NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, November 10th

by Sean Chard (maxdout) Last Updated 2015-11-12 02:41:47

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 New York Rangers – 07:00 PM EST

Carolina Hurricanes					New York Rangers
			Cam Ward					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			6-8					10-2
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.14	2.86	13.00%	78.10%	Team Stats	3.00	1.71	17.10%	86.40%

These two Metropolitan division foes face each other for the first time this season. New York swept the season series 5-0 last year, with three wins by shootout. The Rangers sit atop the Metro division, winning five straight hockey games and outscoring opponents 18-6 in that period. They are also dominant at home, with a 6-1-1 record and ranking in the top three at home for goals per game (3.38) and goals against per game (1.63).

The Rangers get Rick Nash back in the lineup for tonight’s game after he missed the past two with a back injury. Nash has struggled to start the season with only one goal and six points, but there is no doubt that his return makes the Rangers an even more potent offensive team, with three lines that can score. Any of these three lines could be stacked in tournament play today, and for cash games it may a good strategy to include multiple Rangers players from different lines. On the blueline the Rangers’ top four defensemen are all capable of having a big game, but they’ve all been inconsistent.

In goal, Henrik Lundqvist is having another Vezina quality season, ranking among the league leaders in wins, goals against average and save percentage. He is a top target tonight for your lineups.

Unlike the Rangers this season, the Hurricanes have struggled to score goals and keep the puck out of their own net. Their special teams play has been a big part of that, especially on the road where Carolina ranks 28th for both power play (7.4%) and penalty kill (72.2%). The Hurricanes are big underdogs tonight and can be ignored for daily fantasy play, even as a contrarian option as there are twelve games tonight and better under-the-radar teams to target.

Elite Plays

CAR: None
NYR: Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard

Secondary Plays

CAR: Eric Staal, Justin Faulk, Victor Rask
NYR: Ryan McDonagh, Keith Yandle, Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg

Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EST

Vancouver Canucks					Columbus Blue Jackets
			Ryan Miller					Sergei Bobrovsky
			Record					Record
			6-4					4-11
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.80	2.40	14.60%	85.70%	Team Stats	2.33	3.60	18.20%	73.50%

Vancouver plays their third game of a seven-game road trip (their longest of the season) tonight. They’ve dropped their first two games of the trip already (and three overall), and will be looking to rebound and get things back on track tonight in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets started the season 0-7, fired their coach, hired John Tortorella and have gone 4-4 since then. Their offense has started to get going, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky appears to be gaining his confidence back. It’s worth noting though that the Blue Jackets have only played once at home in those past eight games, and return home tonight. At the Nationwide arena this season, Columbus is 0-5 and are giving up 4.8 goals per game. We’ll see tonight if they are truly a reformed team, or if visiting teams will continue to beat them up.

On offense, Columbus has been shuffling their lines to try and find the right combination. Tonight they’ll go with Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner on the top line and try to get all three going offensively after their breakout seasons a year ago.

Vancouver faces their former coach in Tortorella for the first time since they fired him after the 2013/14 season. This may play a factor in the game, especially if the score gets to be one-sided for either team.

The Vancouver offense revolves around Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata, who skate together on the team’s number one line and top power play unit. That trio is definitely a line to stack for tournament play this evening. The problem for the Canucks this year (and in the past) has been secondary scoring, and they’ll need that to get back to the playoffs and past the first round.

Elite Plays

VAN: Daniel Sedin, Radim Vrbata, Henrik Sedin
CBJ: Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky

Secondary Plays

VAN: Alexander Edler,
CBJ: Boone Jenner, David Savard, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Saad

St. Louis Blues at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EST

St. Louis Blues					New Jersey Devils
								Cory Schneider
			Record					Record
			10-3					8-5
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.86	2.21	14.90%	84.20%	Team Stats	2.50	2.50	21.60%	80.40%

St. Louis continues their road trip in New Jersey tonight, following impressive wins over Chicago (6-5 OT win) and Nashville (4-0 shutout win). They’ve also played very well on the road this season with a 6-2 record. The Blues wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen have both been hot lately, while skating together on the first line and first power play unit. Martin Havlat makes his Blues debut this evening and will skate on the second line with David Backes and rookie Robby Fabbri.

The Devils have overcome a slow start to win eight of their past 10 hockey games. Mike Cammalleri is the unquestioned offensive leader for the Devils, with 14 points in 14 games. Recently he’s been moved to a line with Adam Henrique and Lee Stempniak, and all three have been productive. The trio makes a nice low-priced line stack in daily fantasy.

Both goaltenders in this game (Cory Schneider, Jake Allen) are off to excellent starts, but considering the matchup and the fact that both teams don’t shoot the puck that much (St. Louis ranked 19th, New Jersey ranked 30th), they are not strong options tonight, except in tournaments.

Elite Plays

STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, David Backes, Colton Parayko
NJ: Mike Cammalleri

Secondary Plays

STL: Jori Lehtera, Kevin Shattenkirk
NJ: Damon Severson, Adam Henrique

Colorado Avalanche at Philadelphia Flyers – 07:00 PM EST

Colorado Avalanche					Philadelphia Flyers
			Semyon Varlamov					Steve Mason
			Record					Record
			4-9					5-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.57	3.00	18.60%	81.60%	Team Stats	1.93	2.79	13.90%	80.00%

Colorado begins a seven-game road trip this evening in Philadelphia. Both teams missed the playoffs last year and have gotten off to slow starts this season. With the offensive players both teams have though, this game could be a high scoring one. The Flyers are among the league leaders in shots per game and especially at home where they rank second. Conversely, the Avalanche are ranked near the bottom of the league in several stats including goals against and Corsi.

Nathan MacKinnon has been the offensive leader for the Avalanche, looking to rebound from a dreadful season last year and to prove that he is the phenom that Colorado expected when they drafted him number one overall in the league. Tyson Barrie has continued to be a strong contributor on the back-end and quarterbacking the Avalanche power play.

Philadelphia’s offensive struggles this season (2nd last in goals) has been a surprise, especially considering the firepower they have up front. The top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek has struggled, and secondary scoring has been non-existent. The Flyers are coming off a 3-0 win in Winnipeg on Saturday, and will look to build on that.

Elite Plays

COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie
PHI: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek

Secondary Plays

COL: Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Michael Raffl, Mark Streit, Brayden Schenn

Calgary Flames at Florida Panthers – 07:30 PM EST

Calgary Flames					Florida Panthers
			Jonas Hiller					Roberto Luongo
			Record					Record
			5-9					5-6
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.47	3.87	14.60%	76.10%	Team Stats	2.64	2.43	21.60%	76.90%

The Flames and Panthers face-off in an inter-conference matchup as the Flames head to the east coast for a road trip before making their way back out west. Calgary got off to a slow start this year, with Florida starting strong. The two teams have both been trending in the opposite direction though, with Calgary winning their past two games (2-1 and 5-2) and Florida losing their past five (and outscored 16-7).

Calgary’s offense has been heating up, led by Johnny Gaudreau with over a point per game, including a monster three-point game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Gaudreau and his linemates (Jiri Hudler and Sean Monahan) led many people to GPP wins last year, and they are again a great line to stack in tournaments tonight. Rookie winger Sam Bennett has been on fire also with seven points in his past six games.

With Florida’s recent struggles, their players are not easy to recommend. The top line of Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Jaromir Jagr does have offensive upside though. Florida does lead the league in power play percentage at home at 36%, so that trio along with defenseman Aaron Ekblad could be a option for stacking in tournaments.

Elite Plays

CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett
FLA: Nick Bjugstad

Secondary Plays

CGY: Mikael Backlund, Dennis Wideman, T.J. Brodie
FLA: Jonathan Huberdeau, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad

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