NHL Grind Down: Thursday, November 19th
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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San Jose Sharks at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EST
| San Jose Sharks | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-8-0 | 6-8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.61 | 15.10% | 76.80% | Team Stats | 1.89 | 2.89 | 14.80% | 75.40% |
The San Jose Sharks roll into Philadelphia with a 7-3 road record, one of the best in the league. Judging by their game in Boston the other night, the Sharks seem to have no problem putting the puck in the net and tonight should be no different. Look for the power play to be in full effect tonight as the Flyers have taken 73 minor penalties thus far this season, which ranks 8th in the league. Melker Karlsson would be your punt play for the night as he is skating on the top line.
The Flyers remind me of one of those rigged games at the carnival. You know the ones where you get oh so close, but get no cigar. Their 16 points is just two points better than the teams in last place in the Eastern Conference and without the services of Mark Streit for a few weeks, they may just be the worst team come Thanksgiving Day. It’s hard to trust anyone from Philadelphia to use in your cash games tonight.
Elite Plays
SJ: Joe Pavelski
Phil: None
Secondary Plays
SJ: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Phil: Claude Giroux
Colorado Avalanche at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-10-1 | 11-7-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.78 | 18.60% | 77.00% | Team Stats | 2.17 | 2.22 | 14.30% | 83.90% |
The Avalanche are dangerously close to becoming the worst team in the National Hockey League. Head coach Patrick Roy has the team at a 7-12-1 and for all the talent they’ve had on the team the last few years, one would think we’d see more progress than that. It’s true he has not had Semyon Varlamov to throw between the pipes but back up Reto Berra is a solid 3-1 in the last four games. The only thing going for Colorado tonight is they have scored 50 goals and the Penguins have given up 71 minor penalties which is good for ninth in the league.
The Penguins are a solid 7-3 in their last 10 games as they have climbed to 22 points, which is good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. After losses to Columbus and New Jersey, Evgeni Malkin said ‘enough of this waiting around for Sidney Crosby stuff’ and took matters into his own hands. By netting two goals and assisting on two others, the Penguins bested the Minnesota Wild by a score of 4- 3 on home ice Tuesday night. I expect Pittsburgh will be one of the top targeted teams tonight as they should have no problem with Colorado tonight.
Elite Plays
Col: None
Pit: Evgeni Malkin
Secondary Plays
Col: Jarome Iginla, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene
Pit: Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel
Minnesota Wild at Boston Bruins – 07:00 PM EST
| Minnesota Wild | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-4-3 | 8-8-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.76 | 19.40% | 74.40% | Team Stats | 3.29 | 3.18 | 35.20% | 70.80% |
The Minnesota Wild can only be described as no more than a mediocre team without their star forward Zach Parise. On the surface their 10-4-3 record seems palpable enough but when you consider that they are 3-3-3 on the road, it’s clear to see that they may have some problems in Boston tonight. Moreover Wild beat writer Michael Russo tweeted out yesterday that the team has only had the lead for one minute and 12 seconds in their last seven road games. This does not bode well for getting any exposure to Minnesota in your cash games but on the GPP side, I’d look at the second liners who also play top line power play.
The Boston Bruins continue to struggle in the Atlantic division thanks to their 2-6-1 home record. Luckily the playoffs do not start today and maybe the Bruins can put something together to make a run for a playoff berth. Look for the Bruins to bounce back tonight after a tough 5-4 loss on home ice Tuesday night at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. As usual with any Boston team in the past few years, it is very tough to predict where the scoring will come from. Personally I think there are better games to choose from tonight so if you have to take Bruins at least make sure you pair them up from the same line.
Elite Plays
Minn: None
Bos: Torey Krug
Secondary Plays
Minn: Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker, Ryan Suter
Bos: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Jimmy Hayes, David Krejci, Loui Eriksson
Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EST
| Dallas Stars | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Kari Lehtonen |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-4-0 | 11-4-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.58 | 2.53 | 29.30% | 79.30% | Team Stats | 3.06 | 2.31 | 22.40% | 84.80% |
The Dallas Stars continue to roll on as their 30 points has them tied with Montreal and the New York Rangers for the rights to be the best team in the league. Tonight they are in Washington to play a Capitals team that played a game in Detroit last night. The Stars are already there waiting for the Caps as their practice in Washington yesterday indicated that there will be no changes to the top two lines. It’s going to be the same five players for me as the Stars face a tired Washington team.
The Washington Capitals have become a more solid team since the hiring of ex-Nashville coach Barry Trotz. The key has been the better defensive play of the team as they sit in second place in the Metropolitan division by virtue of only giving up 37 goals, the lowest in the conference. This game has the potential to have a lot of goals scored, so grabbing a few players may not be a bad idea.
Elite Plays
Dal: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
Wash: Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
Dal: Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg
Wash: T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, John Carlson
Arizona Coyotes at Montreal Canadiens – 07:30 PM EST
| Arizona Coyotes | Montreal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-8-1 | |||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 3.00 | 12.50% | 80.90% | Team Stats | 3.53 | 2.16 | 23.90% | 86.40% |
After a hot start, the Arizona Coyotes have gone an even 5-5 in their last 10 games and as of this point would not be in the playoffs if they were to start today. They have dropped their first two games on this road trip by an identical score of 5-2 to both Columbus and the New York Islanders and there is really no reason to think that the Canadiens can’t do the same thing. The odd thing here is the fact that the Coyotes are 3-3 in their last 6 games and in the three wins they have been outshot, while in the three losses, you guessed it, they outshot their opponent. I am going to pass on rostering any Coyotes tonight.
Montreal comes into this game leading the Atlantic division bolstered by their home record of 8-1-1. This is the way hockey used to be, the better teams in the league had almost flawless home records much like the Canadiens do. Even with goaltender Mike Condon falling back to earth in recent games I still think Montreal wins this one going away, especially since Arizona has given up 78 minor penalties so far this season which is good to be ranked fourth in the league.
Elite Plays
Arz: None
Mtl: Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban
Secondary Plays
Arz: Mikkel Boedker, Max Domi, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Mtl: Tomas Plekanec, Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov, Alex Galchenyuk