NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, February 21st
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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.
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Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils
| Ottawa Senators | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-20-6 | 25-24-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.65 | 17.10% | 83.80% | Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.85 | 17.40% | 81.20% |
The Ottawa Senators missed out on a shot at tying the Montreal Canadiens for the Atlantic Division lead as they lost 3-2 to Winnipeg on home ice Sunday afternoon. They now embark on a four game road trip that starts tonight here in New Jersey. With the injury to Bobby Ryan the Senators will look to the top two lines to get the job done. Ryan Dzingel, Derick Brassard and Mark Stone will skate as one line while Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and Zack Smith make up the other scoring line. Dzingel and Smith are the odd men out when it comes to the top power play unit so keeping the other pairs together makes sense here. Stone has recorded 12 points in the last 10 games as he leads the team with 22 goals while Turris and Hoffman are right behind him with 19 goals apiece. The problem is that both Stone and Hoffman were injured ijn the last game and are considered day-today as of now. Erik Karlsson leads the team from the back line as he soaks up the lion’s share of the power play minutes on a nightly basis. He leads the team with 42 assists and 51 points so look for him to factor into the scoring equation tonight. Ottawa is getting close to leading the division and will look to improve on their 15-10-6 record away from the home crowd.
The Devils split a home-and-home series with the New York Islanders and now look to play their third game in four nights. They cannot afford to lose too many more games in a row as they have slipped to five points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The top line that features Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri should be the line to target here as both players lead the team in points. Hall has 26 assists and 40 pints while Pamieri has lit the lamp 16 times which is tops on the team. Mike Cammalleri has been a healthy scratch the last two games which means the second line of Adam Henrique, Beau Bennett and P.A. Parenteau could change at any time. Henrique looks like a one-off here as his seven points over the last nine games is part of the 32 points he has accrued so far this season. Andy Greene and Damon Severson have been splitting the time on the power play from the back line over the last few games. One game Greene will get a lot of time, then Severson a lot the next game. Severson is the safest choice here as he leads the Devils defensemen with 26 points so far this season.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mark Stone*, Mike Hoffman*, Kyle Turris, Derick Brassard
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, P.A. Parenteau, Damon Severson
Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Matt Murray |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 36-14-8 | 24-23-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.48 | 2.81 | 21.60% | 80.30% | Team Stats | 2.53 | 2.87 | 16.70% | 86.60% |
The Penguins have had a few injuries on their back line which is part of the reason they have dropped their last two games. Justin Schultz and Olli Maata will be out again tonight which leaves Kris Letang as a very solid option on the back line. Letang has found the score sheet 10 times in as many games which adds to his total of 33 points in the 40 games he has dressed for. Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Chris Kunitz will skate on the top line which means that Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin should have a little more room to skate on the ice tonight. Hornqvist has lit the lamp five times over the last 10 games while Malkin has accounted for five points in the four games he has played in since returning from injury. Phil Kessel makes a decent one-off play here as he has 21 goals and 34 assists in 55 games while playing on the top power play unit with Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Hornqvist. Look for Pittsburgh to get back on track tonight.
Carolina has fallen on hard times as they have won just three times in their last 12 attempts and continue to shuffle up the lines trying to find something that may resemble chemistry. Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm have been the line to target over that last few weeks as they have combined for six goals and 13 assists over the last seven games. Jeff Skinner and Teuvo Teravainen will now skate with Phil Di Giuseppe while Victor Rask and Lee Stempniak will wait it out on the third line. Skinner makes a decent one off here as he leads the team with 19 goals and 38 points. Carolina doesn’t have enough talent to sustain three scoring lines so I think the thinking here is that since they are relatively out of the playoffs they are looking towards the future. Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin are the defensive options tonight with Faulk getting the nod as he has 25 points in the 48 games he has suited up for.
Elite Plays
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin
CAR: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
PIT: Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk, Victor Rask
Montréal Canadiens at New York Rangers
| Montréal Canadiens | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-20-8 | 38-19-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.80 | 2.56 | 20.90% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 3.34 | 2.60 | 19.90% | 81.90% |
Montreal could be in big trouble as we head into the last quarter of the season. They have only won two games in their last 10 that they have played and are just two points ahead of the surging Ottawa Senators as they lead the Atlantic Division. Max Pacioretty seems to be the one-off play here as he has collected 12 of his team leading 51 points over the last nine games. Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov complete the top line while Alex Galchenyuk centers Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron on the second line. Gallagher has played two games since his return from injury and although it’s not safe enough to play this line on the road as yet, they certainly can be considered for tournament play. Galchenyuk has notched 30 points in just 38 games so hopefully it won’t take Gallagher to get things back in gear. Shea Weber and Andrei Markov man the points on a power play unit that has scored just once over the last nine games. Weber is usually the cash choice on most nights as he has found the core sheet 32 times this season. Hopefully Montreal can get back to putting the puck in the net as they have scored 11 times over the last eight games.
After the Rangers had their six game winning streak snapped at the hands of the New York Islanders, the team rebounded with a nice 2-1 win at home against the Washington Capitals. They now trail Washington by eight points as their 77 points is good enough for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. New York runs three scoring lines that can score on any given night. This is a good thing, but also a bad thing if you are the wrong line on the wrong night. Micheal Grabner and J.T. Miller have been a thing all year as they not only lead the Rangers in scoring over the last nine games, Grabner leads the team with 26 goals while Miller’s 46 points is tops on the team. Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello have been pretty consistent all year as both Kreider and Zuccarello have over 40 points each. Rick Nash and Derek Stepan anchor the last scoring line as Jimmy Vesey has jumped up to fill the third spot on their line. This line could be looked at as a deeper tournament play as Stepan has been the only consistent player of the three with his 42 points in 58 games. Ryan McDonagh is the choice on the back line as he receives the lion’s share of the power play time from point. Brady Skjei makes for nice punt play option as he has chalked up seven of his 27 points over the last nine games.
Elite Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty
NYR: J.T. Miller
Secondary Plays
MTL: Alexander Radulov, Alex Galchenyuk, Shea Weber, Andrei Markov
NYR: Michael Grabner, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Edmonton Oilers | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Ben Bishop | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-19-8 | 26-24-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.51 | 20.80% | 81.80% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.81 | 21.60% | 80.90% |
The Oilers started this six game road trip out on the right foot by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 3-1 on Saturday night. The win has them with 72 points which is good for a second place tie with the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division. Calgary is a good 10 points back in fourth place so barring some kind of meltdown the Oilers should be in good shape to make the playoffs this season. Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle and Patrick Maroon skate as the team’s top line with McDavid and his high salary making a decent one-off play here. Opponents cannot stop him as their only hope would be to contain him as he leads the league with 67 points. Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic look to be the duo to target here as they both skate with McDavid on the top power play unit and should not draw the best defensive line that the Lightning have. Draisaitl leads the team with 22 goals while Lucic and his 32 points are good enough for fourth on the Oilers scoring list. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins skates on the third line so it’s either him or Mark Letestu that can be used as a cheaper one-off here tonight. Letestu is cheaper and gets exposure to McDavid as he skates on the top power play unit. Oscar Klefbom is the final piece to the power play puzzle from the back line as he has garnered six of his of his 24 points over the last eight games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been battling injuries all season and are still in the playoff hunt with just two months left to go. Their 60 points in the Eastern Conference has the team just four points away from the final playoff spot. Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson are joined by Ondrej Palat on the top line and should be the line to target tonight. Kucherov leads the team with 21 goals and 49 points while Johnson has notched six points in the last six games. Alex Killorn, Brayden Point and Jonathan Drouin skate on the second line that sees Drouin possibly being a one-off here as he has 17 goals and 19 assists in the 50 games he has suited up for. Point has been a bit hot lately as well as his seven points he has scored in the last eight games now has his total at 22 for the season. Defenseman Victor Hedman is the play on the back line if you want to spend some money. Hedman has found the score sheet 10 times over the last eight games which has given him a boost to 48 points on the season which is just one behind Kucherov for the team lead. Jake Dotchin has seen some power play time recently and can be used as a punt play if you need some salary relief on the back end tonight.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
TB: Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Maroon, Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Oscar Klefbom
TB: Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Drouin, Brayden Point
Winnipeg Jets at Toronto Maple Leafs
| Winnipeg Jets | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-29-5 | 27-20-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.87 | 3.11 | 17.50% | 77.10% | Team Stats | 3.10 | 2.88 | 23.00% | 83.50% |
When we talk about Winnipeg it is usually about their ability to score goals and not their inability to let up goals. I mean after all the name of the game is scoring goals. Their 61 points has them just one point away from the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault will probably draw the most attention from the Toronto defense as this is the best scoring line the Jets have. Laine and Scheifele each have tallied 12 points over the last 10 games while Scheifele’s 60 points leads the team. Laine is no slouch either as he leads the team with 28 goals while tallying 52 points so far this season. Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers is the line to target here for your tournament plays with Wheeler looking like the one-off tonight. Wheeler has grabbed seven points over the last 10 games while finding the score sheet 48 times in the 61 games he has played in. It looks as if Jacob Trouba may have to serve a little time for his hit on Ottawa’s Mark Stone the other night. Because Stone did not return to that game, Trouba may get a stiffer suspension. Only time will tell. Meanwhile Dustin Byfuglien is the player you need to look at on the defensive side of things. Byfuglien has tallied 38 points so far this season and will no doubt see an increase in power play time if Trouba is out for a few games.
Toronto crawled back into the final playoff spot in the eastern Conference on Sunday night with a decisive shut out win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple Leafs return home to face the Winnipeg Jets and should be able to score more goals than they do. Head coach Mike Babcock had hinted about maybe being some lineup changes but as of yet there doesn’t seem to be any. Mitchel Marner is still day-to-day so I would look to Auston Matthews and William Nylander to lead the team tonight. Matthews has 28 goals and 49 points which leads the team in both of those categories while Nylander’s 17 power play points is tops on the team. Nazem Kadri has grabbed 11 of his 46 points over the last 11 games which gives him a decent choice to be a one-off in your lineups tonight. Connor Brown notched two goals the other night as it seemed like he enjoyed playing next to Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. Defensemen Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev have been seeing plenty of power play time over the last two weeks and both are in play tonight. Gardiner has racked up 28 points while Zaitsev’s 26 points are just two behind him for the team lead where defensemen are concerned.
Elite Plays
WIN: Mark Scheifele
TOR: Auston Matthews
Secondary Plays
WIN: Patrik Laine, Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien
TOR: Nazem Kadri, Josh Leivo, Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner