NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, April 5th
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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Montréal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
| Montréal Canadiens | Buffalo Sabres | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Robin Lehner | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 46-24-9 | 32-35-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.38 | 19.70% | 81.00% | Team Stats | 2.48 | 2.78 | 24.80% | 77.30% |
With the collapse of the Ottawa Senators the Montreal Canadiens have already clinched the Atlantic Division crown. The rest of this week could prove to be frustrating as more teams will probably use any option the can to rest their players for the playoffs. Defenseman Shea Weber seems to be a prime candidate of this type of thinking as the Canadiens have sent their best defenseman home to be re-evaluated although the injury was said not to be serious. This puts Andrei Markov right in the line of fire for your cash game plays tonight as he will handle the top line power play chores when Montreal has the extra attacker. Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov will pace the team from the top line while Tomas Plekanec centers Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher on the team’s second line. Pacioretty leads the team with 35 goals and 67 points while Radulov’s 35 assists is tops on the team. If you are looking for the team leader over the last two week’s you will have to dip down to the third line where Artturi Lehkonen has grabbed seven of his 25 points over the last seven games. This could be because Alex Galchenyuk has joined him on that third line who has grabbed 43 points in the 58 games he has played in. Montreal’s 101 points was good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference but will enjoy home ice advantage because they have won the division. It is for this reason that it may be best to tread carefully tonight as the last thing they need is to get anyone else hurt before the playoffs start next week.
Kyle Okposo is dealing with a ‘mystery ailment’ that has kept him out of action since March 27th. The team has already said it’s not the mumps so whatever it is will keep him out of tonight’s game. Buffalo is one of the team’s that will not be participating in this year’s playoffs so look for them to possibly start switching up the lines. Brian Gionta was on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane last game while Jack Eichel skated with Marcus Foligno and Sam Reinhart on the second line. Eichel makes for a decent one-off play here but the problem is that with only two games on the slate you really have to pick and choose what team you want your one-off to come from. Eichel has amassed 56 points in the 58 games he has played in this season so maybe pairing him with Reinhart is the way to go here provided you don’t use the Montreal goaltender. Kane leads the team with 27 goals while O’Reilly 53 points is second on the team so I really couldn’t fault you for using those two together tonight as well. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is the play on the back line as he leads the team with 25 power play points in the 76 games he has suited up for. Ristolainen has played on the top power play unit all season and there’s no reason to think he won’t finish out the year there. Buffalo has lost their last three game but I wouldn’t be surprised if they put up a fight here tonight.
Elite Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty
BUF: Jack Eichel
Secondary Plays
MTL: Alexander Radulov, Andrei Markov, Phillip Danault, Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals
| New York Rangers | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 47-26-6 | 53-18-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.15 | 2.65 | 20.00% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 3.22 | 2.22 | 23.50% | 84.00% |
Ok, so here we go. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh has been out the last few games with an injury and won’t suit up tonight while both Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello will sit out as well as they have ‘some bumps and bruises’. With those players out Pavel Buchnevich will skate on the top line with Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan while Mika Zibanejad will play on the second line with Brandon Pirri and Jimmy Vesey. This will re-unite the line of J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner that had done so well in the beginning of the season. Miller’s 56 points is still good enough for second on the team while Grabner’s 27 goals falls just one shy of the team lead. With only two games on tonight’s slate and the fact that the Rangers are on the road you could probably use this line as a GPP play tonight. Kreider and Stepan may actually help elevate Buchnevich’s play as those two have grabbed over 50 points apiece so far this season. With McDonagh hurt on the back line it is probably safe to go and say that Brady Skjei is a decent cash game play tonight. Skjei has been doing well of late as he has notched six of his 39 points over the last seven games and now will take on even more responsibility quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit.
The Capitals are just one point away from being the best team in the league for this season. It’s tough to think that they will sit anyone as they surely want to have that going into the playoffs as that will guarantee them the home ice advantage in every series they play. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie should serve as the top line here as Backstrom leads the team in points with 85 while Ovechkin has the honor in the goals department with 33 of them. Marcus Johansson skates with the top line on the top power play unit and should be looked at as a one-off here. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams skate with him at even strength and can’t be discounted on a night like tonight. Defenseman John Carlson is put with an injury which makes Kevin Shattenkirk an even more lucrative cash game play here. Shattenkirk anchors the team’s top power play unit and has recorded nine points over the last eight games. Washington will want to grab at least one point here before they can start resting their guys up for the playoffs and the certainly should be able to do that tonight against a depleted Rangers team.
Elite Plays
NYR: None
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
Secondary Plays
NYR: Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Michael Grabner, Brady Skjei
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov