NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, March 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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Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Matt Murray |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 45-17-9 | 30-31-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.46 | 2.75 | 22.10% | 80.40% | Team Stats | 2.49 | 2.79 | 24.00% | 76.90% |
The Penguins have been hit with the injury bug but have still been able to win seven of their last 10 games. Defenseman Kris Letang and center Evgeni Malkin have been skating but probably won’t be in the lineup tonight. Sidney Crosby will be however as he will center Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary who have been one of the hottest lines in the league. They have combined for 13 goals and 20 assists over the past eight games and each of them has recorded at least 10 points during that time frame. You can probably expect to see some of those guys in your opponent’s cash game line ups tonight. Matt Cullen will center Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist on the team’s second line and could be used here as a GPP play with the latter two playing on the top power play unit. Kessel is having a good season as he leads the team with 41 assists while collecting 22 goals. With Letang out this means that Justin Schultz is the play from the back line as he quarterbacks the top unit when the Penguins have the extra attacker. He is tied with Sheary for fourth on the team’s scoring chart with 12 goals and 35 assists. 18 of his 47 points have come with the man advantage which makes him one of the better plays of the night.
Buffalo gave it a good try but they just aren’t there yet in terms of being a playoff team. They have improved however as their 29-31-12 record has yielded them 70 points so far this season which is just nine points away from the final playoff spot. It looks like Buffalo is doing what most of the team’s that won’t make the playoffs are doing and that is shuffle up the lines. Ryan O’Reilly will now center Jack Eichel and Tyler Ennis while Sam Reinhart and Matt Moulson will skate on the team’s third line. Evander Kane stays on the second line but will have Zemgus Girgensons and Justin Bailey as his line mates. The O’Reilly/Eichel pairing is intriguing here as they both lead the team with a combined 96 points so far this season. Eichel is the clear cut one-off here though as his 49 points have been tallies in just 51 games played. They will both play on the top power play unit as well which gives them an even better chance of scoring tonight against a depleted Pittsburgh team. Rasmus Ristolainen makes another nice defensive play here on home ice as he grabbed 24 of his 47 points while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit.
Elite Plays
PIT: Sidney Crosby
BUF: Jack Eichel
Secondary Plays
PIT: Phil Kessel, Conor Sheary, Patric Hornqvist, Justin Schultz, Jake Guentzel
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart
New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils
| New York Rangers | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Antti Raanta |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 45-24-3 | 26-33-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.17 | 2.58 | 18.60% | 80.10% | Team Stats | 2.27 | 2.92 | 18.40% | 80.70% |
Based on yesterday’s practice lines it looks like the Rangers will stick with what got them the 3-2 win against Minnesota on Saturday night. Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello will skate on the top line while Mika Zibanejad comes up from centering Rick Nash and J.T. Miller on the second line to join them on the top power play unit. Miller leads the team with 51 points while the whole top line sees not one player more than four points away from the team lead in scoring. The Rangers have had a balanced attack all season which is why they have 10 players with 30 or more points so far this season. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh is the final piece to the top power play unit which has seen all five players as the team leaders in scoring over the last eight games. Even though the Rangers are on the road it is probably still safe to play the top line sparingly in cash games while using them with confidence in tournament play. New York has won five of their last 10 games and sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 93 points. They are in no danger of losing their playoff spot as it’s the Islanders who are on the outside looking in with 78 points with just a few weeks left to play.
After a six goal outburst on Thursday night the Devils went back to their losing ways as they dropped games against both Pittsburgh and Columbus. New Jersey is another team that will be golfing by the middle of next month as their 64 points has them in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri is the line you want to use for your GPP plays as both Hall and Zajac have combined for nine goals and five assists over the last eight games. It’s by no coincidence that they both lead the team in scoring as Palmieri’s 48 points leads the team while Hall has collected 47 points in eight less games played than his leading line mate. Adam Henrique centers Joseph Blandisi and Beau Bennett on the second line with the only value here being Bennett as he gets the extra time with the top line when the Devils have the man advantage. Andy Greene mans the point on the team’s top power play unit while Damon Severson leads the Devils defensemen in points with three goals and 27 assists. Neither seems to be a good cash game play tonight with so many other teams to choose from.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
NJ: Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
NYR: Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac
Calgary Flames at Washington Capitals
| Calgary Flames | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 41-27-4 | 46-17-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.74 | 2.65 | 19.60% | 81.30% | Team Stats | 3.19 | 2.17 | 21.40% | 83.70% |
The Flames come into this one red hot as they have won 12 of their last 13 games and will surely get tested tonight here in Washington. Calgary’s recent fortunes have given them 86 points which has the team in third place in the Pacific Division. They are another team that isn’t in any real danger of not making the playoffs as the ninth team in the division is the Los Angeles Kings with 75 points with 11 games remaining on the schedule. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have been pacing the team as they have combined for 17 points in the last seven games that has propelled Gaudreau into the top spot on the team with 52 points in just 62 games. With Michael Ferland hurt it looks like Alex Chiasson will step up and play the right wing with the talented duo on the team’s top line. Mikael Backlund makes for a decent one-off play here as he centers Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik on the second line while notching 50 points so far this season. As far as defensemen go the Flames are still using T.J. Brodie on the top power play unit while Dougie Hamilton continues to outscore him at every turn. Hamilton’s eight points over the last eight games now has him up to 47 points so far this season which is 13 more than fellow defenseman Mark Giordano and his 34 points. Look for the Flames to play a gritty game here as we will get to see how close they actually are to making a run at the Stanley Cup.
After shuffling up the lines for a few games to try to get out of a funk Washington put their lines back together and was able to come out and handle the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Saturday night by a score of 5-3. The win has them tied for the best record in the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets as they both have hit the century mark over the past week. Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie will undoubtedly have a lot of ownership where your cash games are concerned with Backstrom leading the charge with 11 points over the last eight games. Backstrom’s 75 points leads the team while Oshie’s 29 goals is tops on the team. They also skate as the top unit when the Capitals draw a penalty which could be a good thing here as they have scored a power play goal in four of their last five games. Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams skate on the team’s second line and could find some success here tonight. Kuznetsov has racked up 53 points so far this season while 11 Johansson’s 46 points have come by skating on the top power play unit. Kevin Shattenkirk is the choice on the back line as he soaks up most of the ice time when Washington has the extra attacker. Besides getting suspended for two games Shattenkirk has snared four assists in his first eight games with his new team.
Elite Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins
| Ottawa Senators | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Anton Khudobin | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-24-8 | 38-28-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.61 | 17.60% | 81.80% | Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.62 | 20.80% | 85.40% |
Ottawa had a golden opportunity to show the rest of the Eastern Conference what they were made of and then went out and promptly lost two games to the Montreal Canadiens. With those two losses the Senators have dropped four points behind the division leaders and will try to regroup tonight against the team that is just four points away from them in the Atlantic Division in the form of the Boston Bruins. Ottawa switched their lines up a bit as Kyle Turris was centering Zack Smith and Bobby Ryan while Ryan Dzingel dropped down to play with Derick Brassard and Alexandre Burrows. Mike Hoffman remains on the third line which makes him a decent one-off here as he sees plenty of ice time on the team’s top power play unit. He has grabbed eight of his 51 points over the last nine games and is tied for the team lead with 23 power play points this season. Brassard and Burrows join him on the top power play unit which gives them a boost here as well although they will probably be the line that Boston targets heavily tonight. Defenseman Erik Karlsson is the other player that has accumulated 23 power play points as he is the clear cut play here from the back line. Karlsson leads the team with 198 shots while collecting 65 points which is also tops on the team.
If Boston can stay in third place in the Atlantic Division they will get an automatic berth into the playoffs. The problem is that Toronto is right behind them in fourth place with 79 points while the New York Islanders have 78 points which has them in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Boston needs to keep pace to assure themselves a spot in the end of the season tournament. The top line of Brad Marchand, David Backes and Patrice Bergeron look to do some damage here but I’d look for the second line to get the better scoring chances. Marchand has been almost matchup proof this season as he leads the team with 37 goals and 43 assists. David Krejci and David Pastrnak had a new line mate last night as they pushed Drew Stafford down to the third line in favor of Matt Beleskey. Pastrnak makes for a nice one-off play here as he has seen 21 of his 63 points come when the Bruins have the extra attacker. He also leads the team with 12 points and 42 shots on goal in the nine games the team has played before last night. Defenseman Torey Krug and his 46 points are the play from the back line as he quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit. It doesn’t matter what parameters you use when you look at his ice time as the Bruins keep him fresh by using him around 21 minutes per night. The Bruins played a rough one last night in Toronto and could look a bit sluggish at the start of this one.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
BOS: Brad Marchand
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Derick Brassard, Alexandre Burrows
BOS: David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Backes, David Krejci
Detroit Red Wings at Montréal Canadiens
| Detroit Red Wings | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Jimmy Howard |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-32-11 | 41-23-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.41 | 3.00 | 13.60% | 81.30% | Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.45 | 20.10% | 80.70% |
The Red Wings come into this one fresh off playing against Buffalo last night and for all intents and purposes are pretty much out of the playoff conversation. Their 10 goals in the two games before last night look pretty good until you realize that they played Colorado and Arizona who are two of the worst teams in the league. Moreover no one is going to confuse either one of those teams with tonight’s opponent in the Montreal Canadiens. Henrik Zetterberg looks to be the only viable option here as he leads the team by more than 10 points over his next teammate. He centers Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar who are both ok players but lack that extra punch needed to become an elite line in this league. It is true that they have combined for nine goals and 18 assists over the last eight games but I wouldn’t count on that happening against one of the better teams in the league here tonight, especially in their own building. If you are in a risk taking mood look no further than Frans Nielsen and Anthony Mantha. Both skate on the team’s second line and will not draw Montreal’s best defensive line tonight. The only problem here is that Mantha has been streaky while Nielsen has been stone cold as evidence of having just one point to his credit over the last eight games. Niklas Kronwall plays the point on the top power play unit while Mike Green continues to be the better offensive player. If you absolutely have to take a Detroit defenseman the choice is Green as five of his 31 points have come over the last eight games.
Every year it’s the same old story. Montreal doesn’t seem to have a good team on paper but once the puck is dropped they seem to persevere right to the top of the Atlantic Division standings. They always get solid goaltending out of Carey Price which is one of the reasons that they are so competitive year in and year out. Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov is the easy chalk line here as they are the team’s best scoring line that also gets the extra ice time when Montreal has the extra attacker. Pacioretty leads the team with 33 goals and 60 points while Radulov’s 33 assists has him at 48 points so far this season. Paul Byron makes an interesting play here as he was mentioned in Saturday’s Grind Down and didn’t disappoint as he jumps up to play with the more talented players on the top power play unit. Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher are his even strength line mates but for cash game purposes I’d stick with the top line here who will get the favorable matchups. Shea Weber and Andrei Markov are the choices on the back line with Weber being the one to get the majority of the power play ice time to be had. Weber’s 21 power play points leads the team as his 41 points has him third on the Canadiens scoring list this season.
Elite Plays
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
MTL: Max Pacioretty
Secondary Plays
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Anthony Mantha, Frans Nielsen, Mike Green
MTL: Alexander Radulov, Shea Weber, Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron