NHL Grind Down: Sunday, March 19th - Page Two
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Ottawa Senators at Montréal Canadiens
| Ottawa Senators | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 39-23-8 | 40-23-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.63 | 2.58 | 17.80% | 82.00% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.46 | 19.90% | 80.50% |
Tonight, we are treated to the second part of the home and home series between the top teams in the Atlantic Conference. Montreal won last night’s game in a shootout, which puts them two points up on the Ottawa Senators for first place in the division. Ottawa will need to rebound here to stay in the divisional race and will look to the top line Derick Brassard, Ryan Dzingel, and Alexandre Burrows to lead them to the promised land. Burrows seems to fit right in, as he has grabbed five points over the last eight games, while Brassard makes the easy pairing here, as they both see a fair amount of ice time together when the team has the extra attacker. Mike Hoffman makes for a decent one-off for the same reason he did yesterday. He skates on the team’s top power play line and just like many times before, he didn’t disappoint yesterday, collecting his team-leading 23rd power-play point in just 63 games. Kyle Turris leads the team with 23 goals as he centers the top line along with Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith. This line may be held in check tonight, so taking players from the other lines may be more optimal tonight. Defenseman Erik Karlsson is one of the higher-priced plays from the back line, and for good reason. His 10 points over the last eight games leads the team has contributed to his 65 points this season, which also leads the team. Dion Phaneuf can be used as an alternative here, as he has been placed back on the top power-play unit alongside of Karlsson. As with any team, if you can get cheap exposure to this team’s best scorer, you should probably do it.
Montreal got a few goals from the Andrew Shaw line to keep it close enough to grab a 4-3 shootout victory last night in Ottawa. The Senators did a great job of holding the top line to just seven shots throughout the contest, but I wouldn’t think they can contain them here tonight when the Canadiens get the last change being the home team. This means it’s time to deploy Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, and Alexander Radulov. If you read MaxEErnst’s premium piece earlier this week on why referees may have a home team bias, then there is no doubt as to why we should use this line tonight in our cash games. Pacioretty leads the team with 33 goals, while Radulov’s 32 assists is tops on the team. Paul Byron is the one-off here; he has gathered a team-high five points over the last six games while skating with the top line when Montreal has the extra attacker. Byron skates with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher at even strength, which saw Gallagher get the go-ahead goal late in yesterday’s game. Shea Weber and Andrei Markov are the choices from the back line, with Weber getting the lion’s share of power play ice time. Markov has managed four assists over the last six games, so selecting him here may not be as much of a downgrade as we would ordinarily think.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
MTL: Max Pacioretty
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Kyle Turris, Alexandre Burrows
MTL: Alex Galchenyuk, Alexander Radulov, Shea Weber, Paul Byron
Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames
| Los Angeles Kings | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Quick |  | Brian Elliott | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-29-7 | 40-27-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.46 | 2.44 | 19.20% | 85.10% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 2.66 | 19.90% | 81.10% |
The Los Angeles Kings are on the verge of going belly up here if they can’t find a way to win this game tonight. Their 75 points has them six points away from the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, which is currently held by the Nashville Predators. The Kings have tried everything but just can’t seem to score enough goals to get the wins needed to stay in the playoff conversation. The top line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson, and Tyler Toffoli will no doubt be shadowed by the Flames top defensive line, while Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, and Dustin Brown should be afforded the extra breathing room in tonight’s game. Carter leads the team with 60 points, while Kopitar has notched six points in the last six games. That brings his total up to nine goals and 34 assists in his 64 games. Pairing them together here isn’t as crazy as one may think, as they both skate on the team’s top power play unit. Defensemen Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin man the points on the top power play unit and can be used here with Doughty being the safer play.
Calgary has done a splendid job of playing good hockey down the stretch, winning 11 of their last 12 games with their only blemish being a 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins two games ago. The Kings have only given up nine goals in their last five games, so it’s tough to say that Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will run roughshod over them tonight. We can say, however, that the top line should get the favorable matchups, as the Flames do get the last line change by virtue of being the home team. Gaudreau is tie with Mikael Backlund for the team leads with 49 points while Monahan’s 22 goals is tops on the team. Backlund makes for a decent one-off play here, as he skates on the team’s second line with Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik. Pair him up with Frolik for deeper GPP plays, as Frolik is one of the streakiest players you will find. In fact, he happens to be on a hot streak right now, as evidenced by his six points over the last six games. Defenseman T.J. Brodie is still receiving the top power-play minutes, but if you have been following along, Dougie Hamilton is the play on the back line. Hamilton not only leads the team with seven points in the last six games, he also leads the team with 196 shots on goal, which has produced 46 points so far this season.
Elite Plays
LAK: Jeff Carter
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan
Secondary Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty
CGY: Mikael Backlund, Dougie Hamilton, Matthew Tkachuk