NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, February 1st
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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Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals
| Boston Bruins | Washington Capitals | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Braden Holtby | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-21-6 | 33-11-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.57 | 17.70% | 86.80% | Team Stats | 3.22 | 2.10 | 20.50% | 84.70% |
The Boston Bruins were able to put a little more room between them and the fourth place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division with a 4-3 win in Tampa last night. Their 58 points now has the team three points ahead of the Leafs and tied for second in the division with the Ottawa Senators. Tonight’s task will be a little tougher however as the head up the coast to take on the Washington Capitals. The top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak has been the most productive over the last two weeks by compiling 11 goals and 177 assists in the last eight games. Marchand leads the way with six goals and seven assists over that time frame while Bergeron leads the team with six power play goals. You can bet your bottom dollar that Washington will try everything in their power to shut down the top line tonight. The second line may be the play here as David Krejci centers Frank Vatrano and David Backes. This of course would be a tournament play only as Krejci leads the group with 25 points in 50 games so far this season. Vatrano gets the free pass here as he has been frequently bounced from the second line to the third line but has been able to put up nine points in the 19 games he has played in. Ryan Spooner is still getting the top power play ice time from the third line and has collected 10 of his 24 points with the man advantage. Defenseman Torey Krug is the play on the back line as he soaks up most of the power play minutes while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis. Boston could be in trouble tonight as Washington has only given up 39 goals in the 22 home games they have played when a goaltender was in the net.
Washington will look to get back on track after a 3-2 loss to the Islanders in Brooklyn last night. The Capitals are still the best team in the league with 72 points and will look to improve on their 19-5-1 record in front of the home crowd tonight. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie should lead the way against a Boston team that has managed to give up 25 goals in their last seven games. Even in the last three games they have won they still have given up three goals in each of those contests. Ovechkin leads the team with 24 goals while Backstrom’s 35 assists and 48 points are also tops on the team. Although they lead the team in scoring it has been Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky that has paced the team over the last 11 games with five goals and six assists apiece. Kuznetsov skates with Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson while Burakovsky skates with Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. I still like the top line here on home ice but you could surely use the other two lines for your tournament selections tonight especially with just three games on tonight’s slate. John Carlson and Matt Niskanen are the plays from the back line as Carlson’s return two games ago has pushed Niskanen to the second power play unit. Dmitry Orlov is also in the mix on a night like tonight as all three players are within one point of each other with Niskanen in the lead with 26 points. Look for Washington to play a solid game and win their 20th game in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom
Secondary Plays
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Torey Krug, David Krejci
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams, John Carlson
Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames
| Minnesota Wild | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Chad Johnson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-11-5 | 25-24-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.33 | 2.22 | 21.30% | 83.80% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.83 | 20.30% | 80.90% |
The Minnesota Wild continued their stranglehold on the Western Conference last night by beating the Oilers in Edmonton by a score of 5-2. Tonight they stay in Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames who are currently in the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle have been consistent for most of the season as they have 48, 41 and 36 points respectively. Niederreiter has grabbed four goals and six assists over the last six games while Staal and Coyle have a combined eight points over that same time period. The second line of Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker look to be the line to target here as Granlund’s 11 points over the last nine games has catapulted him to the top of the Wild scoring chart with 43 points so far this season. Zucker’s five goals over the last nine games lead the team while Koivu has racked up seven of his 35 points over the last two weeks. Since it’s a small slate maybe taking a look at Jason Pominville, Erik Haula and Zach Parise may be able to take down a GPP as Pominville is on a hot streak by virtue of registering nine of his 26 points over the last nine games. Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba are the options on the point with Suter being the safer pick with 30 points in the 49 games that Minnesota has played. Look for Minnesota to be tough tonight and improve on their 16-5-5 record away from home.
The Flames have been hanging tough as they are tied with St Louis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 53 points. Calgary had only scored 10 goals in the last five games before the break although they were able to beat Ottawa in overtime by a score of 3-2 in the last game they played. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Michael Frolik should be the line to target as they will be the line to try to put a chink in the Minnesota defensive armour that has given up just 111 goals so far this season. Monahan leads the team with 16 goals while Gaudreau has found the score sheet 31 times in the 42 games he has played in. Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk and Alex Chiasson make for a decent GPP play here as it’s very likely their ownership will be low while still being able to rack up some points. Backlund leads the team with 34 points while Tkachuk has registered nine of his 31 points in the last month. Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie are the options from the back line and each brings something different to the table. Brodie gets the first shot on the top power play while Giordano leads the team with 12 power play points while usually skating on the second power play unit. Hamilton is the play however as he leads the team with 25 points and has 10 more points than the next Calgary defenseman.
Elite Plays
MIN: Mikael Granlund
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Mikael Backlund
Secondary Plays
MIN: Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker, Ryan Suter
CGY: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Michael Frolik, Matthew Tkachuk
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings
| Colorado Avalanche | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Calvin Pickard |  | Jeff Zatkoff | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 13-32-2 | 25-21-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.00 | 3.40 | 14.00% | 78.20% | Team Stats | 2.50 | 2.40 | 17.40% | 82.90% |
With only three games on the docket tonight it almost makes sense to take Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene for your GPP selections tonight. Both skate on the team’s second line and receive a good amount of ice time when the Avalanche draw a penalty. Colorado has only scored 20 goals in their last 11 games with Landeskog grabbing six points and Duchene another five. This isn’t a ringing endorsement but it is at least a small opening if you want to go against the grain tonight. Nathan MacKinnon leads the team with 33 points while Mikko Rantanen has tallied 22 points so far this season skating next to MacKinnon on the top line. All four players skate on the team’s top power play so keep them together if you are pairing them up for tournament play. Tyson Barrie returned to complete the top power play unit from the back line. Barrie is third on the team with three goals and 20 assists. Colorado has so many other marginal players such as Jarome Iginla, Joe Colborne and Rene Bourque who can’t be trusted in cash games but could possibly win a GPP tonight by using one of them as a punt play. I wouldn’t expect much from the listless Avalanche tonight.
With a win last night against the Arizona Coyotes the Kings have kept themselves afloat in the hunt for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference. Their 54 points currently has them in the seventh playoff spot which means they need to keep winning to stay in contention. The only way that they lose this game tonight is if they come out unfocused. I wouldn’t bet on that happening though as this is a team that has done this many times. The top line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Kyle Clifford is the line to target here as Carter leads the team with 24 goals and 44 points while Pearson and Clifford have combined for five goals and two assists over the last eight games. We can’t forget about Anze Kopitar either as he and Marian Gaborik have been very productive from the team’s second line over the last eight games. Kopitar leads the team with nine points in his last seven games while Gaborik has racked up five of his 11 points over the last eight games. Drew Doughty is the cash game play from the point as he has grabbed eight goals and 21 assists so far this season. Jake Muzzin is the alternative play as he joins Doughty on the team’s top power play unit. Los Angeles should easily improve their home record to 15-8-1 after all is said and done tonight.
Elite Plays
COL: None
LAK: Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar
Secondary Plays
COL: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, Mikko Rantanen
LAK: Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown, Jake Muzzin