NHL Grind Down: Thursday, January 5th
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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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Edmonton Oilers at Boston Bruins
| Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 19-13-7 | 20-16-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.59 | 21.10% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.40 | 14.00% | 87.60% |
The Edmonton Oilers started the season with a 7-1 record but have since turned into a middle of the road team as their 19-13-7 record would suggest. Every team goes on streaks as that has been on full display this season so in an attempt to keep their head above water they have decided to shake things up a bit going into tonight’s game. Their 45 points has them in sixth place in the conference but there are six other teams within striking distance that sees the Nashville Predators the furthest from them with 39 points. Connor McDavid will continue to center the team’s top line but will now be flanked by Patrick Maroon and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid leads the team in points with 14 goals and 29 assists while Draisaitl is second on the team but is a full ten assists behind him. Maroon makes for a decent punt play here as anyone having exposure to McDavid is surely worth a look on a seven game slate. Jordan Eberle has played his way down to the third line which gives Zach Kassian a chance to skate in the top six along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic. This move is a bit intriguing as we know Eberle is a bit better than Kassian so it’s possible this is move is just a matter of sending a message to Eberle who has 26 points in 39 games. Lucic and Mark Letestu join McDavid and Draisaitl on the top power play unit that has scored three goals over the last five games. Andrej Sekera seems to be back anchoring the top power play unit who has netted four goals to go along with 17 assists so far this season. Hopefully the line changes work as Edmonton has scored more than three goals in just two of their last 18 games.
The Bruins are starting to feel the heat as their 4-4-2 record over the last ten games pales in comparison of that of the Toronto Maple Leafs who have now pulled within two points of snatching the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Yes, I know it’s just a little early to talk playoffs with the half-way mark quickly approaching but if teams don’t figure it out soon they will surely be on the outside looking in. The good news is that David Backes will return to the lineup tonight after missing seven games with an injury. There is even better news as head coach Claude Julien has come to his sense and has left Ryan Spooner on the second line with Backes and David Krejci. Spooner leads the team with three goals and three assists in his last five games. While the second line looks to be a decent tournament play, it is the top line that looks to be the cash game play tonight. Patrice Bergeron leads the team with 130 shots but has just 12 points to show for it while David Pastrnak has netted 19 goals to go along with seven assists in the 33 games he has suited up for. Brad Marchand rounds out the top line as he leads the team with 31 points. This line should receive most of the good match ups being the home team and should figure in on the scoring tonight. Torey Krug is the play on the back line while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Krug has tallied five assists in the last five games pushing him up to fourth on the teams scoring list. Look for the Bruins to come out and grab the win now that all the pieces seem to be back in place.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
BOS: David Pastrnak
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic, Mark Letestu, Andrej Sekera
BOS: Brad Marchand, Ryan Spooner, Torey Krug, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-5-4 | 23-9-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.44 | 2.03 | 28.30% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.81 | 2.14 | 17.20% | 86.40% |
It appears that this team didn’t need Ryan Johansen after all as the Columbus Blue Jackets have totally bought into what head coach John Tortorella has been selling. The Jackets have won their last 16 games and now it’s up to the Washington Capitals to break the streak. Alexander Wennberg, Brandon Saad and Nick Foligno seem to almost unstoppable at both at home and on the road. This line has combined for a total of seven goals and 13 assists over the last five games and there’s no reason to think that they aren’t a tournament play tonight at the very least. Cam Atkinson makes for s decent one-off play here as he skates on the second line with Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky. Atkinson leads the team in points with 18 goals and 20 assists while registering 18 of those points while skating on the top power play unit. Sam Gagner one-off play here as much like Atkinson, he too comes up from a different line to skate on the top power play unit that has scored seven goals over the last six games. Zachary Werenski is the defensemen to target here as he has found the score sheet 15 times while the Blue Jackets enjoy the man advantage. Werenski has been a pleasant surprise on the back line and has been an important piece to this well-oiled machine. Washington has a tough defense but so does Minnesota, who the Blue Jackets beat in their home barn on New Year’s Eve by a score of 4-2.
The Capitals come into this one looking to improve on their 14-5-1 record in front of the home crowd. Their 51 points have them in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and with a win here tonight could close the gap to five points behind first place Columbus. If the capitals are going to snap the streak they will have to rely on the top unit of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie to do most of the damage. They all get at least 65% of the ice time when the Capitals draw a penalty and should see plenty of good matchups throughout the night as they are the home team. Ovechkin leads the team in goals with 18 while Backstrom leads in both assists and points with nine and 21 respectively. Marcus Johansson skates on the second line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams and would seem to make a nice one-off play here. Johansson draws the lucky straw to move up to the top power play unit and get exposure to the team’s better skill players. He has accumulated three goals and four assists with the man advantage while registering a team third best 27 points. On the back line the choices are either John Carlson or Matt Niskanen. The nod must go to Carlson as he completes the top power play unit as he has scored three of his four goals over the last six games. Their season totals aren’t much different which is the reason why you can use Niskanen at a cheaper price point. This could be a tough game for both sides so using a bit of caution here may be the wise thing to do.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Zachary Werenski, Brandon Saad, Sam Gagner
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, John Carlson
Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Nashville Predators | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-14-7 | 19-16-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.68 | 20.00% | 81.70% | Team Stats | 2.85 | 2.79 | 23.80% | 79.70% |
As mentioned above the Nashville Predators have some work to do if they have any intentions of avoiding making tee teams in Mid-April. Their 39 points are good for twelfth place in the 14 team Western Conference but are just are just three points away from the Los Angeles Kings who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot. The top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson has been the most productive for the Predators as they sit 1-2-3 on the team scoring list. Johansen leads the group with 27 points as he joins Forsberg on the team’s top power play unit. James Neal also gets the extra ice time with the top power play unit and is a decent candidate to be used as a one-off here. He leads the team in goals with 14 as he is joined by Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson on the team’s second line at even strength. This line should have some room to maneuver against a sometimes shaky Tampa defense that was on full display Tuesday night when they let up six goals to the Winnipeg Jets on home ice. The return of defenseman P.K. Subban may have to wait another game but that is yet to be determined so sticking with Roman Josi is probably the wisest thing to do tonight. Look for Josi to quarterback the top power play unit that has scored three goals in the last three games. He also leads all Nashville defensemen in scoring with 20 points while nine of them have come with the man advantage. Look for this to be a tough game for the Predators as they are just 6-9-2 away from the home crowd.
Throughout all the injuries the Tampa Bay Lightning have endured they have still hung tough as their 42 points are just two points away from qualifying for the end of the season tournament. The top line of Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson should be the line to target for your cash game plays tonight. Not only do they get the extra time on the top power play unit they also have racked up a combined seven goals and 13 assists over the last five games. Kucherov is the easy one-off however as he leads the team in scoring with 38 points in the 32 games he has suited up for. The second line of Vladislav Namestnikov, Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Drouin can also be looked at as a tournament play here with both Drouin and Filppula being the stronger plays. Filppula has registered 24 points while Drouin has lit the lamp 11 times en route to tallying 23 points in 31 games. As you can see this group has missed a lot of players at different times in the season not to mention the biggest injury of all as Steven Stamkos has only appeared in just 17 games. Defenseman Victor Hedman is the play on the back line as he has elevated his game to the point that he is now second on the team with 35 points. Anton Stralman could possibly be used for some salary relief but he doesn’t get the extra ice time when Tampa draws a penalty. The Lightning should win this one tonight and improve on the 11-6-2 record in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
NSH: James Neal
TB: Nikita Kucherov
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Viktor Arvidsson, Mike Fisher
TB: Victor Hedman, Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat
Carolina Hurricanes at St. Louis Blues
| Carolina Hurricanes | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Jake Allen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-14-7 | 20-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.62 | 18.70% | 89.00% | Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.89 | 20.80% | 86.40% |
The Hurricanes have dropped three of their last four games which has put a crimp in their plans of moving up in the standings. They currently sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division and need to gain six points to be in position to get the extra games after the season ends. The top line that features Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask is always worth a look as a tournament play when the Hurricanes hit the road as they are the team leader in points. Unfortunately, neither one has found the score sheet over the last five games so you can either say they are in a slump or ‘they’re due’. Regardless the line to take is the second line, especially on the road. Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak have accounted for five of the last ten goals that Carolina has scored and should not draw the Blues top defensive line tonight. After Skinner and Rask, this line is 3-4-5 on the Hurricanes scoring list and at the very least is worth a look in tournament play. Ryan Murphy and Noah Hanifin anchor the top power play unit from the blue line that has not scored a goal with the man advantage in the last seven games. Maybe avoiding this mess is the way to go tonight. Carolina always plays tough so if they get a couple of bounces they may be able to steal one here at Scottrade Center tonight.
The Blues are coming off a nice 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks that was played in front of a nice Busch Stadium crowd on Monday afternoon. Their 15-3-4 home record should serve them well tonight against a Carolina team that has put up just five road wins all season. St Louis has changed the lines up a bit that now sees Jori Lehtera centering Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. This line should see a lot of ownership tonight as Tarasenko is one of the best scorers in the league with 18 goals and 23 assists. This line will also serve as the top power play unit that has scored a measly two goals in their last 15 attempts. The second line of Alexander Steen, Paul Stastny and David Perron could be used in deeper tournament action as they have a lot of talent but have underachieved so far his season. Robby Fabbri makes for a decent one-off GPP play here as he is second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists. With that said he has recorded seven of those points on the top power play unit in which it seems he is not on with the new line changes. Kevin Shattenkirk is always in play from the back line in any format and one any night as he has found the score sheet 24 times so far this season while anchoring the top power play unit. We have to be careful here as Schwartz did not skate this morning but ‘should’ be ready for the game tonight. There are also other concerns as their seems to be some kind of flu bug running through the team to the point where head coach Ken Hitchcock has said he hopes to be able to dress 20 players tonight.The Blues should score be able to win this one with the top line doing some of the damage.
Elite Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
Secondary Plays
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Victor Rask, Lee Stempniak
STL: Jaden Schwartz, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alexander Steen, Paul Stastny
Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks
| Buffalo Sabres | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-15-8 | 23-12-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.19 | 2.62 | 21.50% | 74.10% | Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.43 | 18.50% | 75.90% |
The Buffalo Sabres finally get some good news as it looks like Ryan O’Reilly will return just in time to face a tough team in the Chicago Blackhawks. By the looks of it Buffalo will keep their top two lines intact while O’Reilly will center the third line with Derek Grant and Brian Gionta. There’s no doubt that he will jump up on the top power play unit as he has registered ten of his 17 points when the Sabres had the man advantage. Jack Eichel and Kyle Okposo are the choices from the top line and should only be considered for tournament plays as there is no doubt that Chicago will be all over the top line tonight. Eichel has grabbed five points in the last five games while Okposo leads the team with 25 points so far this season. It should be noted that Eichel has his 13 points in only 16 games as he has performed well since his return. The second line of Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart and Justin Bailey should have a little extra room to maneuver but in all honesty the only one I trust tonight is Reinhart. He also has recorded five points in the last five games which gives him a season total of 23 points with ten of them coming on the top power play unit. On defense the clear cut choice is Rasmus Ristolainen as he has found the score sheet 25 times this season with 14 of those coming right after the Sabres draw a penalty. This is a tough test for Buffalo as Chicago plays a good brand of hockey on home ice as their 13-4-4 record at home would seem to indicate.
Chicago has been in a bit of a slump lately as they have only won once in their last six games. That includes consecutive home losses to Ottawa, Colorado and Winnipeg. Ouch! They still remain at the top of the heap in the Western Conference but feel the heat of the Minnesota Wild as they have moved to within one point of the division leaders. Look for a few changes tonight as both Vincent Hinostroza and Ryan Hartman will not skate on the top two lines tonight. The top line of Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov is the cash game play here as they have been on fire since the start of the season. Panarin leads the team in points with 39 while Anisimov leads the team in goals with 16 despite missing four games. Meanwhile, 26 of Kane’s 37 points have come via the assist while grabbing 11 goals in the process. This line gets the lion’s share of the power play ice time which is why they will be one of the higher owned lines of the night. Jonathan Toews makes a decent one-off play here as he joins the top line with the man advantage and leads the team with two goals and two assists over the past five games. Marian Hossa and Spencer Abbott join Toews at even strength and could be looked at as a GPP play only. Duncan Keith is now the clear cut play on the back line since the hawks have decided to go with the four-forward attack on the top power play unit. Keith has eight of his 26 points while quarterbacking that top unit. If you need a punt play then maybe Michael Kempny is your guy as he has lit the lamp twice and has added an assist in the last three games. Chicago should get back on track tonight so make sure you have some exposure to the top power play unit.
Elite Plays
BUF: Jack Eichel
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
BUF: Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, Ryan O’Reilly
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews