NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, January 20th
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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St. Louis Blues at Detroit Red Wings – 08:00 PM EST
| St. Louis Blues | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Petr Mrazek | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-15-7 | 23-14-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.47 | 20.40% | 85.80% | Team Stats | 2.44 | 2.51 | 17.70% | 79.60% |
The Blues defeated Pittsburgh on Monday night and will head to Detroit this evening to battle their former Central Division rival Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings escaped St. Louis with an overtime victory the first time these teams squared off this season, but St. Louis enters action tonight having won four of their last five games and should be eager for revenge. The Blues have been riddled by injuries lately, but their depth has really paid dividends and Coach Hitchcock still has three very dangerous forward lines at his disposal. Vladimir Tarasenko scored another highlight reel goal against Pittsburgh and leads the team with 25 goals and 21 assists in 47 games. He scored a goal and added an assist against Detroit in that first meeting and is the top option among St. Louis forwards. He’ll be joined by fellow youngsters Jori Lehtera and Robby Fabbri, and while they’ll likely see plenty of Pavel Datsyuk, they’re still fine options. Alex Steen finally broke out of a nine game scoring funk against Pittsburgh Monday and still seems to be one of the most underrated players in the NHL. He’s racked up 41 points in 49 games and joins Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer at even strength and also sees playing time alongside Tarasenko on the #1 power-play unit. The Red Wings have really struggled on the penalty kill without Drew Miller, and that’s where I think St. Louis will either win or lose this game. Kevin Shattenkirk has proven to be a very dangerous offensive weapon from the point of the top power-play unit and had a pair of assists against Detroit in that first game. He’s a top-tier option on tonight’s three game slate. Alternatively, both Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko continue to see a healthy dose of playing time on the point of the #2 power-play unit.
Coach Blashill was very pleased with Detroit’s 5-1-0 record on their six game road trip to start the new year, but a 2-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday has taken some of the wind out of the Wings’ sails. With that said, Detroit still finds themselves sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division and are very much within striking distance of the division leading Florida Panthers. While Detroit looks poised to reach the playoffs for the 25th straight season, their balanced scoring attack and rather slow pace (99.7 CP60) makes them somewhat difficult to trust in daily fantasy. With that said, Pavel Datsyuk has heated up lately and has not only tallied a goal and five assists over the last three games but also lit the lamp in that first meeting against St. Louis. He’ll join Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar on a newly formed and dangerous looking secondary scoring line behind the top line of Justin Abdelkader, Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. On defense, they’ll be without leader Niklas Kronwall for the next 3-4 weeks thanks to a nagging knee injury. His absence locks MIke Green into all the power-play work he can handle and that makes him a fine option in all formats despite the tough matchup. It also likely opens up the door for the offensively minded Brendan Smith (or Danny Dekeyser) to see some run on the point of the #2 power-play unit which makes at least one of them a nice “punt” play.
Elite Options
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk
Secondary Options
STL: Troy Brouwer, Jori Lehtera, Robby Fabbri, Paul Stastny, David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko
DET: Justin Abdelkader, Gustav Nyquist, Dylan Larkin, Tomas Tatar, Mike Green, Brendan Smith / Danny Dekeyser
Buffalo Sabres at Colorado Avalanche – 10:00 PM EST
| Buffalo Sabres | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 19-23-4 | 23-21-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.30 | 2.61 | 20.40% | 79.30% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.77 | 20.90% | 80.50% |
The Sabres slid past the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night and have no won four of their last five games. They’re met with another winnable game tonight against the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center, and on just a three game slate, you can’t afford to overlook them. Colorado has been the worst puck possession team in the NHL this season by Corsi standards and their 31.1 shots on goal against per game ranks 25th in the NHL. With that in mind, there should be plenty of scoring chances to go around for this Buffalo squad tonight. Dan Bylsma has relied on each of his top two lines to carry the load offensively this season and there’s little reason to expect things to be different tonight. Ryan O’Reilly, who spent his entire career prior to this season with the Avalanche, leads the team with 17 goals and 22 assists in 46 games and has picked up points in six of the last seven games. He’ll look to punish his old team tonight with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart joining him on the top line. Phenom Jack Eichel scored a goal and added an assist (both on the power-play) against Arizona on Monday and has now racked up five goals and ten assists over the last 14 games. On defense, Rasmus Ristolainen is making a name for himself this season. The former first round pick is second on the team in scoring with 31 points and has posted a goal and four assists in the last five games.
The Avalanche have essentially treaded water over the last month, but they’re quickly running out of time if they want to make a push into the playoff picture in the very competitive Central Division. With that in mind, home games against foes like the Buffalo Sabres have pretty much become must win games for Patrick Roy and company. While neither of these teams have been particularly strong in 5 on 5 play, the Avalanche have converted at a 26.6% clip on the power-play at the Pepsi Center and with Buffalo owning an ugly 79.3% penalty kill, this is where i’ll be focusing my attention. Patrick Roy rolls each of his two power-play units pretty evenly, with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog headlining the forwards on the top unit and Nathan MacKinnin and Jarome Iginla the most dangerous weapons on the other. While all four of those guys look like terrific options in tonight’s slate, my favorite play from Colorado is defenseman Tyson Barrie. Barrie not only quarterbacks that #1 power-play unit but has also tallied 6 goals and 15 assists in just 20 home games this season. His price-tag does not quiet match his production on many sites and tonight looks like the right time to lock him into your lineup.
Elite Options
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Jack Eichel, Rasmus Ristolainen
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie
Secondary Options
BUF: Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn, Cody Franson
COL: Jarome Iginla, Carl Soderberg, Nick Holden
Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks – 10:30 PM EST
| Minnesota Wild | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-15-8 | 19-18-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.33 | 16.90% | 79.40% | Team Stats | 1.95 | 2.34 | 19.50% | 88.90% |
The Wild were blanked 3-0 in Nashville on Saturday and will continue their road trip tonight as they kick off a three-game tour of California against the Anaheim Ducks. It’s been tough sledding for the Wild lately as they’ve struggled their way to an ugly 5-8-2 record over their last 15 games and plummetted from the leaders in the Central Division. Minnesota has posted just an 8-7-6 record away from the Xcel Energy Center and they’re averaging just 2.24 goals per game on the road. With that said, Mike Yeo has two very strong forward lines to unleash and neither should be overlooked on a three game slate. Zach Parise has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last three games but it still the top play from this team. He’s posted five goals over the last seven games and will be joined by Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville both at even strength and one the # 1 power-play unit. Mikko Koivu has been eerily quiet lately, but still leads the team with 33 points in 45 games and has already dished out a pair of assists against Anaheim in their two previous meetings. He’ll skate with Jason Zucker and Thomas Vanek on the second line, and while they won’t receive nearly as much attention as the Parise line, they have a similiar upside. On defense, Ryan Suter remains criminally underpriced on a few sites for a guy 28:24 of icetime per game but also owning 30 points in 45 games. Anaheim’s league best penalty kill puts a dent into his fantasy outlook, but he’s still a fine option in all formats.
The Ducks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season, but thanks to the putrid Pacific Division, they’re still very much alive for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They dropped an important game against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night, but look to be turning the corner as they’ve posted a 7-3-1 record over their last eleven games. The Ducks will be looking for a repeat performance of their 4-1 victory over the Wild the last time they visited the pond before setting off on a very tough looking three game road trip. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are clearly the top scoring options on this team. While they’ll be followed by Zach Parise every time they hop over the boards, they’re simply too talented ignore on a short slate. Corey Perry home vs road splits are drastic as the sniper has scored 15 of his 17 goals on home ice this season. The Ducks improved play has coincided directly with Bruce Boudreau finally getting some consistent secondary scoring from the Ryan Kesler line. Both Kesler and his linemate Jakob Silfverberg have tallied six points in eight games this month and they’ve been joined by the newly acquired and offensively gifted David Perron. Perron lit the lamp against the Kings in his Anaheim debut and is very reasonably priced across the industry. The Ducks are still missing Cam Fowler on the blue-line, but the trio of Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm and rookie Shea Theodore have filled in admirably. While all three see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage, it’s Theodore who has grabbed the reigns as the point man on the #1 power-play unit and has now tallied points in three straight games. He’s dirt cheap and one of the best value plays on the board.
Elite Options
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Shea Theodore
Secondary Options
MIN: Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker, Jared Spurgeon
ANA: Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Rickard Rakell, David Perron, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen