NHL Grind Down: Thursday, December 3rd
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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New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes – 07:00 PM EST
| New Jersey Devils | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Keith Kinkaid |  | Eddie Lack | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-10-2 | 8-12-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.38 | 20.20% | 84.70% | Team Stats | 2.08 | 2.88 | 12.50% | 74.50% |
Year in and year out it seems like the same old story for the New Jersey Devils, good goaltending and not enough offensive punch. This year is no different as their 57 goals ranks tied for 12th in the Eastern Conference with only Carolina (50) and Philadelphia (49) scoring fewer. It seems that goaltender Cory Schneider is stopping almost everything in sight as he has let up more than two goals just once in his last 15 games. The Devils will look to the power play as the Hurricanes have given up eight shorthanded goals in their last ten games. We can start with Mike Cammalleri as he anchors the top power-play unit and is almost a point a game player by virtue of his seven goals and 16 assists in 24 games so far this season. It looks like Jordin Tootoo has been placed on the top power-play line and with his salary at the minimum price of $3,000 over at FanDuel, he will no doubt be seen in some lineups tonight.
Carolina comes into this game winning their last two home games, accounting for their only wins in their last ten games. I would not look for any power-play goals from the Hurricanes side as not only have they scored just five in their last 11 games, the Devils have only given up one in their last 13 games. That is not to say stay away from the top line of Victor Rask, Eric Staal and Elias Lindholm as that may be their only chance of grabbing a win tonight. Lindholm ($4,700) is the cheapest over at FanDuel and possibly the best play as he comes into tonight’s contest riding a five-game point scoring streak. Rask ($5,400) is a close second as he has three goals in his last four games. Overall this game looks like a fade tonight as both teams have trouble putting the puck in the net.
Elite Plays
NJ: None
Car: None
Secondary Plays
NJ: Mike Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, Lee Stempniak
Car: Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Justin Faulk
Colorado Avalanche at New York Rangers – 07:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Antti Raanta | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-14-1 | 17-6-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.92 | 3.04 | 19.10% | 78.50% | Team Stats | 2.92 | 2.08 | 21.50% | 84.50% |
Colorado comes into this one dead last in the Central Division. What most DFS players do not realize is that the Avalanche are actually second in the conference in the goal-scoring department, and now it’s a little too late to get them on the cheap. FanDuel has upped the salaries of both Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene recently so look to Gabriel Landeskog ($6,900) and Jarome Iginla ($6,500) for some salary relief tonight. Although all four get top power-play minutes, it is Iginla who is the newcomer to the unit as his recent play has forced head coach Patrick Roy to go with four forwards, thus shipping defenseman Erik Johnson to the second unit. Duchene has six goals and six assists in his last nine games while defenseman Tyson Barrie has four points or more in his last two games by virtue of scoring a goal on a total of seven shots. The Rangers played last night, so taking some Colorado players may be decent option tonight.
After a hot start the Rangers have cooled off a bit by dropping four of their last five games and to make matters worse they have seen the opponents shot total progressively rise in each of those games. The Islanders had two goals on 37 shots against Henrik Lundqvist last night to steal the win from the listless Rangers. The injury to Derek Stepan is certainly taking its toll as Rick Nash has all but disappeared in the last three games as opponents have successfully kept him off the scoresheet. Considering the Rangers recent struggles they are a bit tough to trust in cash games tonight as there are better options to go with. For GPP’s I like the top power-play unit as Colorado has given up nine power-play goals in their last three games. Defenseman Dan Boyle ($4,600) has been inserted on the top power play in Stepan’s absence, making him the cheapest option of the top unit.
Elite Plays
Col: None
NYR: None
Secondary Plays
Col: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Jarome Iginla, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie
NYR: Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Ryan McDonagh
Chicago Blackhawks at Ottawa Senators – 07:30 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-9-3 | 12-7-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.56 | 21.90% | 81.40% | Team Stats | 3.13 | 2.88 | 20.80% | 79.80% |
Patrick Kane. There really isn’t much to say after that as he is in the midst of a 20-game point scoring streak. True, he is nowhere near Wayne Gretzky’s record of 51 games set back in the 1983-84 season, but is almost a must-play as his salary sits at $8,400 over at FanDuel tonight. Chicago should be able to bounce back from their 2-1 home loss from just two nights ago to Minnesota as that was their only home game in their last 7 games. With the Hawks only scoring three goals in their last two times out, it is hard pressed to find anyone on any type of scoring streak besides Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith ($6,400). The Chicago defenseman has been on a hot streak of late by scoring two goals and adding four assists in his last four games. Both play receive top power-play minutes and should be considered tonight against Ottawa’s sloppy defense. Although this was written ahead of today’s morning skates, it is interesting to note that winger Marian Hossa was practicing on the top two lines yesterday as reported by @TraMyersCSN. If he is skating alongside Jonathan Toews, he must be considered tonight.
Ottawa sits in third place in the Eastern division thanks to their 12-7-5 record. They have scored 78 goals, which is second in the conference. They have also given up 72 goals, which is tied for 13th in the conference. Those numbers should indicate that tonight’s game could have a bit of scoring in it. Mike Hoffman skates top line top power play and makes an excellent choice tonight as he has scored six goals and added two assists in his five games. Hoffman’s salary sits at a very manageable $6,300 over at FanDuel tonight. Kyle Turris ($7,400) finds his salary escalating as he has scored three goals and four assists in his last six games, but given the choice, I like Hoffman better if for no other reason than salary relief at a tough left wing position. It always seems you can find cheap centers along the way as it’s the wing positions that make it tough to construct your lineups. Defenseman Erik Karlsson saw his nine-game point streak snapped by none other than the lowly Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Karlsson should get right back on the horse tonight but surely his salary of $8,700 at FanDuel will shy people away as that he is the highest priced defenseman tonight.
Elite Plays
Chi: Patrick Kane
Ott: Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman
Secondary Plays
Chi: Duncan Keith, Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, Jonathan Toews
Ott: Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan
Arizona Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings – 07:30 PM EST
| Arizona Coyotes | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-10-1 | 13-8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.92 | 15.70% | 80.40% | Team Stats | 2.40 | 2.56 | 16.70% | 83.50% |
After a three-game home winning streak, the Coyotes took to the road and were greeted with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Arizona sits in 3rd place in a weak Pacific conference with a record of 13-10-1 good for 27 points. Max Domi has provided some spark as he has tallied eight goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season and as with any rookie, is a bit streaky. He is currently riding one of those streaks by posting at least one assist in each of his last four games. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson should feel a bit more comfortable this season as his 23 goals and 20 assist last year led Arizona in total scoring. That is not really a good sign when your defenseman leads your team in scoring. In fact, Keith Yandle finished second with 41 points in only 63 games before he was shipped off to the Rangers in a late season trade. That trade was conducive to brining over Anthony Duclair as he is 2nd on the team in goals with eight in 24 games. Mikkel Boedker plays the point next to Ekman-Larsson on the power play and has three goals and assist in the last two games.
The Red Wings have had an up and down 6 game home stand thus far and look to get back on track tonight against a Coyote team that sports a 7-6 road record. It would appear that Detroit is playing down to their competition instead of dictating the play. Their last 5 games have gone into overtime and have lost third-period leads in four of their last six games. Dylan Larkin remains to be a bright spot as he continues to dazzle by putting up ten goals and eight assists in 25 games in his rookie campaign. The only concern here is the fact that he has been taken off of the power play and was supposed to be killing penalties, but as of last game, he did neither. Give @AnsarKhanMLive a follow to keep you updated on this situation as he provides the best information on the Red Wings morning skates. Winger Tomas Tatar has been hot of late as he has found the back of the net four times and has collected two assists in his last six games. Tatar isn’t known for his backhanded prowess as he was the butt of the Red Wings television broadcast jokes when he sailed one past Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout win. With Henrik Zetterberg and the oft injured Pavel Datsyuk playing a bit below par, it has been guys like Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist that have been left to pick up the slack.
Elite Plays
Arz: None
Det: none
Secondary Plays
Arz: Max Domi, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Martin Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker
Det: Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens – 07:30 PM EST
| Washington Capitals | Montreal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Mike Condon | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-5-1 | |||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.22 | 2.22 | 26.80% | 83.30% | Team Stats | 3.42 | 2.15 | 23.90% | 86.40% |
The Capitals come in riding a five-game winning streak and will have their work cut out for them as they travel to the Bell Centre in Montreal to take on the Canadiens. It’s very rare to see the top offense in the league going against the best defense in the league, but that is exactly what we have tonight. Washington’s power play has been hitting on all cylinders of late as they have scored 12 goals of that variety in their last 12 games, which is tops in the league. Alexander Ovechkin is always the favorite play but at a price of $10,200 over at FanDuel, he may be a bit out of most grinder’s price range tonight. There are two ways to go about this. The first is trying to get a piece of Ovechkin by taking his line mates T.J. Oshie ($6,000) and Nicklas Backstrom ($6,200). This would be a viable option except for the fact that Oshie has just one goal and two assists in his last eight games. If you have been playing the Caps on a regular basis, you know how frustrating this has been. Option number two is to take Marcus Johansson ($5,000) who skates second line but gets top power-play minutes with Ovechkin. Johanssen has two goals and two assists in his last three games and by skating second line should have some room to maneuver as he will not be facing Montreal’s top shut down line.
For the last few years hockey pundits have been saying how Montreal wouldn’t be a good team without goaltender Carey Price. I’d say it’s about time for them to eat their words as Price has only appeared in 12 games for the Canadiens, but yet they sit at the top of the league with a 19-4-3 record. Backup goalie Mike Condon has filled in admirably as he has a 9-2 record to go along with a .918 save percentage. You have to admire the kid’s spirit as one Montreal beat write quoted him as saying ‘It’s going to be fun to see an Alex Ovechkin one-timer in a real game.’ Max Pacioretty, who leads the team in goals with 13, has scored three of those to go along with three assists in his last five games. Pacioretty’s steep salary of $9,300 over at FanDuel may be just enough to shy most folks away and start looking elsewhere, especially with the way the Washington defense has been playing this season. Since the injury to Brandan Gallagher, the Candiens have started using three players from three different lines to make up their top power-play unit. Alex Galchenyuk has five goals and two assists in his last six games and makes a viable option tonight as his FanDuel price is a meager $4,900.
Elite Plays
Wash: Alexander Ovechkin
Mon: Max Pacioretty
Secondary Plays
Wash: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, John Carlson
Mon: Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov