NHL Grind Down: Friday, December 9th - Page Two
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San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks
| San Jose Sharks | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-10-1 | 13-9-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.12 | 18.50% | 83.10% | Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.63 | 22.10% | 80.80% |
It’s always fun to watch these two teams play as the always seem to be battling for position in the standings. Tonight is no different as they are in a dead heat for the second spot in the Pacific division with 31 points apiece. For San Jose it’s pretty cut and dry. The top line that features Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton is usually the line to target here as Pavelski leads the team in points with 24 points in 28 games. Joe Thornton is having a down year so far as even his assist total isn’t up to par as 14 of his 16 points have come by assisting other goals in the first 26 games. Patrick Marleau completes the top line and it appears that maybe his job on the top line is in danger as he hasn’t produced from any line so far this season as he has six goals and two assists so far this season. The one off play is always Logan Couture as he centers the second line but gets the lion’s share of the time when the sharks have the man advantage. Couture has been red-hot of late as he has tallied three goals to go along with two assist in the last four games. If you are feeling a bit risky you can either pair Melker Karlsson or Joel Ward with him to make a decent pair for GPP play. Brent Burns is your choice on the defensive side of things as he anchors the team’s top power play unit while racking up 112 shots and 23 points in the first 26 games. Look for the Sharks to have some opportunity tonight as the ducks have given up a power play goal in each of their last three games.
It doesn’t look like Rickard Rakell will be in tonight’s line up for the Ducks as although he skated yesterday, he was still in a non-contact jersey. This will mean that Nick Ritchie will continue to be a cheap option as he skates alongside of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf who have 22 points apiece as we have just passed the one-quarter mark of the season’s 82 games. Ryan Kesler makes for a strong one-off here as he has garnered seven of his team leading 23 points. Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano are decent plays if you want to pair them up with Kesler as they have nine points between them over the last five games. I would be inclined to drop that line into a GPP as opposed to using them in cash games tonight. Again, Kesler is a one-off cash game play as he gets to skate with Perry and Getzlaf on the top power play unit. Cam Fowler is the choice on the back line as he continues to be consistent by scoring four of his 17 points in the last five games. Sami Vatanen has all but fallen off the map as his 36 shots so far this season has produced 11 points. That’s not a big number considering all of the opportunity he has had.
Elite Plays
SJ: Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
Secondary Plays
SJ: Logan Couture, Joe Thornton
ANA: Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, Jakob Silfverberg