NHL Grind Down: Saturday, December 31st - Page Two
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New York Islanders at Winnipeg Jets
| New York Islanders | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-15-6 | 17-18-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.77 | 3.11 | 14.30% | 80.00% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.89 | 16.30% | 76.50% |
The Islanders only three wins on the road this season have come against Anaheim, Washington and Boston as they are 3-8-2 away from the home crowd. This is what one-line team’s records look like when they can be easily matched up against on the road. Give the New Yorkers some credit however as they have scored 19 goals over the last five games which has seen 18 different players register at least one point over that time frame. John Tavares, Anders Lee and Josh Bailey are the Islanders top line which also doubles as the team’s top power play unit. Tavares leads the team with 25 points and Lee leads the team in goals with 13 while Bailey leads the team in assists with 17. You could probably throw this line into a tournament and hope for the best as they can score at times but it gets a bit riskier on the road. Brock Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier and Shane Prince skate on the team’s second line but only Nelson could be considered as a one-of here as he has nine goals and 12 assists so far this season. Both Prince and Beavillier are well under expectations so far this season. In fact, you can say that about the whole team as they sit in the cellar of the Metropolitan Division. Nick Leddy gets the extra time on the power play from the point but it’s been Thomas Hickey who has tallied five of his 11 points over the last five games. The Islanders are a mess and should never be considered in cash games, especially on the road.
The Jets have been playing some good hockey of late as they have won four of their last six games. The top line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine should be very much in play as they also double as the top power play unit as well. Ehlers has netted four goals and six points over the last five games while leading the team in assists with 21 of them. Meanwhile Laine leads the team in goals with 19 and Sheifele leads the team with 32 points in 35 games so far this season. Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler make a decent GPP play for the second line as they have tallied a combined five goals and five assists in the last five games. Nicolas Petan has somehow earned some time back on the top power play unit. Petan has played in just 17 games so far and has registered nine points so he may be worth a flyer here. Tobias Enstrom quarterbacks the top power play unit from the back line but Dustin Byfuglien still gives you more bang for your buck as he leads the team in shots 109 of them and is fifth in team scoring with 23 points.
Elite Plays
NYI: None
WIN: Mark Scheifele
Secondary Plays
NYI: John Tavares, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Nick Leddy
WIN: Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien
New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche
| New York Rangers | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Henrik Lundqvist |  | Calvin Pickard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-12-1 | 12-22-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.34 | 2.47 | 22.40% | 83.70% | Team Stats | 2.06 | 3.29 | 13.40% | 79.70% |
Despite injuries to Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash the Rangers have been plugging along as their 7-2-1 record over the last ten games has them firmly entrenched in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Tonight they travel to Colorado to take on the worst team in the league and as long as they stay focused, should be able to come away with the win. The top line of Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello have been doing most of the damage over the last five games as they are responsible for nine of the 18 goals the Rangers have scored over that time frame. They also double as the top line when the Rangers draw a penalty and it for this reason they make a strong tournament play tonight. The second line of Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller cannot be discounted either as Hayes is second on the team in scoring with 27 points while Miller has 24. Ryan McDonagh is the choice in defense as he has registered seven of his 24 points over the last five games. Nick Holden can be used as a cheaper option here as he has grabbed three goals and two assists over the last five games. It’s the same old story but when a team scores 18 goals in five games you usually see a lot of players finding the score sheet. Colorado has given 116 goals so far this season which means there could be a lot of scoring in this one.
The Avalanche have only won three of their last 17 games which has them looking up at the rest of the Central Division. They are the worst team in goal differential as they have only scored 72 goals while giving up 116 goals so far this season. Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in scoring with 25 points while centering the top line along with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. They also get the first crack when the Avalanche draw a penalty which would make them at least worth a look for tournament play tonight. Matt Duchene is a decent one-of play tonight as he plays on that top power play unit form the second line. Duchene missed four games but has still managed to record 13 goals and 11 assists in the 31 games he has suited up for. Defenseman Tyson Barrie leads the team with five assists and 22 shots over the last six games and sits third in the Colorado scoring chart with 18 points. He is worth a look here buit for some reason has been dropped to the second power play unit in favor of Francois Beauchemin and Nikita Zadorov. As you can imagine with any team as bad as the Avalanche they will always try to change the parts around to try to generate anything that may resemble an offense. So far they’ve had no luck at doing that.
Elite Plays
NYR: Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider
COL: None
Secondary Plays
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Hayes, Brandon Pirri
COL: Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon
Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars
| Florida Panthers | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-14-8 | 16-14-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.32 | 2.65 | 14.80% | 84.50% | Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.97 | 16.30% | 78.40% |
The Florida Panthers were dealt a severe blow to their playoff chances as Aleksander Barkov looks to be on the shelf for two to three weeks. This will certainly juggle up the lines a bit as now Seth Griffith, Nick Bjugstad and Jaromir Jagr will probably be the line that Dallas will not try to shut down. Jonathan Marchessault leads the team in goals with 11 while line mate Vincent Trocheck is right behind him as he has lit the lamp ten times so far this season. Jussi Jokinen will join them at even strength which is why I think that the Stars will try to shut this line down more than the Jagr line. This line of thinking also makes Jagr a decent one-off play as seven of his 21 points have come on the power play. Florida has only won two of their last nine road games which could be a bit problematic here in Dallas tonight. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle man the points on the power play with Yandle getting the nod here as he has registered three of his 17 points in the last five games. Florida is another team that you should not consider for your cash game plays tonight.
The Stars come into this one on a modest three game winning streak. They have moved into fourth place in the Central Division and occupy the eighth and final playoff spot if the end of the season tournament were to start today. Patrick Sharp looks to return to the lineup tonight but head coach Lindy Ruff would be foolish to break up the top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza, especially on home ice. The Stars top line has a combined six goals and 13 assists over the last five games and should have no problem lighting the lamp tonight. They also skate as the top power play line that gets more than 60% of ice time when the Stars draw a penalty. This may come in handy tonight as the panthers have given up power play goals in four of their last five games. Seguin leads the team with seven power play goals while Benn and Patrick Eaves have each lit the lamp six times with the man advantage. Defenseman John Klingberg is the man you want here as he anchors the team’s top power play from the blue line. It also doesn’t hurt that he has added one goal and three assists over the last five games. Radek Faksa skates on the second line with Curtis McKenzie and Brett Ritchie but I think sticking with the top power play unit is the way to go tonight, especially since the Panthers will be without Barkov.
Elite Plays
FLA: None
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
Secondary Plays
FLA: Jonathan Marchessault. Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle
DAL: Jason Spezza, Patrick Eaves, John Klingberg
Arizona Coyotes at Calgary Flames
| Arizona Coyotes | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-20-5 | 19-17-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.14 | 3.22 | 14.80% | 75.40% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.84 | 18.50% | 80.70% |
The Arizona Coyotes are the worst team in the league and while they sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division they won’t be moving up in the standings anytime soon as they are eight points away from sixth place Vancouver. The injury to Max Domi has hurt them a little bit but not enough to make a difference with this group. Tobias Rieder, Martin Hanzal and Anthony Duclair is probably the closest you are going to get to a line stack for tournament play tonight. Rieder leads this bunch with 15 points while Hanzal is right behind him with seven goals and six assists. Although they also skate together on the team’s top power play unit it’s pretty much of a stretch to use them on a day when ten other games are scheduled. Radim Vrbata skates on the second line and could be used as a one-off in tournament play if you need some salary relief as he leads the team with 24 points on 112 shots on goals. His line mates on the second line are Jamie McGinn and Jordan Martinook so maybe if you have some extra Christmas money laying around that you don’t need you can take a chance here, but I wouldn’t advise it. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has recorded ten of his 18 points on the power play. Usually he leads the team in points from the back line but he is slipping a bit this season as he is in second place on the team’s scoring chart. Anthony DeAngelo plays the point next to him on the power play and can be used as a punt play here as he has nine points in the 19 games he has played so far this season. Arizona doesn’t score much so use caution here.
The Flames should be able to complete the season sweep over the Coyotes tonight as they have taken the first three games by scores of 4-2 and 2-1, twice. They do play tough games as you can see but you have to give the nod to Calgary in this situation with the home ice advantage. Troy Brouwer will be out for a while as he mends from his finger surgery which will now give Michael Ferland a chance to skate with Kris Versteeg and Sean Monahan. Arizona has given up 12 goals while trying to kill a penalty in the last six games so looking at the Flames power play unit may pay off here tonight. Johnny Gaudreau is almost a must play here as he has registered nine of his 25 points on the power play in the 28 games he has suited up for. Alex Chiasson and Sam Bennet skate along with him at even strength but its Chiasson who gets the most exposure to Gaudreau as he skates on the top power play unit along with Monahan and Versteeg. Defenseman T.J. Brodie has been the only defenseman skating with the top power play unit and has responded by finding the score sheet four times over the last five games. Considering he only has 13 points he may be worth a look here. Dougie Hamilton is the defenseman I’d look a little harder though as he leads the team with 109 shots on goal en route to tallying 21 points which is good for third on the Calgary scoring chart. The Flames should score some goals tonight so don’t be surprised if you run up against them in some of your cash games tonight.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Radim Vrbata, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Martin Hanzal, Anthony DeAngelo
CGY: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Alex Chiasson, Kris Versteeg, T.J. Brodie
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
| Vancouver Canucks | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Jacob Markstrom |  | Cam Talbot | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-18-3 | 19-12-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.36 | 3.03 | 14.00% | 80.20% | Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.59 | 21.70% | 82.30% |
The Vancouver Canucks come into this one fresh off a nice 3-2 overtime win against Anahaeim last night. They still sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division however as they look for a way to win their third game in a row for the first time since the third game of the season. Daniel Sedin, Jayson Megna and Henrik Sedin make up the team’s top line which will no doubt draw the attention of the oilers top defensive line. Henrik leads the team with 24 points and along with his brother Daniel may get some scoring opportunities tonight as they both play on the team’s top power play unit. Loui Eriksson could be looked at as a one-off tournament play here as he has collected two goals and two assists over the last five games from the second line. Brandon Sutter and Markus Granlund complete the second line and while Sutter plays with the Sedin’s on the top power play unit he has only managed five of his 18 points with the man advantage. Sven Baertschi is the benefactor from being placed on the top power play unit as he and the rest of the unit saw almost eight minutes with the man advantage last night. What this means is that the Canucks choose to leave them on the ice on the power play longer than most teams in the league. Troy Stecher and Ben Hutton are the defensive choices and although Stecher gets the minutes on the top power play unit both are about equal in terms of production. Vancouver is 4-12-1 on the road so I wouldn’t expect any miracles here tonight.
After winning seven of their first eight games the Edmonton Oilers have played well enough to maintain the second spot in the Pacific Division with 44 points. Anaheim has caught up to them however and will need to concentrate on the task at hand which is coming out of tonight’s game with the victory. Connor McDavid should lead the way along with line mates Milan Lucic and Jordan Eberle. McDavid leads the team with 42 points as he and Lucic are the mainstays on the Oilers top power play unit. Leon Draisaitl makes a decent one-off play here as he gets the call to skate with McDavid when Edmonton has the man advantage. Draisaitl leads the team with eight goals and 14 power play points as he has chalked up 32 points in 37 games so far this season. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Patrick Maroon fill out the second line and could be used with Draisaitl as a line stack in tournaments tonight. Mark Letestu sees top power time as well from the third line which makes him more of a punt play as anyone that gets exposure to Connor McDavid has to be considered in any format. In light of Andrej Sekera being injured the Oilers have placed Matthew Benning at the point when the oilers draw a penalty. He should be considered for the same reasons as Letestu but maybe taking Oscar Klefbom is the more safer choice here as he registered 17 points on 85 shots so far this season. Look for Edmonton to score a few goals tonight with the power play unit getting in on the act.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
EDM: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl
Secondary Plays
VAN: Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Sven Baertschi, Troy Stecher
EDM: Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle, Mark Letestu, Oscar Klefbom