NHL Grind Down: Friday, November 25th - Page Two
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Winnipeg Jets at Nashville Predators
| Winnipeg Jets | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-11-2 | 9-7-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.95 | 15.60% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 2.89 | 2.53 | 22.90% | 83.90% |
The Jets finish up their five-game road trip with a visit to the Music City tonight to face the Nashville Predators. They have lost all four games so far and have scored two goals in just one of those games. Scoring five goals in four games does not bode well if you are a team looking to get some footing to make a playoff run. Part of the problem is that they have been stacking their top line on the road with Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers which makes it very easy to shut them down on the road. Patrik Laine leads the team in goals and he skates on the third line with Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp. Why not on the road put him with Scheifele and put Nicolas Petan in the middle of Wheeler and Ehlers. Wouldn’t that make more sense? I mean, let the other team make a decision as to what line to shut down instead of make it easy for them. I guess that’s why the Jets will be golfing come mid-April while other teams vie for the Stanley Cup. You can roll the dice and play the top line here or go with Laine or Petan as one-off plays. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien looks like he is becoming more active offensively as he has garnered three points over the last five games while getting 13 shots to the net. The Jets are 3-7-2 on the road, so we will not expect any miracles here, especially if Pekka Rinne is guarding the net at the other end of the ice.
Nashville has gone 6-2-2 in November to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot with 21 points. They have won their last five games at home, and there is no reason in the world they can’t make it six, especially if Winnipeg keeps their lines the way they were last game. I have a feeling that Ryan Johansen and James Neal will be used in a lot of cash games today as Neal leads the team in goals while grabbing four points over the last five games. Filip Forsberg joins them on the power play as a one-off play here as he has a goal and three assists over the last five games. Forsberg also leads the team in points with 15 of them in the 19 games Nashville has played. Mike Fisher comes up from the third line to play with those three on a power play unit that has notched a goal in each of their last three games. While Roman Josi is the last piece of the power play puzzle from the back line. it’s been P.K. Subban that has been more productive. Subban has found the scoresheet six times over the last five games, and that’s not bad considering he only has 14 points on the year so far. Look for Nashville to win this one against an inept Winnipeg squad.
Elite Plays
WIN: None
NSH: James Neal
Secondary Plays
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi
Detroit Red Wings at New Jersey Devils
| Detroit Red Wings | New Jersey Devils | ||||||||
 | Jimmy Howard |  | Cory Schneider | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-10-1 | 10-6-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.60 | 15.50% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 2.32 | 2.42 | 12.90% | 80.70% |
It took a shootout but the Red Wings finally got their third win in November against a very stingy Sabres team in Buffalo on Wednesday night. Tonight, they face the New Jersey Devils before coming home to host the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night. Detroit is a classic team that is trying to get too fancy with their lines. Head coach Jeff Blashill seems to change them up constantly trying to catch lightning in a bottle while all he has to do is put his top six on the top two lines and let them play. Now granted, Thomas Vanek was injured for a bit but mostly he had third line duty before he got hurt. As the lines stand now I think the Devils will try to shut down the line of Vanek, Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin. This would mean that Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha and Justin Abdelkader could be a line to target for GPP play on the road here tonight. The Wings have only scored six goals over the last five games, so maybe just taking defenseman Ryan Sproul as a one-off here is the way to go. Sproul gets the top minutes on a power play unit that scored two goals against Tampa Bay four games ago which is where Sproul tallied two of his three points over the last four games. Nyquist leads the team in points with 13, so taking any Red Wings for cash game play tonight may prove to be fatal.
Mike Cammalleri returned to the Devils line up and immediately racked up four points while skating on the top line with Travis Zajac and P.A. Parenteau. This would be the line to target tonight, as they should see plenty of opportunities as they are the home team and get the luxury of matching up whatever line they want them to play against. With that said, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work out that way as New Jersey is not known for their scoring prowess although they did score four goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice Wednesday night. Damon Severson and John Moore saw plenty of action on the power play last game from the point as both shoot the puck but Severson has had better results as his counterpart as he has three goals and nine assists in the 19 games the devils have played so far. The second line features Adam Henrique, Reid Boucher and Devante Smith-Pelley but should only be used as a deeper GPP play, as Henrique leads this bunch with just with eight points so far this season. With 10 other games on the all-day slate, maybe it’s best to pass on New Jersey tonight.
Elite Plays
DET: None
NJ: None
Secondary Plays
DET: Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek, Henrik Zetterberg, Ryan Sproul
NJ: Mike Cammalleri, Thomas Vanek, Damon Severson
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Ben Bishop | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-5-3 | 13-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.11 | 2.33 | 28.60% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 3.10 | 2.38 | 24.40% | 85.50% |
The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost their last two games, but there’s no need to worry just yet, as their record of 10-5-3 still has them in fourth place in the Metropolitan division. The top line of Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno and Brandon Saad all have double-digits in points, with Foligno leading the way with seven goals and 11 assists in 18 games. Wennberg leads the team with 12 assists, as he and Foligno anchor the team’s top power play unit that has only scored two goals in the last five games. Cam Atkinson makes a good one-off play here as his three goals and six assists in the last six games lead the team from the second line. To go with a full stack, just add Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky along with Atkinson as the top line should be the one attracting all of the attention tonight on the road. Zachary Werenski is the play from the blue line, as seven of his 15 points have come with the man advantage. Third liner Sam Gagner may be able to give you some salary relief, as he has seven goals and five assists while playing on the top power play unit. Tampa has been playing some good defensive hockey over the past six games as they have only surrendered 10 goals while going 5-1 in the process.
Tampa has managed to not only stay afloat since the Steven Stamkos injury but have also been able to gain ground on the division leaders thanks to a 7-3 stretch over the last 10 games. They are 6-2-1 at home and face an upstart Columbus team that isn’t the pushover they used to be a year ago. I like what the Lightning have been trying to do in terms of splitting up their talent to get the optimal results. Vladislav Namestnikov is on the first line with Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn while Ondrej Palat, Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Drouin play on the team’s second line. There is a third line of Tyler Johnson, Ryan Callahan and Brayden Point but those guys are relegated to the second unit when the team has the man advantage. The Lightning power play has connected five times over the last five games, and this is where Tampa Bay is smart. They use Kucherov and Namestnikov from the first line and then Take Drouin and Palat from the second line while adding Nikita Nesterov to quarterback the team’s top unit when they have the man advantage. Keeping pairs together from two different lines creates a bit more chemistry than those teams who spread their top units across three lines. Tampa has been getting scoring from all three lines but I think I’d stick with Kucherov here as he leads the team in both goals and assists with 10 and 14 respectively. Tampa should win on home ice tonight but I wouldn’t count on Columbus going quietly.
Elite Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno
TB: Nikita Kucherov
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Zachary Werenski, Cam Atkinson, Brandon Saad
TB: Vladislav Namestnikov, Jonathan Drouin, Nikita Nesterov, Ondrej Palat
Calgary Flames at Boston Bruins
| Calgary Flames | Boston Bruins | ||||||||
 | Brian Elliott |  | Zane McIntyre | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-12-1 | 11-9-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.27 | 3.09 | 9.40% | 74.10% | Team Stats | 2.35 | 2.35 | 16.10% | 86.10% |
The Calgary Flames continue to scratch and claw their way to stay in contention for a playoff spot. They currently sit with 19 points in the Western Conference, which is just mere two points away from a berth into the end of the season tournament. The top line of Michael Frolik, Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk has scored five of the 12 goals the Flames have scored over the last six games. One would have to think that this is the line the Bruins will try to shut down, which will leave the second line of Sean Monahan, Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer to be the GPP line here. One needs to use caution here, however, as Calgary is getting better on the defensive end. Yes, they have given up 69 goals in 22 games, but they have only let in 10 goals over the last six games. That’s a far cry from what they have been doing earlier in the season. Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano are your option from the point with Hamilton getting the nod here as he leads the team in shots while also grabbing four assists over the last six games. Calgary is mostly a GPP play here as they may not score many on Boston tonight.
The Bruins played last night in Ottawa, but that should have residual effects on how they play tonight against one of the worst teams in the league. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will no doubt be high-owned in cash games tonight. Pastrnak returned last night and although he missed five games was still leading Brad Marchand by four goals for the team lead with ten. The second line has David Krejci and David Backes playing on the top power play unit with Bergeron, Ryan Spooner and defenseman Torey Krug. You can use Spooner here as a one-off because of his exposure to the more skilled players on the team with the man advantage. Pastrnak scored the only goal last night as they lost to the Senators by a score of 3-1, so look for the Bruins to come up with all guns blazing tonight.
Elite Plays
CGY: None
BOS: David Pastrnak
Secondary Plays
CGY: Michael Frolik, Dougie Hamilton, Mikael Backlund
BOS: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, David Krejci, Torey Krug
Vancouver Canucks at Dallas Stars
| Vancouver Canucks | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 8-10-2 | 8-8-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.20 | 3.05 | 11.90% | 83.90% | Team Stats | 2.62 | 3.38 | 18.30% | 78.10% |
The Canucks will have to keep improving on their play on the road if they are to have any shot of winning tonight. Yes, Vancouver is 2-6-1, but have been playing better of late, as evidenced by their winning two of the last three games they have played away from the home crowd. Dallas will look for a bit of revenge here from the overtime loss they suffered in Vancouver on Sunday November 13th by a score of 5-4. Usually, I would say that the Canucks are a one-line team and the combination of Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin and Brandon Sutter should only be used as a GPP play. I mean, after all, they were the top-three scorers the team has had for most of the season. Now it appears that the second line of Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi and Alexandre Burrows seem to gaining some chemistry of sorts. Of the 12 goals Vancouver has scored over the last four games this line is responsible for four goals and seven assists. This is a small sample size for sure, but it is worth noting and maybe taking a flyer on in tournament play. Alexander Edler and Troy Stecher man the points on the top power play unit but with both players having just three points so far this season, it’s best to pass on this mess and target other team’s defensemen for your rosters tonight.
After being benched for a game defenseman John Klingberg was inserted back on the team’s top power play unit. Dallas needs a big win tonight to keep pace with the other teams in the Western conference. Dallas is getting healthier, so the wins will hopefully come a bit easier as they go along. Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin is the line you want to target here, as both Benn and Seguin lead the team in points while playing on the top power play unit. Jason Spezza and Patrick Eaves round out the team’s top unit with the man advantage but also have Patrick Sharp on their line at even strength. Dallas has only scored 11 goals in the last five games, and it’s about time they got it in gear here tonight on home ice. The only problem that the Stars have run into is that they have given up 71 goals so far this season which is second only to Philadelphia in terms of most given up in the league this year.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
DAL: Tyler Seguin
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Bo Horvat
DAL: Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Jason Spezza , Patrick Eaves