NHL Grind Down: Thursday, January 5th - Page Two
Jump to Page 1 2
Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks
| Minnesota Wild | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 23-9-4 | 23-13-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.11 | 2.06 | 18.00% | 85.80% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 2.16 | 16.80% | 83.30% |
This game has all the makings of being the marquee game of the night. It also has the makings of being the lowest scoring game of the night as both teams rank in the top three where goals against are concerned. Zach Parise, Eric Staal and Jordan Schroeder will lead a Wild team into battle tonight that is just one point away from being the best team in the Western Conference. Parise and Staal are the GPP plays as they both get the extra time skating on the Wild’s top power play unit. Staal leads the team with 30 points while Parise is trying to get going with his six goals and nine assists in the 27 games he has played in this season. The second line of Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund may have a better shot of scoring here tonight as the Sharks will put their best defensive out against Staal and company. This line has combined for six goals and nine assists over the last four games and should be looked at for a deeper tournament play. Charlie Coyle is your one-off here as he skates on the third line but jumps up to skate with Parise and Staal on the team’s top power play unit that has recorded six goals over the last eight games. Coyle leads the team with seven points over the last four games which give him 30 points tying him with Staal for the team lead. Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba are the choices on the back line with Suter having the slight edge in points but either can be used in GPP play tonight. Be careful here as this game should be one of the lower scoring games of the night.
If the Sharks want to improve on their 13-4-1 record at home they will have to beat one of the better teams in the league. Whenever we talk about the Sharks the conversation always turns to the top power play unit of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau and defenseman Brent Burns. The reason for this is that they always seem to be somewhere near the top five on the Sharks scoring list and this year is no different. However, this does not mean that we can’t pair Logan Couture with his even strength line mate in Kevin Labanc or throw Timo Meier with Thornton or Pavelski as he finds himself on the top line at even strength. Labanc has found his legs over the past five games as he leads the team with three goals and five points. Pavelski is the easy choice up front as he 34 points in 38 games while Thornton is next in line where forwards are concerned as he has tallied two goals and has assisted on 23 other goals the Sharks have scored. Couture makes for a decent one-off play as he leads the team with six power play goals. Burns is always a good choice if you can afford as on many nights he has the ability to put you up and over the top regardless of what format is best suited for you. Burns has tallied 35 points on a whopping 52 shots so far this season so you can easily see the upside he brings to the table. The Sharks will have a tough time tonight but should come out on top in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
MIN: Eric Staal
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
Secondary Plays
MIN: Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, Mathew Dumba
SJ: Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau
Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings
| Detroit Red Wings | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Jared Coreau |  | Peter Budaj | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-16-5 | 19-15-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.89 | 11.70% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 2.34 | 16.10% | 83.60% |
Detroit continues to try to find some offense as they have only won two games in the last six that they have played. Losing last night 2-0 in Anaheim doesn’t help matters for a team looking to get things going. The Red Wings are seventh in the Atlantic Division with 37 points which is seven points away from Boston who holds the last playoff spot if they were to start today. Anthony Mantha, Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Tatar have been leading the way with six goals and nine assists over the last five games but could be bottled up tonight against a tough Los Angeles defense. I don’t mind using Mantha as a one-off here as he has started to pick up his game as four of season total of seven goals have come over the last five games. If Detroit is to win this one tonight they will need the second line of Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen to find the score sheet. Vanek has escalated to second on the Detroit scoring list with seven goals and 17 assists while only appearing in 27 games. Speaking of one-offs, Dylan Larkin is worth a look here as he skates on the third line but leads the team in both shots and goals with 110 and 11 respectively. The defense is a total train wreck as now Ryan Sproul not only draws back into the lineup thanks to a Niklas Kronwall injury but will also quarterback the team’s top power play that features the top line and Steve Ott. Yeah, I know. Look for Detroit to have a little trouble against an LA team that is 11-4-1 in front of the home crowd.
The kings are hanging on by a thread to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their 42 points are barely keeping their heads above water as both Vancouver and Winnipeg are knocking on the door with 41 points of their own. The top line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Devin Setoguchi is the cash game play here as both Carter and Pearson have collected seven goals and four assists between them in the last five games. They are also joined by Anze Kopitar when the team takes to the power play which leaves Setoguchi out in the cold a bit. Carter also makes a decent one-off play as he has lit the lamp 21 times while assisting on 11 other goals so far this season. Kopitar has been off a little so far this season as he is well under his normal production with just 17 points in 33 games played. He is joined by Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik on the second line which should only looked at as maybe a deeper GPP play. Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin take the reins from the back line on a power play unit that has struck twice in the last two games. Doughty’s 18 points is nine more than Muzzin’s but Doughty has clearly been in better spots all season long while Muzzin gets a second chance to stick on the top power play unit tonight. The Kings have scored just eight goals in the last four games and look to break out against a Detroit team that gives up some goals on the road.
Elite Plays
DET: None
LAK: Jeff Carter
Secondary Plays
DET: Anthony Mantha, Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Thomas Vanek
LAK: Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Jake Muzzin