NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, October 26th
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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UPDATE: Montoya starting for Montreal makes the Isles look a little better. Viktor Arvidsson and his big game for the Predators last game has earned him a shot on the top line with Ryan Johansen and James Neal. Ryan Getzlaf is officially a game time decision for the Ducks, so maybe shy away from him as that game starts at 10:30 pm EST.
Montréal Canadiens at New York Islanders
| Montréal Canadiens | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Al Montoya |  | Jaroslav Halak | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-0-1 | 3-3-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.83 | 1.50 | 14.30% | 92.00% | Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.83 | 6.70% | 95.50% |
Montreal comes into this one on a four-game winning streak and has scored at least three goals or more in every game so far this season. The power play seems to be coming along as well as the Canadiens have scored in four of the last five games with the man advantage. I am not one for chasing points but second line winger Alexander Radulov makes a decent one-off play tonight in cash games as he had a hand in all three goals in Saturday night’s 3-1 win at home against Philadelphia. He is also afforded time with the top power play unit that features the rest of the Canadiens scoring leaders. Defenseman Shea Weber leads the way with seven points with Brendan Gallagher hot on his heels with four goals and two assists. Gallagher’s line mates in Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk along Radulov have all tallied five points apiece through the first six games. Tomas Plekanec centers Artturi Lehkonen and Radulov, so if you are into playing second lines on the road, there you go. Andrei Markov could give some salary relief on the back line but I wouldn’t go looking any deeper than that tonight.
The Islanders have won three of the four games on this current home stand culminating with them scoring six goals Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild. Tonight they wrap up their five-game home stand and you can bet that Carey Price and company will be a bit tougher than the Wild were three nights ago. Josh Bailey, Andrew Ladd and superstar John Tavares make up the team’s top line while seeing plenty of time together when the team has the man advantage. With only four games on the slate you may have to take an Islander or two so maybe look to defenseman Johnny Boychuk who has been turning it on lately by collecting three points in the last two games. The ‘kid line’ that features Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Strome connected for four of the six goals Sunday night but it’s Strome that makes the decent one-off play here as he gets the top minutes with the top line while the team is on the man advantage. Look for the New Yorkers to score a few as Price can always throw up a shut out at any time.
Elite Plays
MTL: Shea Weber
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, Alexander Radulov
NYI: Josh Bailey, Dylan Strome, Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk
Boston Bruins at New York Rangers
| Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Henrik Lundqvist | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-2-0 | 4-2-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.60 | 10.00% | 90.00% | Team Stats | 3.67 | 2.67 | 21.10% | 84.20% |
After getting smoked last night by a score of 5-0 on home ice at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, the Boston Bruins will try to move on tonight in Madison Square Garden. It’s tough to play when you top goalie is injured and then you back-up gets injured as well. Tuukka Rask hasn’t skated since last Thursday while Anton Khudobin was injured on Monday and will be out for three weeks. Malcolm Subban was called up and after giving up three goals in 13 shots Zane McIntyre took over and gave up two goals in 15 shots. The Bruins are in trouble with no help in sight. If you are going to take a few Boston players it’s probably best to stick with the skill players. Yes, I know Colin Miller and John-Michael Liles saw the most time on the power play, but a lot of that was in the third period where head coach Claude Julien was throwing anything at the wall to see if it would stick. David Backes didn’t play last night as he is listed day-to-day, so if there is any chance of him playing, he probably will. In terms of the current state of affairs I think that Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak should only be used as a GPP play tonight as they are usually the team’s top line. Marchand and Pastrnak lead the team in points with nine and seven respectively. If you are looking for a one-off, David Krejci is a player that needs to get it going as he has just two assists on the year. He is better than this. Defenseman Torey Krug has zero points so far this season while Zdeno Chara leads all blueliners with two points. I know it’s a small slate so use these guys sparingly in your cash games tonight.
After a good win on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals the New York Rangers were able to grab a win against Arizona without the services of Chris Kreider. It seems Kreider is experiencing neck spasms which makes his status for tonight’s game a bit cloudy. Lucky for us the Rangers made it easy as they just inserted J.T. Miller in his spot both alongside Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello. He also skated on the power play with them as well, which leaves the line of Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and Derek Stepan intact. This unit gets the second crack when the team goes on the power play. Boston played Minnesota last night so I’d look for some goals here tonight. Either line is in play tonight, especially if Tuukka Rask is still on the shelf. Ryan McDonagh is your defensive play here with Brandon Pirri being your one-off virtually by taking the point next to McDonagh on the top power play unit.
Elite Plays
BOS: None
NYR: None
Secondary Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron
NYR: Ryan McDonagh, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan
Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers
| Washington Capitals | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Cam Talbot | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-1-1 | 5-1-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.60 | 1.80 | 12.50% | 71.40% | Team Stats | 3.83 | 2.67 | 16.70% | 87.00% |
The Washington Capitals embark on their four-game western Canada road trip that starts tonight in Edmonton. To Edmonton’s credit, they did beat a tough St Louis Blues team on home ice last Thursday night, but tonight the Capitals should be ready for them, especially after that 4-2 loss at home to the Rangers. The Oilers will try to shut down Alexander Ovechkin and company, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t rosterable. The second line is the one to target though as T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom all get the top power play minutes with Ovechkin and defenseman John Carlson. The only other play I’d consider is pairing Ovechkin with regular linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov as they are both on the top three on the team’s scoring leader chart. Look for the Caps to score a few here so grabbing a few of them may be a good idea.
The Edmonton Oilers are off to their best start since 1985 as they sit atop the Pacific division with a 5-1 record. Tonight will be a big test as they face on of the best defensive teams in the league in the Washington Capitals. Cam Talbot has started all six games and has looked great in all of them except the one against Buffalo, where his wife was about to give birth to twins. He’s excused. The top line of Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic will be tested tonight so maybe this line would work best as a GPP play. While McDavid has notched nine points while Eberle and Leon Draisaitl have been in on six of the Oilers 23 goals so far this season. Draisaitl makes a nice one-off here as he skates on the top power play unit, which will give you some cheap exposure to the high-priced McDavid. Andrej Sekera and Oscar Klefbom have seen some time on the power play while playing on the point but with all the goals that have been scored, these two have just three assists to show for it.
Elite Plays
WSH: Alexander Ovechkin
EDM: Connor McDavid
Secondary Plays
WSH: T.J. Oshie, John Carlson, Marcus Johansson, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov
EDM: Jordan Eberle, Leon Draisaitl
Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks
| Nashville Predators | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 2-3-0 | 2-3-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 3.00 | 47.40% | 77.80% | Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.67 | 15.00% | 85.20% |
After a bout with food poisoning, the Predators should be back at full strength tonight. The odd thing is that they scored the most goals they have in any game so far this season as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 5-1 on home ice. Nashville has scored 10 goals of their 15 goals while on the man advantage. The top line that features Ryan Johansen and James Neal is a good place to start as Johansen has all four of his assists on the power play while Neal leads the team in shots with 23. Filip Forsberg comes up from the second line to join defenseman Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm to form the five man unit that gets the first crack after the Predators draw a penalty. Forsberg and defenseman P.K. Subban lead the team in points while Mike Fisher leads the team in power play goals with three. I don’t mind pairing either Johansen with Neal or Fisher with Forsberg as they play on the same regular lines together.
After losing last night in San Jose by score of 2-1 in overtime, the Ducks take the quick jaunt south to host the Nashville Predators tonight. The top line that features Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will no doubt see some high ownership in cash games tonight. Getzlaf leads the team in points while defenseman cam Fowler joins them on the team’s top power play unit. Nick Ritchie would complete the top full line stack and is starting to earn his way into more ice time while the team has the man advantage. Sami Vatanen is the other option on the blue line as he comes in as one of the team’s top five scorers. For GPP play you could stray to the second line of Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano as this is a line that has shown some chemistry at times but not enough to give the team the support needed to become more than a one line team. Anaheim needs to find a bit more scoring as they have scored a total seven goals in their two wins against Vancouver and Philadelphia but have just managed only eight goals in their five losses. Of course this makes sense but the fact of the matter is that Getzlaf has been on more than half of their goals and that’s not good.
Elite Plays
NSH: None
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Mike Fisher, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban
ANA: Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler