NHL Grind Down: Friday, March 31st - Page Two
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Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks
| Los Angeles Kings | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Quick |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 36-33-7 | 30-37-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.42 | 2.45 | 18.90% | 85.20% | Team Stats | 2.24 | 2.91 | 14.00% | 77.60% |
The Kings were on the cusp of being kicked out of the playoffs at the start of last night’s action. Their gritty 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames has pushed off the inevitable for yet another night as their 79 points was 10 points away from the Nashville Predators who own the eighth and final playoff spot if the playoffs were to start today. Anze Kopitar centers Marian Gaborik and Jarome Iginla on a line that could see a few scoring opportunities tonight. Kopitar and Iginla each have lit the lamp three times in the last seven games and should not draw the Canucks top defensive line for most of the night. That’s because they should be covering the top line of Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Carter leads the team with 32 goals and 62 points but has registered just six points in the 13 games the Kings have played this month. Drew Doughty is the play on the back line as he soaks up a lot of the extra minutes when the Kings draw a penalty. Doughty has found the score sheet 41 times this season with 18 of those points coming with the extra attacker. With the Kings not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs I’d look for another spirited effort out of them tonight.
After beating both Chicago and Minnesota on their recent five-game road trip the Canucks came home and promptly lost to the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 4-1 on Tuesday night. The Canucks have lost seven of their last 10 games and have been eliminated from the playoffs for about a week now as their 69 points is the third worst in the conference. The loss against the Ducks was their ninth straight in front of the home crowd which is probably why there are tickets available in almost all sections of the arena on StubHub as we speak. No one wants to go. Henrik Sedin centers Michael Chaput and Daniel Sedin on the top line while Bo Horvat centers Sven Baertschi and Brock Boeser serve as the second line. Horvat leads the team with 50 points while he and Baertschi have had some chemistry between them so far this season. Henrik Sedin is second on the team with 45 points while brother Daniel sits third with 40 points. As you can see the Canucks don’t score many goals which is why they are one of the teams that sit at the bottom of the conference. Third liners Reid Boucher and Brandon Sutter lead the team with four points over the last seven games which would make Sutter a punt play here as he sees time on the Canucks top power play unit. Alexander Edler is the defenseman who joins Sutter, Sedin, Boeser and Sedin when the Canucks have the extra attacker. Edler has registered four of his 20 points over the last seven games.
Elite Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar
VAN: None
Secondary Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty, Tanner Pearson
VAN: Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin
Washington Capitals at Arizona Coyotes
| Washington Capitals | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Braden Holtby |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 51-17-8 | 27-41-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.23 | 2.17 | 23.30% | 84.70% | Team Stats | 2.29 | 3.20 | 14.60% | 78.00% |
On paper this one seems like a blow out and when all is said and done, it very may well be. Washington’s 51-17-8 record is the best in the league as they lead the Metropolitan Division by four points over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie have combined for 12 goals and 16 assists over the last seven games while serving as the top power play line that has scored nine times over the last six games. Marcus Johansson has added nine points over the last seven games as he jumps up with the top line when the capitals have the extra attacker. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams skate with Johansson at even strength which makes this line worth a look for your tournament rosters tonight. Backstrom leads the team with 60 assists and 80 points while Ovechkin’s 33 goals is tops on the team. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is the choice here as he soaks up most of the extra ice time when the Capitals have the man advantage. Washington should be able to win this one going away and improve on their league leading record.
The Coyotes have just won one game in their last eight and look to make it five losses in a row tonight. Besides their five goal outburst in a 5-3 win at Tampa, Arizona has scored just five goals in six of the other seven games they have played since March 18th. Radim Vrbata, Christian Dvorak and Max Domi give the team their best chance of scoring as Vrbata leads the team with 18 goals and 35 assists. Tobias Rieder, Jordan Martinook and Brendan Perlini skate on the team’s second line which has seen Rieder grab the only two points this line has over the last eight games. Defensemen Alex Goligoski leads the team with five points in the last eight games while Oliver Ekman-Larsson is probably a safer play from the back line. Okay, let’s be honest. None of these guys are safe cash game plays and are barely playable in deeper tournaments. The only way to play any of these guys is if you have a big bank roll and can make multiple GPP lineups.
Elite Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
ARZ: None
Secondary Plays
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov
ARZ: Radim Vrbata, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Tobias Rieder