NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, November 15th
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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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Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers
| Ottawa Senators | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Steve Mason | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-5-1 | 7-7-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.20 | 2.33 | 9.30% | 86.40% | Team Stats | 3.31 | 3.63 | 29.30% | 78.00% |
Ottawa let one slip away on home ice Sunday afternoon as the Minnesota Wild outlasted them by a final score of 2-1 in overtime. They also got outshot by a margin of 42-36 which is a heck of a lot of shots for Minnesota. This may not bode well tonight as they head to Philadelphia to take on a Flyers team that has scored 55 goals so far this season. The good news is that the Flyers give up goals, a lot of them, which is why they are tie for fifth place in the Metropolitan division. Ottawa has only scored 13 goals in the last nine games so maybe this is exactly what they need to get back on track. Then again, maybe not. Erik Karlsson makes a great one-off play here from the point as he leads the team in points with 12 of them over the first 14 games while logging over 26 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis. The top line of Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard has just one goal over the last five games which is why Ryan was pulled of that line in favor of Mark Stone. Now Ryan will skate with Kyle Turris and Ryan Dzingel, which could make for a very sneaky GPP play as the Flyers give up a ton of goals.
The Flyers still lead the league in goals given up as 59 pucks have found their way to the back of their own net. Lucky for us they can score some goals as well and on home ice, we may as well look at the top line. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds are the leaders if the team from the top line while getting a majority of the ice time with the man advantage. Simmonds leads the team in goals while Giroux leads the team in assists. Now that Brayden Schenn has been moved back with these guys, he has to be in the conversation as well. Jakub Voracek is your one-off play here as he leads the team in shots with 60 of them through 16 games. It also doesn’t hurt that Voracek gets the top power play minutes while grabbing six goals and ten assists through the first 16 games. Shayne Gostisbehere is starting to break out of his sophomore slump as he has managed to tally three points over the last four games.
h3. Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
PHL: Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds
Secondary Plays
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Ryan Dzingel
PHL: Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere, Brayden Schenn
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets
| Washington Capitals | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-4-1 | 7-4-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.36 | 12.50% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 3.46 | 2.46 | 33.30% | 83.30% |
Over the last three games the Capitals have looked a bit more human than we are used to seeing them. They have lost two of their last three games while only generating four goals in the process and look to change that up a bit tonight. Somehow Columbus has given up 11 goals while winning two of the last three games so there is room for Washington to improve in that department. In an effort to shake things up Alexander Ovechkin is now on a line with Jay Beagle and Brett Connolly. Yes, you read that right. The team’s second line is now Marcus Johansson, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. They will still be on the top power play line with Ovechkin and should be considered in play tonight as they hold top four spots on the Capitals scoring chart. John Carlson and Matt Niskanen each log over 22 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis but Carlson gets the nod here as he has 15 more shots as well as the top minutes on the team’s top power play unit.
Columbus has been on fire of late as they have scored 31 goals over the last six games while posting a 4-2 record. Those 31 goals are more than Vancouver, Buffalo and Colorado have scored all season going into Sunday’s action. Tonight they have a formidable defensive opponent and will be put to the test tonight. Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno have each tallied seven points over the last five games and should be considered to be in play tonight as each is averaging over a point a game. Brandon Saad plays on their wing on the top line and makes a nice play if you are stacking lines up tonight. Cam Atkinson makes a great one-off play here as he skates on the second line but sees top power play minutes with the teams scoring leaders. Sam Gagner has seen a career resurrection of sorts as he has found the scoresheet four times when the team has the man advantage. Zachary Werenski is the choice on defense as he has grabbed two goals and two assists over the last five games which make 12 points in 13 games so far this season. The Blue Jackets have been scoring so only time will tell if they are for real or not.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno
Secondary Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson
CBJ: Zachary Werenski, Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson
San Jose Sharks at Carolina Hurricanes
| San Jose Sharks | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-6-0 | 4-6-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.47 | 2.33 | 19.60% | 89.20% | Team Stats | 2.64 | 3.21 | 19.60% | 90.20% |
If you have the salary to pay up for defenseman Brent Burns, by all means do so. Burns shares the team’s scoring lead with Joe Pavelski with 14 but in the process has fired 73 shots on net in just 15 games. You can see where he is head and shoulders above the rest of the defensemen while quarterbacking the Sharks top power play unit. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton skate on the team’s top line and join Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau with the aforementioned Burns to form a deadly unit when the team has the man advantage. Couture seems to be snake bitten as only three of his 49 shots have found their way to the back of the opposing teams net. It’s tough not to stray from these five but if you take Couture, take a look at pairing him with Joonas Donskoi as it looks like that they will skate with Kevin LaBanc. This would definitely be a GPP play only scenario as they play on the second line on the road tonight.
The Carolina Hurricanes put the beat down on the Washington Capitals on Saturday to the tune of 5-1. The Hurricanes switched up their lines a bit as Lee Stempniak was put back on the top line with the team’s top scorers in Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask have seemed to have gone back to Elias Lindholm on the top line replacing Stempniak. The second line of Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen was responsible for three of those five goals the other night and this could be exactly what Teravainen needed to get jump-started here in Carolina. You can try to chase some points here and use the second line a GPP play but the Sharks have won all three of their games on this current road trip and have only given up three goals. Noah Hanifin is the choice on defense as he still remains on the team’s top power play unit.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
CAR: None
Secondary Plays
CAR: Victor Rask, Jeff Skinner, Teuvo Teravainen
SJ: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau
Nashville Predators at Toronto Maple Leafs
| Nashville Predators | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 6-5-3 | 6-6-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.50 | 24.10% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 2.93 | 3.60 | 23.80% | 83.00% |
After going 13 games without a goal, Filip Forsberg finally broke the ice last game with his first goal of the season. He still leads the team in points with 11 and is an easy one-off play tonight as he skates on the third line but gets the extra minutes on the top power play unit. James Neal and Ryan Johansen join him from the team’s first line while Viktor Arvidsson skates with them at even strength. Any of these players make for a good play tonight as Toronto has given up 11 goals in their last three games. Neal has taken over the team lead in goals thanks to finding the back of the net five times in the last five games. Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm continue to see the extra minutes on the power play but both Matt Irwin and P.K. Subban have been outperforming them on the scoresheet. The Predators should score a few tonight so grabbing a few, especially in GPP play, wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Once the Maple Leafs either figure out their defense or get a better goalie the thought here is that they will continue to struggle. They have given up 55 goals in their first ten 15 games while they have no less than seven players having a hand in the 44 they have scored. The line of James van Riemsdyk, Mitchell Marner and Tyler Bozak is probably the play here even though Pekka Rinne has been playing better in net for Nashville but they still have a lot to prove on the road as their 1-4-2 record would seem to indicate. Auston Matthews remains on a line with Zach Hyman and William Nylander while Nazem Kadri makes a decent one-off play as he skates with Leo Komarov and Connor Brown. Jake Gardiner is the play on the back line but if you want to chase some points Morgan Reilly is your guy as he has grabbed six points over the last two weeks. Marner has been consistent of late as he has scored six points in the last seven games.
Elite Plays
NSH: James Neal
TOR: None
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson
TOR: Nazem Kadri, William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner
Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-6-1 | 8-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.73 | 23.40% | 87.20% | Team Stats | 2.44 | 2.69 | 15.30% | 77.50% |
After watching Tampa beat the Islanders last night I learned a few things. The first thing I learned was that the Islanders announcers were already talking about playoff positions, in which the New Yorkers are clearly not on had they started today. The second was that just in case I didn’t like Rick DiPietro already, his laughable copy on Don Cherry put the icing on the cake. The top line of Steven Stamkos, Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Kucherov simply can’t be stopped as they tallied another five points last night in their 4-0 win over the Islanders. With the injury to Anton Stralman, Victor Hedman is the play on the blue line here as he will now quarterback the team’s top power play unit along with four other forwards. Stamkos and Namestnikov join Hedman along with second liners Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat to form the top unit while Kucherov and Alex Killorn see a lot of time with the man advantage from the second unit. Killorn skates with Johnson and Palat on the second line and can be used in GPP play tonight. Detroit can look sloppy at times so using the Lightning players may not be a bad play tonight, but I wouldn’t go overboard, especially since they just played last night.
After winning two games with the lines changed up the Red Wings ran right into a brick wall in Montreal Saturday night as they were shut out by a final score of 5-0. Henrik Zetterberg will now skate with Justin Abdelkader and be on the top power play unit with third liner Gustav Nyquist and defenseman Mike Green. Tomas Tatar completes the line with Zetterberg while Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen now take the second line duties with Luke Glendening. With all this shuffling around it is tough to predict ‘instant chemistry’ so we will see what happens. Green is still the play on the point even though Niklas Kronwall has returned from injury he will not play in tonight’s game making Green the clear cut play here. This is Tampa’s third game in four nights as they started a five game road trip last night in Brooklyn. I think I’d stick with Zetterberg and Green in this one.
Elite Plays
TB: Steven Stamkos
DET: None
Secondary Plays
TB: Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Tyler Johnson
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Green, Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen