NHL Grind Down: Saturday, April 8th - Page Two
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St. Louis Blues at Carolina Hurricanes
| St. Louis Blues | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Jake Allen |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 44-29-7 | 35-31-14 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.62 | 21.60% | 84.40% | Team Stats | 2.56 | 2.79 | 17.90% | 84.30% |
Thanks to winning 13 of their last 17 games, the Blues have secured a spot in this season’s end-of-the-year tournament. St. Louis is still jockeying for position, however, and will more than likely go with their best lineup for tonight’s contest. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz has seen Ivan Barbashev center them while Alexander Steen has dropped down to the second line to skate with David Perron and Patrick Berglund. We all know that Tarasenko leads the team with 72 points, while Schwartz leads the team with 36 assists. It is for this reason that if Barbashev does indeed stick on the top line, he will make for an excellent punt play tonight, let alone a cheap play for the full line stack for GPP play. Steen and his second line mates could be in for a few scoring chances, and Carolina will no doubt try to shut down the Tarasenko line, which will leave a bit more room on the ice for this line to maneuver. The second line has combined for six goals and eight assists over the last seven games and should be able to find the scoresheet tonight against a team that has given up 14 goals in the last four games. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is the play on the back line, as he has grabbed six of his 46 points over the last two weeks. Look for some scoring out of the Blues tonight, as they do not want to lose any momentum messing around with this team.
Carolina has checked out and may as well start golfing this weekend as opposed to Monday when they will have the rest of the summer off to think about how bad of a year they had. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, considering they did rack up 84 points. Jeff Skinner is the one-off here, as he has drawn the short straw all year but has managed to lead the team with 35 goals and 65 points. He leads the team with 269 shots on goal and has recorded only 15 power-play points this season, which is an indication of just how good this guy is. Skinner looks to skate with Lee Stempniak and Derek Ryan while Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm will skate with Sebastian Aho on the team’s top line. Aho and Lindholm sit in the second and third spots on the team in scoring, but their 48 and 45 points pales in comparison to Skinner’s seasonal output. Defenseman Justin Faulk has been back on track, as he has registered five of his 36 points over the past two weeks. Carolina hasn’t been scoring much and may have just checked out for the season.
Elite Plays
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
Car: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
STL: Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk
Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Matt Murray |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 50-19-11 | 39-26-15 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.41 | 2.76 | 22.90% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 3.09 | 2.79 | 24.10% | 82.60% |
The Penguins have clinched home ice advantage for their first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets and have done a decent job of staying in the playoff race despite all of the injuries they have sustained during the season. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Carl Hagelin did not participate in the 7-4 win against New Jersey due to injury while Mark Streit was scratched from the game. Sidney Crosby centers Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary while the second line has been anchored by Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel. Patric Hornqvist skates on the team’s third line but jumps up to join Crosby, Sheary and Kessel on the top power play unit. Defenseman Justin Schultz is the play on the back line as he mans the point on a power play that has scored four goals in the last three games. Toronto needs a point to get into the playoffs and just may get it here as Pittsburgh will want to keep everyone that is healthy to stay that way.
Toronto needs a point to grab the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and get to play a Penguin team that will try to avoid any more casualties before the playoffs begin next week. Auston Matthews and William Nylander look to be the chalk here, as they skate on the team’s top line and serve double duty when the Maple Leafs draw a penalty. The have both racked up 60 or more points this season and should be two of the higher-owned players in tonight’s contests. The line of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, and Mitchell Marner has been together for most of the year as they have almost been the most productive. Bozak’s 53 points is the least productive while Marner’s 61 points leads this group. Nazem Kadri is the fourth and final Maple Leaf player to have amassed 60 or more points this season while skating on the third line. Kadri does see a lot of power play time and leads the team with 12 power play goals so far this season. Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev are the choices from the point, with Gardiner having the slight four-point advantage by a tally of 40-36. Toronto needs a point and should get it given the circumstances tonight.
Elite Plays
PIT: Sidney Crosby
TOR: Auston Matthews
Secondary Plays
PIT: Phil Kessel, Conor Sheary, Justin Schultz, Patric Hornqvist
TOR: William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner
Montréal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings
| Montréal Canadiens | Detroit Red Wings | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Jimmy Howard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 46-26-9 | 32-36-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.38 | 19.30% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.40 | 3.00 | 14.80% | 81.00% |
Montreal had clinched the Atlantic Division crown and will try to win another game to improve on their chances of having the home ice advantage for the second round of the playoffs. This is, of course, putting the cart in front of the horse, but you have to think ahead to get the upper hand. According to @habsnews, Montreal will stick with the top line of Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault, and Alexander Radulov as they have each grabbed at least five points apiece over the last seven games. Pacioretty leads the team with 67 points while Radulov’s 54 points is the next closest to him on the team’s scoring chart. Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher could be a nice tournament duo skating on the second line, as they also have chipped in five points over the last seven games. Defenseman Shea Weber may sit this one out, as he is dealing with an injury, and if that is the case, Andrei Markov can be used with confidence here, as he performs at a higher level when given the extra offensive chances, namely on the power play.
Detroit has one line that can do any kind of damage and that is the line of Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Tatar, and Gustav Nyquist. This line has grabbed six goals and 14 assists over the last two weeks, and besides Frans Nielsen, has been the only players generating any offense. Zetterberg is the one-off here as his 66 points are 20 more than any other player on the team. Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou are on the shelf which means that Nielson will have Riley Sheahan, and Darren Helm as his wingers. Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader are the under achievers on the third line, as Larkin’s 30 points is surely a disappointment this season. Mike Green is the defensive choice, as he has grabbed four of his defensive leading 36 points over the last two weeks. The Red Wings have played tough, but sticking with the top line is the way to go here on home ice.
Elite Plays
MTL: Max Pacioretty
DET: Henrik Zetterberg
Secondary Plays
MTL: Alexander Radulov, Phillip Danault. Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron, Andrei Markov
DET: Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Mike Green
Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers
| Buffalo Sabres | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | James Reimer | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-35-12 | 33-36-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.47 | 2.76 | 24.80% | 77.40% | Team Stats | 2.44 | 2.86 | 16.50% | 85.10% |
Certainly everyone in Buffalo is hoping for a speedy recovery of the mystery illness that has struck their star forward Kyle Okposo. A lot of medical information is protected under the NHL rules, which is why hopefully, the situation is not as grim as it seems. There were reports that he was released from the hospital, which the team could not confirm or deny. Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly, and Brian Gionta will continue to skate on the top line, which makes sense, as the former two have combined for five goals and four assists over the last six games. Jack Eichel is the one-off here, as he leads the team with 57 points in the 59 games he has suited up for. Matt Moulson has been moved up to play with Eichel and Sam Reinhart, so if you are looking for a sneaky stack, this may be the way to go tonight. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen looks to be the play on the back line, as he has recorded 25 of his 45 points while the team has had the extra attacker. Look for Buffalo to continue to play hard-nosed hockey and score a few here tonight.
Florida was actually in the playoff race about a month ago, but winning just five of their last 22 games is caused them to fall to seventh place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers will finish out their home schedule without Aleksander Barkov, Jussi Jokinen or defenseman Aaron Ekblad. This will make it pretty cut and dried as to who can actually do some coring here tonight. Defenseman Keith Yandle has manned the power play point consistently since Ekblad’s absence and should be the choice on the back line tonight. Vincent Trocheck has a chance to add to his point total, as he will skate on the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Jaromir Jagr. Trocheck leads the team with 54 points and a good chunk of those were recorded when Barkov missed a lot of games earlier in the season, so it’s not a surprise to see that he is back centering the top line. Thomas Vanek and Nick Bjugstad skate on the third line while Jonathan Marchessault and anchors the second line. Marchessault makes for a decent one-off here, as his 30 goals leads Trocheck by seven goals for the team lead in that category. This game could get ugly, as we saw a few games hit some high totals on Thursday night as teams are looking to just play out the season without incident.
Elite Plays
BUF: Jack Eichel
FLA: None
Secondary Plays
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen
FLA: Jonathan Marchessault, Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau, Keith Yandle
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets
| Nashville Predators | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Pekka Rinne |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 41-28-12 | 39-35-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.88 | 2.69 | 19.40% | 80.80% | Team Stats | 3.01 | 3.14 | 18.30% | 77.00% |
With a win here, Nashville can try to overtake the St Louis Blues for the third spot in the Central Division. They have once again switched up their lines as now James Neal will skate on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg while Viktor Arvidsson has managed to pull into a tie with Johansen for the team lead with 61 points. Arvidsson skated on a line with Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith the other night and could be a decent GPP play here if they stick together. Winnipeg usually gives up a lot of goals but has only given up 15 of them in the last six games they have played, all of which have been wins. Roman Josi is the play on the back line as his 49 points is good enough for fourth on the team. P.K. Subban has picked it up a bit over the last eight games as he has recorded five of his 40 points over the last two weeks. Look for Nashville to pick up where they left off as they scored seven goals against Dallas on Thursday night.
As mentioned above the Winnipeg Jets have won their last six games and do show a lot of promise for the next few years. They do have some young guns on their team and will need an injection of experience to help them vie for the playoffs next year. This is their last game of the season and I’m sure they would, like nothing better to end the season with a seven game winning streak and do it in front of the home crowd. Winnipeg has two very good lines that can score at any given time as they have four players who have racked up at least 64 points this season. Mark Scheifele leads the group with 81 points as he centers Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler while Bryan Little centers Patrik Laine and Mathieu Perreault on the team’s second line. Either line is fine here as the only player to not grab six or more points over the last seven games is Laine who leads the team with 36 goals. Defenseman Jacob Trouba has picked it up over the last few weeks but Dustin Byfuglien still remains the safer cash game play tonight. Winnipeg will no doubt score some goals and that’s all we really care about, isnt’ it?
Elite Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen
WIN: Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine
Secondary Plays
NSH: Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, James Neal, Roman Josi
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Mathieu Perreault, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien, Bryan Little