NHL Grind Down: Saturday, December 31st - Page Three
Jump to Page 1 2 3
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings
| San Jose Sharks | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Peter Budaj | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 23-12-1 | 17-15-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.51 | 2.20 | 16.80% | 84.00% | Team Stats | 2.44 | 2.39 | 15.40% | 83.60% |
Thanks to a 2-0 shutout win over the Philadelphia Flyers last night the Sharks are now three points up on the rest of the Pacific Division as they head to Los Angeles for their game against the Kings tonight. It seems that pulling Patrick Marleau off the top power play line did the trick as he had a hand in both goals the Sharks scored last night. Joel Ward and Mikkel Boedker saw some time with the top power play unit last night but I wouldn’t be surprised if Marleau is put right back up there tonight. Marleau skates with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski on the team’s top line so it’s not like Marleau wouldn’t be a bad play even if he doesn’t get the extra power play minutes. Pavelski has 34 points so far this season with 12 of them coming on the power play while Thornton has chipped in with 24 points on the season. Logan Couture is always a decent one-off play as he centers the second line of Kevin Labanc and Mikkel Boedker. Couture and Boedker should see some extra room on the ice tonight as there’s no doubt the Kings will try to shut down the team’s top line. Boedker and Joel Ward shared the power play time that was vacated by Marleau so if you’re feeling lucky you can always use them as a punt play as they will surely save you some salary. Brent Burns is the choice on defense if you can afford him as his numbers on the season mirror those of some of the top wingers in the league. His 34 points has him listed as 11th in the league in scoring and that’s enough for me.
The Kings need a win desperately to stay in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. They are currently tied with Nashville with 38 points which is just one point away from the Dallas Stars and their eighth seed playoff position. The Kings are more or less a defensive team which is why they only have one active player with over 20 points on the season. Tyler Toffoli has 20 points but he is still on the shelf with an injury. That leaves Jeff carter as a nice one-off play here as his 19 goals and 11 assists lead the team in points with 30 of them through 36 games. You can pair him with Tanner Pearson as they skate together at even strength as well as when the kings draw a penalty. Second liners Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik have all but been a disappointment so far this season as Kopitar has managed 16 points in 35 games while Gaborik has a paltry four points in the 14 he was healthy enough to play in. Their linemate in Dustin Brown has just one point less than Kopitar which just shouldn’t be when you consider that the 32 year old has seen his better days. Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez are the choices on the back line as they man the points when the kings draw a penalty. Martinez is actually a better choice statistic wise even though Doughty sees about five more minutes of ice time per night. The Kings have only scored 11 goals in the last seven games so I would be cautious here.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
LAK: Jeff Carter
Secondary Plays
SJ: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture
LAK: Tanner Pearson, Alec Martinez, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty