NHL Grind Down: Saturday, October 31st - Page Two
Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs – 07:00 PM EDT
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Marc-Andre Fleury |  | Jonathan Bernier | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 43-27 | 30-44 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.49 | 19.30% | 84.80% | Team Stats | 2.51 | 3.13 | 15.90% | 80.50% |
The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Toronto tonight to face the Maple Leafs who will be playing on the back-to-back, having lost to the Rangers last night. Phil Kessel will be playing for the first time tonight at the Air Canada Centre since being traded to the Penguins in the offseason. After a slow start to the season, the Penguin offense is beginning to find its groove and Kessel is a large reason why, notching four points (three goals) in his last five games. Kessel has found success playing with Evgeni Malkin and I expect that duo to stay together tonight. The Maple Leafs were outplayed by the Rangers last night and you can’t like their chances on the back-to-back after traveling last night. Though the Pittsburgh power-play is loaded with talent, they have struggled on the year converting at a paltry 9.4%. Toronto struggles significantly on the penalty-kill (74.3%), so perhaps tonight is the night the Penguins power-play breaks out. Sidney Crosby is still the best player in the NHL despite his mediocre production this year and I recommend having some exposure to him in this matchup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 1-6-2 on the year and are +155 underdogs in their game tonight against the Penguins. The Leafs have looked better that their record suggests, but have struggled to fill up the win column despite decent play. The return of center-iceman Tyler Bozak to the lineup should help this team tremendously as his presence alongside Joffrey Lupul creates a second capable scoring line. James van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri have struggled to carry all of the offensive burden for this club, but Bozak’s return should create some better situations for this duo as well. Nevertheless, the match-up against the Penguins is far from positive, as Pittsburgh has been one of the best defensive teams in the league to start the year (2.00 goals against per game). Marc-Andre Fleury has been stellar in net and I don’t recommend targeting the Leafs tonight.
Elite Plays
PIT: Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury
TOR: None
Secondary Plays
PIT: Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, Olli Maatta
TOR: James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators – 07:00 PM EDT
| Detroit Red Wings | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Jimmy Howard |  | Craig Anderson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 43-25 | 43-26 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.57 | 23.80% | 80.90% | Team Stats | 2.83 | 2.54 | 16.80% | 82.90% |
The Detroit Red Wings head to Ottawa tonight to face the Senators in the second game of a home-and-home back-to-back. The Senators won last night’s game 3-1, getting goals from Kyle Turris, Matthew Puempel, and Bobby Ryan. Detroit is in the midst of a shaky start to the season in the post-Babcock era (4-5-1) and their possession numbers are near the bottom of the league. That being said, Detroit is a club with a lot of veteran leadership and they will look to bounce back strong tonight on the road. The Red Wings have moved Dylan Larkin back up to the top line alongside Henrik Zetterberg while Gustav Nyquist has been moved down to the second line with Tomas Tatar. Both Larkin and Nyquist fared well in these spots earlier this year, and Nyquist had an assist and 7 shots on goal last night. The injuries to Mike Green and Pavel Datsyuk will continue to hinder this club, but I expect a strong effort from them tonight.
The Ottawa Senators are 5-3-2 on the year, and have been led by the stellar play of first line center Kyle Turris (6g, 5a in ten games). Though losing Mike Hoffman to injury has made the Ottawa offense less dynamic as of late, Bobby Ryan has begun to emerge with points in 3 straight games. The Senators won’t have continued to success if they are a one line team, so having Ryan and his line-mate Mika Zibanejad starting to produce is crucial. The match-up against the Red Wings is a positive one, as the Wings struggle with puck possession and are a middle-of-the-road defensive club to start the season. All-star defenseman Erik Karlsson is still without a goal this year despite ten assists over ten games played. Look for Karlsson to pot his first of the season tonight.
Elite Plays
DET: Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist
OTT: Kyle Turris, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan, Erik Karlsson
Secondary Plays
DET: Justin Abdelkader, Dylan Larkin, Tomas Tatar
OTT: Mika Zibanejad, Milan Michalek
Winnipeg Jets at Columbus Blue Jackets – 07:00 PM EDT
| Winnipeg Jets | Columbus Blue Jackets | ||||||||
 | Ondrej Pavelec |  | Sergei Bobrovsky | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 43-26 | 42-35 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.49 | 17.80% | 81.80% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 3.02 | 21.70% | 80.20% |
The Winnipeg Jets travel to Columbus tonight to face on a Blue Jackets team that continues to be mediocre under new coach John Tortorella. The Jets are scoring over three goals per game while Columbus is allowing nearly four goals against per game. I expect the Jets offense, which is balanced by three capable scoring lines, to produce tonight against Columbus who will be playing on the back-to-back. Blake Wheeler leads Winnipeg with 12 points in ten games and the top line of Wheeler, Bryan Little, and Andrew Ladd will likely see a lot of shut-down center Brandon Dubinsky tonight. In turn, it may be wise to have exposure to the Jets’ dynamic second line of Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Mathieu Perreault. Ehlers has been one of the most impressive rookie’s in the league this season (4g, 4a in ten games) and has points in five straight games while registering 19 shots on goal over that span. The Columbus penalty kill is an abysmal 71.4%, putting top unit power-play quarterback Dustin Byfuglien firmly in play.
The Columbus Blue Jackets saw Ryan Johansen return to the lineup last night, but nevertheless fell to the Washington Capitals by a score of 2-1. Columbus travels home tonight to face the Winnipeg Jets and their highly productive offense. While we are beginning to see the effect of John Tortorella’s defensive system on Columbus’ play, defending the Jets on the back-to-back will be a tough test. Additionally, Tortorella has been changing the Blue Jackets’ lines with such frequency that it’s become a gamble to target their offense. There is a lot of talent in Columbus (Johansen, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad to name a few), but there hasn’t been a ton of chemistry to start the year. Though I wouldn’t consider Winnipeg to be a particularly impressive defensive hockey club, the uncertainty of the lineup in Columbus, combined with the Blue Jackets’ generally poor play, has me steering clear for fantasy purposes.
Elite Plays
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Nikolaj Ehlers
CBJ: None
Secondary Plays
WPG: Bryan Little, Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien
CBJ: Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno, Brandon Saad
Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues – 08:00 PM EDT
| Minnesota Wild | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 46-28 | 51-24 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.41 | 15.80% | 86.30% | Team Stats | 2.91 | 2.40 | 22.30% | 83.70% |
The Minnesota Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in a back-and-forth, hard-fought game last night. The Wild got goals from five different players in the game and Mikko Koivu registered three assists, which gives him 11 points in ten games to begin the year. Tonight, the Wild travel to St. Louis to face the Blues on the back-to-back. St. Louis has the same 7-2-1 record as Minnesota and makes for a difficult match-up as the Blues are defensively stout, allowing only 2.10 goals against per game. Zach Parise started the season on an absolute tear but has since cooled down with only 1 point in his last 4 games. The Wild’s scoring depth makes it difficult to predict where their goals will come from and I don’t think many are to be had tonight against this St. Louis team, particularly with Minnesota playing their 2nd game in 2 nights. You can find better match-ups elsewhere.
The St. Louis Blues have been extremely impressive to start the season, largely due to the fact that they have managed to win hockey games despite crucial injuries throughout the lineup. Paul Stastny, Jaden Schwartz, and Kevin Shattenkirk have all missed significant time, yet the Blues have a 7-2-1 record. Colton Parayko has stepped up admirably to fill Shattenkirk’s shoes but is a game-time decision tonight. Vladimir Tarasenko paces this offense while playing alongside Alexander Steen and I think this tandem is in an exceptional spot tonight to hit the scoresheet. St. Louis has some of the best possession numbers in the league and should be a nightmare to face on the back-to-back. Additionally, the Minnesota penalty-kill is only halting the opposition 75% of the time, so the Blues have a great chance of converting on the power-play.
Elite Plays
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, Colton Parayko
Secondary Plays
MIN: Jason Pominville, Ryan Suter,
STL: Jori Lehtera, Troy Brouwer, Alex Pietrangelo
Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers – 10:00 PM EDT
| Calgary Flames | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Jonas Hiller |  | Ben Scrivens | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 45-30 | 24-44 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.89 | 2.60 | 18.80% | 80.60% | Team Stats | 2.35 | 3.37 | 17.70% | 76.70% |
The Calgary Flames lost to the Montreal Canadiens 6-2 last night and are now 2-8-1 on the season. Calgary is in a total tailspin, having lost four in a row, and travels to Edmonton tonight to face the Oilers on the back-to-back. The Flames are loaded with offensive talent, but struggle to keep the puck out of their own net (4.09 goals against per game). This game has all the makings of a high-scoring affair, as Edmonton is also weak defensively. Both teams have mediocre penalty-kills at 80%. The Calgary offense is led by Johnny Gaudreau, who has 12 points in 11 games. The Flames’ lines are in flux, but it appears Gaudreau will play alongside Sam Bennett and Michael Frolik at even strength. Sean Monahan is slated to center Joe Colborne and Jiri Hudler. Gaudreau’s value decreases substantially when playing apart from Monahan and Hudler, but he rejoins that duo on the top power-play unit. Mark Giordano is a top-10 offensive defenseman in the NHL and is firmly in play as the quarterback of the top power-play unit.
The Edmonton Oilers are a much-improved club from last season and Connor McDavid is the real deal. McDavid leads the Oilers with 12 points in 11 games and has displayed great chemistry with linemate Nail Yakupov. Edmonton presents significant match-up issues, particularly on home ice, as the Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins line is also very capable of lighting the lamp. I expect Edmonton to score multiple goals against the Flames tonight and both of these lines should be involved. You’ll need to choose one of the two lines or diversify your exposure in tournaments, as they play on separate power-play units. Andrej Sekera, Darnell Nurse, and Oscar Klefbom all play the point on the power-play and make strong value plays as they are cheaply priced across the industry.
Elite Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano
EDM: Connor McDavid, Nail Yakupov, Taylor Hall
Secondary Plays
CGY: Jiri Hudler, T.J. Brodie
EDM: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, Benoit Pouliot