NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, March 22nd
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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Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-23-15 | 47-18-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.06 | 2.80 | 23.70% | 83.30% | Team Stats | 3.18 | 2.30 | 21.50% | 82.80% |
Tonight will be a bit different than last night as the NHL has furnished us with just three games to choose from tonight. Toronto has a tedious grip on the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 81 points. They will need to keep winning as both Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders are hot on their heels as we come down the home stretch. Auston Matthews is usually the chalk play on almost any night but the team leader in points has just managed a goal and an assist in the least nine games. Meanwhile his linemate in William Nylander has been tearing it up of late as he has registered eight of his 52 points over the last 19 days. James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Mitchell Marner should draw a lot of attention here as they are the team’s top scoring line. Bozak’s nine points in the last nine games leads the team while Marner continues to lead the team with 39 assists. Nazem Kadri could be used as a one-off here especially on the road as he has tallied 52 points so far this season while centering the team’s third line. Leo Komarov and Connor Brown skate with him at even strength but get some quality exposure to Matthews as they jump to skate with him and Nylander on the team’s top power play unit. It is for this reason and the fact that there are only three games tonight that the Kadri line could be useful in tournament play. Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev are the offensive threats from the points which has Gardiner being the safer choice here as his 34 points leads all Maple Leaf defensemen in that category.
The Blue Jackets will look to keep pace with the Washington Capitals as they both were tied for the best record in the league with 100 points before last night’s action. Columbus has been on a roll of late as they have won seven of their last eight games. Tonight’s game could be a preview of a possible Eastern Conference showdown to see what team gets to vie for Lord Stanley’s coveted cup. It looks like Alexander Wennberg will play tonight as he took regular shifts in yesterday’s practice alongside Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nick Foligno. If you’ve been playing along you know that Cam Atkinson has been moved off of the line with Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky and now skates with Sam Gagner and Brandon Saad. Atkinson leads the team with 33 goals and 60 points while Wennberg’s 42 assists has him second on the team with 54 points in 70 games. There are a few ways to go here but I think I’d stick with pairing either Wennberg with Foligno or Atkinson with Saad for your cash game choices tonight. Zachary Werenski is a force from the blue line as he leads the team with nine points over the last 10 games. Werenski cooled off a bit there but looks to have made the adjustment needed to become a fixture on the team’s top power play unit for a very long time.
Elite Plays
TOR: Mitchell Marner
CBJ: Cam Atkinson
Secondary Plays
Tor: Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander, Jake Gardiner
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad, Zachary Werenski, Sam Gagner
New York Islanders at New York Rangers
| New York Islanders | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Antti Raanta | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-26-12 | 45-24-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.91 | 3.00 | 15.20% | 80.70% | Team Stats | 3.15 | 2.59 | 18.90% | 79.90% |
The Islanders have done a great job of staying in the playoff conversation so far but let’s see how the one-line team does against the Rangers in their own barn tonight. The Rangers have virtually clinched a playoff spot as their 93 points is 15 more than the Islanders 78 points with just 11 games left in the season. Going into last night the Islanders were the ninth seeded team in the Eastern Conference which would make them the odd man out if the playoffs were to start today. John Tavares, Andrew Ladd and Justin Bailey skate on the team’s top line which sees Tavares and Bailey head up the first line when the Islanders draw a penalty. Tavares has registered nine of his team leading 61 points over the last 10 games as Bailey continues to lead the team with 37 assists so far this season. With only three games on the slate tonight it may be a good idea to try the second line of Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Ho-Sang and Andres Lee as a tournament play here tonight. The Islanders have split up their top line tring to make it harder for the rangers to shut them down, which is a smart move here. Ryan and Brock Nelson skate on the third line which also could gain some momentum if the chemistry gels quick enough. Nelson’s 38 points is good enough for fifth on the team in scoring while Ho-Sang’s six points in his last 10 games is the only NHL points to his credit. As far as the defenseman go, Nick Leddy is the clear choice for cash games while Calvin de Haan has been the flavor of the week with five points in the last 10 games. If the Islanders want to stay in the chase they will need to more than likely win here tonight.
The Rangers are fresh off playing across the river last night as the battled the New Jersey Devils in a Metropolitan Division battle. As mentioned above the Rangers need a few more points to clinch a playoff spot and should be able to at least get one here tonight on home ice. Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello should be the chalk here on home ice as they are the team’s best scoring line this season. Going into last night’s game both Kreider and Zuccarello had each registered seven points over the last nine games to lead the team. Mika Zibanejad centers the second line that features Rick Nash and the team leader in points in the form of J.T. Miller. Michael Grabner is on the third line with Kevin Hayes and leads the team with 27 goals so far this season. Much like the Blue Jackets, I would probably stick with the top line for your cash game plays as they seem to be the safest while the other two lines could easily win someone a GPP tonight. Ryan McDonagh mans the point from the back line when the Rangers have the extra attacker. McDonagh needs to points to attain 40 points on the season as 13 of those 38 points have come on the power play. Brady Skjei is the alternative here for GPP play as he has grabbed 33 points from the blue line so far this season. Look for the Rangers to have their way with the one-line Islanders as they look to improve on their 19-15-3 record in front of the home crowd tonight.
Elite Plays
NYI: John Tavares
NYR: Chris Kreider
Secondary Plays
NYI: Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy, Ryan Strome, Josh Ho-Sang
NYR: Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Grabner
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks
| Edmonton Oilers | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | Jonathan Bernier | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-24-9 | 38-23-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.54 | 22.50% | 79.60% | Team Stats | 2.54 | 2.43 | 18.40% | 85.00% |
There’s nothing like a game this late in the season that has major playoff implications, but that is just what we have here in Anaheim tonight. Both teams come in with 87 points and 10 games left to play which is good enough to be in a tie for second place in the Pacific Division. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will look to lead the Oilers to victory from the top line as they are almost matchup proof. McDavid leads the league with 82 points while Draisaitl’s 65 points is not chopped liver either. Patrick Maroon joins them on the top line while the second line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic make for a decent GPP play here. McDavid, Draisaitl and Lucic are joined by Mark Letestu on the team’s top power play unit which should be in play here as Edmonton has scored six power play goals in five of their last six games. Oscar Klefbom is the choice on the back line as he has become accustomed to manning the back line with the extra attacker. Look to Andrej Sekera as a cheap alternative to Klefbom who has recorded 30 points so far this season, which is the same number that Klefbom has to his credit this season. To be fair though Sekera’s 110 shots on goal pales in comparison to the 182 shots that Klefbom has been able to get to the net this season. Look for a good effort here from the Oilers who have won their last four games.
Anaheim has let up just five goals in their last four games that has seem them on the winning end three times while losing the fourth game in a shootout. Being able to hang in games and get valuable points has been the Ducks hallmark so to speak as their 11 overtime losses is tied with the Nashville Predators for most in the Western Conference. Patrick Eaves, Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell will look to lead the Ducks tonight as they skate on the top line. They have been on fire of late as Getzlaf has 13 points to his credit in the last nine games while Rakell’s seven goals over that same time period just adds to his team leading 31 goals. Getzlaf and Eaves get the extra ice time on the team’s top power play unit as Ryan Kesler joins them from the second line. Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg are Kesler’s linemates at even strength and look to be a nice GPP selection for tonight’s contests. Kesler’s 50 points is second on the team while Silfverberg has lit the lamp 20 times while assisting on 22 other goals. Cam Fowler is the defensive choice over Sami Vatanen as both man the points on the top power play unit. Fowler has been consistent although Vatanen has been serviceable of late as he has recorded four points on 26 shots on goals over the last nine games. Both teams need a win here as the winner will get the leg up in the Pacific Division.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf
Secondary Plays
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle, Oscar Klefbom, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
ANA: Rickard Rakell, Patrick Eaves, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler