very fantasy friendly this season have averaged just 2.19 goals per game this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re absent offensive weapons. It’s pretty obvious that Jack Eichel is destined for NHL stardom and 20 year-old looks to finally be back to full health and game shape. He’s already scored five goals and added three assists in just ten games this season and should continue to put up nice offensive numbers with Kyle Okposo (and Matt Moulson) on his wing on the top forward unit. Alternatively, Dan Bylsma has a very dangerous secondary scoring line that he needs to get jump-started with Ryan O’Reilly centering Sam Reinhart and Marcus Foligno. This leaves Evander Kane out of the mix to some degree, but Kane does still see a healthy dose of playing time with the second power-play unit, which keeps him fantasy relevant and he’s flown a bit under the radar despite scoring six goals and adding three assists in his last ten games. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s actually Rasmus Ristolainen that leads this team in scoring thus far this season. The former first-round pick has taken another huge step forward this season and will take the ice tonight owning 23 points in 31 games. He’s been white-hot lately as he’s posted three goals and eleven assists in his last ten games and is simply a tough player to fade right now considering his reasonably asking price across the industry.
Carolina Hurricanes
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.85 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -13, 108.38 CP60
Elite Options
Jeff Skinner ($6,900 FD, $6,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.87 CF60, 3.18 xGF60, 98.66 PDO
Victor Rask ($5,900 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.68 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 101.22 PDO
Justin Faulk – 16-17 Metrics – 58.28 CF60, 2.86 xGF60, 95.5 PDO
Secondary Options
Derek Ryan ($3,500 FD, $4,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.21 CF60, 2.62 xGF60, 96.53 PDO
Sebastian Aho ($4,600 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.72 CF60, 2.64 xGF60, 96.82 PDO
Teuvo Teravainen ($4,300 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.02 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 99.31 PDO
Noah Hanifin ($3,800 FD, $3,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.82 CF60, 2.3 xGF60, 98.21 PDO
Expected Netminder
Cam Ward – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7 GPP
Buffalo Sabres
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 48.72 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -3, 107.17 CP60
Elite Options
Jack Eichel ($7,200 FD, $7,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.29 CF60, 2.01 xGF60, 103.21 PDO
Ryan O’Reilly ($6,200 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.16 CF60, 2.74 xGF60, 99.83 PDO
Rasmus Ristolainen ($5,900 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.44 CF60, 2.5 xGF60, 100.47 PDO
Secondary Options
Kyle Okposo ($6,200 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.78 CF60, 2.71 xGF60, 100.57 PDO
Evander Kane ($6,000 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.66 CF60, 2.27 xGF60, 96.87 PDO
Sam Reinhart ($5,100 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.19 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 100.88 PDO
Expected Netminder
Robin Lehner – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7 GPP
Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils
| Philadelphia Flyers | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Anthony Stolarz |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-11-4 | 12-13-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.06 | 2.91 | 22.40% | 83.00% | Team Stats | 2.28 | 3.00 | 15.00% | 82.70% |
After following up their impressive ten game winning streak with back-to-back losses, the Flyers got back to their winning ways in an impressive victory over the Washington Capitals last night. They won’t have much time to enjoy that performance, however, as they’ll kick off a tough four-game road trip this evening in New Jersey. Tired legs and a matchup against a very slow paced New Jersey team are certainly not ideal, but fading this Philadelphia team has been a dangerous proposition lately. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek join forces as one of the most dangerous duo’s in the NHL on the Flyers top forward line as well as their #1 power-play unit. They’ve connected for points on the same goal 17 times already this season, making them a tremendous pair to stack in GPPs. While New Jersey will need to game-plan in an attempt to slow those two down, Brayden Schenn centers a very dangerous secondary scoring line with Wayne Simmonds and rookie Travis Konecny on his wings. Schenn and Simmonds also have the luxury of joining Giroux and Voracek on the #1 power-play unit, giving both a huge fantasy boost. Shayne Gostisbehere looks to have climbed himself out of Dave Hakstol’s doghouse and has become a major weapon as the point-man on that #1 power-play unit. He’s already racked up 16 points in 33 games this season with nine of those points coming while the Flyers had the man-advantage. Rookie Ivan Provorov isn’t quite a household name just yet, but the former first-round pick will be soon if he continues his solid play. Provorov has scored a pair of goals and added four assists over his last ten games and has been rewarded with consistent minutes on the point of the second power-play unit.
New Jersey shot off to an impressive 9-3-3 record to start the 2016-17 season, but things haven’t been great since that point. They were embarrassed in front of their home fans by the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night and have now not only dropped each of their last seven games but also own an ugly 3-10-4 record over their last 17 games. The Devils are averaging just 2.28 goals per game on the season and a putrid 1.29 goals per game during their current losing streak, so this doesn’t look to be a place you’ll want to heavily invest on such a large slate. They do at least draw a home matchup against a up-tempo Philadelphia team that may have tired legs after battling the Washington Capitals last night, so there’s at least some hope here. Taylor Hall is their most dangerous offensive weapon. Period. He’s posted eight goals and 12 assists in just 24 games and helps raise the game of his linemates, Travis Zajac and Michael Cammalleri. With Sean Couturier still watching from the press-box for the Flyers, that line should be able to at least create some scoring opportunities and are therefore intriguing GPP targets as they’ll likely be widely overlooked. Alternatively, Adam Henrique is a very fine two-way center and has the luxury of centering the Devil’s #1 power-play unit. Tired legs tend to take a few more penalties, so that could mean some extra power-play time for Henrique. On defense, Damon Severson is the top option. He’s posted 17 points in 31 games and is locked into 20+ minutes per game. John Moore is also seeing steady minutes with the man advantage, but there’s just not much to like about his offensive game.
Philadelphia Flyers
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 50.82 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -7, 115.13 CP60
Elite Options
Claude Giroux ($8,000 FD, $7,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.98 CF60, 2.22 xGF60, 99.69 PDO
Jakub Voracek ($7,400 FD, $7,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.4 CF60, 2.35 xGF60, 97.63 PDO
Shayne Gostisbehere ($5,700 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.33 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 97.62 PDO
Secondary Options
Wayne Simmonds ($7,100 FD, $6,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.67 CF60, 2.08 xGF60, 99.55 PDO
Brayden Schenn ($6,200 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.67 CF60, 1.98 xGF60, 99.69 PDO
Michael Raffl ($4,100 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.03 CF60, 2.29 xGF60, 102.19 PDO
Ivan Provorov ($4,200 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.95 CF60, 1.97 xGF60, 100.27 PDO
Expected Netminder
Steve Mason – My Ratings (out of 10): 7.5 Cash, 7 GPP
New Jersey Devils
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 47.76 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -21, 106.12 CP60
Elite Options
Taylor Hall ($7,100 FD, $6,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.97 CF60, 2.44 xGF60, 97.44 PDO
Secondary Options
Travis Zajac ($5,000 FD, $5,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.26 CF60, 2.28 xGF60, 99.62 PDO
Michael Cammalleri ($5,300 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 49.42 CF60, 2 xGF60, 103.7 PDO
Adam Henrique ($4,900 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.76 CF60, 2.39 xGF60, 99.35 PDO
Damon Severson ($4,200 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.25 CF60, 2.2 xGF60, 96.71 PDO
Expected Netminder
Cory Schneider – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 7.5 GPP
Anaheim Ducks at Ottawa Senators
| Anaheim Ducks | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | John Gibson |  | Mike Condon | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-12-5 | 19-11-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.82 | 24.30% | 80.70% | Team Stats | 2.52 | 2.64 | 17.00% | 82.00% |
It’s been an up-and-down road trip for the Ducks, but if their recent pattern of alternative strong outings with total duds holds true, they should be eager to bounce back from a very poor outing on Tuesday night in Montreal. Tonight, they’ll make the very short trip west on to Ottawa looking for a repeat performance of their 5-1 dominating victory over the Senators earlier this month. Simply put, neither of these teams have shown strong puck possession abilities and both have been mediocre (at best) in five on five situations this season, meaning that special team will likely determine which team leaves with two points. Luckily for the Ducks, they happen to sport an elite power-play that has clicked at a 24.3% clip this season and that’s where I’ll be focusing my attention. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are known commodities, but those two have combined for four goals and 23 assists on the power-play already this season and look like fine options in all formats this evening. Rickard Rakell is thriving alongside them both at even strength and on the power-play and he’s already racked up 14 goals and seven assists in just 23 games this season. Meanwhile, Ryan Kesler is in the midst of a bounce-back season and is tied with Getzlaf for the team lead at 28 points. He’s potted a team high seven power-play goals already this season (with seven power-play assists as well) and still figures to draw far less ownership this evening. On defense, both Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen soak up nearly all of the available time on the point of the #1 power-play making them the safest options. Fowler is quietly having a tremendous offensive season as his nine goals and 13 assists in 34 games is the seventh best among all defensemen in the NHL this season.
Ottawa is fresh off of an impressive victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and will put their three game winning streak on the line this evening. As I mentioned above, I feel like special teams are going to determine the outcome of this game. While the Senators might not be quite as prolific on the power-play as Anaheim, they should see plenty of power-play chances considering the Ducks are the third most penalized team in the NHL this season (11:51 PIM/G). With Anaheim also owning a middling 80.7% penalty kill, there’s plenty of merit behind targeting the Ottawa power-play in this matchup as well. With that in mind, Erik Karlsson is one of the safest cash game plays on the board (with a nice GPP ceiling, to boot). Their #1 power-play runs through him and he not only leads the team (and all NHL defensemen) with 31 points but his 91 blocked shots also happens to be the second best mark in the league. Up-front, Mark Stone and Kyle Turris sit second and third respectively behind Karlsson for the team lead in points and join Karlsson on the top power-play unit. Alternatively, Mike Hoffman is set to return from his two-game suspension tonight and slots right back in as a sniper on the wing of that top power-play unit. His speed will be a bit of a mismatch for this older Anaheim team and he’s thrived on home ice where he owns six goals and seven assists in 15 games. If you’re looking to be a bit contrarian, Zack Smith won’t see too much love this evening but he’s been absolutely red-hot this week; scoring three goals and adding three assists during his recent three-game point streak.
Anaheim Ducks
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 48.53 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -5, 107.75 CP60
Elite Options
Ryan Getzlaf ($7,700 FD, $6,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.6 CF60, 2.58 xGF60, 98.35 PDO
Corey Perry ($7,300 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.97 CF60, 2.71 xGF60, 98.84 PDO
Cam Fowler ($5,100 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 52.99 CF60, 2.72 xGF60, 100.07 PDO
Secondary Options
Ryan Kesler ($7,000 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.32 CF60, 2.71 xGF60, 102.02 PDO
Rickard Rakell ($6,000 FD, $6,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 47.6 CF60, 2.18 xGF60, 103.35 PDO
Jakob Silfverberg ($5,800 FD, $5,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.93 CF60, 2.62 xGF60, 103.26 PDO
Sami Vatanen ($5,300 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.06 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 102.33 PDO
Expected Netminder
John Gibson – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Ottawa Senators
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 47.82 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -5, 113.53 CP60
Elite Options
Mike Hoffman ($6,600 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.95 CF60, 2.36 xGF60, 99.47 PDO
Erik Karlsson ($7,400 FD, $7,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.61 CF60, 2.54 xGF60, 100.52 PDO
Secondary Options
Kyle Turris ($5,800 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.67 CF60, 2.31 xGF60, 102.83 PDO
Mark Stone ($6,400 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.39 CF60, 2.72 xGF60, 98.99 PDO
Zack Smith ($4,400 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.29 CF60, 2.56 xGF60, 100.39 PDO
Derick Brassard ($5,500 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.42 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 99.09 PDO
Dion Phaneuf ($4,500 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.56 CF60, 2.38 xGF60, 97.85 PDO
Expected Netminder
Mike Condon – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7 GPP
Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers
| Boston Bruins | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | James Reimer | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-14-3 | 15-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.41 | 12.70% | 86.70% | Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.64 | 15.20% | 85.40% |
Boston has been a streaky team this season, but after dropping a home meeting against the struggling New York Islanders on Tuesday, they’ve now dropped six of their last eight games and are quickly falling down the ranks in the Eastern Conference. Tonight marks the beginning of what is likely a crucial four game road trip as they visit several of their Eastern Conference foes, with the Florida Panthers first on the list. They’ve picked up close wins against the Panthers in both of their prior meetings this season and you can bet that Claude Julien will be expecting an A+ effort tonight. Good news for Boston fans is that David Pastrnak returned to practice on Wednesday, but the bad news is that he’s still probably at least one game away from returning to the lineup. With Pastrnak still out, Riley Nash is slated to join Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron on the top line with David Krejci centering David Backes and Ryan Spooner on the second line. Marchand leads the Bruins with 27 points in 34 games this season and has tallied a goal and an assists in those first two meetings against the Panthers. On the blue-line, Torey Krug remains the most gifted option at Julien’s disposal. He’s consistently putting the puck on the net, has shown terrific play-making abilities, and holds the reigns as the quarterback of the #1 power-play unit. With all of that said, it seems unlikely that Florida will want to open things up offensively at all in this matchup and all signs point to this being a rather slow, defensive battle that likely won’t yield too many fantasy points.
Any way you look at it, the 2016-17 season has been a disappointment for the Florida Panthers thus far. Gerard Gallant was fired at the head coach and Tom Rowe has struggled to get things turned around. However, after a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the Panthers have won back-to-back games for the first time in over a month and should be very pleased to be back in South Beach where they own a solid 9-5-0 record this season. Aided by several key injuries up-front, Florida is been rather anemic in the offensive zone this season (just 2.36 goals per game) and this certainly doesn’t look like the type of game that you want to target heavily on such a busy slate. Aleksander Barkov has been a beast at the BB&T Center this season where he’s scored four goals and added 11 assists in just 14 home games. He’s also been red-hot lately (six goals and five assists in 10 games this month) and centers the ageless Jaromir Jagr (and Seth Griffith) both at even strength and on the #1 power-play unit. While those two will almost certainly see a heavy dose of the suffocating defense of Bergeron and Marchand, they’re still the top options here despite the tough matchup. Alternatively, Vincent Trocheck headlines a very capable secondary scoring line alongside Reilly Smith and those two also see plenty of run with the second power-play unit. They’re a bit too inconsistent for cash game use at the moment for my liking, but do have plenty of GPP upside. On defense, Aaron Eblad, Keith Yandle and Jason Demers are the three guys that require your attention. Yandle is the most offensively gifted of the three and runs the point of the #1 power-play unit making him the top option.
Boston Bruins
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 54.98 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -1, 113.4 CP60
Elite Options
Brad Marchand ($7,000 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 73.48 CF60, 2.99 xGF60, 97.89 PDO
Secondary Options
Patrice Bergeron ($6,500 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 70.64 CF60, 2.54 xGF60, 97.34 PDO
David Krejci ($5,700 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.57 CF60, 2.37 xGF60, 96.96 PDO
David Backes ($5,700 FD, $5,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.43 CF60, 2.58 xGF60, 98.8 PDO
Torey Krug ($5,600 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.43 CF60, 2.51 xGF60, 98.05 PDO
Expected Netminder
Tuukka Rask – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Florida Panthers
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.57 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -15, 108.02 CP60
Elite Options
Aleksander Barkov ($6,600 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.86 CF60, 2.57 xGF60, 99 PDO
Secondary Options
Jaromir Jagr ($5,400 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.74 CF60, 2.77 xGF60, 99.9 PDO
Vincent Trocheck ($5,600 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.77 CF60, 2.41 xGF60, 94.13 PDO
Keith Yandle ($5,400 FD, $4,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.36 CF60, 2.35 xGF60, 99.14 PDO
Aaron Ekblad ($5,600 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.03 CF60, 2.28 xGF60, 94.35 PDO
Expected Netminder
Roberto Luongo – My Ratings (out of 10): 6.5 Cash, 7 GPP