NHL Grind Down: Thursday, January 26th
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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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Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils
| Washington Capitals | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-10-6 | 20-20-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.21 | 2.08 | 19.90% | 85.50% | Team Stats | 2.20 | 2.80 | 13.90% | 82.00% |
The Capitals came out flat one Tuesday and were surprisingly shutout by the Ottawa Senators. While that effort wasn’t what we’ve grown to expect, the inherent recent bias of many DFS players might just make them a bit more appealing this evening. Prior to that disappointing loss, the Capitals had won 11 of 12 games in January and have been absolutely on fire offensively. Alex Ovechkin is always the headliner here and for good reason; he’s topped 50 goals in each of the last three seasons and his sky-high shot volume provides him with one of the highest floors in the game. He’s scored a goal and added an assist in two games against the Devils this season and his presence creates some extra breathing room for linemates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. While Ovechkin has actually been somewhat mediocre by his standards lately, both Oshie and Backstrom have been on fire. Washington’s excellent play also has coincided with Evgeny Kuznetsov emergence lately. The sophomore center has racked up 16 points in 13 games this month and Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams on a very dangerous secondary scoring line. If you’re looking for some value, Andre Burakovsky had racked up four goals and six assists over the last seven games and has proven to be a major scoring threat alongside Kuznetsov on the second power-play unit. On defense, John Carlson will almost assuredly be held out once again tonight which means Matt Niskanen is locked into all the work he can handle. He’s racked up two goals and six assists in his last six games and his price-tag has not yet caught up to his expanded role.
New Jersey has averaged an Eastern Conference low 2.20 goals per game this season and will host a Capitals team that owns the NHL’s stingiest defense (2.08 GA/G). Washington steamrolled them 6-2 in their last meeting and, with 25 different teams to look at this evening, I don’t see much merit towards targeting anyone here in any game format, Taylor Hall aside. Hall has posted 18 points in 18 home games this season and had picked up points in six straight games prior to Tuesday’s loss. He’ll be widely overlooked tonight considering the matchup, which does make him a GPP option if you’re looking to be contrarian.
Washington Capitals
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.31 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 49, 110.03 CP60
Elite Options
Alex Ovechkin ($9,000 FD, $8,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.99 CF60, 2.67 xGF60, 103.98 PDO
Nicklas Backstrom ($7,100 FD, $6,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.61 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 103.98 PDO
T.J. Oshie ($7,200 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 55.95 CF60, 2.82 xGF60, 106.84 PDO
Secondary Options
Evgeny Kuznetsov ($6,600 FD, $5,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.87 CF60, 2.59 xGF60, 105.56 PDO
Justin Williams ($5,900 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.96 CF60, 2.99 xGF60, 102.06 PDO
Andre Burakovsky ($5,100 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.13 CF60, 2.55 xGF60, 103.1 PDO
Matt Niskanen ($5,500 FD, $4,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.28 CF60, 2.56 xGF60, 103.23 PDO
Expected Netminder
Braden Holtby – My Ratings (out of 10): 9 Cash, 8.5 GPP
New Jersey Devils
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 46.54 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -20, 103.34 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Taylor Hall ($7,200 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.25 CF60, 2.56 xGF60, 98.52 PDO
Expected Netminder
Cory Schneider – My Ratings (out of 10): 4.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Montréal Canadiens at New York Islanders
| Montréal Canadiens | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Thomas Greiss | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-13-7 | 20-17-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.02 | 2.47 | 23.30% | 79.80% | Team Stats | 2.87 | 2.87 | 14.30% | 80.40% |
Montreal wakes up this morning sitting comfortably in the lead in the Atlantic Division, but since their ridiculous 13-1-1 start to the season, they’ve basically just be treading water ever since. The Canadiens own “just” a 16-12-6 record over their last 34 games and Michel Therrien will certainly want to see them hit the break with a little bit of momentum. They picked up a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday despite only throwing 20 puck on net at Chad Johnson and have another favorable matchup on tap tonight as they square off against the cellar dwelling New York Islanders. The Canadiens still have plenty of forward depth, but a slew of key injuries (mainly, David Desharnais, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk) have really shifted the scoring weight firmly on the top forward line of Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov. Luckily those three seems to be up for the task and should continue their strong play tonight as New York has allowed 2.87 goals against per game. Radulov lit the lamp twice on Tuesday night and has now posted six goals and eight assists over his last 15 games. On defense, Shea Weber has been excellent all season for his new team. He owns 30 points in 49 games and scored a goal and added an assist when these two teams met up earlier this season. If you can’t afford to pay up for Weber, then Jeff Petry continues to be a fine option while Andrei Markov is sidelined. He’s picked up an assist in each of the last two games and has been putting the puck on the net rather consistently.
Things have been a mess this season for the New York Islanders and their playoff chances are likely shot before we’ve even reached the All-Star break. With that said, they actually appear to have “righted the ship” as they’ve posted a solid 9-3-3 record over their last 15 games. Facing Carey Price and a solid defensive team like the Canadiens is a bit of a buzzkill, but New York likely isn’t quite as bad as their record indicates. John Tavares is far and away their most dangerous offensive weapon and his strong play has been the main reason for their recent turn around. He’s scored eight goals and added three assists over the last seven games and found the back of the net in the first meeting between these two teams. Monitor the status of Anders Lee as game time approaches (he was out sick on Tuesday) but he figures to slot back alongside Tavares and Josh Bailey on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Bailey is a former 9th overall draft pick that is quietly having a fine offensive season of his own. He’s posted 31 points in 46 games this far and has scored a pair of goals and handed out five helpers in his last seven games. On defense, both Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk soak up nearly all of the available playing time on the point of the power-play. Leddy has picked up points in three straight games, owns three goals and seven assists in 11 games this month, and is a sneaky option tonight considering Montreal’s rather mediocre 79.8% penalty kill.
Montreal Canadiens
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 52.54 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 22, 115.17 CP60
Elite Options
Max Pacioretty ($7,600 FD, $6,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 66.07 CF60, 2.8 xGF60, 99.62 PDO
Alexander Radulov ($6,500 FD, $5,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.18 CF60, 2.93 xGF60, 101.06 PDO
Shea Weber ($6,500 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.1 CF60, 2.61 xGF60, 102.12 PDO
Secondary Options
Tomas Plekanec ($5,500 FD, $4,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.2 CF60, 2.61 xGF60, 101.48 PDO
Phillip Danault ($5,300 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.93 CF60, 2.72 xGF60, 98.27 PDO
Jeff Petry ($5,300 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.02 CF60, 3.09 xGF60, 101.33 PDO
Nathan Beaulieu ($4,200 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.25 CF60, 2.64 xGF60, 102.65 PDO
Expected Netminder
Carey Price – My Ratings (out of 10): 8 Cash, 8.5 GPP
New York Islanders
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 46.4 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 11, 118.8 CP60
Elite Options
John Tavares ($8,400 FD, $7,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.74 CF60, 2.84 xGF60, 101.78 PDO
Secondary Options
Josh Bailey ($5,500 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.01 CF60, 2.68 xGF60, 101.66 PDO
Anders Lee ($5,400 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.25 CF60, 2.78 xGF60, 102.62 PDO
Nick Leddy ($5,400 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 51.86 CF60, 2.23 xGF60, 101.54 PDO
Johnny Boychuk ($5,000 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.92 CF60, 2.62 xGF60, 99.8 PDO
Expected Netminder
Thomas Greiss – My Ratings (out of 10): 5 Cash, 6 GPP
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Matt Murray |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-12-5 | 24-21-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.55 | 2.89 | 22.80% | 78.90% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 2.55 | 17.30% | 86.70% |
After picking up four straight wins, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins laid an egg on Tuesday night, getting shutout at home by the struggling St. Louis Blues. They’ll play their last game before the All-Star break tonight in Boston sitting five points behind the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division. Breaking down the Penguins is pretty straight forward; they have two of the most dangerous forward lines in the league and either one (or both) can erupt on any given night. Sidney Crosby continues to be one the elite fantasy options in the NHL and has racked up 28 goals and 26 assists in just 41 games this season. He’ll be joined by Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust on the top forward line and both players have thrived in their very favorable roles. They may see a heavy dose of Bergeron and Marchand’s suffocating defense, but it hasn’t deterred them a bit in the first two meetings between these two teams as those three have combined for six goals and seven assists. Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin enters tied with Crosby for the team lead with 54 points. He’s joined on the second line by Patric Hornqvist and impressive rookie Jake Guentzel. Malkin’s home vs road splits are a slight concern, but as hinted at above, his upside is through the roof. Phil Kessel is the odd man out at full-strength, but he does join Crosby on the top power-play unit and has quietly still managed to score 14 goals and add 31 assists this season. On defense, the Kris Letang injury has put the spotlight on Justin Schultz and the 26 year-old has delivered. He’s scored six goals and dished out 21 assists in 24 games since the beginning of December and looks very comfortable as the quarterback of that lethal #1 power-play unit. With that said, it is worth noting that Boston does sport an impressive 86.7% penalty kill, so keep your expectations in check.
Boston mounted a late comeback on Tuesday night to ultimately pick up a 4-3 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings. Tonight, they’ll turn their attention towards enacting some revenge on a Pittsburgh team that just steamrolled them 5-1 late last week. Much like the Penguins, it’s a two-headed offensive attack in Beantown, as well. The trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak lead the charge on the top line and combine to form one of the better two-way lines in the NHL. Marchand potted a pair of goals on Tuesday night and leads this hockey club with 19 goals and 28 assists in 51 games. Meanwhile, after a very slow start to the season offensively, Bergeron is starting to come alive as he’s posted three goals and seven assists in his last 11 games. Behind those three, David Krejci centers a very capable secondary scoring with David Backes and Frank Vatrano on his wings. Krejci has already scored a pair of goals against the Penguins this season and all three of these guys see a very healthy dose of playing time on the #2 power-play. On defense, Torey Krug is easily the top option. He has the luxury of running things from the point of the top power-play unit and leads all Boston blue-liners with 30 points and 139 shots on goal.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.23 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 22, 118.51 CP60
Elite Options
Sidney Crosby ($9,300 FD, $8,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 67.54 CF60, 3.62 xGF60, 101.65 PDO
Evgeni Malkin ($8,800 FD, $7,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.36 CF60, 3.11 xGF60, 102.42 PDO
Justin Schultz – 16-17 Metrics – 61.17 CF60, 3.11 xGF60, 102.49 PDO
Secondary Options
Conor Sheary ($6,100 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.08 CF60, 3.51 xGF60, 103 PDO
Patric Hornqvist ($7,000 FD, $5,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 69.34 CF60, 3.82 xGF60, 101.95 PDO
Phil Kessel ($7,400 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 56.69 CF60, 2.43 xGF60, 102.49 PDO
Bryan Rust ($4,900 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.32 CF60, 3.18 xGF60, 98.73 PDO
Trevor Daley ($4,300 FD, $3,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.45 CF60, 3.07 xGF60, 101.64 PDO
Expected Netminder
Matt Murray – My Ratings (out of 10): 6 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Boston Bruins
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 55.68 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -12, 113.62 CP60
Elite Options
Brad Marchand ($7,300 FD, $7,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 72.16 CF60, 3.03 xGF60, 96.74 PDO
Torey Krug ($6,500 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 68.71 CF60, 2.6 xGF60, 97.02 PDO
Secondary Options
Patrice Bergeron ($6,800 FD, $6,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 71.01 CF60, 2.75 xGF60, 96.97 PDO
David Pastrnak ($6,500 FD, $6,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 73.3 CF60, 3.16 xGF60, 100.45 PDO
David Krejci ($5,700 FD, $5,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.09 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 96.32 PDO
David Backes ($5,700 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.12 CF60, 2.73 xGF60, 96.53 PDO
Expected Netminder
Tuukka Rask – My Ratings (out of 10): 5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Curtis McElhinney |  | Michal Neuvirth | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-14-9 | 23-19-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.11 | 2.72 | 24.10% | 85.20% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 3.06 | 21.40% | 80.30% |
Fresh off of back-to-back 4-0 shutouts, the Maple Leafs continue to climb the standings in the Atlantic Division. They’ve posted 9-2-2 record over their last 13 games and are one of the most explosive offensive hockey teams in the NHL this season (3.11 goals per game, 2.91 xGF60). While the Flyers did pick up a surprising shutout last night, they have allowed a troubling 3.36 goals per game in their 11 games this month and were unable to slow down this Toronto team in their only previous meeting this season. Toronto will likely be rather popular this even (well, as popular as you can be on such a huge slate) but Mike Babcock has really been able to spread his scoring across three different four lines (heck, all four a goal a piece last night). With that said, Auston Matthews looks like the front runner for the Calder Trophy and the #1 overall pick continues is offensive assault. He scored his 23rd goal of the season last night in Detroit and his 161 shots on goal has him ranked inside the top 10 of the entire NHL. Alternatively, the trio of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Mitchell Marner have been rolling pretty much all season. Van Riemsdyk and Marner are tied with Matthews for the team lead at 39 points and those three have combined for 12 goals and 25 assists in just 11 games this month. Nazem Kadri also shouldn’t be ignored as he’s been an absolute force down the stretch; posting seven goals and adding six assists in his last ten games. All of these aforementioned forwards see plenty of work with the man advantage where they’ll get a crack at Philly’s middling 18th ranked penalty kill. On defense, Morgan Rielly injury has forced Jake Gardiner into all the minutes he can handle. He has plenty of offensive upside and holds the reigns as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit. Reilly’s injury also means a heavier workload for rookie Nikita Zaitsev and he’s responded with three assists in the last two games.
The Flyers have really struggled since their ten game winning streak earlier this season, but they picked up an important shutout victory over the Rangers last night and can hit the All-Star break with some added confidence if they can find a way to pick up two points tonight against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. They lost a 6-3 decision in their only previous meeting with Toronto this season, but with the Maple Leafs owning an NHL high 120.82 CP60, this is a matchup that should produce plenty of offense. Philadelphia is your prototypical two-headed offensive attack. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek are slated to join forces on the top line (with Michael Raffl), while Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds loom as a very dangerous tandem (along with Travis Konecny) on the second forward line. Giroux has picked up points in each of the last two games and leads the team with 40 points in 49 games this season. Meanwhile, Schenn has turned up his offensive game lately and now owns six goals and six assists over his last 13 games. On the blue-line, the Flyers boast a pair of impressive young defensemen. Both Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov have very quickly become acclimated to the speed of the NHL game and grab the lion’s share of the available playing time on the point of the power-play.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 50.12 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 9, 120.82 CP60
Elite Options
Auston Matthews ($7,800 FD, $7,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 64.26 CF60, 3.19 xGF60, 99.97 PDO
James van Riemsdyk ($7,500 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.12 CF60, 3.08 xGF60, 101.07 PDO
Mitchell Marner ($6,700 FD, $6,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.33 CF60, 2.98 xGF60, 101.83 PDO
Jake Gardiner ($4,600 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.15 CF60, 3.24 xGF60, 101.36 PDO
Secondary Options
Connor Brown ($5,400 FD, $4,700 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.69 CF60, 2.96 xGF60, 101.88 PDO
Tyler Bozak ($6,000 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.66 CF60, 3.17 xGF60, 101.79 PDO
Nazem Kadri ($7,000 FD, $6,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.68 CF60, 2.82 xGF60, 98.88 PDO
Nikita Zaitsev ($4,400 FD, $4,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.15 CF60, 2.73 xGF60, 101.08 PDO
Expected Netminder
Curtis McElhinney – My Ratings (out of 10): 5.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Philadelphia Flyers
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.38 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -23, 114.98 CP60
Elite Options
Claude Giroux ($7,700 FD, $6,500 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.13 CF60, 2.29 xGF60, 97.13 PDO
Jakub Voracek ($7,200 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.65 CF60, 2.49 xGF60, 97.32 PDO
Brayden Schenn ($6,500 FD, $6,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.69 CF60, 2.23 xGF60, 97.52 PDO
Shayne Gostisbehere ($4,900 FD, $4,800 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.19 CF60, 2.76 xGF60, 95.5 PDO
Secondary Options
Wayne Simmonds ($6,900 FD, $6,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60 CF60, 2.2 xGF60, 97.4 PDO
Travis Konecny ($4,600 FD, $4,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.69 CF60, 2.73 xGF60, 99.41 PDO
Ivan Provorov ($4,800 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 53.36 CF60, 1.98 xGF60, 99.41 PDO
Expected Netminder
Steve Mason – My Ratings (out of 10): 4 Cash, 5 GPP
Los Angeles Kings at Carolina Hurricanes
| Los Angeles Kings | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Peter Budaj |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 23-21-4 | 21-19-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.48 | 2.46 | 17.10% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.83 | 16.80% | 88.00% |
We’re 60% of the way through the NHL regular season, and if things stopped today, Los Angeles would not be a participant in the Western Conference Playoffs. They were finally able to snap a four game losing streak with a win over New Jersey on Tuesday night, but Darryl Sutter will not be pleased with his team’s first half results. Los Angeles is in the midst of a brutal stretch of their schedule that sees 13 of 18 games played on the road and will make their one and only visit of the season to PNC Arena in Raleigh tonight. The Kings have missed Tyler Toffoli offense a great deal lately, but Sutter still has two dangerous forward lines to use to attack Carolina. Jeff Carter headlines the top forward line and has easily been their best offensive weapon all season long. He’s amassed 24 goals and 19 assists in 48 games and has been red hot down the stretch with ten goals and nine assists over his last 17 games. He’ll be joined by Tanner Pearson and (likely) Devin Setoguchi on one line, leaving Anze Kopitar to center Marian Gaborik and Dustin Brown on another. It’s been a disappointing season for Kopitar, but he has racked up two goals and eight assists in ten games this month and he and Gaborik are starting to regain their old rapport. On defense, Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin are all fine options most nights. However, I don’t expect this game to be overly fantasy friendly and Carolina’s league best 88.0% penalty kill makes it hard to justify their somewhat expensive price-tags in cash games.
Backed up by some positive advanced stats, the Hurricanes for several weeks following the Christmas holiday. However, things have suddenly turned completely around for them and now they’ve dropped each of their last four games and been outscored 20-5 in the process. Hitting the All-Star break on a five game losing skid would likely be very tough to bounce back from, so tonight’s game against the visiting Los Angeles Kings does take on some added importance. In what was somewhat a snooze-fest, the Hurricanes did skate to a 3-1 victory over the Kings when these two teams squared off earlier this season and I don’t expect a ton of offensive fireworks here tonight, either. Up-front, Bill Peters has tinkered with his scoring lines a bit lately, but the results are still the same as the top two lines are really the only “safe” targets. Jeff Skinner has been held without a point in each of the last five games, but his shot-taking tendencies still make him the top fantasy option. He headlines the top forward line alongside Victor Rask (and for now Ty Rattie). Meanwhile, it’s the second line of Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm producing most of the offense lately. Former fifth overall draft pick Lindholm has been particularly hot down the stretch; potting three goals and eight assists over his last ten games. With Anze Kopitar likely keying in on prolonging Skinner’s offensive struggles, the group on the second line should see a bit more open ice than their counterparts on the top line. On defense, Justin Faulk is the main target. He runs the show from the point of the top power-play unit and, when healthy, has been very productive offensively over the last 2+ seasons.
Los Angeles Kings
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 54.55 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential 1, 108.8 CP60
Elite Options
Jeff Carter ($8,100 FD, $6,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 58.68 CF60, 2.45 xGF60, 100.84 PDO
Secondary Options
Anze Kopitar ($6,900 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.56 CF60, 2.93 xGF60, 98.73 PDO
Marian Gaborik ($4,900 FD, $3,900 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 66.57 CF60, 3.54 xGF60, 97.74 PDO
Tanner Pearson ($5,800 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 63.31 CF60, 2.52 xGF60, 100.72 PDO
Drew Doughty ($6,400 FD, $5,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 60.64 CF60, 2.63 xGF60, 100.93 PDO
Alec Martinez ($5,400 FD, $4,600 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.53 CF60, 2.6 xGF60, 95.81 PDO
Expected Netminder
Peter Budaj – My Ratings (out of 10): 5 Cash, 6.5 GPP
Carolina Hurricanes
Team Metrics – 2016-17 – 51.69 CF%, 5×5 Goal Differential -20, 110.73 CP60
Elite Options
None
Secondary Options
Jeff Skinner ($6,800 FD, $6,300 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 61.5 CF60, 3.11 xGF60, 98.51 PDO
Victor Rask ($5,400 FD, $5,100 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 57.48 CF60, 2.67 xGF60, 100.22 PDO
Elias Lindholm ($4,800 FD, $4,000 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 62.99 CF60, 2.87 xGF60, 94.94 PDO
Jordan Staal ($5,400 FD, $4,400 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 65.25 CF60, 3.55 xGF60, 98.07 PDO
Sebastian Aho ($5,500 FD, $4,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 54.87 CF60, 2.69 xGF60, 97.75 PDO
Justin Faulk ($6,000 FD, $5,200 DK) – 16-17 Metrics – 59.83 CF60, 2.86 xGF60, 96.65 PDO
Expected Netminder
Cam Ward – My Ratings (out of 10): 5.5 Cash, 6.5 GPP