NHL Grind Down: Sunday, January 22nd - Page Two
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Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild
| Nashville Predators | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 |  | ||||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 22-17-7 | 30-10-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.54 | 17.60% | 82.50% | Team Stats | 3.27 | 2.20 | 21.40% | 84.40% |
Thanks to the ineptness of the St Louis Blues as of late, the Predators’ current run of five wins over the last six games now has them in third place in the Central Division with 51 points. They will have to keep winning to stay afloat, as there are four other teams with 47 points or more who are just looking for a little daylight to get their shot at the end of the season tournament. Nashville has been getting healthier, as they have seen both James Neal and P.K. Subban return to the line up over the past few games. The top line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson should be held in check today against one of the better defenses in the league. This means that if the Predators entertain any ideas of winning today, they will need the firepower to come from the secondary lines. This is where Neal comes in, as he leads the team with 15 goals in the 37 games he has suited up for. Now, while I may not agree with having him play alongside of Mike Ribeiro and Calle Jarnkrok, especially with Mike Fisher playing on the third line, this line remains the line Nashville needs to count on to win this game. I’m also not a big fan of constructing your top power play across three lines as Fisher, Neal, and Johansen are tapped to skate when Nashville draws a penalty. It creates a lack of chemistry, which can be backed up by the fact that the Predators have only lit the lamp once in the last games while skating with the man advantage. P.K. Subban is the play on the point as he was cruising along with 17 points on 80 shots on goal before his injury.
Minnesota almost got caught napping yesterday, as the Wild needed three third-period goals to defeat the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 5-3 in front of the home crowd last night. This improved their home record to 16-5, and tonight, they’re going for win number 17. Eric Staal, owner of a team-leading 16 goals and 40 assists, will lead the team into battle today. It seems that moving Nino Niederreiter to the top line has helped his game out, as he has collected eight of his 32 points over the last eight games. Charlie Coyle completes the top line, and he sits third on the Wild scoring chart with 37 points in 45 games. Coyle and Staal get the extra minutes on the top power play unit along with Zach Parise, who finds himself back on the third line with his old buddy Jason Pominville. Parise makes for a decent one-off play here if you are not going to roster the heavily chalked top line. Jason Zucker, Mikael Granlund, and Mikko Koivu skate on the second line and for the most part have been getting the job done, as they have combined for seven goals and 14 assists over the last eight games. When a team is playing this well and scoring this many goals, it’s almost impossible not to roster a player that won’t get any points in any given game. With that being said, I still like the top line in this one. Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba are your choices on the back line with Suter being the better play today. Suter has grabbed seven of his 29 points over the last eight games, while Dumba is right behind him with six points over that same time frame. Suter has been more consistent this season, so maybe you go Suter for cash games and Dumba for tournament play.
Elite Plays
NSH: James Neal
MIN: Eric Staal
Secondary Plays
NSH: Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Mike Fisher, P.K. Subban
MIN: Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu