NHL Grind Down: Saturday, November 4th - Page Two
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Andrei Vasilevskiy | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 9-4-0 | 10-2-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.31 | 2.54 | 12.82 | 84.85 | Team Stats | 3.86 | 2.64 | 28.57 | 81.13 |
Columbus has mixed up their lines a lot over the last few weeks and so far they have to like the returns they have had on that strategy. Their four wins over the last five games has produced 19 goals that has boosted their record to 9-4 on the season. Artemi Panarin, Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson skate on the first line while Brandon Dubinsky centers Boone Jenner and Tyler Motte on the second line. Alexander Wennberg, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Matt Calvert make up a third Columbus scoring line. Panarin leads the team not only in ice time where forwards are concerned but also in points with 11 of them in the first 13 games. This makes sense as he gets the first crack at taking potshots along with Foligno, Jenner and Wennberg when the opponent is at a disadvantage. The Columbus power play is miserable however as they have only lit the lamp five times in 39 opportunities. Josh Anderson surprisingly leads the team with five goals while Wennberg and defenseman Seth Jones are second on the team with nine points each. Zachary Werenski is off to a decent start in his sophomore campaign on the back end as he has registered eight points in 13 games. Columbus will have its work cut out for them as they face a Tampa team that has given up a little over two and a half goals a game so far this season.
If you haven’t been paying up for Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov over the first month of play you are probably doing it wrong. Yes, I know there are many ways to win but these two have been on fire for the whole month. Tampa has scored 54 goals and they have accounted for 36% of them with each player having registered over 20 points apiece. Valdislav Namestnikov comes along for the ride here as he gets exposure to them on both the 5×5 situations and when the Lightning have had the man advantage. The second line of Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat and Yanni Gourde have been holding up their end of the bargain on the second line by scoring seven goals and assisting on six others since October 21st. By having a few scoring lines this is how teams like the Lightning get to stay in first place. Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson have seem to be the forgotten men here as they skate on the bottom two lines that haven’t produced much over the last six games. Speaking of production, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has made a splash so far this season by lighting the lamp four times and assisting on seven other goals so far this season. Victor Hedman is the other safe play from the back line with his nine points as he sees a majority of the power play time. You can’t go too wrong with a team scoring this many goals where DFS is concerned.
Top Plays
CBJ: Artemi Panarin
TB: Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Alexander Wennberg, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zachary Werenski, Seth Jones
TB: Brayden Point, Vladislav Namestnikov, Mikhail Sergachev, Yanni Gourde, Victor Hedman
Colorado Avalanche at Philadelphia Flyers
| Colorado Avalanche | Philadelphia Flyers | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-5-0 | 7-6-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.25 | 3.08 | 18.00 | 81.25 | Team Stats | 3.07 | 2.71 | 20.83 | 79.59 |
Hopefully the Colorado Avalanche will run into a Philadelphia team that will do what they have been doing all year and that is play down to their competition. Colorado has played a lot better this season as their 7-5 record would actually qualify for a playoff spot for the second time in eight years if the season were to end today. Although Colorado has scored 39 goals so far it is pretty easy as to pinpoint where the scoring may come from. Mikko Rantanen leads the team with 11 points while line mates Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog have 10 and eight points respectively. They all soak up the extra time on a power play unit that has scored three of their nine power goals in the last two games. Matt Duchene centers the second line with Sven Andrighetto and Nail Yakupov as they could be used as a GPP option if you are making a few line ups. Alexander Kerfoot is afforded the extra time on the top power play unit from the third line but has just one of his six points over the last four games. Tyson Barrie is the play on the back line as he really is the only defenseman on this team that has any kind of offensive talent. He has grabbed four of his 10 points with the extra man which should bode well against a Philadelphia team that has handed out 49 opportunities so far this season.
The Flyers come home to play an improved team in the Colorado Avalanche after beating the Blues in St Louis by a score of 2-0 on Thursday night. The Flyers are a team that either plays up or down to the team they are playing which is why they lost to Arizona on home ice Monday night. Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek will surely be a line with a lot of ownership tonight as they have combined for 18 goals and 31 assists in the first 14 games. It finally looks like either Giroux or Voracek are in line for their first 30 goal season which has been a long time coming. Wayne Simmonds is on the second line with Valtteri Filppula and Jordan Weal but should be viewed as a one-off here as he gets to play with the top line when the Flyers have the extra attacker. Simmonds has seen four of his 10 points come with the man advantage as his job is to stay in front of the net when the Flyers are in those situations. On the back line the only question is whether or not Shayne Gostisbehere will make his return from injury or not. He missed the recent road trip and is termed as day-to-day. If he is in the lineup, he is the play on the back line. If not then Ivan Provorov is the man you want as he will get all of the power play time against a Colorado team that has taken 48 minor penalties so far this season.
Top Plays
COL: Mikko Rantanen, Tyson Barrie
PHL: Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek
Secondary Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene
PHL: Wayne Simmonds, Ivan Provorov
Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild
| Chicago Blackhawks | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 6-5-2 | 5-4-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.15 | 2.62 | 13.56 | 83.64 | Team Stats | 3.36 | 2.91 | 18.42 | 80.95 |
There was no reason for head coach Joel Quennville to switch up any lines after a nice 3-0 shutout win in against Philadelphia in front of the home crowd on Wednesday. The line of Nick Schmaltz, Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane will surely draw the most attention where the Minnesota Wild are concerned so maybe looking at the other lines is the way to go tonight. I’m not saying pass on the top line that sees Saad leading with eight goals and Kane leading with 13 points as all as I am saying is that Minnesota is a tougher team at home than on the road. Jonathan Toews centers Richard Panik and Alex Debrincat while Artem Anisimov and Patrick Sharp may make for a deeper GPP duo on the Hawks third line. Ansimov’s two points the other night now gives him six for the year with four of the coming over the last five games. Duncan Keith is the choice on the back end as he anchors the point on a power play unit that features Kane, Schmaltz, Anisimov and fellow defensemen Brent Seabrook. Chicago has just two power play goals in the last six games and this could very well be the reason that they are going to a more evenly stretched out power play strategy. Cody Franson is on the second power play unit along with Saad, Toews, Panik and Sharp who get about just as much as the first group when Chicago has the extra attacker. Chicago has lost three of the last four games that they have played away from the home crowd.
The Wild end their six game home stand with a game against the team that is just two points ahead of them in the standings in the Chicago Blackhawks. The injuries that Minnesota has suffered are almost uncountable but yet the team has persevered which has led to a 5-4-2 record so far this season. Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund take on the duties of being the top line while Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter and newcomer Luke Kunin skate on the team’s second line. You may notice that Chris Stewart leads the team with six goals but that has come to an abrupt halt as he has just one marker in the last six games. Daniel Winnik has somehow managed four points in the last six games but that too should come to an end sooner than later. Jared Spurgeon is the choice on the back line as he has registered six of his team leading nine points over the last six games. Ryan Suter has come alive of late as well as he has four of his seven points come over that same time frame. Koivu and Zucker seem to be the better pairing here as Koivu has netted eight points while Zucker’s three goals and four assists has him just two points away from the team lead. This may be a game you want to pass on where cash games are concerned as there are plenty of other games tonight that should be higher scoring than this one.
Top Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane
MIN: None
Secondary Plays
CHI: Brandon Saad, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Nick Schmaltz, Artem Anisimov
MIN: Mikko Koivu, Jared Spurgeon, Jason Zucker, Eric Staal, Luke Kunin, Ryan Suter
Buffalo Sabres at Dallas Stars
| Buffalo Sabres | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-7-2 | 7-6-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.62 | 3.62 | 13.64 | 83.33 | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.92 | 30.77 | 86.67 |
The Sabres look to win their second game in a row for the second time this season as they got by the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 5-4 in the desert on Thursday night. That would be an achievement considering that they have only won four games all season as they just haven’t had enough fire power to get the job done. Buffalo goes with the best they have up front as Jack Eichel skates with Jason Pominville and Evander Kane while Ryan O’Reilly centers Benoit Pouliot and Kyle Okposo. The odds are that Dallas will try to shut down Kane and company as he leads the team with seven goals and 13 points while Eichel’s seven assists is tops on the team. The O’Reilly line notched three goals and five assists against Arizona and should at least get the same kind of looks at the net tonight against a Dallas that has tightened up on defense a bit as they are allowing an average of 30 shots on goal per game. Rasmus Ristolainen is full into what appears to be a sophomore slump as he leads all Buffalo defensemen with just five points in 11 games this season. Let’s not go crazy here for cash games but there is certainly some GPP options to consider from the Buffalo side tonight.
The Stars need to just even things out a little more to become one of the better teams in the league as they are 7-6 though their first 13 games. The problem is that they barely have three forwards that can actually score some goals. Lucky for us they are all on the top line and here at home against a slumping Buffalo team is just what the doctor ordered. Of course we are talking about Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov all of whom lead the team in scoring in that exact order. The former two have seven goals apiece while Radulov’s 11 points is tied with defenseman John Klingberg and are just three points from the team leader. All four soak up the time on the Dallas power play along with second liner Devin Shore who can be used for GPP salary relief only. Mattias Janmark and Jason Dickinson joined Shore on the second line which left Jason Spezza to play with Remi Elie and Antoine Roussel on the team’s third line. Klingberg is the choice on the back line but if you want to roll the dice you can look at Esa Lindell who has notched five points in the first 11 games. The top line will be the chalk in most cash games you find tonight.
Top Plays
BUF: Evander Kane
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
Secondary Plays
BUF: Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Jason Pominville
DAL: John Klingberg, Alexander Radulov
Carolina Hurricanes at Arizona Coyotes
| Carolina Hurricanes | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Scott Darling |  | Antti Raanta | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-5-2 | 1-12-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 3.09 | 16.22 | 77.27 | Team Stats | 2.64 | 4.36 | 16.67 | 69.70 |
The Hurricanes have to shake off a 5-3 loss in Colorado and the best way to do that is play the worst team in the league. Arizona has won just one game so far this season and has given up a whopping 61 goals so far this season. As long as Jeff Skinner is skating with Derek Ryan on the third line he remains one of the best one-off plays you can find as he leads the team seven goals and nine points while logging the extra ice time on one of the Hurricanes power play units. Justin Williams has been a breath of fresh air as his none points is tied with Skinner for the team lead as he skates with Victor Rask and Teuvo Teravainen on the team’s second line which has seen Teravainen snag five of his seven points over the last six games. This line could be considered for GPP play as they will not draw what Arizona thinks is their best defensive line. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm could be in line for a big night as well as Arizona has been nothing more than a welcome mat for every team they have played except the Philadelphia Flyers. Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin are the choices on the back line and both should be in play tonight. Neither has done terribly well so far this season but tonight is the night that either of them can get into the scoring action.
We already know that the Coyotes are probably not making the playoffs and that’s sad to say about any team on November 4th, but this seems to be the truth. That doesn’t mean that we can’t target a few of them tonight as they have scored more goals than 12 other teams so far this season. Clayton Keller leads the team with 15 points as he will skate on the top line with Derek Stepan and Brendan Perlini while Max Domi will have Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer to skate with on the team’s second line. Keller and Stepan seem to almost be a cash game pairing here although Stepan needs to get things going as he far off the pace of his line mate where the scoring is concerned. Domi and Dvorak have combined for 18 points so far this season so we will see how Fischer may or may not affect their chemistry on the team’s second line. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is usually the target from the blue line but Jason Demers has crept up to match the team’s veteran defenseman with the exact same numbers, two goals and six assists through 14 games. If things do not work out early I’d look for some more line switching to be done as Arizona continues to look for some kind of consistency on the front lines.
Top Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
ARZ: Clayton Keller
Secondary Plays
CAR: Justin Williams, Teuvo Teravainen, Eric Staal, Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, Justin Faulk
ARZ: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Jason Demers, Derek Stepan