NHL Grind Down: Thursday, March 17th
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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Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EDT
| Minnesota Wild | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Keith Kinkaid | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-27-11 | 33-30-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.47 | 18.60% | 76.90% | Team Stats | 2.17 | 2.46 | 20.50% | 82.40% |
Despite going 1-2-1 in the last four games the Minnesota Wild are barely holding on to the last playoff spot in the Western conference. Their 13 goals in the last six games are an indication of not only the scoring problems they have been experiencing but the good goaltending they have been receiving. Zach Parise has just two points in his last six games while Mikko Koivu has two goals and three points in the last eight games he has played in. Charlie Coyle is the third part of the team’s top line and top power play unit as he has collected three assists in the last four games. Defenseman Ryan Suter hasn’t found the scoresheet in the last three games after grabbing a point in each of the last six games before that. Matt Dumba mans the point with Suter on the power play and has three points in the last five games. If you are looking for a one-off look no further than Nino Niedereitter who has netted two goals and an assist in his last two games. It would be awfully risky to take the Wild in cash games due to the recent lack of scoring.
After beating both Los Angeles and San Jose the bottom dropped out on the New Jersey Devils as they finished their three game west coast swing with a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. Tonight they return home to face a Minnesota Wild team that is fighting tooth and nail for their playoff lives. The Devils have scored more than two goals just once in their last five games so it may be a bit difficult to not only find a few players to roster but also trust those players in our cash games tonight. Devante Smith-Pelly leads the team in the last five games with three goals and an assist as he skates on the top line with Tyler Kennedy and Adam Henrique. With guys like Kennedy and Smith-Pelly on the top line, you can clearly see why the Devils have problems scoring. Kyle Palmieri leads the team with 45 points as he and Travis Zajac get the top power play minutes and play on the team’s second line. One could argue that this is the top line but it doesn’t matter much at home as this should be the line to target for your GPP plays tonight. David Schlemko and David Warsofsky man the points on a power play that hasn’t scored a goal in the last five games.
Elite Plays
MIN: None
NJ: None
Secondary Plays
MIN: Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Nino Niedereitter
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique
Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EDT
| Carolina Hurricanes | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-26-13 | 37-24-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.64 | 17.50% | 83.20% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.46 | 18.30% | 83.30% |
Carolina continues their five game road trip with a stop in western Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. After winning the first game in Boston the Hurricanes have dropped games in Buffalo and Washington and look to get back on track tonight. The second line is the one to target tonight as Jeff Skinner has collected four goals and four assists in his last seven games while line mate Victor Rask has lit the lamp twice to go along with two assists in the last five games he has played. The top line that features Jordan Staal and Joakim Nordstrom has been in a slump of late as they have three and two goals respectively in the last ten games. Noah Hanifan is the choice on defense as he is on the team’s top power play unit and has recorded two assists over the last three games. Carolina is another team that struggles to score over four goals in any game as the last time they pulled that off was 12 games ago.
Pittsburgh has won seven of their last ten games which has made their playoff chances a bit more stable as they come down the stretch. Their 82 points is good for seventh in the Eastern conference with Philadelphia am mere four points away in ninth place going into last night. With the injury to Evgeny Malkin the Penguins have decided to use the top line of Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist on the top power play unit with defensemen Kris Letang and Justin Schultz. Letang has four points in his last five games while Schultz should see his numbers rise playing on the team’s top power play unit. There is no need to get cute here as Crosby has scored at least a point in his last nine games making him the play with any other of his wingers you choose. The Penguins should score some goals here and taking anyone other than those five players is just asking for trouble.
Elite Plays
CAR: None
PIT: Sidney Crosby
Secondary Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Jordan Staal, Noah Hanifan
PIT: Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, Kris Letang, Justin Schultz
Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EDT
| Detroit Red Wings | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-25-11 | 28-33-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.49 | 2.59 | 16.80% | 81.20% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 3.06 | 17.60% | 81.20% |
The Detroit Red Wings look to get back on track after dropping consecutive games to Toronto and Philadelphia as they try to stave off Philadelphia for the last playoff spot in the eastern conference. Detroit has only scored more than three goals twice in their last 18 games and could be a big reason why they have only been able to win eight of those 18 games. Henrik Zetterberg is stone cold as he has registered just two points in the last 10 games while Dylan Larkin has scored just one goal over that same time period. Justin Abdelkader rounds out the team’s top line and has two goals and two assists in his last five games. Tomas Tatar and Pavel Datsyuk skate on the team’s second line and for all intents and purposes should be able to find the scoresheet tonight. Tatar has eight points in his last eight games while Datsyuk has accumulated four points in the last four games he has played in. Nicklas Kronwall is out for at least two weeks so that would put Danny DeKeyser on the team’s top power play unit who has grabbed two assists in the last three games. The Red Wings should be able to score a few goals here so maybe the top line gets back on track.
The return of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t make much of a difference as Columbus has dropped the last two games by a combined score of 7-2. They play their third home game in a row and by the way they are playing I wouldn’t expect much against the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The top line that features both Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson has done well of late as they have combined for six goals and four assists over the last five games and make a decent GPP option tonight. While both play on the top power play their line mate in Brandon Dubinsky hasn’t been too bad of late either as he has registered three points over the last five games. Seth Jones and Ryan Murray man the points on the power play and either make a decent GPP play with Jones having three assists which is just one more than Murray over the last five games.
Elite Plays
DET: None
CBJ: None
Secondary Plays
DET: Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Tatar, Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Danny DeKeyser
CBJ: Boone Jenner, Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, Brandon Dubinsky
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:30 PM EDT
| Florida Panthers | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Alex Stalock | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-22-9 | 24-34-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.40 | 17.10% | 81.70% | Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.84 | 14.70% | 81.00% |
The Florida Panthers continue to be resilient as they are sitting atop of the Atlantic division with Boston and Tampa bay right on their heels. The top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov have combined for eight goals and 11 assists in the last five games but here on the road, the second line may look enticing as well. Vincent Trocheck has two goals to go along with six assists in his last five games while line mate Reilly Smith has five points in as many games. Newcomer Jiri Hudler rounds out the second line and should be ok to roster as he settled in by lighting the lamp in the Panthers 4-1 win at Montreal on Tuesday. Aaron Ekblad is the choice on defense as he gets the top power play minutes and has four points in the last six games. Toronto is the worst team in the league but can still come up with a big game as evidence of their 4-1 win over Tampa Bay, which was also on Tuesday night.
Toronto has won their last two games and a win tonight will tie them with their longest winning streak of the season. The Maple Leafs have only scored 19 goals in their last nine games and that’s right about what you’d expect from the worst team in the league. Nazem Kadri has just two assists in the last seven games while line mate Leo Komarov has a goal over the last ten games he has played in. Nikita Soshnikov rounds out the top line as this would probably be the line to target for GPP play, but even that is risky with a team not scoring much. Zach Hyman makes an interesting one-off play as the youngster has three goals to go along with an assist in the last five games. Morgan Rielly plays the point on defense but he even he only has three points in the last ten games.
Elite Plays
FLA: Aleksander Barkov
TOR: None
Secondary Plays
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck, Reilly Smith
TOR: Zach Hyman, Nikita Soshnikov
New York Islanders at Nashville Predators – 08:00 PM EDT
| New York Islanders | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 38-21-9 | 35-22-13 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.43 | 19.50% | 85.30% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.54 | 19.00% | 80.20% |
The Islanders come into this one with 85 points and pretty much have a playoff spot locked up barring a complete breakdown. John Tavares and Kyle Okposo have been reunited on the team’s top line and have been the team leaders of scoring over the past few weeks by virtue of Tavares grabbing five points in six games while Okposo has registered nine points in his last eight games. Frans Nielsen skates on the team’s second line but gets top power play minutes with the aforementioned two players and makes a nice one-off play tonight as he has found the scoresheet eight times in the last seven games he has appeared in. Anders Lee could be used as a one-off as well although he skates on the third line but muck like Nielsen, gets the top power play minutes. Lee has three goals and three assists in his last eight games. Nick Leddy in the choice on defense and had registered seven points in four games before his recent three game scoring drought. Nashville is 7-1-2 in the last ten games but have given up two or more goals in their last seven games.
For the time being it would appear that the Nashville Predators should have a playoff spot locked up as long as they keep winning some games. They have 83 points in the Western conference and sit in sixth place while both Minnesota and Colorado are tied for eighth place with 74 points. Although they have a road date against Washington tomorrow the Predators can ill afford to look past any game and concentrate on the one right in front of them. If you are looking for a one-off play tonight one would have to consider James Neal as he has be known to be one of the streakiest players in the league and it just so happens he has lit the lamp four times and has accumulated five points over the last five games. His line mates of Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Johansen have registered three points over that same time period while the second line has proved to just as mediocre. Filip Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith all get the first crack on the power play and each have tallied three points in their last five games except Ribeiro who has only two. Roman Josi and Shea Weber are the choices on defense with Weber getting the nod here by virtue of his eight points over the last seven games. Look for Nashville to score a few goals tonight and expect to see a few of them in your cash games tonight.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares
NSH: Filip Forsberg, Shea Weber
Secondary Plays
NYI: Kyle Okposo, Nick Leddy, Frans Nielsen, Anders Lee
NSH: Craig Smith, Mike Ribeiro, Roman Josi, James Neal, Ryan Johansen