NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, March 15th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-03-16 02:08:33

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.

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Carolina Hurricanes					Washington Capitals
			Cam Ward					Braden Holtby
			Record					Record
			31-26-12					49-14-5
Team Stats	2.45	2.65	17.70%	83.10%	Team Stats	3.16	2.34	23.80%	84.20%

After losing an overtime decision to Buffalo on Saturday, the Hurricanes will continue their five-game road trip tonight with a daunting visit to our nations capital to battle the NHL best Washington Capitals. Carolina hasn’t been a great source for fantasy production all season, and one an eight game slate, it seems logical to skip right over them tonight for your cash games. In GPP’s only, there are some intriguing options here. Jeff Skinner has come alive with points in four straight games and has now tallied seven goals and eight assists (and a plus 5) in 18 games since the All-Star break. He’s already lit the lamp twice against Washington this season and has looked dangerous skating alongside Victor Rask. Then there’s Jordan Staal. He’s been held off the scoresheet in each of the last three games but he has posted 40 points in 69 games and can be a force when he seems interested. His linemate Elias Lindholm is flashing the talent that made him the 5th overall draft-pick a couple years ago as he’s scored five goals and added 14 assists in his last 28 games. On defense, the Hurricanes are still awaiting the return of Justin Faulk. His status for tonight’s game still remains unclear, but his absence would solidify the minutes of another former first round pick, Noah Hanifin.

The Capitals have all but wrapped up the President’s Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and it’s starting to show a bit in their performance. They’ll return home to the Verizon Center center tonight after a very tough four game road trip having lost two straight games and owning just a 5-4-1 record in their last ten games. Barry Trotz won’t take too kindly to a prolonged slump from his team and will want them to ramp up their effort/energy level now so they’ll be at full speed by the time the playoffs come around. Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL with 41 goals and is always a strong option but he hasn’t found the back of the net in five straight games and has admitted to still being bothered by a lower-body injury. Coach Trotz shuffled things up in Monday’s practice, shifting T.J. Oshie down to play alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov on the second line and giving Jay Beagle a crack alongside Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top line. Beagle hasn’t provided much offense thus far during his career, but this news is enough to make him a viable value play on the wing. On defense, Matt Niskanen continues to fill in admirably for the injured John Carlson. Niskanen has averaged 26 minutes of ice-time in seven games this month and has plenty of offensive upside. Alternatively, Dmitry Orlov has tallied seven goals and 11 assists (and a plus 10) in 34 home games this season and now sees a healthy dose of playing time on the point of the #2 power-play unit.

Carolina Hurricanes

CF%: 52.5, CP60: 106.6, 5×5 Differential: -18
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm (all GPP only)

Washington Capitals

CF%: 50.4, CP60: 110, 5×5 Differential: 35
Elite Options: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Secondary Options: T.J. Oshie, Jay Beagle, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov

Detroit Red Wings at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Detroit Red Wings					Philadelphia Flyers
			Petr Mrazek					Steve Mason
			Record					Record
			34-24-11					32-23-12
Team Stats	2.48	2.57	17.00%	80.70%	Team Stats	2.57	2.58	18.90%	79.60%

In what’s essentially a playoff game at this point, the Detroit Red Wings will look to bounce back from an embarrassing shutout loss at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. The Flyers are nipping at their heals for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and Detroit really needs to make a statement tonight or their streak of 24 straight playoff appearances will be very much in jeopardy. Tonight’s game kicks off a tough four game road trip for the Red Wings that will likely go a long way towards determining their playoff fate. While the Wings look to be gripping their sticks a bit too tightly right now, there’s no shortage of firepower on each of Coach Blashill’s top two forward lines. Henrik Zetterberg leads the team with 43 points and headlines the top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader, leaving Pavel Datsyuk to lead Tomas Tatar and the lightning quick Andreas Athanasiou on the second line. On defense, Niklas Kronwall will miss the next couple of weeks with a sprained knee, meaning both Mike Green and Danny DeKeyser should prepare for a very heavy workload. Both blue-liners see plenty of playing time with the man advantage and should be eager to get a crack at Philly’s mediocre 79.6% penalty kill.

With a win over the Red Wings tonight, the seemingly once on life-support Flyers can pull within one point of Detroit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have posted a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games and we should see some desperate hockey from them tonight as they’ll head out for five of their next six games on the road. It sounds like the Flyers will once again be without the services of Jakub Voracek, but his absence clearly hasn’t seemed to hold them back too much. Claude Giroux leads the charge with 57 points in 64 games and is slated to be joined by Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn on both the top line and #1 power-play unit. He lit the lamp against Detroit in Philadelphia’s 2-1 shootout victory earlier this season and has racked up four goals and 14 assists in 17 games since the All-Star break. While those three are clearly the most dangerous offensive weapons in this Flyers lineup, Dave Hakstol has found some consistent secondary scoring from his pesky second line of Michael Raffl, Sean Couturier and Sam Gagner. Raffl scored a goal and added an assist against Florida on Saturday and has now picked up two goals and three assists in his last four games. On defense, the legend of “The Ghost” just keeps building. Shayne Gostisbehere scored his 15th goal of the season on Saturday and has now tallied 38 points in 49 games during his rookie campaign.

Detroit Red Wings

CF%: 51.8, CP60: 101.6, 5×5 Differential: 4
Elite Options: Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Mike Green
Secondary Options: Pavel Datsyuk, Justin Abdelkader, Gustav Nyquist, Danny DeKeyser

Philadelphia Flyers

CF%: 50.4, CP60: 112.7, 5×5 Differential: 5
Elite Options: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Shayne Gostisbehere
Secondary Options: Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, Michael Raffl, Mark Streit

New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins – 07:00 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
New York Islanders					Pittsburgh Penguins
			Thomas Greiss					Marc-Andre Fleury
			Record					Record
			37-21-8					36-24-8
Team Stats	2.82	2.45	19.50%	85.40%	Team Stats	2.74	2.49	18.50%	83.50%

The Islanders stormed back with three goals in the third period to steal two points from the Florida Panthers and now find themselves just one point behind the cross-town rival New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division. They won’t have much time to bask in the enjoyment as they’ll travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Penguins. John Tavares and Kyle Okposo easily lead this team in scoring and join forces on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. With an assist last night, Tavares extended his point streak to five games and the Islanders’ captain has now tallied ten goals and 11 assists in 20 games since the All-Star break. Okposo has also heated up with three goals and five assists in seven games this month. Those two will be joined by Josh Bailey on the top line and by both Frans Nielsen and Anders Lee on the top power-play unit. Nielsen has dished out three assists in the two prior meetings against Pittsburgh and is somewhat quietly just one goal shy from posting his second career 20-goal season. Nick Leddy has emerged as the top option on the blue-line. The 24 year-old has taken over as the point-man on the top power-play unit and owns two goals and 16 assists in 20 games since the break. He’s scored a goal and added a pair of assists in the two games against Pittsburgh this season and remains well underpriced throughout the industry.

It was a tough weekend for the Penguins as they learned they’d be without Evgeni Malkin for the remainder of the regular season (and possibly longer), but they rallied behind each other and picked up a huge win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. With Pittsburgh fighting both Detroit and Philadelphia (who play each other tonight) for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, they’ll need to defend their home ice against the Islanders tonight. Sidney Crosby looks ready to put this team on his back as he’s racked up four goals and nine assists during his current eight-game point streak. His career numbers against the Islanders are insane as he’s tallied 29 goals and added 63 assists in 52 games and he’s clearly a top-tier option at the center position tonight. He’ll be joined by Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist both on the top line and #1 power-play, solidifying both wingers as fine targets as well. Alternatively, Matt Cullen has inherited Malkin’s old role between Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin and he scored the game winner (albeit in very lucky fashion) on Sunday. On defense, Kris Letang is clearly the #1 option. He’s tallied points in four straight games and has scored a goal and added three assists in the two prior meetings against the Islanders. Justin Schultz now joins him on the point of the top power-play and former Oiler has looks poised for a strong finish with his new team.

New York Islanders

CF%: 50, CP60: 111.7, 5×5 Differential: 11
Elite Options: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Nick Leddy
Secondary Options: Frans Nielsen, Anders Lee, Travis Hamonic

Pittsburgh Penguins

CF%: 52.2, CP60: 109.2, 5×5 Differential: 13
Elite Options: Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
Secondary Options: Chris Kunitz, Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz

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

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Tampa Bay Lightning					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Ben Bishop					Garret Sparks
			Record					Record
			40-24-5					23-34-11
Team Stats	2.71	2.32	16.40%	83.30%	Team Stats	2.26	2.87	14.90%	80.70%

Tampa put an end to a three game losing skid with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. John Cooper’s squad has ridden a 10-2-1 record over their last 13 games to get right back into the race for home-ice advantage atop the Atlantic Division. They’ll their road trip tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs and simply can’t afford to leave two points on the table in this very favorable matchup. It’s a home coming for Steven Stamkos and the sniper will hope to build upon his two goals and one assist performance on Sunday. He’ll be joined by Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan on the Bolt’s top forward unit, leaving Tyler Johnson to center Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov on the “second” line. Kucherov is tied with Stamkos for the team lead with 55 points and has scored a goal and added a pair of assists against the Leafs in their three prior meetings, just be sure to monitor his status as he was forced to the locker room early on Sunday. Tyler Johnson has turned things on since the All-Star break and owns two goals in two games against Toronto in two meetings. On the blue-line, both VIctor Hedman and Anton Stralman log huge minutes and see plenty of run with the man-advantage. With the Leafs owning a subpar 19th-ranked penalty kill, both look like fine options in all formats.

The Maple Leafs played in inspired hockey game (and perhaps more importantly Jonathan Bernier stood on his head) to give Mike Babcock a win over his former team on Sunday, but it shouldn’t change the way you view this team tonight. The Leafs have posted a 4-12-2 record over their last 18 games and have been defeated by this Tampa Bay team in all three prior meetings. Tampa has more skill, more experience and more incentive and fading the Leafs in cash games looks like a very easy decision. The Lightning have allowed just 2.32 goals against per game this season and sport a rock solid 83.3% penalty kill. Up-front, the top line consisting of Nikita Soshnikov, Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov unloaded 10 shots at Petr Mrazek on Sunday and have at least some GPP upside. On defense, Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner soak up nearly all of the available playing time with the man advantage and are really the only two options worth any kind of look.

Tampa Bay Lightning

CF%: 52.1, CP60: 106.3, 5×5 Differential: 19
Elite Options: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman
Secondary Options: Ondrej Palat, Ryan Callahan, Anton Stralman

Toronto Maple Leafs

CF%: 51.9, CP60: 113.7, 5×5 Differential: -31
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Morgan Rielly

Minnesota Wild at Ottawa Senators – 07:30 PM EDT

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild					Ottawa Senators
			Devan Dubnyk					Craig Anderson
			Record					Record
			32-27-10					32-30-8
Team Stats	2.62	2.46	18.90%	76.50%	Team Stats	2.80	3.03	17.00%	74.80%

It’s officially “Put up, or shut up” time for the Minnesota Wild as they’ll enter action tonight sitting tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They picked up a big win in Montreal on Saturday and will finish off a three game road trip with two very winnable road games, the first of which in Ottawa tonight. After free-falling after the All-Star break, this team has rallied around new coach John Torchetti and posted a 9-5-0 record over their last 14 games. Their clear motivation, coupled by the fact that the Senators have allowed an ugly 3.03 goals against per game and sport an ugly 74.8% penalty kill, gives Minnesota plenty of appeal tonight. It’s been a bit of a down season for Zach Parise (by his standards), but this is the time of the year where the Minnesota front office will be looking for him to earn his $98 million. He’ll be joined by leading scorer Mikko Koivu and emerging Charlie Coyle on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit and all three look like nice targets in all formats. While they’re the top options, guys like Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek and Mikael Granlund also have some GPP appeal in this nice matchup. On the blue-line, Ryan Suter sky-rockets up my rankings tonight. He’s not only second in the entire league in average ice-time per game, but quarterbacks the top power-play unit. With 45 points in 69 games and a modest price-tag on most sites, he’s one of the top cash game options on defense. Former first-round pick Matt Dumba has come alive with five goals and eight assists in 20 second-half games and joins Suter on point of the top power-play unit.

March has not been too kind to the Senators, but they played one of their best games of the season in a shutout victory against Toronto on Saturday and are still narrowly hanging onto their slim playoff chances. Erik Karlsson leads this team, and all NHL defensemen, with 70 points in 70 games and, considering Minnesota’s recent struggles on the penalty kill, should be well worth his big-ticket asking price. Up-front, the trio of Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone have been on quite the heater for weeks now. Stone has exploded for 11 goals and 13 assists (and a plus 11) in 20 games since the break, while both Smith and Pageau have tallied 19 points in that same span. While they’ve likely earned a full dose of Parise’s stong defense, it’s impossible to ignore their recent production. Mike Hoffman hasn’t gotten along too well with Coach Dave Cameron this season, but his offensive talent is undeniable when given the opportunity. He finally snapped a six-game pointless streak with an assist on Saturday and teams up with Mika Zibanejad to form a very capable secondary scoring line. Bobby Ryan is also a notable option as he joins Pageau on the top power-play unit and already has four 30-goal seasons on his resume.

Minnesota Wild

CF%: 47.9, CP60: 106.4, 5×5 Differential: 13
Elite Options: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
Secondary Options: Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek, Matt Dumba

Ottawa Senators

CF%: 47.4, CP60: 111.5, 5×5 Differential: -3
Elite Options: Mark Stone, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Erik Karlsson
Secondary Options: Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Bobby Ryan, Dion Phaneuf