NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, January 26th
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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Chicago Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes – 07:00 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Eddie Lack | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-15-4 | 22-20-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 2.25 | 22.10% | 82.40% | Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.68 | 16.90% | 82.00% |
The Blackhawks got back on the winning track on Sunday night with a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues and will be looking to avenge a 2-1 loss by the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes when these two teams met several weeks ago in Chicago. While Carolina has played quiet well defensively lately (2.25 goals against per game during the month of January), both of the Hawks top two lines are extremely dangerous. Patrick Kane is well on his way to winning the NHL scoring title this season and has now racked up a ridiculous 30 goals and 43 assists (and a +24) in 52 games. He’s thriving both at even strength and on the #1 power-play unit alongside the Calder Trophy front runner Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. Alternatively, Jonathan Toews has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last four games but should be able to focus more attention to his offensive game tonight and looks like a solid option alongside Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw on the “second” line. It is worth noting Marian Hossa rather drastic home vs road splits as he’s only tallied two goals and four assists in 23 games away from the United Center. On defense, both Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith continue to log huge minutes and are staples on the point of the top power-play unit. They’ve both already cracked the 30 point plateau and can be used with confidence in all formats.
The Hurricanes took advantage of a nice matchup against the defensively challenged Flames on Sunday and cruised to an easy 5-2 victory. While that offensive explosion was nice to see, they had posted just four total goals in the four games prior. With 17 other teams on the schedule tonight, I’m simply not overly interested in much exposure to the Hurricanes tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Corey Crawford has posted an insane 9-1-0 record and 1.40 GAA during the month of January and their most dangerous line containing Kris Versteeg and Eric Staal will likely see a heavy dose of the “Toews treatment”. Jordan Staal picked up a pair of assists on Sunday and has now posted four goals and six assists in his last ten games making him an option in GPP’s. Justin Faulk has been held to just three assists over his last 14 games, but his power-play prowess makes him an intriguing tournament option on the blue-line.
Elite Options
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith
CAR: None
Secondary Options
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw, Teuvo Teravainen
CAR: Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Kris Versteeg, Jeff Skinner, Justin Faulk
Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins – 07:00 PM EST
| Anaheim Ducks | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | John Gibson |  | Tuukka Rask | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-18-7 | 25-17-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.02 | 2.33 | 18.70% | 89.40% | Team Stats | 2.96 | 2.60 | 26.00% | 84.90% |
Anaheim will wrap up a two game (would have been three) road trip tonight in Boston, and despite a disappointing 21-18-7 record through 46 games, they’re finally starting to gain some traction. Anaheim has gone 8-3-1 over their last 12 games and have tallied at least three goals in five of their last seven games. With that said, they’re still the lowest scoring team in the NHL this season (2.02 goals per game) and own just a 7-10-3 on the road this season. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf remain the two most dangerous offensive weapons, but Bruce Boudreau recently split up the dangerous duo at even strength. Getzlaf found himself playing alongside newcomer David Perron and Chris Stewart against Detroit with Corey Perry lining up alongside Rickard Rakell and Patrick Maroon on another line. With that said, Ryan Kesler and Jakob Silfverberg have been their hottest skaters lately, posting 9 points in 10 games this month. Trying to figure out which line will get the Bergeron/Marchand treatment seems futile until at this point. On defense, rookie Shea Theodore saw his four game point streak come to an end on Saturday and is one of the better value plays on the blue-line tonight as the point man on the #1 power-play unit.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Boston found a way to take two points away from the visiting Philadelphia Flyers last night and have now won five of their last six games to put them right back into the thick of things in the Atlantic Division. They’ll have their hands full once again tonight against the suddenly streaking Anaheim Ducks. With David Krejci finally back in action, it’s once again a two-headed offensive attack from the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron leads the team with 44 points in 48 games and has picked up points in five straight games. He joins long-time partner Brad Marchand (and Brett Connolly) on one of the strongest two-way lines in the NHL. Bergeron has tallied 11 goals and 16 assists in 25 home games this season and is still very reasonable priced on several sites. Krejci has resumed his responsibilities as the second line center and is flanked by two talented wingers in Ryan Spooner and Loui Eriksson. Spooner has racked up two goals and 12 assists over his last 13 games while Eriksson remains way too cheap in many spots for a guy with 39 points and a +11 on the season. While the Ducks’ #1 penalty kill is a bit of a buzzkill, both Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara still log heavy minutes on the point of the Boston power-play. The tough matchup likely makes them better served for GPP use, but they shouldn’t be overlooked.
Elite Options
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand
Secondary Options
ANA: Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, David Perron, Rickard Rakell, Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen
BOS: David Krejci, Ryan Spooner, Loui Eriksson, Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EST
| New Jersey Devils | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-19-5 | 23-17-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.29 | 18.90% | 81.30% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.49 | 19.50% | 83.30% |
The Devils picked up a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday and have now posted wins in four straight games. The Devils shutout the Penguins in their only previous meeting, but they’re only averaging 2.29 goals per game this season and are the slowest paced team in the NHL this season (89.6 CP60). Michael Cammalleri leads the Devils with 38 points in 41 games and has scored a goal and dished out two assists in that first meeting against Pittsburgh. He’s joined by Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak on the top line and is really the only Devil I’m considering in cash games. Alternatively, Travis Zajac, Joseph Blandisi and Kyle Palmieri joins forces on the second forward line and all three are not only cheap across the industry, but flashed their GPP winning upside recently. Few teams in the NHL have seen less offensive production from their blue-line than the Devils and there’s not much to like from that group tonight against Pittsburgh’s fine 83.3% penalty kill.
The Penguins saw Sunday’s scheduled game against the Washington Capitals canceled by Winter Storm Jonas and should benefit from the extra day of rest as they return home to host the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins have slipped into fifth place in the Atlantic Division and desperately need two points tonight to pull even with the surging Devils. Chris Kunitz is slated to be a game-time decision leading up to puck drop tonight, but the Penguins can roll with two very dangerous forward lines regardless of his status. While New Jersey will look to clog up the neutral zone as much as possible, both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are simply too talented to ignore. Malkin leads the team with 47 points in 47 games and centers Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin on one line with Sidney Crosby playing alongside Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary (or Kunitz, if he laces things up) on another. Crosby has picked up points in six straight games and has now tallied ten goals and eleven assists in his last 16 games. Kris Letang won’t come cheap but he’s tallied five goals and eleven assists in ten games since New Years Eve and quarterbacks Pittsburgh’s lethal #1 power-play unit.
Elite Options
NJD: None
PIT: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang
Secondary Options
NJD: Mike Cammalleri, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac
PIT: Conor Sheary, Eric Fehr, Olli Maatta
Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers – 07:30 PM EST
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | James Reimer |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-20-9 | 28-15-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.37 | 2.67 | 16.10% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.21 | 15.40% | 82.90% |
The Maple Leafs lost in a shootout to Montreal on Saturday and have now dropped seven of their last eight games and are sitting just one point above the Buffalo Sabres near the bottom of the Atlantic Division. While they’ve shown some improvements as they year’s progressed under Mike Babcock, it’s clear that this team is still at least a year away from being a legitimate playoff threat in the Eastern Conference. They’ll head to Miami tonight to take on the Division leading Florida Panthers and it’s tough to get too excited about anyone from Toronto as only the Washington Capitals have allowed fewer than Florida’s 2.21 goals against per game this season.
Florida followed up an impressive 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks with an enormous win against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Their top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov has carried them offensively lately and look like terrific (and reasonably priced) options against the Maple Leafs tonight. Jagr has posted 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 home games this season while Huberdeau leads the team with 34 points in 48 games and has racked up four goals and five assists over the last nine games. On defense, Aaron Ekblad has picked up points in each of the last two games and the 19 year-old looks fully recovered from the upper body injury that held him out of the lineup last week. He’s stepped back into his role as the quarterback of the teams #1 power-play unit and should skate into plenty of scoring opportunities against the Maple Leafs middling 80.8% penalty kill.
Elite Options
TOR: None
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad
Secondary Options
TOR: Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Tyler Bozak, Morgan Reilly, Dion Phaneuf, Jake Gardiner
FLA: Aleksander Barkov, Reilly Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Dmitry Kulikov
Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators – 07:30 PM EST
| Buffalo Sabres | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Chad Johnson |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 19-25-4 | 23-20-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.23 | 2.60 | 20.70% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 3.02 | 18.10% | 75.60% |
Buffalo fell 6-3 at Madison Square Garden last night against the Rangers and have now dropped three straight games. While they may not be the same dumpster fire that they were last season, they’re still the worst 5×5 team in the NHL this season and not a reliable source for fantasy production. However, the Senators have been a mess defensively and sport an atrocious 75.6% penalty kill, so overlooking them completely could be a mistake tonight. Ryan O’Reilly was was a non-factor in last night’s game but still leads the Sabres with 17 goals and 23 assists in 48 games this season. He’ll team up with Evander Kane (and likely Jamie McGinn) on the top line and #1 power-play unit and easily possess enough offensive upside to be on your radar tonight. Zemgus Girgensons scored a pair of goals (with assists from Jack Eichel) in his return from an upper body injury last night and his presence provides Eichel with some offensive help on the second line. Rasmus Ristolainen will look to take advantage of the Senators poor penalty kill as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit and finds himself on pace for 53 points in his third NHL season.
The Senators draw one of the more favorable matchups on the board tonight against a struggling Buffalo team that battled the New York Rangers last night in New York City. Ottawa defeated Buffalo 3-1 in their only other meeting this season and are fresh off of an impressive shutout victory over the Rangers on Sunday. Erik Karlsson saw his four game scoring streak snapped on Sunday but still leads all NHL defenseman (and the Senators) with 51 points in 49 games this season. No one in the NHL is averaging more than his 28:48 average ice-time this season and he’s the premier play of the evening on the blue-line if you can afford him. Up-front Mike Hoffman has scored 12 goals and added 10 assists in 20 home games this season and picked up a pair of assists against Buffalo in their first meeting. With Kyle Turris still nursing an ankle injury and questionable for tonight’s game, Hoffman would likely join Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan on the top forward line. Bobby Ryan has tallied four goals and a pair of assists over the last five games and all three players are well worth consideration in all formats.
Elite Options
BUF: None
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad, Erik Karlsson
Secondary Options
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Jack Eichel, Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Ristolainen
OTT: Mark Stone, Cody Ceci