NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, April 5th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-04-06 02:15:27

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.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Tampa Bay Lightning					New York Rangers
			Ben Bishop					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			45-29-5					44-26-9
Team Stats	2.73	2.38	16.00%	84.00%	Team Stats	2.86	2.62	19.10%	78.30%

With the news of Stamkos being lost for the season freshly on their minds, the Lightning looked lifeless at times against the Islanders but will need to snap out of their funk or they could actually still find themselves watching the playoffs from home. Things won’t be an easier for them tonight as they held into Manhattan to battle the New York Rangers in a pivotal game for both teams. While the Stamkos injury is clearly devastating news for this team, I’m still giving their power-play a long look tonight as the Rangers have posted an unsightly 78.3% penalty kill this season. Nikita Kucherov now is easily the most dangerous offensive weapon as he actually leads the team with 65 points in 75 games and notched the first 30-goal season of his very promising career. He’s joined both at even strength and on that top power-play unit by both Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat and that trio played a major role in pushing this team into the Stanley Cup Finals last season. With Anton Stralman also sidelined for the foreseeable future, Victor Hedman is locked into a very heavy workload. The former second overall pick has racked up three goals and two assists in the last four games and has now racked up 47 points in 78 games.

The Rangers have been terrific all season at Madison Square Garden (25-9-4 record) and will look to catch the Lightning pouting once again tonight. The Rangers escaped Columbus with two points last night and have clinched their spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With Rick Nash back to full speed and Eric Staal brought over at the trade deadline, this team is loaded with forward depth. Derick Brassard has been a force on home-ice all season, posting 20 goals, 21 assists and a plus 18 in 37 games at MSG. He’ll center the top line alongside Rick Nash and J.T. Miller and all three look like fine options. Mats Zuccarello has also been far more successful on home ice this season and, along with Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider, provide plenty of secondary scoring. The duo of Ryan McDonagh and Keith Yandle soak up the majority of the playing time on the point of the power-play. Yandle has posted 45 points this season and is still proving to be one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the league.

Tampa Bay Lightning

CF%: 52.3, CP60: 106.8, 5×5 Differential: 24
Elite Options: Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman
Secondary Options: Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Valtteri Filppula

New York Rangers

CF%: 47.2, CP60: 108.2, 5×5 Differential: 32
Elite Options: Derick Brassard, Rick Nash, Keith Yandle
Secondary Options: Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller, Ryan McDonagh

Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Buffalo Sabres					New Jersey Devils
			Chad Johnson					Cory Schneider
			Record					Record
			33-35-11					37-34-8
Team Stats	2.42	2.62	18.90%	82.80%	Team Stats	2.20	2.46	20.60%	82.70%

The Sabres have a bright future and have won two straight games heading into tonight’s game with the New Jersey Devils, but this does not look like the game to target on such a busy slate. The Devils are not only the slowest paced team in the NHL this season (91.7 CP60) but they’ve also defeated the Sabres in both prior meetings. With Evander Kane season over thanks to an upper-body injury, there are really only three forwards that should be on your radar here. Ryan O’Reilly leads the way with 58 points in 68 games and scored a pair of goals against the Rangers on Saturday to extend his point streak to four games. Blooming stars Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart join him on the top power-play unit and have combined for 17 goals and 21 assists in 29 games since the All-Star break. Rasmus Ristolainen has been quiet from the blue-line lately but is still in the midst of a breakout season. The former 8th overall draft pick has posted a career high 40 points and is averaging over 25 minutes of ice-time per game this season. Alternatively, Zach Bogosian sees a healthy dose of playing time from the point of the #2 power-play and has picked up at least one point in three straight games. If you’re looking for value on the blue-line, then he’s an option.

Like I mentioned, this game does not look like a great source for fantasy points. The Devils have successfully slowed down the Buffalo attack in their previous two meetings, but also own an NHL worst 2.20 goals per game this season. They haven’t scored more than three goals in game since mid-march and have done it only three times since the All-Star break. I’m clearly not overly excited about anyone here, but there are a few players worth discussing. Kyle Palmieri leads the team in scoring and sits just one goal short of his first career 30 goal season. He’s joined by Travis Zajac on the second line and both players also see plenty of playing time on the top power-play unit. Meanwhile Adam Henrique and Devante Smith-Pelly have been putting up fine numbers since joining forces. Smith-Pelly has scored seven goals and added five assists since being acquired by the Devils and Henrique has beat up on Buffalo, posting two goals and two assists in their two meetings.

Buffalo Sabres

CF%: 47.3, CP60: 105.2, 5×5 Differential: -27
Elite Options: Ryan O’Reilly
Secondary Options: Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian

New Jersey Devils

CF%: 46, CP60: 91.7, 5×5 Differential: -24
Elite Options: Kyle Palmieri
Secondary Options: Adam Henrique., Devante Smith-Pelly, Travis Zajac

Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Carolina Hurricanes					Boston Bruins
			Cam Ward					Tuukka Rask
			Record					Record
			34-29-16					41-30-8
Team Stats	2.42	2.67	16.80%	83.90%	Team Stats	2.90	2.77	21.10%	81.70%

The Hurricanes hung in the playoff race longer than many expected, but after unloading several key contributors at the trade deadline, they look to have finally packed things in for the 2015-16 season. Carolina has picked up just three wins in their last 11 games and have averaged just 2.42 goals per game this season. With a matchup awaiting them against a Boston team fighting for their playoff lives, they don’t deserve any cash game consideration on a robust 11 game schedule tonight. With that said, Jeff Skinner has now scored goals in back-to-back games and is just two goals shy of his third career 30-goal season. He’s inconsistent, but 249 SOG this season, he’s an intriguing GPP option. Victor Rask has racked up five goals and an assist over the last six games and joins Skinner at even strength while seeing plenty of playing time with the #1 power-play unit. With that in mind, he has some GPP appeal as well. On the blue-line, both Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin are sharing the duties on the point of that #1 power-play unit. Faulk finally looks to be back to full speed and potted his 16th goal of the season last Thursday, giving him enough upside to warrant some GPP exposure.

With just three games to play, the Bruins find themselves just one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While it’s possible they’ll be looking ahead to Thursday’s head-to-head clash with the Red Wings, Claude Julien simply won’t allow them to overlook the Hurricanes tonight when they invade the TD Garden. These two teams have split the first two meetings this season and Boston owns just a 2-7-0 record in their last nine games, but they still have plenty of GPP appeal. The top line of Brad Marchand,. Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson are not only very dangerous offensively, but all three players have plenty of experience and won’t succumb to the pressure that comes with tonight’s pivotal game. Bergeron lead the team with 67 points and not only posted an impressive three point game in Chicago on Sunday but also owns a goal and two assists against the Hurricanes this season. David Krejci has exploded for two goals and five assists in the last four games and has quietly racked up 61 points in 69 games this season. With Matt Beleskey and David Pastrnak on his wings, he headlines a very dangerous second line for the Bruins. Defensively, both Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara soak up the majority of the minutes on the point of the Boston power-play and are locked into heavy workloads. They can both be targeted in all formats.

Carolina Hurricanes

CF%: 51.7, CP60: 106.5, 5×5 Differential: -21
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal, Victor Rask, Justin Faulk

Boston Bruins

CF%: 49.2, CP60: 110.8, 5×5 Differential: 8
Elite Options: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Loui Eriksson
Secondary Options: David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Matt Beleskey, Ryan Spooner, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug

New York Islanders at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
New York Islanders					Washington Capitals
			Thomas Greiss					Braden Holtby
			Record					Record
			43-26-9					55-17-6
Team Stats	2.74	2.54	18.70%	85.10%	Team Stats	3.04	2.31	22.80%	84.40%

On paper, a meeting against the Capitals in Washington looks like one to avoid, however with Washington having locked up home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, they seem to be content simply staying healthy as they prepare to make a deep run towards Lord Stanley. The Islanders are just two points behind the New York Rangers for third place in the Eastern Conference and need a strong finish to secure their spot in the playoffs. John Tavares leads the team with 61 points in 74 games and is they key to their success down the stretch. He’s slated to be joined by Josh Bailey and Ryan Strome on the top forward line, while Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen join him on the #1 power-play unit. Okposo and Nielsen are joined Nikolay Kulemin on the second line and provide the Islanders a quality secondary scoring line. On defense, Nick Leddy facilitates things from the point of the top power-play unit and the former first round pick has tallied two goals and 21 assists in 30 games since the All-Star break. Alternatively, Johnny Boychuk also sees plenty of run on the power-play and should be in for a heavy workload with Travis Hamonic sidelined for the remainder of the season.

As I just mentioned, this Capitals team figures to be major Stanley Cup contenders this season, but with very little left to play for this regular season, it’s just not as easy to trust them as it usually has been. However, with Braden Holtby closing in on Martin Brodeur’s record for the most wins in a season, the usual suspects are still very much in play tonight (particularly in GPPs). Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in both goals and SOG this season and has scored four goals in three games against the Islanders this season. With Nicklas Backstrom likely being held of out tonight’s game with a lingering upper-body issue, Ovechkin is slated to be joined by Marcus Johansson and T.J. Oshie on the top forward line. This leaves team point leader Evgeny Kuznetsov to headline the second line alongside Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams. Kuznetsov has racked up 10 goals and 30 assists (and a +25) in 38 games at the Verizon Center and is arguably the best dollar-for-dollar on this team tonight. John Carlson is widely regarded as their best option on the blue-line, but they seem to be taking a cautious plan with him down the stretch. This has left Matt Niskanen to quarterback that lethal top power-play unit and solidifies him as a fine defensive option.

New York Islanders

CF%: 49.8, CP60: 111.4, 5×5 Differential: 6
Elite Options: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo
Secondary Options: Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk

Washington Capitals

CF%: 50.9, CP60: 110.1, 5×5 Differential: 33
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Secondary Options: Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson

Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens – 07:30 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Florida Panthers					Montreal Canadiens
			Al Montoya					Mike Condon
			Record					Record
			44-25-9					36-37-6
Team Stats	2.79	2.45	17.00%	80.10%	Team Stats	2.61	2.85	16.20%	82.00%

The Panthers fell apart a bit towards the end of last night’s game in Toronto, but ultimately held on for a victory and are now on the verge of clinching the Atlantic Division title. They defeated this Montreal team over the weekend and, even with Vincent Trocheck lost for the season, still have three very dangerous scoring lines to throw over the boards. The top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr have carried the load offensively all season and are fine options tonight, but Jagr’s rather drastic home vs road splits cause me a small level of concern. Nick Bjugstad has been bumped up to center the second line alongside Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith and has picked up a point in each of the last two games. Aaron Ekblad has come alive lately with five assists in his last three games and the 20 year old looks destined to be one of the best blue-liners in the league very soon. He owns four assists in three games against the Canadiens and runs things from the point of Florida’s top power-play unit.

The Canadiens are arguably the most disappointing team in the league this season and dropped a 4-3 decision against this Florida team over the weekend. With that said, they’ve been far more successful at the Bell Centre this season where they own a solid 21-15-3 home record. Their dealing with a plethora of injuries and simply don’t have anything to play for at this point, but their top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk
Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher is too talented to ignore. Galchenyuk has shown the skills that made him a first round draft pick by tallying 13 goals and five assists in his last 19 games. Pacioretty has found his offensive touch lately as well and owns a goal and two assists against Florida in their three meetings this season. With P.K. Subban likely out of commission once again, Andrei Markov will direct the things from the point of the top power-play. He’s relatively cheap across the industry and has posted a solid 41 points in 79 games this season.

Florida Panthers

CF%: 48.7, CP60: 98.8, 5×5 Differential: 28
Elite Options: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau
Secondary Options: Nick Bjugstad, Jaromir Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, Aaron Ekblad

Montreal Canadiens

CF%: 51.4, CP60: 110.1, 5×5 Differential: -5
Elite Options: Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk
Secondary Options: Brendan Gallagher, David Desharnais, Andrei Markov