NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, February 17th

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-02-18 15:37:25

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.

Chicago Blackhawks at New York Rangers – 08:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Chicago Blackhawks					New York Rangers
			Corey Crawford					Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			37-18-5					32-18-6
Team Stats	2.82	2.32	21.70%	80.70%	Team Stats	2.86	2.52	16.60%	78.10%

The Blackhawks put an emphatic end to their three-game losing streak with a 7-2 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the United Center on Monday night. They’ll look to keep things rolling as they invade Madison Square Garden tonight to take on the resurging New York Rangers. Breaking down the Blackhawks from a fantasy perspective simply has to start with Patrick Kane. The leading scorer in the NHL picked up four more points in that victory over Toronto and has now tallied 34 goals and 48 assists in 60 games this season. He’s an elite option in all formats and elevates the games of his linemates, Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. Captain Jonathan Toews has taken a back seat offensively to the Kane line for most of the season, but he remains one of the best two-way players in the league. While losing Marian Hossa puts a small dent in his fantasy value he simply can’t be ignored on a short three game slate. Andrew Shaw and Richard Panik aren’t the most offensively gifted players on this team but they do benefit from playing alongside Toews. Former first round pick Teuvo Teravainen oozes offensive talent and joins Toews and Shaw on the second power-play unit, making him a solid value option as well. On the blue-line, both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have each already eclipsed the 35 point plateau and are rock solid options in all formats. Seabrook has found the back of the net three times over in his last two games while Keith has tallied a goal and six assists in seven games since the break.

New York has won five of their last six games to climb back into second place in the Metropolitan Division, but will have their hands full tonight as the defending Stanley Cup Champions come to town. New York has posted a very impressive 21-5-3 record at Madison Square Garden, so this one should be entertaining. While the matchup is very tough, New York does have a few things going their way aside from the home ice advantage; 1) They’re very hopeful to get Captain Ryan McDonagh back in action after nearly a two week absence, 2) They won’t have to deal with Marian Hossa pestering defense, and 3) They defeated the Blackhawks in their only previous meeting this season. It’s been a two-headed offensive attack for Alain Vigneault lately Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider skate on the top line, with Derick Brassard centering J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast on another. Zuccarello leads the team with 43 points in 56 games and has heated up with a goal and seven assists in his last six games. He’s also feasted on home ice, tallying 13 goals and 18 assists in 29 home games. While he’s likely staring at the unfavorable matchup of being shadowed all over the ice by Jonathan Toews, he’s still well worth consideration. Both McDonagh and Keith Yandle will likely resume their duties as the point-men on the New York power-play where they’ll get a crack at the Blackhawks very mediocre 80.7% penalty kill.

Chicago Blackhawks

CF%: 50.9, CP60: 110.1, 5×5 Differential: 1
Elite Options: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Secondary Options: Andrew Shaw, Teuvo Teravainen, Artem Anisimov

New York Rangers

CF%: 48, CP60: 107.1, 5×5 Differential: 34
Elite Options: Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, Keith Yandle
Secondary Options: J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes, Ryan McDonagh

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames – 10:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild					Calgary Flames
			Devan Dubnyk					Jonas Hiller
			Record					Record
			24-22-10					25-27-3
Team Stats	2.50	2.50	17.50%	78.30%	Team Stats	2.69	3.02	15.60%	73.40%

Minnesota finally put an end to their eight-game losing streak with a 5-2 win in Vancouver on Monday night, but they’ve likely played themselves out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference and got their head coach fired in the processed. Trusting this team in daily fantasy hockey won’t be easy, but with them traveling to face the defensively challenged Calgary Flames on a three game night, you don’t have too much of a choice. With the Calgary Flames sporting an NHL worst 73.4% penalty kill, it seems prudent to focus all of your attention here on the Minnesota power-play. Mikko Koivu centers the #1 power-play unit alongside Zach Parise and Charlie Coyle and also happens to lead this team in scoring with 38 points. Parise snapped an eight game scoreless streak with his 18th goal of the season against the Canucks and has heated up lately with five points in his last five games. The trio of Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund and Thomas Vanek see a healthy dose of playing time on the second unit but are just too inconsistent for my liking in cash games. On defense, Ryan Suter remains one of the true workhorses in the NHL. He trails only Erik Karlsson in average ice-time per game this season and soaks up as much time as he can handle on the point of the #1 power-play unit. He’s posted 37 points in 56 games this season and can still be found at a very reasonable asking price on FanDuel. Jared Spurgeon and Mathew Dumba are also seeing some run with the man advantage making them fine value targets if you’re looking to save some money.

While the Minnesota Wild may be the current front runners for the “Most Disappointing team in the NHL” this season, the Calgary Flames aren’t trailing too far behind. The Flames easily pushed aside by the Anaheim Ducks on Monday afternoon and own just a 6-9-1 record over their last 16 games. With that said, Calgary has been far more productive at the Saddledome this season where they’ve posted a solid 16-12-0 home record and have averaged 3.00 goals per game. With the Wild having coughed up 3.86 goals per game since the All-Star break, Johnny Gaudreau needs to be firmly on your radar. Johnny Hockey leads the team with 54 points in 54 games and has thrived on home ice; racking up 19 goals, 20 assists and a +21 rating in 27 games. He’ll once again be joined by Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit making all three the preferred targets up front. While Gaudreau remains the teams most dangerous weapon, Monahan dished out three assists on Monday afternoon and has now tallied three goals and seven assists in six games since the All-Star break. Minnesota’s struggles have carried over onto their penalty kill this season as well, solidifying Mark Giordano has a top-tier blue-line option. After a very slow start to the season, he’s turned things on offensively lately and posted seven goals and 16 assists in his last 24 games. Conversely, both Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie should see some extra playing time tonight with Dennis Wideman still suspended and Kris Russell likely watching from the press-box as well with a lower-body injury.

Minnesota Wild

CF%: 48.5, CP60: 106.3, 5×5 Differential: 8
Elite Options: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
Secondary Options: Thomas Vanek, Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Jared Spurgeon, Mathew Dumba

Calgary Flames

CF%: 47.3, CP60: 110.6, 5×5 Differential: -12
Elite Options: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano
Secondary Options: Jiri Hudler, Sam Bennett, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie

Montreal Canadiens at Colorado Avalanche – 08:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Montreal Canadiens					Colorado Avalanche
			Ben Scrivens					Semyon Varlamov
			Record					Record
			27-26-4					29-26-4
Team Stats	2.68	2.75	18.50%	83.30%	Team Stats	2.64	2.78	19.30%	79.30%

With Carey Price officially done for the season and Montreal having allowed six goals against in back-to-back games, the hopes that Montreal would finally turn things around appears to be diminishing quickly. They’ve posted an atrocious 8-22-1 record over their last 29 games and have allowed an average of 3.38 goals against per game since mid January. Once again, while you may glance over the Canadiens on a typical night at this point in the season, we don’t have that luxury with them taking on the worst puck possession team in the NHL on a three game slate. Tomas Plekanec has been the top option lately with three goals and five assists since the all-star break and is joined by Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk both at even strength and on the power-play. Meanwhile, Max Pacioretty may be in the midst of one of the most disappointing seasons of his impressive career, but he’s still posted 20 goals for the fourth time in his short career and his 216 SOG is the fourth highest in the NHL this season. On defense, P.K. Subban actually leads the team with 44 points in 57 games and has been the most consistent fantasy producer all season. He saw a six game scoring streak snapped on Monday night but has picked up at least one point in 17 of the last 20 games. He teams up with Andrei Markov on the top power-play unit and both look like the safest plays here against Colorado’s subpar 79.3% penalty kill.

After a disappointing loss in Buffalo on Sunday, the Avalanche will return home for a quick one game stop at the Pepsi Center to host the struggling Canadiens. Patrick Roy hasn’t done any of us any favors with his new line pairings, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene are the top options. Both players are tied atop the team leaderboard with 44 points in 59 games and combined for three goals and three assists against Montreal in their only previous meeting. Looking past them, Roy has made this a jumbled mess with all of his key offensive contributors sprinkled seemingly randomly across all four forward lines. Jarome Iginla has heated up with two goals and five assists in his last six games and still sees a healthy dose of playing time on the power-play. Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau have all also put up fine offensive numbers this season to earn some run with the man advantage as well. Defensively, Tyson Barrie has emerged as the most attractive option with 36 points in 55 games. He’s locked into 20+ minutes of ice-time per game and is still moderately priced on most sites.

Montreal Canadiens

CF%: 52.9, CP60: 109.1, 5×5 Differential: -4
Elite Options: P.K. Subban
Secondary Options: Tomas Plekanec, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, David Desharnais, Sven Andrighetto, Andrei Markov

Colorado Avalanche

CF%: 43.1, CP60: 110, 5×5 Differential: -9
Elite Options: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie
Secondary Options: Jarome Iginla, Blake Comeau, Carl Soderberg, Erik Johnson