NHL Grind Down: Saturday, February 11th - Page Two

by Tom Woollam (elctrceye) Last Updated 2017-02-11 18:56:33

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Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets

Detroit Red Wings					Columbus Blue Jackets
			Petr Mrazek					Sergei Bobrovsky
			Record					Record
			22-22-10					34-14-5
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.43	2.98	11.80%	80.90%	Team Stats	3.23	2.47	23.60%	81.40%

With just two wins in the last eight games the Detroit Red Wings are another team that is slowly working their way out of the playoff picture. Their 54 points has them tied with Tampa and Buffalo for the dubious honor of being the worst team in the Eastern Conference. This is a rematch from Tuesday night’s game in Detroit where the Red Wings lost in overtime by a score of 3-2. Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist and Anthony Mantha will skate as the top line and get the first crack on the power play when Detroit draws a penalty. Zetterberg has turned it on of late as he has lit the lamp three times and has eight points over the last nine games to lead the team in that department. Thomas Vanek makes for a decent one-off play from the third line as he leads the team in goals with 13 and his 35 points is just four points away from Zetterberg who has the team lead. The second line of Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar and Dylan Larkin could be in play here if you believe that they will not be covered by the Blue Jackets top defensive line. Personally I wouldn’t risk it anyway just based on their poor performance over the last nine games. Mike Green is the play from the back line as he has registered five of his 26 points over the last nine games. Brendon Smith has been on the power play the last few games but has mustered just four shots in thh four games he has played in.

It seems that teams may be figuring out the Columbus Blue Jackets as they have dropped three of their last four games on home ice. Their 73 points is still good enough for third place in the Metropolitan Division and barring a total breakdown should be able to keep their playoff spot as they are 13 points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who hold the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The top line of Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno and Brandon Saad should be the one to target here as they have each hit double digits in goals and have all registered over 20 assists. Their combined point total is 122 points with Saad’s 38 points being the lowest of the three. Cam Atkinson has been one of the better one-off plays all year as he has skated with Brandon Dubinksy and Boone Jenner but has received the extra ice time with Foligno and Wennberg when the team has the man advantage. This has led to 19 of his team leading 48 points coming when the Blue Jackets were on the power play. Sam Gagner is the fourth piece to the power play puzzle from the team’s fourth line and although he has 14 goals and 20 assists he hasn’t found the back of the net in the last 21 games. Zachary Werenski has seen 17 of his 31 points come with the man advantage but Seth Jones is the defenseman with the hot hand as he has collected eight points over the last 10 games. Look for Columbus to get back on track tonight in front of the home crowd.

Elite Plays

DET: None
CBJ: Cam Atkinson

Secondary Plays

DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Green, Thomas Vanek, Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin
CBJ: Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, Sam Gagner

Colorado Avalanche at New York Rangers

Colorado Avalanche					New York Rangers
			Calvin Pickard					Henrik Lunqvist
			Record					Record
			15-34-2					35-18-1
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.04	3.35	14.90%	78.30%	Team Stats	3.39	2.63	21.00%	81.50%

This should be an easy game to predict. On the one hand we have the Colorado Avalanche who can’t score any goals while on the other hand the New York Rangers score in bunches, but who knows who will score next. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog are Colorado’s top line and should only be looked at for deeper tournament plays. Matt Duchene joujns them as the only active players with over 20 points so far this season. To be fair MacKinnon has 37 points while Duchene has 32 in the 46 games he has suited up for. Nikita Zadorov, Mark Barberio and Francois Beachemin all see power play time from the point but just like the rest of the team, none of them can be counted on over any amount of time. As another point of reference Rantanen and MacKinnon have collected seven points in the last nine games while Landeskog has recorded six points over that same time frame. If Colorado is going to score, it will likely come from the top line.

The Rangers have won seven of their last nine games and can breathe a little easier as their 71 points is 11 points more than the Boston bruins have accumulated so far this season. Boston currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot so much like Montreal all the Rangers have to do is keep pace. Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider should be the line to target home ice as Zuccarello is second on the team in scoring with 41 points while Zibanejad has seven goals and 14 assists in the 29 games he has been healthy for. Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and Derek Stepan could be another scoring line but none of the three has recorded more than three points over the last nine games. The surprising players for the Rangers this season have been Michael Grabner and J.T. Miller. Both are now on the team’s third scoring line and look to add to their point totals tonight against a listless Colorado team. Miller not only leads the team with 44 points he has also collected 12 points over the last nine games while Grabner leads the team with leads the team with 26 goals and no power play points. He is the only player in the league’s top 50 goal scorers to accomplish this feat. In fact, you have to go all the way down to the 80th position to find the next player who doesn’t have a power play goal. That would be Paul Byron of the Montreal Canadiens as he has tallied just 14 goals so far this season. Ryan McDonagh is the choice on the back line as he has collected 31 points so far this season but that doesn’t mean you can’t pay down for Brady Skjei as he is third on the team with seven points over the last nine games. Remember, if a team is scoring a lot of goals, the players you pick will usually get a piece of the scoring.

Elite Plays

COL: None
NYR: J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner

Secondary Plays

COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog
NYR: Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan McDonagh

St. Louis Blues at Montréal Canadiens

St. Louis Blues					Montréal Canadiens
			Jake Allen					Carey Price
			Record					Record
			28-22-5					31-17-8
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.84	2.95	21.90%	84.10%	Team Stats	2.89	2.50	22.30%	79.10%

Sometimes when you coach a team for a while you start taking things for granted and maybe even get a little stale. This is what seems to have happened to Ken Hitchcock who used to coach the Blues. Ever since Mike Yeo came in he promptly put three of the best four players on the top line and wella! They start winning games. These aren’t just ordinary games but games that mean the difference between making the playoffs or golfing in mid-April. The Blues have climbed into the third spot in the Central Division thanks to three consecutive wins and will need to keep that energy going if the entertain any thoughts of beating the Canadiens in their home building tonight. Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny lead the team with a combined 15 goals and 13 assists over the last 10 games. Tarasenko leads the team with 26 goals and 27 assists which means you will have to pay up to get him tonight. Jaden Schwartz skates on the second line that features Patrik Berglund and Magnus Paajarvi. Schwatrz makes for a decent one-off play here until his new line mates start to gel with the young sniper. If you haven’t noticed, both Jori Lehtera and David Perron will skate on the team’s third line which gives you an indication of the players they have become. Now it seems that Stastny is doubtful for tonight’s game which could mean that Lehtera draws back in on the top line. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is the clear cut choice on the back line as his 38 points are good enough for second place on the teams scoring chart. Colton Parayko is starting to turn it on with his big shot as he has lit the lamp two times and has seven points in the last 10 games.

Montreal was finally able to break their four game losing streak with a 5-4 overtime win at Arizona on Thursday night. Tonight they return home to try to improve on their 18-6-4 record in front of the home crowd. The Canadiens are in first place in the Atlantic Division by eight points so just keeping pace is the name of the game here. Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov should be the line to target here for cash game play. Pacioretty has recorded 11 of his team leading 48 points over the last 10 games while Radulov has lit the lamp four times to go along with six assists in those same 10 games. Danault is one of four Montreal players with 30 points or more so do not hesitate to use them as a full line stack on home ice tonight. Alex Galchenyuk looks to be a one-off here as he replaces Danault on the team’s top line. Galchenyuk skates with Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron at even strength and has collected 29 points in the 35 games he has suited up for. Shea Weber and Nathan Beaulieu are the options on the back line. Both anchor the top power play unit but Weber is obviously the safer play as 18 of his 31 points have come with the man advantage.

Elite Plays

STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov

Secondary Plays

STL: Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jaden Schwartz
MTL: Shea Weber, Phillip Danault, Alex Galchenyuk, Nathan Beaulieu

Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets

Tampa Bay Lightning					Winnipeg Jets
			Ben Bishop					Connor Hellebuyck
			Record					Record
			24-24-7					25-28-4
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.70	2.87	21.20%	80.00%	Team Stats	2.88	3.13	18.90%	76.80%

Both of these teams played last night and both of them lost. Tampa has been shaky at best lately especially on the road where they have won just three games over the last 12 games. This is probably because on the road it’s easy to shut down Nikita Kucherov who leads the team with 49 points. Last night his line mates were Ondrej Palat and Vladislav Namestnikov while the second line featured Alex Killorn, Jonathan Drouin and Brayden Point. The Lightning will be without Tyler Johnson again tonight which certainly doesn’t increase their chances of winning tonight. While Kucherov looks like a one-off here Killorn and Drouin could be used as a tournament pairing as they each have snared 16 goals this season and should be able to have a little more room on the ice than they did last night against Minnesota. Victor Hedman is the play from the back line as 18 of his 42 points have come while quarterbacking the team’s top power play unit. Because of Tampa’s recent woes they are on the outside looking in as their 55 points are five points away from qualifying for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Jets lost their third game in a row to the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 5-2 in front of the home crowd last night. They too are a team in trouble this season as they 25-28-4 record has yielded just 54 points so far this season which has the team six points away from the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. That may not seem like much but with teams getting a point for going into overtime these days it’s a bit harder to gain ground than it used to be. Mark Scheifele leads the team with 53 points while centering Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault. Wheeler makes for a nice pairing here as he has grabbed nine of his 46 points over the last nine games while Andrew Copp didn’t register a shot last night as he was demoted to the fourth line during the game. Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine and Bryan Little make for a decent line stack here as Little has led this line over the last nine games by lighting the lamp eight times while collecting three assists. Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba man the back line on each of the two power play units the Jets employ so taking either one here could be the way to go. Trouba has found the score sheet eight times in the last nine games while Byfuglien has 34 points on the season. As mentioned on Thursday you have to go back to December 20th to find the last game that Winnipeg has scored less than two goals in any game.

Elite Plays

TB: Nikita Kucherov
WIN: Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little

Secondary Plays

TB: Victor Hedman, Jonathan Drouin, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat
WIN: Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien

Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs

Buffalo Sabres					Toronto Maple Leafs
			Robin Lehner					Frederik Andersen
			Record					Record
			22-22-10					25-17-11
Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Team Stats	2.44	2.76	23.30%	73.80%	Team Stats	3.08	2.87	23.10%	83.70%

Buffalo is another team at the bottom of the barrel in the Eastern Conference. They do however play close games as eight of their last 11 games have been decided by one goal. Kyle Okposo and Ryan O’Reilly will be joined by Tyler Ennis on the top line while Jack Eichel will center Marcus Foligno and Evander Kane from the second line. This leaves Sam Reinhart to center the third line and fall out of the top six. Okposo leads the team with 17 goals and 35 points while O’Reilly is right behind him with 24 points. One would have to imagine that the Maple Leafs will try to shut down this line which would make the second line a decent tournament play. Especially Eichel and Kane as Eichel has grabbed 26 points in the 33 games he has suited up for while both players and O’Reilly are tied for the team lead with nine points in the last 10 games. Rasmus Ristolainen is the choice on the back line as he soaks up a majority of the ice time when Buffalo draws a penalty. So much so that 18 of his 31 points have come with the man advantage.

Thanks to the Flyers not doing anything the Toronto Maple Leafs have been able to position themselves in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 61 points. They have also helped their own cause by grabbing six points in the last four games to jump over the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division. Toronto runs three scoring lines at you on a nightly basis and quite frankly should be too much for Buffalo to handle. The top line of Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk is the most consistent line that the maple Leafs have. Marner leads the team with 46 points while van Riemsdyk is two places down from him on the team scoring chart with 43 points. This line is also responsible for 10 goals and 14 assists over the last 10 games. Auston Matthews is a decent one-off play here as he skates with Zach Hyman and Connor Brown on the team’s second scoring line. Matthews leads the team with 25 points while his 44 points fits nicely between Marner and van Riemsdyk for the team lead in that category. Nazem Kadri has been the hottest player as he has found the score sheet 11 times over the past 10 games. Jake Gardiner is the play from the back line along with Nikita Zaitsev as they have 25 and 24 points respectively.

Elite Plays

BUF: None
TOR: Mitchell Marner, Auston Matthews

Secondary Plays

BUF: Kyle Okposo, Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evander Kane
TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner

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