NHL Grind Down: Sunday, February 19th - Page Two
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New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders
| New Jersey Devils | New York Islanders | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Thomas Greiss | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-23-10 | 26-21-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.81 | 16.70% | 81.50% | Team Stats | 2.95 | 2.93 | 15.60% | 80.70% |
If you’re thinking to yourself, “It seem like these two teams just played each other last night,” you would be correct. The Devils not only kept John Tavares off the board, which I said yesterday was the key to winning, they also stayed in the playoff picture, as they are now just four points away from the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Taylor Hall feels like a one-off to me here on the road, as he leads the team from the top line with 37 points in 48 games. Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac complete the top line, which should draw a lot of attention from the islanders tonight. I indicated how Mike Cammalleri was not playing well of late in yesterday’s Grind Down, and low and behold, he was rewarded for his bad play by being a healthy scratch for last night’s game. Beau Bennett moved up to the second line to play with Adam Henrique and P.A. Parenteau in the 3-2 win last night. Defenseman Damon Severson saw the most power play time from the back line, as I guess the Devils have decided that he is a bit more offensive than Andy Greene. Severson has as many points on the power play this season, as Greene has been able to chalk up all year. Look for New Jersey to have a tough time here, as they head across the river tonight.
The Islanders are just two points back from the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, so a win here is almost imperative on home ice tonight. New York is basically a one-line team, which has John Tavares, Anders Lee, and Josh Bailey leading the way. They all have over 35 points on the season, with Tavares leading the team with 28 assists and 48 points. Of those 48 points, 32 of them have come in front of the home crowd, which makes him one of the better one-off plays of the day. Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson have to be consistent for the Islanders to have a shot at making the playoffs. For the most part they have been, as Nelson has garnered 31 points, while Strome is trying to get something going by finding the score sheet seven times in the last nine games. If you are looking for a punt play Andrew Ladd may be your guy. Ladd was brought over in the off season to help out on the second line, which obviously didn’t pan out. Fifteen of his 22 points have come by lighting the lamp, which is why he is a punt play here. Defenseman Nick Leddy receives the lion’s share of the power play time from the back line, as 12 of his 31 points have come with the man advantage.
Elite Plays
NJ: Taylor Hall
NYI: John Tavares
Secondary Plays
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique, Damon Severson
NYI: Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome
Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andresen |  | Cam Ward | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 26-20-11 | 24-22-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.09 | 2.88 | 23.30% | 83.20% | Team Stats | 2.57 | 2.85 | 17.00% | 86.40% |
Last night’s 6-3 loss to Ottawa on home ice showed us how much Toronto needs Mitchell Marner in the lineup. The team’s scoring leader will be out a second straight game with an upper-body injury, which means that the Leafs will have to come up with something here tonight, as they are now on the outside looking in if the playoffs were to start today. Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Zach Hyman are just one of the lines that can score goals for Toronto. Matthews pick up his team-leading 27th goal last night, while Nylander leads the team with 17 points when the team has the extra attacker. Although they just had a decent game last night, I think coming back with them here could pay off. James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak are directly impacted by the loss of their line mate Marner and will look to Connor Brown to fill the void. Leo Komarov, Nazem Kadri and Josh Leivo look to make a nice tournament stack here, as they will surely be under-owned and should be virtually left alone, as Carolina will not choose this line to shut down. Kadri has registered nine of his 45 points in the last nine games, while Leivo looks to be the real deal by grabbing six points in the seven games he has played in this season. Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev are the choices on the back line, and it almost doesn’t matter which one you choose. Their numbers are very similar and both get to see extra time when the Leafs have the man advantage.
As most of you NBA fans saw on Friday night, just because a team is on home ice, it doesn’t mean that will blow another bad team out. Carolina will try to improve on their 17-6-2 record in front of the home crowd against a very fast Toronto team. Carolina has three lines that ‘can’ score but no player has registered more than 38 points so far this season. That player would be Jeff Skinner, as his 19 goals is also tops on the team, as he skates with Lee Stempniak and Teuvo Teravainen. Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm, and Jordan Staal should be looked at as nice tournament plays, as they have been the most consistent line the Hurricanes have had over the last 10 games combining for eight goals and 17 assists. Victor Rask is tied with Aho for second on the team in scoring with 32 points, as he skates with Derek Ryan and Jamie McGinn. Justin Faulk is the play from the blue line, as he has racked up 25 points on 143 shots on goal in the 47 games he has played in. Toronto should be a nice test for a team that is looking to see what they have for next year, as this year’s playoff hopes are close to being over.
Elite Plays
TOR: Auston Matthews
CAR: Jeff Skinner
Secondary Plays
TOR: William Nylander, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Victor Rask, Justin Faulk
Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | Calvin Pickard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 25-24-8 | 16-38-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.80 | 21.80% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 1.98 | 3.32 | 14.60% | 78.00% |
While everyone was jumping up and down and screaming how the Lightning were going to boat race the Stars last night, they obviously missed a few things, as the Lightning lost by a score of 4-3. This still leaves their road total in the last eight games at just two wins. With that said, if Tampa doesn’t beat the worst team in the league tonight, they may as well pick up the phone and start making their tee times for April 11th. A lot of folks will be off of the Lightning tonight because of their performance last night, don’t make that mistake. Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson make for a power duo tonight, as the former leads the team with 49 points, while the latter has collected 11 of his 35 points in the last 13 games. The Lightning try to have three scoring lines, which makes the Jonathan Drouin, Alex Killorn and Brayden Point line a bit more attractive for your tournament plays tonight. Point has recorded seven of his 21 points over the last seven games, while Drouin’s 132 shots on goal has yielded 16 goals and 19 assists so far this season. Victor Hedman is the clear choice on the back line, as he logs over 23 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis. It also doesn’t hurt that he quarterbacks the team’s top power play unit and has found the score sheet 47 times so far this season. A few sharps were on Jake Dotchin last night, which paid off, as he grabbed an assist on one of the three goals the Lightning scored last night.
When talking about the Colorado Avalanche, we can almost never speak about them when we are talking about selections for our cash game line ups; they are just that bad. Their 111 goals this season are the worst in the league, and although they beat Carolina the other night, they only scored two goals and needed overtime to do it. Colorado has scored more than two goals in just four of their last 28 games. Now you know the reason why Colorado should be off limits for your cash game thinking. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen skate on the team’s top line and are three of just five Colorado players, who have eclipsed the 20 point mark this season. Matt Duchene makes for a decent one-off for tournament play, as he leads the team with 15 goals while skating with Matt Nieto and Mikhail Grigorenko at even strength. He does join the top line on the power play, which gives him a few more scoring opportunities on a nightly basis. Defenseman Tyson Barrie is the last player to consider here, as he mans the point on the team’s top power play unit. Barrie has registered 24 points in the 48 games he has suited up for. Colorado doesn’t score many goals, which isn’t conducive to winning DFS contests. You’ve been warned.
Elite Plays
TB: Nikita Kucherov
COL: None
Secondary Plays
TB: Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Jonathan Drouin
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Tyson Barrie
Boston Bruins at San Jose Sharks
| Boston Bruins | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Tuukka Rask |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-23-6 | 35-18-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.64 | 20.10% | 86.30% | Team Stats | 2.74 | 2.41 | 17.20% | 81.50% |
The Bruins won their last three games before heading into their mandatory week-long break. Even though they haven’t played since last Sunday, their 64 points have held up to remain in third place in the Atlantic Division. Peter Cehlarik has been recalled, which is a good indication that the line will stay the same for tonight’s game. He will skate on the second line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak, while Patrice Bergeron will center the top line along with Brad Marchand and David Backes. If things aren’t broken don’t fix them. Pastrnak leads the team with 25 goals, while Marchand’s 34 assists and 58 points are tops on the team. With both players performing at such a high level, it is tough to figure out which line will be the one the Sharks key on tonight. Either way, I’d keep Pastrnak with Krejci and Marchand with either Bergeron or Backes. Torey Krug is the play on the back line, as he soaks up a lot of the minutes when the Bruins have the man advantage. Krug has 16 power play points this season, as his 36 points is good enough for fifth place on the team’s scoring chart.
A lot of folks were “worried” about how good the Arizona Coyotes have been playing of late, which actually scared some off of playing and San Jose Sharks in cash games last night. A costly mistake indeed, especially if you were thinking of fading defenseman Brent Burns, as his two goals led to a 4-1 victory in the desert last night. Here’s a tip: never fade Brent Burns. I don’t care if you have to pair him up with Roman Polak of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The odds are that Burns himself will score more than any other two defensemen that you can fit into your lineup. Kevin Labanc was spotted on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, while the second line of Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau, and Mikkel Boedker remained on the second line. Unless you are thinking about using one of these lines as a tournament play, I wouldn’t even think of using Labanc or Boedker. Pavelski has collected 10 points in his last 10 games, while Thornton has notched eight of his 39 points over that same time frame. Keep Marleau and Couture together as well, as they skate together on both the second line and the top power play unit.
Elite Plays
BOS: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
Secondary Plays
BOS: Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Backes, David Krejci
SJ: Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks
| Los Angeles Kings | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Peter Budaj |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 28-25-4 | 30-19-10 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.50 | 2.46 | 17.10% | 84.20% | Team Stats | 2.56 | 2.53 | 20.20% | 83.90% |
The Kings lost for the fourth time in the last five games last night, as the pesky Florida panthers beat them by a score of 3-2 in their own building. The loss dropped the Kings’ home record to 15-10-1, and they now have to find a way to pick themselves up and get back into the playoff race. Their 60 points has them just two points away from both Calgary and Nashville, who hold the last two playoff spots. Jeff Carter started the game centering Tanner Pearson and Dustin Brown, but head coach Daryl Sutter just couldn’t control himself and re-unite “That 70s Line” that logged a healthy 12 percent of the ice time in last night’s game. It is unclear if they will keep Carter, Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli together but one thing is for sure. Roster Jeff Carter, as he is head and shoulders above his team mates talent wise this season. His 29 goals is 10 more than Pearson’s 19 for the team lead and his 53 points is 20 more than Pearson and Anze Kopitar, who are tied for second on the Kings scoring chart. Adrian Kempe started on a line with Kopitar and Toffoli, but by the end of the night Kopitar had brown and Marian Gaborik, as his line mates. Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin soak up most of the power play minutes from the back line; each should be considered here tonight. Doughty is the better play here, as his 32 points is fourth on the team in scoring. Be careful here, as no one knows what will go on in Sutter’s head when he wakes up this morning. One thing is for sure, it seems that there is a sense of urgency, which could also have a bit of panic mixed in. Stick with Carter tonight.
The Ducks ran into the buzzsaw that has become the Florida Panthers, dropping a 4-1 decision in front of the home crowd on Friday night. They were tied with Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division going into last night’s action with 70 points, which should be enough to keep them in the playoffs provided they grabbing a few points here and there. Ondrej Kase was skating up with Ryan Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg, while Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry skated on the second line with Nick Ritchie. Rakell leads the team with 22 goals, while Perry’s 40 points has him third on the team in scoring. Getzlaf and Silfverberg seem to working well together, as they have combined for 12 points over the last eight games. Getzlaf is also second on the team in scoring, as he has Perry, and Ryan Kesler join him on the team’s top power play unit. Kesler makes for a decent one-off play here from the third line, as he leads the team with 44 points. Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen man the points when the team has the man advantage with Fowler getting being the stronger cash game of the two, as his 30 points has him 13 points ahead of his fellow defenseman.
Elite Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter
ANA: Ryan Kesler
Secondary Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty, Tanner Pearson
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg, Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry, Cam Fowler