NHL Grind Down: Thursday, November 5th - Page Two
Philadelphia Flyers at Calgary Flames – 09:00 PM EST
| Philadelphia Flyers | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Steve Mason |  | Jonas Hiller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-6 | 3-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 1.92 | 3.08 | 11.10% | 77.10% | Team Stats | 2.31 | 4.23 | 13.90% | 76.20% |
The Philadelphia Flyers and their anemic offense travel to Calgary tonight to face the Flames. The Flyers have lost five straight games and will look to jumpstart their offense tonight against a Flames team that struggles desperately to keep the puck out of their own net. Philadelphia is second-to-last in the league with 1.92 goals scored per game, but Calgary is worst in the league in goals against per game, averaging 4.23. Philly is loaded with offensive talent, headlined by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, and they figure to break through and right the ship at some point—-tonight may be that night. The Philadelphia power-play was dynamic last year and Mark Streit is firmly in play as the top-unit quarterback against a 76.2% Calgary penalty-kill. Despite the prime match-up, the Philadelphia top line may go under-owned in tournaments due to recent performance.
The Calgary Flames are 1-4-1 over their past six games and have a 3-9-1 record on the season. Calgary gets a decent match-up tonight against a Flyers team that has struggled to score and is allowing over three goals against per game. Johnny Gaudreau continues to produce consistently for the Flames and has 13 points in 13 games to start the year. Gaudreau has three multi-point efforts on the season and has notched a point in all but four games. Sam Bennett has six points in four games since being moved onto a line with Gaudreau and makes a great low-priced tournament option tonight. T.J. Brodie has points in back-to-back games from the blueline and seems to have settled in since returning from injury. The Philadelphia penalty kill is poor (77.1%), so look for Calgary defensemen (Brodie, Mark Giordano, Dennis Wideman) to get involved with the man advantage.
Elite Plays
PHI: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Mark Streit
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano
Secondary Plays
PHI: Wayne Simmonds, Michael Raffl
CGY: Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan, Jiri Hudler, T.J. Brodie
Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST
| Colorado Avalanche | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Semyon Varlamov |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-7 | 5-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.75 | 3.00 | 20.40% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.73 | 2.91 | 11.60% | 82.90% |
The Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes face off in the desert tonight in a game that features two of the worst teams in the NHL. While Colorado’s offense has managed to stay fantasy-relevant due to the excellent play of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Jarome Iginla, they struggle desperately to possess the puck with a league-worst 5v5 Corsi differential. Arizona presents a decent match-up for the Avs, as the Coyotes are one of the worst defensive teams in the league and have only managed a 5-5-1 record due to unsustainably good goaltending from Mike Smith. This game could very well prove to be a high scoring affair and the MacKinnon – Iginla line is the prime fantasy target. Tyson Barrie quarterbacks the top power-play unit and has five points in his last two games. Matt Duchene has struggled offensively to start the season, but makes for a high-upside low-owned tournament target, playing on a line with the dynamic Landeskog.
The Arizona Coyotes haven’t played a game since October 30th (a 4-3 loss to the Canucks), but will look to get back in the win column tonight when they host the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche are a terrible hockey team on the defensive side of the puck and are allowing three goals against per game. The youth movement in Arizona continues to produce, led by Max Domi who has 11 points in 11 games. Martin Hanzal will return to the lineup tonight, which is a boon for this club, as Hanzal had ten points in nine games to start the year and showed great chemistry with Domi. Mikkel Boedker has six points in his last four games and could play on a line with Domi and Hanzal, which would be a recipe for fantasy success. Connor Murphy appears poised to quarterback the team’s top power-play unit and he is a dirt cheap value play across the industry.
Elite Plays
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Jarome Iginla, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie
ARI: Max Domi, Martin Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Plays
COL: Matt Duchene, Alex Tanguay, Carl Soderberg
ARI: Tobias Rieder, Anthony Duclair
Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings – 10:30 PM EST
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Sergei Bobrovsky |  | Jonathan Quick | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 3-10 | 8-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.31 | 3.69 | 18.40% | 73.80% | Team Stats | 2.42 | 2.08 | 17.50% | 84.80% |
The Columbus Blue Jackets scored five goals to beat the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday and the club hopes the victory is a sign of things to come for this struggling team. Columbus is 3-3-0 under new coach John Tortorella and will look to improve on that record as they travel to Los Angeles tonight to face the Kings. Columbus has managed to hold opponents to three goals or fewer in each of their last five games, so it appears Tortorella’s defensive structure is beginning to take hold. Scott Hartnell leads the club in points and appears poised to continue to do so as he will be playing alongside Ryan Johansen for the foreseeable future. The match-up against the Kings on home ice is terrible, however, and I would look elsewhere for fantasy relevance. The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and possess the puck at an elite level. Scoring chances for the Blue Jackets are likely to be few and far between in this match-up.
The Los Angeles Kings host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Staples Center. LA has rebounded from a slow start to the season by reeling off eight wins in their last nine games. Jonathan Quick has been stellar over that stretch and possesses a 2.28 GAA and .918 SV% on the season. Jeff Carter leads the Kings with 12 points in 12 games and linemate Tyler Toffoli isn’t far behind with 11 points in 12 games, including goals in seven games this year. Though the Blue Jackets appear to have improved defensively under new coach Tortorella, they still present a decent match-up, in large part due to their poor penalty-kill (73.8%). The Kings should win this game handily and Jonathan Quick makes an excellent play in net on home ice.
Elite Plays
CBJ: None.
LAK: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Jonathan Quick
Secondary Plays
CBJ: Brandon Saad, Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen
LAK: Milan Lucic, Anze Kopitar, Alec Martinez
Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EST
| Florida Panthers | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 5-4 | 6-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.91 | 2.09 | 23.80% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.75 | 13.90% | 75.60% |
The Florida Panthers lost to the Anaheim Ducks last night (their third straight loss) and will play a back-to-back on the road tonight against the San Jose Sharks. The Panthers have not been the same team without top-line center Aleksander Barkov, and Jaromir Jagr did not look particularly impressive last night in his return from injury. The Panthers have looked dynamic on offense at times this season, but inconsistency has been a real concern. Though the San Jose Sharks have been a mediocre defensive team to start the year, targeting the Florida offense on the road on a back-to-back is a risky proposition tonight. Nick Bjugstad has led this offense in Barkov’s absence and has five points in his last six games. Jagr’s return to the lineup should aid Bjugstad’s numbers until Barkov’s return.
The San Jose Sharks have one of the most dangerous offenses in the league and get a great match-up against the Florida Panthers tonight who will be playing in San Jose on a back-to-back. Joe Pavelski leads the Sharks with 12 points in 12 games and scored two goals last time out. Joel Ward has been surprisingly productive in “(player-popup)Logan Couture”:/players/logan-couture-14157’s absence, notching 11 points in 12 games playing alongside Patrick Marleau. The Sharks’ power-play hasn’t been particularly impressive to start the year, but it is loaded with talent and will be in a great spot to produce tonight against a 77.6% Florida penalty kill. Brent Burns quarterbacks the top unit for San Jose and has as much upside (as well as a great floor) as any defenseman on tonight’s slate. I expect the Sharks to win this game easily and whoever starts in net for San Jose is in play.
Elite Plays
FLA: Nick Bjugstad, Jaromir Jagr
SJS: Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns
Secondary Plays
FLA: Aaron Ekblad, Brian Campbell, Jonathan Huberdeau
SJS: Joe Thornton, Joel Ward