NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, December 6th
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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 York Rangers at New York Islanders
| New York Rangers | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Jaroslav Halak | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-8-1 | 9-10-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.65 | 2.46 | 22.70% | 85.10% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.88 | 11.60% | 82.10% |
The Rangers have won every other game over the last eight games including their last game Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Their 5-4-1 record over the last ten games have allowed teams like Columbus and Philadelphia to inch a bit closer in the standings as both of those clubs have seven victories over the last ten games. Michael Grabner, who leads the team in goals with 13, will not be available tonight due to personal reasons. This actually makes it a bit easier for us tonight as the line of Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes and Rick Nash makes for an interesting play here. Hayes leads the team in points with 19 points while Nash has registered two of his last three points with the man advantage. It would make sense that the line of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello will be the group that the Islanders try to shut down tonight. Stepan has five points over the last five games which would make him a nice one-off tonight. I wouldn’t be opposed to using the full line for a GPP play either as there are a lot of offensive teams in play tonight and they may go overlooked. Ryan McDonagh quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit which has scored three goals over the last three games.
The Islanders have scored 15 goals over the last five games but still remain in a tie for last place in the Eastern conference with the Buffalo Sabres. Because the Islanders have turned into a one-line team John Tavares, Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson is the trio to target as by being the home team, they get to choose who they go up against. Tavares leads the team with five of his 19 points coming in the last five games while Bailey is right there with him with a goal and four assists. Casey Cizikas has found his way into the Islanders top four on the scoring chart thanks to four points over the last five games while line mate Anders Lee is now seeing time back on the team’s top power play unit. Nick Leddy is the choice on defense as he joins Lee and the Tavares line when the Islanders have the man advantage. Henrik Lundqvist will probably be between the pipes tonight and is still one of the best in the game.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
NYR: Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh
NYI: Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Nick Leddy, Anders Lee
Florida Panthers at Philadelphia Flyers
| Florida Panthers | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | James Reimer |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 12-11-3 | 14-10-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.32 | 2.44 | 13.20% | 85.00% | Team Stats | 3.11 | 3.07 | 23.70% | 80.80% |
The Panthers limp into this one without their top scorer in Jonathan Marchessault who was injured the other night and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. To make matters worse, Florida hasn’t scored more than two goals in the first 60 minutes in any of their last seven games. Talk about a power outage! Dennis Malgin will get the call to skate on the top line with Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov while the second line has been changed and now has Colton Sceviour skating with Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen. Jagr and Barkov have been responsible for three of the Panthers last six goals so using them here as a tournament play may be the way to go. The second line should only be used as deeper GPP play. The reason I say this is that the Flyers are notorious for inflating the hopes of the Philly faithful, only to come and get knocked down a peg or two. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle are your choices from the back line with Ekblad being the better of the two so far this season. Ekblad started off very slow but has picked it up a little over the last five games while leading the team in shots with 79 of them.
You have to go back to the spring of 2014 to find the last time the Flyers had won five games in a row but yet here they are, trying to make it six against what seems to be a pushover team in the Florida Panthers. I’d be an idiot to guarantee a Florida win here, right? Luckily for us NHL DFS players, it doesn’t matter if your team wins or loses it matters who scores. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Michael Raffl should be the line to target here as it’s only Raffl who doesn’t have 23 points in 23 games. Raffl has however registered three of his seven points over the last five games which is good enough to roster him for a little salary relief on a night that has a few higher priced players in it. Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn are the plays from the second line as they get the top power play minutes along with Giroux and Voracek. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere continues to round out the top unit when the Flyers have the man advantage as he and Mark Streit lead the defensive corps with 13 points so far this season. There are probably better plays from the back line so maybe it’s best to look elsewhere for that tonight.
Elite Plays
FLA: None
PHL: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek
Secondary Plays
FLA: Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad
PHL: Brayden Schenn
Vancouver Canucks at New Jersey Devils
| Vancouver Canucks | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-12-2 | 11-7-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.20 | 2.96 | 13.90% | 85.30% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.71 | 15.40% | 85.50% |
The only thing stopping the Vancouver Canucks from competing at a higher level has been their play away from home. Their 3-7-1 road record is one of the worst in the league and if can improve on that they could get a bit closer to the teams that hold the final playoff spots in the Western conference. They are just a mere four points away from the eighth spot as they embark on a five-game road trip that starts here in Newark tonight. Vancouver has won three of their last five games while scoring just 11 goals and all but one of them were one goal games. We all know the top line of Daniel Sedin, Brandon Sutter and Henrik Sedin is usually the more popular line to target on any given night. Maybe that’s because we are used to seeing them at the top of the Vancouver scoring leaders but for tonight maybe a different attack is in order here. The line of Alexandre Burrows, Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi has not only been gaining some valuable chemistry over the past five games but it is starting to show up on the score sheet as well. This line has scored three goals while garnering five assists over the last five games and although it’s a small sample size they are at least worth a look for your tournament selections tonight. Loui Eriksson seems to be waking up a bit as his three points over the last five games should only be viewed at as one-off tournament play material this evening. Troy Stecher and Ben Hutton are the choices on defense with Stecher being the better play here as his five points and 48 shots on goal in 16 games is almost even with the stats of Hutton, who has played 25 games so far this season.
The Devils have won only two games in their last nine games but were lucky enough to come away with a point in three of their losses by sending those games into overtime. Speaking of overtime, New Jersey’s three goal third period come back at Nashville Saturday afternoon was a thing of beauty as Mike Cammalleri scored his second goal of the afternoon to win it in overtime by a score of 5-4. The Devils will keep their lines intact for tonight’s game against Vancouver so looking at Mike Cammalleri, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri could be a viable cash game option. This line has scored eight goals while registering ten assists over the last five games and should get to see a lot of favorable match ups on home ice tonight. Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique and P.A. Parenteau make up another potential scoring line but the thought process here is that Hall would make a nice one-off play as he has 15 points in the 16 games he has played in so far this season. Defenseman Damon Severson gets extra ice time while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit but maybe John Moore may make more sense here as he has registered half of his six points over the last five games.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
NJ: Mike Cammalleri, Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Brandon Sutter, Troy Stecher, Bo Horvat
NJ: Travis Zajac, Kyle Palmieri
Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres
| Edmonton Oilers | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Anders Nilsson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-10-3 | 9-10-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.93 | 2.56 | 19.00% | 85.70% | Team Stats | 2.00 | 2.46 | 21.70% | 76.80% |
There’s nothing like starting off a nine game slate with the top two picks from 2015 squaring off against each other. Connor McDavid has overcome an injury last year to be a force for the Oilers as he leads the league in scoring with 11 goals and 23 assists in just 27 games. Edmonton is tied for first place in the Pacific division with the San Jose Sharks with 31 points each. Milan Lucic and Leon Draisaitl will flank McDavid on the top line making this a very lucrative GPP play for tonight’s contests. You will have to do some creative spending to fit McDavid on your roster but there is a lot of value out there at different positions which should help you accomplish this if this is the path you choose. Mark Letestu and defenseman Andrej Sekera join the top line to form the team’s top unit when the have the man advantage so it’s really no surprise that these five players lead the team in scoring over the last five games. To deviate from the masses you can look to the second line that features Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or possibly select Patrick Maroon from the team’s third line. Maroon should only be used as a one-off here as he has lit the lamp two times while assisting on another goal over the last five games.
The Buffalo Sabres gave it a good fight last night but ended up losing to the Capitals in overtime by a score of 3-2 last night in Washington. Tonight they take the host the Edmonton Oilers who are in a tie with San Jose for first place in the Pacific division. Head Coach Dan Bylsma looks like he is trying to put his best six together as Ryan O’Reilly now centers Kyle Okposo and Will Carrier while Jack Eichel draws Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart as his wingers. This gives the Sabres two decent scoring lines as long as carrier can pull his weight, if not we may see Matt Moulson back up in the top six. One would have to think that the Eichel line is the one to target here as he has lit the lamp three times and has added an assist in his first three games back from injury. If you are not using full line stacks then Sam Reinhart is the guy you want to pair with Eichel as five of his 14 points have come over the last four games. I don’t have a problem pairing O’Reilly with Okposo either as they make for a nice GPP play ion home ice tonight. Rasmus Ristolainen is the choice on the back line as he has 60 shots on goal while netting 13 points so far this season. It also doesn’t hurt that he is on the top power play unit while logging 26 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
BUF: Jack Eichel
Secondary Plays
EDM: Milan Lucic, Leon Draisaitl, Andrej Sekera, Jordan Eberle
BUF: Sam Reinhart, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen
Montréal Canadiens at St. Louis Blues
| Montréal Canadiens | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-6-2 | 14-7-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.92 | 2.20 | 22.80% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.76 | 22.20% | 87.00% |
The Canadiens throw Paul Byron off the top line and replace him with Max Pacioretty and all of a sudden Montreal can score four goals in regulation and beat the Kings in a shootout on Sunday afternoon. Not bad for a team that hasn’t scored more than two goals in any road game since October 26th. With the leg injury to Alex Galchenyuk Montreal has been forced to switch the lines up yet again. Max Pacioretty will stick with Alexander Radulov on the top line as their new center is now David Desharnais. Although Pacioretty leads the team in goals maybe taking a look at Brendan Gallagher as a one-off play would be better suited for a night like tonight. Gallagher is second on the team with 68 shots and should see some extra room on the away sheet of ice tonight. Shea Weber and Andrei Markov man the points on the top power play unit but have cooled of over the last ten days. Each has 18 points so far this season but have managed just one assist apiece in the last five games. The Blues are 11-1-3 on home ice which may make it a little tough for Montreal tonight.
After winning the first three games on the current five-game home stand the Winnipeg Jets got the best of Montreal with a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday night. Carter Hutton was between the pipes for the Blues that night which is a far cry from playing in front of Jake Allen who has won 12 times in his 15 starts this season. I have a sneaky feeling that although Carey Price will be in the opposing net the line of Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen may be one of the highest owned lines in cash game play tonight. Head coach Ken Hitchcock has flip-flopped Schwartz with Robby Fabbri to form this deadly trio. Paul Stastny and David Perron complete the second line along with the aforementioned Fabbri which quite frankly could do some damage tonight as well. Tarasenko leads the team with 13 goals, 14 assists and 90 shots so getting any exposure to him is highly recommended tonight. Kevin Shattenkirk is the usual play from the point but Alex Pietrangelo has stepped it up over the last ten days as his scoring total has risen to 14 points thanks to a goal and four assists in the last four games. If Price is in net for Montreal, this game could be a good one.
Elite Plays
MTL: Alexander Radulov
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
h3. Secondary Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov
STL: Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, David Perron