NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, December 13th
Jump to Page 1 2
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.
Los Angeles Kings at Buffalo Sabres
| Los Angeles Kings | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Peter Budaj |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-11-2 | 10-11-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.52 | 16.50% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.04 | 2.56 | 22.80% | 74.20% |
The Los Angeles Kings are about to embark on a nine game road trip and won’t be back on home ice until New Year’s Eve. As it stands now if the playoffs were to start today they would sneak in as the eighth seed but that not be the case once these nine games are finished. They are just 4-7-1 on the road and will need to do much better than that to stay in contention. The top line of Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson should be grab the attention of the Sabres shut down line while Marian Gaborik, Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis will skate on the Kings second line. Carter is the most consistent player on the team as his 22 points in 27 games exemplifies that but as far as Pearson and Toffoli go, they really haven’t lived up to expectations. Toffoli has lit the lamp just five times so far this season and has a 6.1 shooting percentage which is a far cry from the 14.6% he put up last year while scoring a career high 31 goals. This is mainly due to the fact that he hasn’t had the supporting cast he has had in past years as Gaborik was healthy last year not to mention that Milan Lucic was in town. Anze Kopitar is your one-off here as he will play with the Carter line when the Kings have the man advantage. He has registered five of his 14 points and looks to be getting back to normal after an injury kept his on the shelf for five games. Alec Martinez looks good on the Kings scoring chart as he has registered 15 points this season but only three of them have come in the last seven games. Drew Doughty is who you want on the back line as after a sluggish start seems to be back on track by finding the scoresheet six times in the last seven games.
The Buffalo Sabres have shuffled up their lines a bit as Kyle Okposo will now skate with Jack Eichel and Evander Kane while Ryan O’Reilly will center Sam Reinhart and William Carrier. Head coach Dan Bylsma will use Okposo, Eichel, O’Reilly, Reinhart and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen as the top power play unit. This is not only good news for Buffalo, but for you as well. It will now be very easy to pick a pair and move on if you are looking at Buffalo tonight. Okposo leads the team in points with 18 while Eichel has registered five points in his first six games back from injury. This is the duo that looks the chalkiest as the second line that features Carrier and Reinhart are a bit less prover. O’Reilly makes for s decent one off here as he skates on the second line and has found the scoresheet seven times in the last six games. Ristolainen has sky-rocketed up to second on the Buffalo scoring chart thanks to the eight points he has racked up over the last five games. He also has 18 shots on goal over that same time period which gets him very close to a cash game consideration tonight. The Buffalo power play has scored three goals in the last two games and could get one here tonight as the Kings have given up five goals over the last four road games.
Elite Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter
BUF: Jack Eichel
Secondary Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Tyler Toffoli, Marian Gaborik
BUF: Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan O’Reilly, Sam Reinhart
Washington Capitals at New York Islanders
| Washington Capitals | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Jaroslav Halak | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-7-3 | 11-11-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.11 | 17.00% | 83.30% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.93 | 13.00% | 83.00% |
Despite winning their last four games the Washington Capitals have only managed to gain one point on the division leading New York Rangers. They have gained nothing on either the Philadelphia Flyers or Columbus Blue Jackets as they both have winning streaks of nine and six respectively. The good news is that Evgeny Kuznetsov is starting come alive as five of his 14 points have come in the last five games. The return of T.J. Oshie has a lot to do with this as this now allows the capitals to put Kuznetsov on a line with Alexander Ovechkin and Justin Williams. Meanwhile Oshie skates on the right of Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson. This makes for two very playable lines on a nightly basis as it is tough for the home teams to match up against this firepower. The Washington power play has scored five goals over the last five games and should be a good unit to target tonight. Ovechkin is the easy one-off here as he skates with the Backstrom line for the majority of the time when the Capitals draw a penalty while scoring five of his 13 goals with the man advantage. Backstrom and Johansson make for a cheaper play which doesn’t mean they are any less in play than Ovechkin is as they have a combined 11 points over the last five games while each has three of those points on the power play. Defenseman John Carlson looks like he is back to his old self as all four of his points have come with the man advantage over those same five games. Those four points represent 33% of Carlson’s production all season so plugging him in your lineup may not be a bad idea.
The Islanders have rebounded a bit as they have won four of their last six games but are basically in the same boat as Washington is in as the rest of the division leaders have been doing quite well over the last ten games. New York is 9-4-4 at home and are languishing in last place of the Metropolitan Division. This is what happens when a team only has one line that can produce on almost a nightly basis. You get the good matchups at home but on the road, eh not so much. John Tavares, Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey continue to skate on the top line and will continue to log the ice time when the Islanders go on the power play. These three lead the team in points with 22, 17 and 17 respectively and should almost be considered as cash game worthy here. For tournament play, fire away as they will probably not be that high owned as there a few other teams that may have the popular vote. Ryan Strome joins the top line on the power play and this is a mystery to me as Anders Lee will be the odd man out. Lee has five points in his last five games and seems to be rejuvenated so taking off the top power play line may only break the confidence he has established. Defenseman Nick Leddy is fourth in team points with 12 as he continues to log the ice extra ice time when New York draws a penalty. Twelve points in 26 games is not exactly a ringing endorsement so maybe looking elsewhere for your defensive options is the way to go tonight.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, John Carlson, Marcus Johansson
NYI: Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey
Vancouver Canucks at Carolina Hurricanes
| Vancouver Canucks | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-15-2 | 11-11-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.21 | 2.93 | 13.80% | 84.80% | Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.61 | 20.70% | 92.10% |
The Vancouver Canucks have lost four of their last six games so in an effort to keep the program sales at the game they have yet again switched up their lines. Daniel Sedin will skate with his brother Henrik Sedin while their right winger will now be Jannik Hansen who played in his first game since November 5th on Sunday night. This is the line to target as Daniel Sedin has had a hand in five of the last 11 goals Vancouver while Henrik has added a goal and two assists over the last five games. The second line that features Loui Eriksson and Brandon Sutter can be used as a deeper GPP play but outside of that it’s probably best to leave them alone. They only have one assist between them over the last five games and Sutter has registered a good chunk of his 14 points have come by skating on the top line. Troy Stecher is the play on the defensive side of things as the 22 year old has scored three of his seven points while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Both Ranger goaltenders can be pretty tough so going lightly here is the name of the game.
The Carolina Hurricanes will get some reinforcements back tonight as the look to return to the style of hockey they were playing back in mid-November that saw them win five straight games in a row. They do possess a home record of 7-3 which will hopefully work in their favor tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Elias Lindholm and Jordan Staal look to return to the lineup tonight as they will skate on a line with Joakim Norstrom. Now before we start getting all warm and fuzzy because of the depth that has returned to the hurricane lineup, we must realize that this is not the line to target tonight. Derek Ryan has five points over the last five games and no hits the jackpot as he will skate alongside of the team scoring leaders in Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask. Skinner leads the team in goals and assists with a total of 22 points while Rask is right behind him with 21. Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak make for an intriguing tournament play here as this line has produced four goals in the last five games. Noah Hanifin and Justin Faulk are the options on defense but I would try to look elsewhere for your cash game plays tonight. Each had only registered nine points so far this season while Jaccob Slavin has the hot hand by assisting on four goals over the last five games. That’s not bad when you consider he only has ten points all season.
Elite Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
VAN: Daniel Sedin
Secondary Plays
VAN: Henrik Sedin, Troy Stecher
CAR: Victor Rask, Derek Ryan, Sebastian Aho, Lee Stempniak
Chicago Blackhawks at New York Rangers
| Chicago Blackhawks | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Scott Darling |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-8-4 | 20-9-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.30 | 16.70% | 72.70% | Team Stats | 3.50 | 2.30 | 22.60% | 85.90% |
What we have here is probably one of the best games on tonight’s slate as the Blackhawks come into Madison Square garden leading the Central Division while the Rangers sit atop the Metropolitan Division. The only other team that has eclipsed the 40 point mark is the Atlantic Division leading Montreal Canadiens. Defenseman Duncan Keith did not skate this morning which has more of a maintenance day feel to it than an illness feel. Jonathan Toews returns to the lineup to center the second line with Ryan Hartman and Marian Hossa. I wouldn’t jump right on this tonight however as it will take the captain a few games to get back into form. This doesn’t mean that you can’t throw Hossa in a GPP or two as a straight up one-off as 15 of his 21 points so far this season have found the back of the net. Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov make for a decent cash game play as they lead the team with a combined 76 points in the first 30 games. They also get the first crack on the Blackhawk power play that has lit the lamp twice in the last three games. Brent Seabrook will return to the lineup after missing two games as he will no doubt pair up with Keith to tend the points on the power play. The only thing from making me dive head first into the Kane line is the fact that Raanta has been tough the last three games out and they are on the road.
Once again the Rangers will go with the hot goaltender in Antti Raanta as he has been the benefactor of a Rick Nash injury as well as a team that is getting used to playing without their second best center in Mika Zibanejad. Raanta has given up just one goal over the last three games as the Rangers have clamped down on defense as evidence by letting just 63 shots make it to the net in those games. The top line of Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello is the one to target here as they will get the juicy match ups while serving as the team’s top power play unit. This line has compiled 14 points over the last five games and should be good to go for tonight’s game against Chicago. The second line of Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller looks to make a nice tournament play based on their season totals with Miller leading the way with 22 points. Grabner does the lead the team with 13 goals so pairing him up with Miller would seem to make sense here.Brandon Pirri looks to be the one-off here as he has registered six of his 12 points while the Rangers have the man advantage. Ryan McDonagh is the play on defense as he anchors the top power play unit while grabbing 17 points so far this season.
Elite Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane
NYR: Chris Kreider
Secondary Plays
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa
NYR: Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller
Arizona Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings
| Arizona Coyotes | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Louis Domingue |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-14-5 | 13-12-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.14 | 3.18 | 13.40% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 2.28 | 2.66 | 14.40% | 84.90% |
There’s not much to say the day after you get boat raced by a score of 7-0 on the home ice of the Stanley Cup champions. I could go on an epic rant much like the one I wrote in Saturday’s Grind Down but to be honest I am just sick of seeing bad teams play bad hockey and here we are with the NHL adding yet another team in Las Vegas. Arizona is tied with Colorado for the dubious honor of being the worst team in the league and much like the Avalanche did the other night, the Coyotes will have to pick themselves up and move on. Max Domi is on the shelf with a broken hand so that leaves Tobias Rieder, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata as the team’s top line to try to pick up the slack. That may be difficult to do on the road as the Coyotes have only scored seven goals in their last seven road games. Vrbata can only be considered as a deep one-off play in cash games as he does lead the team with 18 points so far this season. Other than that most of the Arizona players should only be considered as deeper tournament options. The second line of Christian Dvorak, Shane Doan and Brendan Perlini will surely need some time to gel. Doan has been pressing a bit as he has been looking for his 400th career goal since December 3rd as his shooting percentage is a paltry 4.9%. It hasn’t been that low since his third year with the team back in the ‘98-‘99 season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson seems a lot older than he is as the 25 year old defenseman is third on the team in scoring with just 13 points. You should be getting the picture now as it is very tough to roster anyone from a team that doesn’t score, especially on the road.
It appears that the best player the Red Wings have was not at practice this morning and will have to wait until pre-game warmups to see if he can go or not. Henrik Zetterberg leads the team with four points over the last five games as well as registering 20 points so far this season. Obviously when you take a talent like that out of the lineup it will make it a bit tougher to piece things together. Drew Miller will get the call to center Tomas Tatar and Anthony Mantha which pulls the value of Mantha down a couple pegs. The second line of Riley Sheahan, Frans Nielsen and Dylan Larkin should be the target for your cash games if you like Detroit tonight. Larkin could be getting back on track as his three points over the past five games looks a lot better than his 11 points over the first 29. It also doesn’t hurt that he continues to shoot the puck as he leads the team with 84 shots on goal with nine of them finding the back of the net. Thomas Vanek makes for a nice one-off here as the sniper has turned into more of a team player this season as nine of his 14 points have come by not scoring a goal in the 18 games he has suited up for this season. It also looks like Andreas Athanasiou is working in Zetterberg’s spot on the top power play unit. Niklas Kronwall is the household name on the back line but his production has dropped off dramatically this season forcing us to look to Mike Green tonight. Green isn’t a bad play as he is second on the team with 16 points.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
DET: None
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
DET: Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen, Mike Green, Anthony Mantha