NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, February 7th
Jump to Page 1 2 3
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 FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.
San Jose Sharks at Buffalo Sabres
| San Jose Sharks | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Anders Nilsson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-17-3 | 21-21-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.68 | 2.26 | 17.40% | 82.60% | Team Stats | 2.43 | 2.71 | 22.10% | 73.80% |
Thanks to a sterling 8-1-1 record over the last 10 games the San Jose Sharks have been able to open up a three point lead in the Pacific Division. This coincides with the re-emergence of Patrick Marleau as he has been reunited with Logan Couture on the team’s second line and has been able to light the lamp seven times and grab four assists over the last 11 games. To the untrained eye, this seems like the normal but Marleau has been struggling this season as he has tallied just 30 points in 53. Couture has scored a team leading seven power play goals while collecting a third best 36 points so pairing these two up on the road makes sense here. Mikkel Boedker is the third piece to the second line but he has been a disappointment so far this season with just six goals to go along with 12 assists. Tomas Hertl has returned from injury four games ago and has helped the Sharks get a little closer to getting two scoring lines together as he skates with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. Pavelski and Thornton join Marleau and Couture on the team’s top power play unit that has Thornton leading the team with 13 power play assists. Meanwhile Pavelski has grabbed 17 of his 46 points when the Sharks have the man advantage. Brent Burns is the chalk defenseman on most nights and tonight is no different. He leads the team with 22 goals and 33 assists. San Jose starts an east coast four game road trip and should be ready to go against a Buffalo team that played last night.
Buffalo lost a close one last night to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-1. The loss puts the Sabres into a last place tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo will look to the top line of Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson to at least give the team a shot of winning tonight. Okposo leads the team with 15 goals and 33 points while O’Reilly has added 31 points of his own in the 42 games he has suited up for. Both get the lion’s share of power play minutes along with second liners Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Eichel has managed to find the score sheet six times over the last eight games which give him 23 points in 31 games. If you want to take a gamble on a hot player look no further than Evander Kane as he has grabbed seven points in the last eight games on 39 shots. Both of those numbers lead the squad over the last two weeks. Rasmus Ristolainen is the play from the back line but Cody Franson has found the score sheet six times over the past eight games. The Sabres aren’t a good team so shying away from them tonight may be the best thing to do.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
BUF: None
Secondary Plays
SJ: Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton
BUF: Kyle Okposo, Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart
Calgary Flames at Pittsburgh Penguins
| Calgary Flames | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Chad Johnson |  | Matt Murray | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-25-3 | 33-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.82 | 21.70% | 80.10% | Team Stats | 3.57 | 2.86 | 22.70% | 78.80% |
The Calgary Flames lost a close one to the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon and now they look to get back on the winning track against a good Pittsburgh team. The Flames are hanging on to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference and will need a few wins in the coming weeks to stay there. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Troy Brouwer skate on the team’s top line that sees Monahan’s 19 goals leading the team while Gaudreau’s 35 points is just two away from the team lead despite missing 10 games this season. Mikael Backlund makes for a decent one-off here from the second line as he has collected eight of his team leading 37 points over the last 10 games. Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik skate with him at even strength and can be used here if you play more than a few lineups to try to take down a tournament tonight. Dougie Hamilton is in the mix from the back line as his team leading 155 shots on goal has resulted into eight goals and 25 assists this season. T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano can also be used here as they help make one of the better defensive scoring units in the league with 22 points apiece.
Evgeni Malkin will miss his fifth straight game tonight as the Penguins host the Calgary Flames. Based on yesterday’s practice, the Penguins have reunited Chris Kunitz with Sidney Crosby to skate on the team’s top line along with Bryan Rust. This should help Kunitz get some confidence back as he has lit the lamp just six times this season while floundering on the third and fourth lines. Patric Hornqvist was dropped to the third line but will still a good chunk of the ice time when the Penguins draw a penalty. Nick Bonino gets a bump here as well as he looks to be centering that top power play unit alongside of Phil Kessel, who leads the team with 23 power play points. Both will be joined by Jake Guentzel on the second line at even strength. Guentzel has shown flashes of his offensive prowess and looks to improve on his eight points he has collected in the 14 games he has played in. Defenseman Justin Schultz continues to see the top power play minutes even though Kris Letang has returned to the lineup. Either make a good play here as Schultz has tallied 11 points in the last 10 games while Letang has netted two goals to go along with two assists in the four games he has been back from injury. Look for Pittsburgh to improve on their 22-3-2 record in front of the home crowd tonight.
Elite Plays
CGY: Mikael Backlund
PIT: Sidney Crosby
Secondary Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Matthew Tkachuk
PIT: Phil Kessel, Chris Kunitz, Justin Schultz, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
| Carolina Hurricanes | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-20-7 | 36-11-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.78 | 17.10% | 87.70% | Team Stats | 3.28 | 2.08 | 20.60% | 84.50% |
Carolina has won their last three games including their seventh road win against the New York Islanders last Saturday night. Washington will test their will at every turn tonight as they have only given up 114 goals this season which leads the league. Jeff Skinner will skate on the top line with Derek Ryan and Lee Stempniak but it’s been the second and third lines that have been doing the damage of late. Sebastian Aho was named one of the three stars of the week as he has lit the lamp six times in the last nine games to up his total to 16 on the year. Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm skate with Aho on the second line and have combined for three goals and 14 assists in the last nine games. With so many other teams not playing the Washington Capitals tonight, maybe the best strategy here is to stay away. Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin are the choices from the back line as they each get the extra time on the power play although they quarterback different lines with the man advantage. Faulk is the best bet here as he has registered 24 points in the 44 games he has suited up for.
Washington started this four game home stand with a solid 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday afternoon. Winning at home has been commonplace for the Capitals this season as they have won 21 of the 27 games they have played in front of the home crowd. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie is the line to target here as they each been a point per game player or better over the last 11 games. Backstrom leads the way with 53 points while Ovechkin’s 25 goals is tops on the team. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson skate on the second line and could be used as a tournament play here tonight. Kuznetsov would likely be the one-off play here as his 14 points over the last 11 games have propelled him to third place on the team’s scoring chart with 42 points. Third liner Andre Burakovsky has found his scoring touch while racking up 12 of his 28 points over the last 11 games. John Carlson and Matt Niskanen are the choices from the blue line with Carlson normally being the defenseman of choice. He hasn’t recorded a point since he came back from injury five games ago so maybe Niskanen’s 11 points in the last 11 games looks a bit more lucrative.
Elite Plays
CAR: None
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Justin Faulk
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Matt Niskanen, Andre Burakovsky
Anaheim Ducks at New York Rangers
| Anaheim Ducks | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | John Gibson |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-16-10 | 33-18-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.57 | 2.46 | 21.20% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 3.37 | 2.65 | 21.30% | 82.00% |
Anaheim should be in good shape where the playoffs are concerned as their 66 points has the team in fifth place overall in the Western Conference. They will need to play a bit better on the road however as they have dropped the first two games of their six game road trip. Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will skate as the team’s top line against a Ranger team that has lost 11 games on home ice so far this season. Getzlaf leads the team with eight points in the last 10 games while Rakell’s 21 goals is tops on the team. These three are joined by team leader Ryan Kesler to form the Sharks top line when they draw a penalty. Kesler makes for a decent one-off play here as 17 of his team leading 42 points with the man advantage. Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano join Kesler at even strength on a line that should have some room on the ice tonight. Silfverberg can be used to pair with Kesler as his team leading 135 shots on goal has produced 33 points. Cam Fowler is the choice from the back line as he logs most of the minutes on a power play that has scored five times over the last eight games. The Ducks will need to score more goals than the 20 they have tallied over the last nine games to stay in contention for the Pacific Division crown.
The Rangers are perhaps one of worst teams to figure out as they have scored 177 goals this season yet they have only two players with 20 or more goals. Chris Kreider is one of them with 21 goals as he skates on the team’s top line with Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello. Zuccarello leads the team with 29 assists while Zibanejad has racked up 20 points in the 27 games he has suited up for. Jimmy Vesey will remain on the second line with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash while the third line features J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner. Miller surprisingly leads the team with 40 points while Grabner’s 23 goals is tops on the team. Miller also leads the team with nine points in the last nine games. Ryan McDonagh is the defenseman of choice here as he has collected 12 of his 30 points while manning the point on the team’s top power play unit. Besides Colorado, the Rangers 15 losses at home are the most in the league.
Elite Plays
ANA: Ryan Kesler
NYR: Chris Kreider
Secondary Plays
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, Cam Fowler
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh
St. Louis Blues at Ottawa Senators
| St. Louis Blues | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Carter Hutton |  | Mike Condon | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-22-5 | 27-17-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 3.10 | 21.90% | 83.90% | Team Stats | 2.66 | 2.68 | 17.40% | 83.10% |
With the injury to Robby Fabbri the beleaguered St Louis Blues were forced to do something drastic and put Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen on the top line. This would normally not be optimal on the road against good defensive teams but were able to get away with it against the listless Philadelphia Flyers last night. With the 2-0 win the Blues are now tied for the eighth playoff spot with the Calgary Flames with 57 points in the Western Conference. The second line was able to account for one of the goals last night as Kenny Agostino lit the lamp in the first game he has played in this season. Line mates David Perron and Jori Lehtera had the helpers and could be a sneaky stack here tonight in Ottawa. The Senators have just one win in their last four tries on home ice so sticking with the top line may prove to be profitable tonight. Defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors in the past two weeks but that hasn’t stopped him from posting 10 points in the last 12 games. It also helps that he anchors the team’s top power play unit that features Tarasenko, Stastny and Steen.
Ottawa clings to second place in the Atlantic Division with 60 points. This could easily be erased as both Boston and Toronto are just two points behind them which sees Philadelphia hanging onto the eighth playoff spot with 59 points in the conference. This could be problematic if the team was to go on a losing streak. As it is they have only won two games out of the last six so maybe the cracks are starting to show. Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Kyle Turris all have 36 or more points and sit 2-3-4 on the Senators scoring chart. It would be great if any of them played together on an even strength line together but since they don’t we have to rely on the power play if we want to get exposure to them when the Senators score a goal. They are all tied for the team lead with 18 goals which in a sense makes them all a decent one-off play here tonight. Turris centers Ryan Dzingel and Bobby Ryan while Hoffman skates with Tom Pyatt and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Stone skates with Derick Brassard and Zack Smith which is probably the safest line to target when you consider that they have managed to tally nine points each over the last 11 games. Erik Karlsson leads the team with 44 points while Dion Phaneuf joins him on the top power play unit. It seems that Phaneuf has been stuck at 20 points for a few games but he still has 11 power play points to his credit.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
OTT: Erik Karlsson
Secondary Plays
STL: Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Stastny
OTT: Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Zack Smith, Derick Brassard