NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, February 10th
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 Detroit Red Wings – 07:00 PM EST
| Ottawa Senators | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-23-6 | 27-18-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 3.07 | 17.60% | 74.60% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.47 | 18.30% | 79.90% |
The Senators made a big splash on Tuesday as they made a move to sure-up their suspect defense by acquiring former Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf. Ottawa has picked up two very impressive wins in their last two games and will need to keep things rolling tonight in Detroit to continue their ascent into the playoff race. Erik Karlsson remains the biggest fantasy asset from the Senators and leads the team with 59 points in 54 games. He’s averaging more ice-time per game than any player in the NHL and is a huge threat on the point of the #1 power-play unit. With Detroit much less effective on the penalty kill since the Drew Miller injury, he takes his usual spot as the #1 play on the blue-line if you can afford him. Up-front, Detroit has proven to struggle a bit against speedy and talented forwards (see Tyler Johnson) which bodes well for Mike Hoffman in this one. Hoffman tallied a goal and an assist in his only other meeting against Detroit this season and joins Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan on a very dangerous top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Alternatively, the second line of Mark Stone, Zack Smith and Jean-Gabriel Pageau have been beasts since the All-Star break as they’ve combined for nine goals and 11 assists in four second half games. They’ve been almost completely overlooked lately and that makes them very attractive GPP options in this one.
The Red Wings have opened a five game home stand in style with two impressive (and important) victories over the Islanders and Panthers, respectively. They’ll welcome the Ottawa Senators to “The Joe” for the their fourth meeting of the season and, on just a three game slate, will likely be rather popular selections this evening. Detroit has taken two of the three prior meetings between these two clubs this season and Ottawa has not only allowed a league high 33.1 shots against per game but they’ve allowed an ugly 3.07 goals against per game and their 74.6% penalty kill is easily dead last in the league. With that in mind, the trio of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Justin Abdelkader from both the top forward line and #1 power-play all look like terrific options. Emerging star Dylan Larkin headlines a very capable secondary scoring line alongside Tomas Tatar and both skaters also see a healthy dose of playing time on the #2 power-play unit. Both Tatar and Larkin have been red-hot out of the break as that duo has combined for five goals and five assists in just four second half games while they both also happen to have already lit the lamp twice against Ottawa this season. With Niklas Kronwall already out of action, Detroit suffered another blow to their blue-line as Mike Green missed Monday’s game against Florida and looks to be doubtful once again tonight after not participating in yesterday’s practice. However, with injuries come opportunities and both Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith both saw over three minutes of playing time with the man advantage on Monday. With that said, Danny DeKeyser looks like a budding star logged nearly 26 minutes of ice-time against Florida. He’s already posted a goal and two assists in the three meetings against Ottawa and is a very nice play on the sites where he’s still rather cheap. In net, Petr Mrazek is set for his 34th start of the season and has not only taken the reigns as the #1 goalie wearing the winged wheel, but has also thrown his hat in the Vezina race. He leads the NHL with a sparkling 1.97 GAA and is fresh off of an impressive 23 save shutout against the Atlantic Division leading Florida Panthers.
Ottawa Senators
CF%: 46.9, CP60: 110.9, 5×5 Differential: -5
Elite Options: Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan, Erik Karlsson
Secondary Options: Kyle Turris, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, Dion Phaneuf
Detroit Red Wings
CF%: 50.6, CP60: 99.9, 5×5 Differential: 10
Elite Options: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Dylan Larkin
Secondary Options: Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Danny DeKeyser, Jakub Kindl, Brendan Smith
New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins – 08:00 PM EST
| New York Rangers | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Marc-Andre Fleury | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-18-5 | 27-18-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.55 | 15.90% | 78.10% | Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.54 | 20.00% | 83.50% |
The Rangers picked up a 2-1 victory over the Devils on Monday night and have now picked up wins in each of their last three games. They find themselves sitting just four points ahead of these Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division, so expect a playoff atmosphere tonight at the Consol Energy Center. The Rangers have struggled their way to a 10-13-3 road record this season and will likely be without both Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh once again tonight, so there’s at least reason for some concern. With Nash sidelined, Alain Vigneault has shuffled up his forward lines and now has Derick Brassard centering J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast on one line, with Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello on another. Brassard leads the team with 40 points in 52 games, while J.T. Miller has emerged as a terrific value play with nine goals in his last ten games. Meanwhile Zuccarello has posted points in three straight games and, for a guy with 18 goals and 21 assists in 53 games, remains underpriced on several sites. Ryan McDonagh absence opens the door for a ton of minutes on the New York blue-line. Keith Yandle is the most obvious beneficiary and is locked into huge power-play minutes, with Dan Boyle and Kevin Klein also trying to help pick up the slack.
Evgeni Malkin will remain in the press box for a few more games, but Sidney Crosby looks poised to put this team on his back and push them into the Eastern Conference playoffs once again. Crosby racked up four more points in the Penguins 6-2 victory over Anaheim on Monday and has been on an absolute heater as he’s picked up points in eleven straight games and has already posted seven goals and five assists in four games since the All-Star break. He’ll be joined by Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist on both the top line and #1 power-play unit where both are the beneficiaries of Crosby’s elite talent. The Rangers have posted an unsightly 78.1% penalty kill this season which solidifies the that trio as top tier options while also elevating the outlook of both Phil Kessel and Kris Letang as they join them on the lethal #1 power-play unit. Letang struggled a bit out of the gates this season, but has really poured it on lately with eight goals and 16 assists in his last 15 games. Alternatively, blue-liners Trevor Daley and Derrick Pouliot are both also seeing a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage and can be found at a much cheaper price-point. In net, Marc-Andre Fleury was solid in Pittsburgh’s 6-2 win over Anaheim on Monday, but he owns an ugly 4.42 GAA in three starts since the All-Star break and was lit up by this Rangers team in four starts last season (4.21 GAA).
New York Rangers
CF%: 48.4, CP60: 106.9, 5×5 Differential: 30
Elite Options: Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Keith Yandle
Secondary Options: J.T. Miller, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Dan Boyle, Kevin Klein
Pittsburgh Penguins
CF%: 51.6, CP60: 109.9, 5×5 Differential: 6
Elite Options: Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
Secondary Options: Chris Kunitz, Phil Kessel, Trevor Daley, Derrick Pouliot
Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes – 09:30 PM EST
| Vancouver Canucks | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Jacob Markstrom |  | Louis Domingue | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-20-12 | 24-22-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.31 | 2.73 | 17.00% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.65 | 3.10 | 18.00% | 76.80% |
Vancouver finally snapped a four-game losing skid last night in Colorado, but despite the win, being outshot by the worst puck possession team in the NHL this season is still alarming. However, on a short slate and with a matchup against an Arizona team that has surrendered at least five goals against in each of their last four games, it’ll be hard to ignore Vancouver tonight. While the Sedin brothers were held in check last night, they’re still the most dangerous weapons on this Canucks team and easily lead the team in scoring. Daniel Sedin already owns a pair of goals (with assists from his brother) in the two prior meetings with the Coyotes this season and will look to break out of his season long three game scoring funk. Jannik Hansen once again finds himself playing alongside the Sedin brothers at even strength, landing him as a solid value play in both cash games and GPPs. Bo Horvat scored a goal and added an assist last night and has now somewhat quietly tallied eight goals and seven assists over the last 14 games. He’ll be joined by former 35 goal scorer Radim Vrbata (who happens to be playing against his old team) and former first round pick Sven Baertschi on a very capable secondary scoring line with all three players also seeing plenty of run with the man advantage. With Arizona owning an ugly 76.8% penalty kill, all six forwards mentioned above see a nice fantasy boost. On defense, and with that poor penalty kill in mind, Alex Edler shoots up my rankings on the blue-line. He’s already reached 20 points for the ninth straight season and is locked into huge minutes both at even strength and on the point of the #1 power-play unit. With Jacob Markstrom getting the call between the pipes last night, we should see Ryan Miller this time around. Despite just a 1-4-2 record since the Calendar turned to 2016, Miller has actually played rather well; posting a solid 2.24 GAA and .933 SV% in those seven starts. Update: Alex Edler will not play tonight
The Coyotes surprising start to the season looks to be a thing of the past as they’ve now dropped eight of their last ten games and have been surpassed in the standings by both the surging Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks. While they’re generally tough to trust in cash games, it’s hard to ignore them on such a short slate and it’s not like the Vancouver Canucks are firing on all cylinders either. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the premier option from this team as young Swede leads the team with 38 points in 52 games and has posted a goal and three assists in their last two games. Up front, the Coyotes have been inconsistent for sure, but there’s also some GPP-winning upside in this lineup. Shane Doan is often overlooked at this point in his career but he’s tallied 13 goals and nine assists in just 23 home games this season and has already found the back of the net twice in the two prior meetings against Vancouver. Alternatively, Antoine Vermette and Tobias Rieder have both picked up three points in two games against the Canucks and join forces at both even strength and on the #2 power-play unit. Meanwhile, Mikkel Boedker and Max Domi have combined for 26 goals and 43 assists and give Martin Hanzal some dangerous weapons on his wings of the top forward line and #1 power-play unit.
Vancouver Canucks
CF%: 47, CP60: 102.9, 5×5 Differential: -6
Elite Options: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin
Secondary Options: Bo Horvatt, Jannik Hansen, Radim Vrbata
Arizona Coyotes
CF%: 46.6, CP60: 106.8, 5×5 Differential: -5
Elite Options: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options: Martin Hanzal, Shane Doan, Mikkel Boedker, Max Domi, Tobias Rieder, Antoine Vermette