NHL Grind Down: Thursday, February 18th - Page Three
Anaheim Ducks at Vancouver Canucks – 10:00 PM EST
| Anaheim Ducks | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | John Gibson |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-19-8 | 22-22-12 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.39 | 2.39 | 19.90% | 86.80% | Team Stats | 2.30 | 2.75 | 16.90% | 81.10% |
Anaheim is just steps away from taking over the top spot in the Pacific division as they have eight wins in their last ten games. A lot of this has to do with the power play unit which has scored eight goals over the last eight games. Ryan Getzlaf leads the way with 15 points in his last ten games while line mate David Perron has been productive by grabbing five points in his last four games. The second line could be the one to target here as Vancouver will have all they can handle in trying to shut down Anaheim’s top line. Corey Perry is the selection here as he gets the top power play minutes and has scored four goals to go along with six assists in his last ten games. The Ducks have switched up their lines a bit so if you are looking for some salary relief I’d take a look at Rickard Rakell and Nick Ritchie who join Perry on the team’s second line. On defense both Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen get the call on the power play unit and a case can be made for either one. Look for the Ducks to continue their march to the top.
The Canucks find themselves in 11th place overall in the Western division and really need to find some kind of offense as they have scored only 12 goals in their last seven games. Vancouver can only be considered as a GPP play tonight with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin being the top choices. After going four games without finding the scoresheet it’s been Henrik who has tallied four points in the last four games while Daniel has two points in the last two games. Small samples for sure but this is the best Vancouver has to offer. Second liners Sven Baertschi and Bo Horvat could make for decent one-off plays as they each have at least five points in their last ten games. Defenseman Ben Hutton is an intriguing play as he has recently been added to the team’s top power play unit and has responded with three assists over the last four games.
Elite Plays
ANA: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
VAN: None
Secondary Plays
ANA: David Perron, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Rickard Rakell
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Ben Hutton