NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, October 19th
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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NOTE: Listed team records/statistics are from 2015/16 season.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Winnipeg Jets
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Michael Hutchinson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-42-11 | 35-39-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.34 | 3.00 | 15.40% | 81.60% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 4.00 | 14.80% | 78.40% |
It’s going to be hard to believe that the ‘top line’ of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Zach Hyman will not be the line the Jets try to shut down tonight. Again, this is a short slate so any line can win a GPP but for cash games maybe the second line of Mitchell Marner, James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak will be the chalk tonight. The third line of Leo Komarov, Nazem Kadri and Milan Michalek has some talent as well so this game could see a lot of goals. The Toronto power play is yet to tally a goal as it now features the Bozak line with Kadri and Jake Gardiner at the points. Nikita Zaitsev handles the point on the second power play unit with Nylander and Matthews from the first line and Komarov and Michalek from the third line. There’s plenty of ways to go here so just make sure you have your pairs set. For example, take Komarov with Michalek, Nylander with Matthews and anyone from the top line. The reason for this is that they get to play together one their regular line and also their power play line as well. The Maple Leafs have scored four goals in each of the first two games so look for a few here tonight.
UPDATE
It appears coach Babcok is tweaking his power play lines a bit.
Zaitsev-Matthews-Kadri-Nylander-Komarov
and
Gardiner-Carrick-JVR-Bozak-Marner
This would put Matthews and Nylander as a nice pair as well as anyone from the second line. I think I’d also put Zaitsev ahead of gardiner at this pint.
After an opening night 5-4 overtime win at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Jets have gone on to drop their next two games. They lost 4-3 at Minnesota and then again back home to the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-1. The top line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and newcomer Patrik Laine is the obvious chalk here for your cash games. Laine drops down to the second power play unit while second line forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Drew Stafford move up along with defenseman Dustin Byfuglien round out the top power play unit. If you want to complete the GPP second line stack just add Mathieu Perreault to Ehlers and Stafford and…wella! Laine is joined by defenseman Tobias Enstrom, Tyler Myers and Perreault and third liner Kyle Connor to form the second power play unit. It is for this reason that both Enstrom and Connor make excellent one-off GPP plays tonight. Wheeler and Scheifele lead the team in points as they have scored five of the Jets nine goals.
Elite Plays
TOR: None
WIN: Blake Wheeler
Secondary Plays
TOR: Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner
WIN: Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien, Nikolaj Ehlers
Detroit Red Wings at New York Rangers
| Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 41-30-11 | 46-27-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.55 | 3.67 | 18.80% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.84 | 3.33 | 18.60% | 78.20% |
After losing two games in the ‘Sunshine State’, the Red Wings had their last home opener at the Joe Louis Arena on Monday night. Defenseman Mike Green led the way by notching a hat trick against the visiting Ottawa Senators en route to a 5-1 win. On a short two game slate almost everyone is in play where GPPs are concerned. Thomas Vanek is a great one-off play here as he leads the team in points along with Green as they both have five points. Vanek gets the top power play minutes while line mates Gustav Nyqvist and Darren Helm have three and four points respectively and could be the GPP play of the night. The Rangers will no doubt try to stop the top line of Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar so even the second line of Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader and Riley Sheahan could see quite a bit of room on the ice tonight. Zetterberg, Nielsen and Tatar join Vanek and Green to comprise the team’s top power play unit which has three times in eight attempts. Brendan Smith is the other defenseman who sees time on the team’s second power play unit but has yet to find the scoresheet on just three shots so far this season.
The Rangers took care of business Monday night as they scored four third goals to beat the San Jose Sharks by a score of 7-4. This is their second home win in a row and look to make it three tonight against the visiting Detroit Red Wings. Their only loss came on the road Saturday night where they lost to St Louis by a score of 3-2. The Blueshirts changed it up last game as they put Rick Nash on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. This line also served as the top power play line which makes them a decent cash game play tonight. Brandon Pirri is the one-off here as he skates on the fourth line but plays the point along with defenseman Ryan McDonagh on the top power play unit. To be fair however the second line of Mats Zuccarello, Jimmy Vesey and Derek Stepan skate on the team’s second line and second power play unit, which gets almost as much time with the man advantage as the first unit. Third liner Kevin Hayes and defenseman Adam Clendening join them on the second power play unit, so even they are in play for GPP action tonight.
Elite Plays
DET: None
NYR: None
Secondary Plays
DET: Mike Green, Thomas Vanek, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, Dylan Larkin, Frans Nielsen
NYR: Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan
Goaltender Options
Please make sure these goaltenders are confirmed for tonight’s contests.
1.Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
2.Michael Hutchinson – Winnipeg Jets
3.Frederik Andersen – Toronto Maple Leafs
4.Jimmy Howard – Detroit Red Wings