NHL Grind Down: Thursday, March 31st - Page Two
New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers – 07:30 PM EDT
| New Jersey Devils | Florida Panthers | ||||||||
 | Cory Schneider |  | Roberto Luongo | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 37-32-8 | 42-25-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.22 | 2.44 | 20.80% | 82.40% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.45 | 17.00% | 79.90% |
If Florida was smart they would try to shut down the Devils second line that features Reid Boucher, Kyle Pamieri and Travis Zajac. Both Palmieri and Boucher have two goals each to go along with three assists in the last five games as the whole line gets the first crack when the Devils go on the power play. The Devils are 6-3-1 in their last ten games and have not yet been eliminated from playoff contention. The team’s top line has only accrued three points over the last five games and despite having 13 shots defenseman David Warsofsky only has an assist to show for it over that same time span. With Florida trying to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning it’s doubtful they will let up tonight on home ice.
As mentioned above the Florida Panthers are trying to wrestle away the top spot in the Atlantic division from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams have 93 points with six games left to go as they come down the stretch. There is no reason to get fancy here so taking the top line which also doubles as the team’s top power play unit would be prudent here. Jonathan Huberdeau, Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov all have four points in their last four games and I’d look for those numbers to go up tonight. Jussi Jokinen is the one-off play here as he has two goals to go along with three assists in the last four games. Aaron Ekblad gets the minutes on the point when the team goes on the power play but maybe there a few other plays out there tonight.
Elite Plays
NJ: None
FLA: Aleksander Barkov
Secondary Plays
NJ: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, Reid Boucher
FLA: Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad, Jussi Jokinen, Nick Bjugstad
Ottawa Senators at Minnesota Wild – 08:00 PM EDT
| Ottawa Senators | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Andrew Hammond |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-33-9 | 38-28-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 3.00 | 15.70% | 75.40% | Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.44 | 19.50% | 78.80% |
Things are getting dangerously close for the Ottawa Senators as they are just moments away from being eliminated from this year’s playoffs. It took a while but Ottawa finally has their top six players on the top two lines as bobby Ryan is now allowed to play on the team’s second line with Mika Zibanejad and Mike Hoffman. This is the line to choose for GPP play as Hoffman and Zibanejad lead the team in scoring over the last three games. Defenseman Erik Karlsson leads the team in scoring and is always a nice play if you can afford him. Ottawa comes into this one fresh off playing in Winnipeg last night so I wouldn’t expect any miracles.
Backed by a stellar 7-2-1 record in the last ten games the Minnesota Wild are starting to pull away for the Colorado Avalanche for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western conference. Much like the Florida game above there is no reason to deviate from the Wild’s top line for your cash game selection tonight. Zach Parise is back to top form as he has netted five goals to go along with two assists in the last five games while line mate Mikko Koivu has added six points over that same time frame. Charlie Coyle completes the team’s top line but maybe you’d want to look on the back line for some help here as they should have plenty of opportunities to score against a team that has given up 234 goals this season. Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon man the points on the power play and each has three points over the last five games. The only difference is Spurgeon has three goals while Suter has three assists. Nino Niederreiter is your one-off play here as Minnesota should almost be able to score at will tonight.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
MIN: Zach Parise
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan
MIN: Charlie Coyle, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Nino Niederreiter
Arizona Coyotes at Dallas Stars – 08:30 PM EDT
| Arizona Coyotes | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 34-35-7 | 46-22-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.96 | 18.80% | 77.90% | Team Stats | 3.25 | 2.83 | 21.80% | 81.60% |
Although Arizona still has a chance at the last playoff spot in the western conference, it’s highly unlikely that they can get there with only six games left. They are ten points away and simply need Colorado and Minnesota to lose most if not all their games as they win out. With the injury to defenseman Michael Stone Arizona has bumped up Alex Tanguay to the top power play unit with the team’s top line. Martin Hanzal, Anthony Duclair and Max Domi make up the team’s top line and have a combined five goals and nine assists over the last six games. Oliver Ekman-Larsson mans the point on the top power play unit and is the only choice on the point if you like the Coyotes tonight. Dallas is embroiled in the fight for the top spot in the Central division so I wouldn’t expect them to roll over tonight.
With the Chicago Blackhawks losing a few games over the past two weeks it is now the St Louis Blues that has caught the Dallas Stars for the top spot in the Central division. Each team has 101 points with five games left so a win tonight could go a long way for the home team tonight. Jamie Benn and Patrick Sharp skate on the top line while Jason Spezza grabs second line duty. Any combination of these three are fine tonight as they all have at least three points in the last four games and all get the top minutes on the power play . Patrick eaves has slipped to the third line but makes a good one-off here as he skates with the aforementioned four players on the top power play unit. Although defenseman John Klingberg only has one assist in the last four games he still makes a good play here against an Arizona team that has only won 13 games on the road.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
DAL: Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Martin Hanzal, Anthony Duclair, Max Domi, Alex Tanguay, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
DAL: John Klingberg, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Cody Eakin
Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EDT
| Vancouver Canucks | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Ryan Miller |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 27-36-13 | 43-28-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.21 | 2.86 | 16.40% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.92 | 2.55 | 22.40% | 79.90% |
I just can’t leave this space blank so I better try to get something together. The Canucks have lost their last nine games and have only scored a pitiful eight goals in the process. This is just the type of game that looks like it could go one way and then ends up another. The Sharks won the front end of this home and home series on Tuesday night by a score of 4-1 up in Vancouver so is there really any chance of them losing this one? No Vancouver player has more than two points in the last five games so either take Daniel and Henrik Sedin or go with (gulp!) the second line. Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund and Jake Virtanen make up that line and should be considered as one of your ‘deeper pocket’ GPP plays tonight. Ben Hutton is the choice on defense and should be fairly cheap but remember, you get what you pay for.
San Jose has put Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture back on the second line and that’s always good news as they do have instant chemistry at times. Couture has three goals and four points over the last six games and makes an excellent one-off play here. The top line that features Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski are always in play if you can afford them as they each have at least six points in their last six games with Pavelski leading the way with three goals to go along with four assists in those six games. Brent Burns is the play on defense as he not only gets the top minutes on the power play he currently sits tenth in the league in points with 71.
Elite Plays
VAN: None
SJ: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns
Secondary Plays
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin
SJ: Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau, Tomas Hertl
Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings – 10:30 PM EDT
| Calgary Flames | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Jonas Hiller |  | Jonathan Quick | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-38-6 | 45-26-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.74 | 3.12 | 16.50% | 74.50% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.34 | 20.70% | 81.20% |
With the Calgary Flames eliminated from playoff contention it will be awfully hard to say whether or not they will choose to push Johnny Gaudreau back into the lineup. The Flames come into this one fresh off playing the Anaheim Ducks last night in which Gaudreau did not participate in. You need a program to figure out these guys on the Flames so it may be best to just avoid them altogether against the second best defensive team in the league. Sean Monahan would be one of the only choices here as he had three goals and four assists over the last five games going into last night’s contests. Joe Colborne and defenseman Dougie Hamilton have been handling the majority of the scoring along with Monahan as they have tallied at least five points over the last five games. Even if Gaudreau does play tonight it will be awfully hard to use them tonight.
The Kings come into this one with just six games left as they try to walk away with the Pacific division crown. Only Edmonton has more road losses than the Calgary Flames so it appears on the surface that the Kings should pick up the easy two points tonight. Anze Kopitar has done so well this season that he gets the reward of having Tanner Pearson and Dustin brown as his line mates. Kopitar has four points in the last six games while Pearson has two and Brown has none. Luckily the kings are at home and Kopitar will get some exposure to better players when the team gets to play with the man advantage. Jeff Carter and Milan Lucic skate with Kopitar on the team’s top power play unit and they have each produced four points over the last six games. Tyler Toffoli has been the most consistent over those six games as he has lit the lamp three times and assisted on three other goals. Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty are the choices on the back line and make fine plays as they both receive the majority of the minutes on the team’s top power play unit. Look for the Kings to score a few against a Calgary team that has given up 240 goals this season
Elite Plays
CGY: None
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Joe Colborne, Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano
LAK: Tyler Toffoli, Milan Lucic, Jake Muzzin, Drew Doughty