NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, December 15th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2015-12-17 00:02:50

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.

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

New Jersey Devils					Buffalo Sabres
			Cory Schneider					Linus Ullmark
			Record					Record
			15-11-4					12-15-3
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.40	2.40	20.80%	82.70%	Team Stats	2.37	2.70	23.40%	76.00%

The Devils have been alternating wins and losses for the last several weeks, and after being dominated in New York on Sunday evening, they’re hoping that trend continues tonight as they head to Buffalo. The Devils escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Sabres in their only other meeting this season and should also benefit from drawing them on the second half of back-to-back games. The Devils are only averaging 2.40 goals per game this season, but there’s at least some fantasy value in this lineup tonight as Buffalo sports an ugly 76.0% penalty kill. With Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique both unlikely to play tonight, the weight of the scoring will fall firmly on Michael Cammalleri. Cammalleri leads the team with 30 points in 30 games and tallied a goal and two assists in the first meeting between these two teams. Lee Stempniak has his five game scoring streak snapped as he played through an illness on Sunday, but he’ll join Cammalleri on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit making him a fine option in all formats as well. There’s not a ton of value to be found on the New Jersey blue-line, but 21 year-old Damon Severson has grabbed the reigns as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit and is still quiet cheap across the industry.

Buffalo has averaged just 2.37 goals per game this season and, after battling Detroit last night, they’ll take on a New Jersey team that ranks as the slowest paced team in the NHL this season (88.9 CP60). With potentially tired legs coupled with New Jersey’s willingness to clog up the nuetral zone and grind this game to a halt, it’s tough to get too excited about Buffalo’s offensive potential tonight. Ryan O’Reilly has posted 10 goals and 17 assists in 30 games this season and centers Jamie McGinn and Sam Reinhart on the teams top scoring line. That leaves the talented Evander Kane to join Jack Eichel and Matt Moulson on a line that looks like very intriguing GPP stack. Rasmus Ristolainen picked up an assist against Detroit last night to extend his scoring streak to three games and the 21 year-old has now poured in three goals and six assists in just seven games this month.

Elite Options

NJD: Michael Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen

Secondary Options

NJD: Kyle Palmieri, Patrik Elias, Damon Severson, John Moore
BUF: Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn, Matt Moulson, Cody Franson

Florida Panthers at New York Islanders – 07:00 PM EST

Florida Panthers					New York Islanders
			Roberto Luongo					Jaroslav Halak
			Record					Record
			14-12-4					18-8-5
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.43	2.43	19.00%	80.00%	Team Stats	2.77	2.26	20.50%	85.90%

The Panthers have dropped three of their last four games and will continue their four game road trip tonight in Brooklyn as they battle the New York Islanders. The picked up a shootout victory against New York the only other time these two teams squared off but there’s just not a ton to love from the Panthers from a fantasy perspective against an Islanders team that has played very solid in its defensive end this season. The ageless Jaromir Jagr leads the charge with 9 goals and 12 assists in 28 games and is join by talented youngsters Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both at even strength and on the top power-play unit. While they’re the top line to target here, their outlook takes a small dent as they’ll likely be shadowed by the often overlooked stellar defense of Frans Nielsen and his line mates Anders Lee and Josh Bailey. On the blue-line, Aaron Ekblad looks poised for NHL stardom and has picked up four points over the past four games. With six goals, eight assists and a +8 on the season, he’s easily the top defensive option on this Panthers squad.

The Islanders are the hottest team in the league right now and I’m expecting them to keep things rolling tonight when they host the Florida Panthers. New York shutout New Jersey on Sunday night and are now 7-0-1 over their last eight games. The Florida Panthers have played quiet well defensivally and are an intriguing young team, but the Islanders are simply deeper and more talented. John Tavares headlines the top line with the teams leading scorer Kyle Okposo and Brock Nelson on his wing. While they’re the most dangerous line, Frans Nielsen is off to one of the best offensive starts to his career and centers Anders Lee and Josh Bailey on a very capable secondary scoring line. On defense, the trio of Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuck and Marek Zidlicky continue to share the bulk of the playing time with the man advantage and all three are solid, yet low-ceiling options on the blue-line.

Elite Options

FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad
NYI: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen

Secondary Options

FLA: Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Jussi Jokinen, Brian Campbell
NYI: Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk, Marek Zidlicky

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EST

Carolina Hurricanes					Philadelphia Flyers
			Cam Ward					Steve Mason
			Record					Record
			12-14-4					12-12-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.47	3.03	17.20%	75.30%	Team Stats	2.03	2.70	17.20%	80.20%

Carolina enters tonight’s game having won four of their last five games and looking to finally take two points from Philadelphia after dropping each of their first two meetings 3-2 in overtime. The Hurricanes are just 12-14-4 on the season, but they’re allowing a league low 25.9 shots against per game and have their league low 96.5 team PDO suggests that they’ve been quiet unlucky to start the season. With that said, the fantasy options are rather limited here even in a decent matchup against the Flyers. Justin Faulk leads the team with 12 goals and 13 assists (with all 12 goals coming on the power-play) and is a top-tier option on the blueline. Up-front, Eric Staal remains the focal point of this offensive attack and is flanked by two solid playmakers in Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm on the top line. Young Victor Rask joins Staal on the top power-play unit and has not only tallied a goal and six assists during his current four game scoring streak but has also already netted a pair of goals against the Flyers this season.

The Flyers looked to be in total disarray early on this season, but they’re 5-2-1 over their last seven games and look to be headed in the right direction. With that said, they were dominated by Dallas on Friday night (outshot 44-20) and facing this Carolina team has not be a recipe for fantasy success for opponents this season. At the very least, the early season slump from leader Claude Giroux has finally come to an end. The extremely talented forward has racked up five goals and added ten assists over the last ten games and is clearly the #1 choice from a fantasy perspective on Philadelphia. Jakub Voracek is still somehow stuck on just one goal this season, but should remain on your GPP radar as he’s joined by Wayne Simmonds on the 2nd line and still sees playing time alongside Giroux on the #1 power-play unit. With Mark Streit still watching from the press box, Shayne Gostisbehere continues to shine. The rookie scored the Flyers only goal against Dallas on the power-play on Friday and has now picked up five goals and four assists in his first 15 games.

Elite Options

CAR: Eric Staal, Justin Faulk
PHI: Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere

Secondary Options

CAR: Victor Rask, Kris Versteeg, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek

Edmonton Oilers at New York Rangers – 07:00 PM EST

Edmonton Oilers					New York Rangers
			Anders Nilsson					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			13-15-2					18-9-4
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.67	3.00	18.90%	80.20%	Team Stats	2.87	2.26	21.70%	84.00%

This is a battle between two teams that look to be headed in drastically different directions right now. The Oilers picked up and overtime victory against the Bruins last night to extend their winning streak to six games and defeated the Rangers last week in an 7-5 offensive shootout. Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins carried the scoring load last night in Beantown, but it’s by Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl putting up the most impressive offensive numbers on the team’s top line. Both Andrej Sekera and Justin Schultz have proven to have plenty of offensive upside in the past and are the top options on the Edmonton blue-line. However, despite the New York Rangers recent struggles, they’ve still allowed just 2.26 GA/G this season and I’ll be limiting my exposure a bit to Edmonton tonight.

The Rangers will head back to Madison Square Garden having dropped each of the three games on their recent trip to Western Canada and have now gone just 2-6-2 over their last ten games. Obviously, something doesn’t look right with this team but Alain Vigneault appears to remain rather unconcerned with their sloppy and often uninspired play. This is essentially the same team that won the President’s Trophy last season, so it’s likely only a matter of time until they get things turned around. Despite the absence of Derek Stepan up front, the Rangers still possess two very dangerous scoring lines. It’s been a slow start to the season for Rick Nash, but he remains one of the most dangerous snipers in the league and both Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider see a fantasy boost from playing alongside him. His former line mates Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarrelo lead the Rangers in scoring and have kept things rolling with J.T. Miller playing on their wing. Defensively, both Keith Yandle and Ryan McDonagh have posted similar offensive numbers and both play heavy minutes at even strength as well as on the power-play. It’s hard to trust this team too heavily right now, but with Edmonton coughing up the 4th most goals against per game in the league this season, it’s probably not wise to overlook them either.

Elite Options

EDM: Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
NYR: Rick Nash, Derek Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Keith Yandle

Secondary Options

EDM: Jordan Eberle, Teddy Purcell, Justin Schultz, Andrej Sekera
NYR: Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Boyle

Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:30 PM EST

Tampa Bay Lightning					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Ben Bishop					Jonathan Bernier
			Record					Record
			14-13-3					10-13-5
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.33	2.20	17.30%	78.00%	Team Stats	2.18	2.57	18.20%	79.30%

Tampa Bay kicked off a short road trip last night with a hard-fought win against the Blue Jackets in Columbus last night. While playing in the second half of back-to-back games at this point in the season is a small concern, tonight’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs is one that is tough to ignore from a fantasy perspective. With Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat both likely still out of action, John Cooper looks to have temporarily lost his two-headed offensive attack. Johnson’s former linemates, Nikita Kucherov, joined Steven Stamkos and on the Lightning’s top forward line and former first round pick Vladislav Namestnikov on the team’s top line and #1 power-play unit. Stamkos and Kucherov find themselves atop this team in scoring thus far this season and are excellent options at their respective positions. On defense, Victor Hedman has posted the most fantasy friendly numbers thus far this season and looks like a budding star in this league, but it’s been Anton Stralman seeing the lions share of the playing time on the point of the team’s #1 power-play unit. With Toronto struggling a bit on the penalty kill (79.3%), both players are nice options.

The Maple Leafs have won two straight games, but this team still sits in the cellar of the Atlantic Division and don’t look like strong fantasy options against a Tampa Bay team that has allowed the second fewest goals in the league this season (2.20 GA/G). The Leafs are hopeful to have Joffrey Lupul back in action tonight which should help them offensively. While each of their top two scoring lines contain plenty of offensive talent, there are 21 other teams on the board tonight, making the Maple Leafs a GPP only target in my mind.

Elite Options

TBL: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman
TOR: None

Secondary Options

TBL: Jonathan Marchessault, Vladislav Namestnikov, Valtteri Filppula
TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Dion Phaneuf, Morgan Rielly

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