NHL Grind Down: Friday, December 23rd - Page Two
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Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes
| Boston Bruins | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Anton Khudobin |  | Michael Leighton | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-14-3 | 14-11-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.29 | 2.41 | 13.30% | 87.10% | Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.68 | 20.80% | 91.50% |
Boston started their current five-game road trip with a solid 3-1 win against the Florida Panthers last night. The win moved them into third place in the Atlantic Division as they improved to a healthy 10-5-3 on the road so far this season. David Pastrnak returned to the line up to take his spot on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak leads the team in goals with 19 while Marchand’s 28 points leads the team in that category while firing 25 shots on net over the last five games. Some of that is probably because Pastrnak wasn’t there for a few games but still Marchand has over 100 shots on goal so far this season. Carolina will no doubt try to shut down that line so we may have to look elsewhere for fantasy purposes tonight. Head coach Claude Julien finally put Ryan Spooner back into the top six as he skated with David Krejci and David Backes in last night’s game. This is the line I would target for deeper tournament plays as they should get to see a little more room on the ice tonight. Defenseman Torey Krug is the choice on the point as he soaks up most of the power play time while quarterbacking the top unit with the man advantage. Boston has only lit the lamp 17 times over the last seven games so not going overboard here may be one of the wiser choices of the night.
If only Carolina could find a way to improve on their 5-8-6 road record they could be in business. True they did beat the Sabres in Buffalo last night by a score of 3-1 but their road record pales in comparison to their 9-3-1 record in front of the home crowd. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask are the chalk plays here as they not only have each registered five points over the last four games they also lead the team in points with 27 and 26 respectively. Derek Ryan skates with them at even strength and could be used here as he has tallied four of his 12 points over the last four games. The second line of Sebatian Aho, Lee Stempniak and Teuvo Teravainen could be used here as a deeper tournament play but you won’t get any more bang for your buck than you will with the first line. If you like playing the hot hand then defenseman Justin Faulk is your guy. Faulk has recorded five of his 16 points over the last four games which includes three goals and a team leading 18 shots on goal in those four games. Noah Hanifin has been getting some run on the top power play unit but still has just 11 points in the 32 games he has suited up for. Carolina is tough at home and should be able to squeak this one out with the top line doing some of the damage.
Elite Plays
BOS: David Pastrnak
CAR: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask
Secondary Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Torey Krug, Ryan Spooner, Patrice Bergeron
CAR: Justin Faulk, Derek Ryan, Sebastian Aho
Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers
| Detroit Red Wings | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-15-4 | 15-14-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.27 | 2.82 | 12.40% | 81.80% | Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.64 | 14.80% | 84.90% |
This will be Florida’s fourth home game so far this month and have only lost to Pittsburgh by a score of 5-1 back on December eighth. Tomas Tatar, Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg are used at even strength and on the top power play unit but that may not be a good idea here as Florida will surely try to shut them down. It also doesn’t help that Detroit has scored just one power play goal in the last nine games. Gustav Nyquist, Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek is the line to look at here for GPP plays as they all have registered 17 points this season with Vanek being the one-off as he has his points in just 22 games. Dylan Larkin can also be used as a one off here as he gets the extra time with the top power play unit while leading the team with 97 shots so far this season. Defenseman Mike Green looks to be out for this game which means the only other viable option at the point is the aging Niklas Kronwall. We have to pass on this as he has only registered two points on 18 shots in the 20 games he has suited up for. Detroit is in a scoring slump so taking anyone for a cash game play may just be wasting your money.
With an assist on the Panthers only goal last night Jaromir Jagr has moved into second place on the all-time NHL scoring list. That gives him five assists in his last five games while being able to tally 20 points while skating on the team’s top line. Speaking of the top line, Aleksander Barkov has been on fire over the last five games as he has found the back of the net three times while assisting on three other goals. He leads the team with 26 points as this duo should be considered for cash game play tonight. Seth Griffith rounds out the top unit but just doesn’t have the talent or the stats to keep up with what could possibly be the best two players on the team. The second line of Reilly Smith, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Marchessault could be a tempting tournament play here as Marchessault still leads the team with 10 goals in the 27 games he has played in. Smith has chipped in two goals and two assists overt the last five games while Trocheck has eight goals and assists so far this season. Aaron Ekblad is the play on the back end as he and Keith Yandle handle the defensive duties when the Panthers draw a penalty. Ekblad leads the team with 113 shots on goal while Yandle has grabbed 15 points in 34 games played this season. Look for the top line to have some scoring opportunities tonight and improve on the 9-6 record in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
DET: None
FLA: Aleksander Barkov
Secondary Plays
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha, Thomas Vanek, Dylan Larkin
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Marchessault, Keith Yandle
Colorado Avalanche at Chicago Blackhawks
| Colorado Avalanche | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Calvin Pickard |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-20-1 | 22-9-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.10 | 3.16 | 14.80% | 79.20% | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.37 | 18.50% | 74.20% |
The Avalanche have been trying everything in the book but the bottom line is they just aren’t a good team. To put things into perspective Colorado has only scored 65 goals all season which is the least that any team has scored to this point. Matt Duchene resembles the closest thing to a consistent player as he has 22 points in the 27 games he has played in but after that the pickings get slim. Duchene plays on the second line with Mikhail Grigorenko and Rene Bourque. Both players combined have just 22 points so far this season. Jarome Iginla saw a lot of power play time last night but did nothing with it as this is just another example of how desperate the Avalanche seem to be. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen skate on the team’s top line but even they haven’t been performing the way that Colorado would like them to. MacKinnon has 21 points in 34 games while Rantanen has registered 14 points in the 26 games he has played in. Tyson Barrie is the choice on the back line but one has to think that after being shut out last night on home ice they may be in the same boat here in Chicago tonight.
The Blackhawks will get their starting goaltender in Corey Crawford back between the pipes tonight. Not that Scott Darling is swiss cheese as he went 6-3-1 in his absence. Speaking of being absent, both Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa will miss this one which means the Hawks lines are shuffled up yet again. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin will no doubt be one of the higher owned lines tonight as Panarin is red-hot with four goals and seven assists over the last five games. Kane has contributed two goals and four assists over the same time frame while Toews has been the more defensive player of the unit. The second line is the one that is depleted as Ryan Hartman and Tyler Motte are centered by Vincent Hinostroza. I don’t mind this line as a tournament option as both Hartman and Hinostroza have exhibited some offensive talent as evidence by finding the score sheet four times each over the last five games. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the options from the point and it’s just a matter of which one fits better on your roster as both can get you points tonight. Keith is the safer play here as he gets more shots than Seabrook while having just a three point lead of 23-20 over him. Chicago should score some here tonight with the top line being at the center of the action.
Elite Plays
COL: none
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
COL: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie
CHI: Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Los Angeles Kings at Dallas Stars
| Los Angeles Kings | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Jeff Zatkoff |  | Antti Niemi | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-13-3 | 13-14-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.50 | 2.44 | 15.50% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 2.53 | 3.06 | 16.90% | 77.60% |
The Kings played their textbook style of hockey last night as they were able to score three third period goals on just six shots to beat the Nashville Predators by a score of 4-0. The win gives them a 3-2-1 record on their current nine-game road trip. Tonight they stop in Dallas to take on a Stars team that situated in sixth place in the Central Division with 33 points. The injury to Tyler Toffoli had forced the kings to shuffle the lines up a bit. Anze Kopitar found himself centering Dustin Brown and Devin Setoguchi while Jeff Carter was in the middle of Marian Gaborik and Dwight King. Carter’s goal in last night game only added to his team leading total of 17 while leading the team with 107 shots on goal. With Toffoli out of the line up the Kings went back to their two defensemen power play philosophy as Drew Doughty was joined by Alec Martinez when the Kings had the man advantage. They were joined by Carter, Kopitar and third liner Tanner Pearson but came up empty on their only two opportunities last night. Both of Pearson’s even strength line mates scored last night which saw Nic Dowd and Devin Setoguchi scoring third period goals to insure the victory. Dallas has only given up 11 goals in their last six home games so maybe staying away from the Kings, at least in cash games, is the way to go tonight.
This was supposed to be the part of the schedule where the Stars were to make their move as they had eight of their next nine games at home. As luck would have it they did start out with a 6-2 win over Anaheim but then lost to both the Rangers and Blues while breaking Philadelphia’s ten-game winning streak. Regardless of how head coach Lindy Ruff wants to chop up his lines Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are almost always the plays where the Dallas stars are concerned. Seguin has 32 points while Benn has registered 28 in the 34 games that Dallas has played. At last check they were on the top line with Patrick Eaves and that is the line that should be targeted for your cash game plays tonight. Antoine Roussel may not be able to play tonight so the stars are toying with the idea of moving defenseman Jamie Oleksiak up to the front lines. What line he will play on is anyone’s guess as Roussel was skating with Radek Faksa and Brett Ritchie. Jason Spezza is the one-off here as he skates on the third line but recorded nine of his 17 points with the man advantage. That’s what having exposure to two of the best players on the team will do to ones statistics. John Klingberg quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit and has collected three assists over the last five games. Dallas has lit the lamp 104 times so far this season and should continue to do so tonight.
Elite Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
Secondary Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez, Dustin Brown
DAL: Jason Spezza, John Klingberg, Patrick Eaves
Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames
| Vancouver Canucks | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-17-3 | 17-16-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.45 | 3.03 | 13.70% | 80.00% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.89 | 18.60% | 80.20% |
Game by game it seems that the Vancouver Canucks fall deeper and deeper into irrelevancy. Their 4-11-1 road record won’t help them much tonight especially after they let the Winnipeg Jets score four straight goals last night in the 4-1 home loss. Daniel Sedin, Jannik Hansen and Henrik Sedin are the team’s top line but to be quite honest the aging Sedin brothers have seen better days. There was a time when they were better than point-a-game players but they haven’t reached that plateau in a few years and are once again on that path as they each have just 22 points in 34 games to lead the team in that department. Brandon Sutter, Loui Eriksson and Markus Granlund skate on the team’s second line and could be in a good spot here as they have put up five goals over the last five games. The third line of Sven Baertschi, Alexandre Burrows and Bo Horvat is always the wild-card line for the Canucks as they tend to score goals in bunches though not very often. They make for a good GPP play here however against a Calgary team that should be busy with the Sedin line. Troy Stecher, Ben Hutton and Lucas Sbisa are the option on defense but none of them have over ten points on the season. It looked like Hutton and Stecher received most of the power play minutes last night so if you had to pick one I’d probably go with the cheaper one here tonight.
Although the Calgary Flames have won seven of their last ten games they have lost three of their last four but should be okay on home ice tonight against a Vancouver team that is 4-11-1 away from the home crowd. The Flames need a boost here as they sit precariously in the eighth and final playoff spot with three teams threatening to catch them. Johnny Gaudreau is always a decent play on home ice as he has managed 13 points in the 12 homes game he has participated in. His line mates in Sam Bennett and Alex Chiasson are decent enough to stack him with although they don’t see the extra power play time that Gaudreau does. Sean Monahan, Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer have emerged as the team’s top line by virture of not only their recent production but by the fact that the Flames put them out there with Gaudreau when the draw a penalty. Both Brouwer and Monahan have found the score sheet four times over the last five games while Versteeg has chipped in with a goal and two assists. All of those points have been recorded with the man advantage as Calgary has scored 13 power play goals in the last nine games. This should match up well against a Vancouver team that has given up seven goals in the last five games while trying to kill a penalty. T.J. Brodie plays the point on the power play and has registered three of his ten points over the last five games. Dougie Hamilton is also a decent play on the back line as he leads the Calgary defensemen with 18 points and 100 shots. Look for Calgary to score a bit here, especially on the power play.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Brandon Sutter, Troy Stecher
CGY: Troy Brouwer, T.J. Brodie, Kris Versteeg, Dougie Hamilton