NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, April 4th - Page Two
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Carolina Hurricanes at Minnesota Wild
| Carolina Hurricanes | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Cam Ward |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 35-29-14 | 46-25-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.59 | 2.76 | 18.00% | 84.40% | Team Stats | 3.19 | 2.50 | 20.50% | 82.80% |
Carolina is another team that hasn’t been eliminated from playoff contention going into last night’s action. They have been however changing up their lines quite frequently as the last game saw Sebastian Aho skate with Jordan Staal and Teuvo Teravainen while Jeff Skinner was tapped to play alongside of Elias Lindholm and Lucas Wallmark. Skinner is the easy one-off cash game play here as he leads the team with 33 goals and 58 points while putting 260 shots on goal so far this season. He also has lit the lamp seven times over the last eight games so my suggestion would be is get him while he’s hot. Aho hasn’t been bad either as he has notched seven of his 48 points over the last two weeks. Justin Faulk is the play on the back line as he has seen six of his 36 points come over the last eight games. Faulk started of sluggish but has since picked up his play coming down the stretch. Minnesota may be breaking out of their slump as they have won two of their last three games so using caution is the word of the day here.
Minnesota is trying to break out of a horrendous slump and appears to be doing so although their last two wins have been against Colorado and Ottawa. If the playoffs started today Minnesota would have the home ice advantage facing the upstart St Louis Blues. Minnesota didn’t practice yesterday so it’s unclear whether or not Jason Zucker is healed up enough to return to the lineup this evening. Last game Eric Staal found himself centering Zach Parise and Nino Niederreiter while Mikko Koivu anchored the team’s second line with Mikael Granlund. If Zucker is available he will probably draw in on this line which is where he was skating before he was injured. Staal has snagged seven points over the last eight games as his 27 goals leads the team. Mikael Granlund has led the team in scoring from almost the beginning of the season and now has 68 points in the 77 games he has played in. Mathew Dumba and Ryan Suter are the choices from the back line but it’s been Jared Spurgeon who has had the hot hand by chalking up six points over the last two weeks. Carolina should be ready to beat someone other than Colorado and look for them to do so tonight against Carolina.
Elite Plays
CAR: Jeff Skinner
MIN: Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter
Secondary Plays
CAR: Sebastian Aho, Justin Faulk, Elias Lindholm, Jordan Staal
MIN: Mikael Granlund, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu
New York Islanders at Nashville Predators
| New York Islanders | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 37-29-12 | 40-28-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.87 | 2.97 | 14.70% | 81.10% | Team Stats | 2.90 | 2.70 | 19.40% | 80.50% |
It shouldn’t be long now until the Islanders are officially eliminated from playoff contention. They may be able to hang on for one more day if they can manage a win here in Nashville tonight. Without the injured John Tavares it looks like the top line will consist of Anthony Beauvillier, Anders Lee and Josh Ho-Sang while the second line will feature Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey shore up the team’s second line. New York has won their last two games as they embark on this short three-game road trip. Lee is a decent play here as he not only has grabbed six points in his last seven games he has also lit the lamp 31 times this season to pace the team in that category. Defenseman Nick Leddy is the choice on the blue line as his 42 points has him ranked fourth on the team in points. It would probably be best to tread carefully here as Nashville looks to improve on their 24-9-7 record in front of the home crowd.
Nashville has done a good job of tying up the loose ends down the stretch and have cruised easily into this seasons end of the season tournament. Their 91 points has them ranked eighth in the Western Conference which would mean they would draw the Chicago Blackhawks in round one if the season ended today. Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson looks like the chalk line here tonight as they have each registered at least 47 points so far this season. They also serve as the top power play unit which sees second liner Mike Fisher join them with the extra attacker. With James Neal injured Fisher’s line mates are Kevin Fiala and Calle Jarnkrok but you’d have to be hard pressed to find a reason to put them on your roster tonight. Roman Josi is the play on the back line as he joins the four-forward power play attack which has scored just one goal over the last five games. Josi does have four points to his credit over the last seven games which leaves him with 48 points so far this season. Nashville needs a few points here to pass St Louis and get out of that first round match up with Chicago.
Elite Plays
NYI: None
NSH: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen
Secondary Plays
NYI: Anders Lee, Josh Ho-Sang, Nick Leddy
NSH: Viktor Arvidsson, Mike Fisher, Roman Josi
Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues
| Winnipeg Jets | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Jake Allen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 37-35-7 | 43-28-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.96 | 3.14 | 17.80% | 76.90% | Team Stats | 2.79 | 2.59 | 21.20% | 84.30% |
With all of the playoff spots accounted for in the Western Conference the Winnipeg Jets have gone on a nice four game winning streak although they have already made their tee times for next week. We always knew that they could score but the 249 goals they have given up has clearly been the problem. Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler will serve as the top lie while Bryan Little, Patrik Laine and Mathieu Perreault skate on the team’s second line. Scheifele leads the team with 78 points while Laine’s 34 goals has paced the team so far this season. Wheeler has had the hot hand however as his 10 points over the last seven games is tops on the team which would indicate that putting him with Scheifele may be the way to go here tonight. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has notched four of his 51 points over the last five games as he soaks up the majority of the minutes when the Jets have the extra attacker. Winnipeg should get some scoring chances tonight as it will just be a matter of if they can stop them from going in that will determine the outcome tonight.
The Blues come into this one looking to hang on to the third spot in the Central Division as there are just two points ahead of the Nashville Predators with four games remaining on the schedule. All of the teams in the Western Conference have been determined where the playoffs are concerned and St Louis is going to be in there somewhere. The top line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen should be the one to target on home ice tonight. Tarasenko leads the team with 37 goals and 70 points while Steen’s 35 assists is tops on the team. Meanwhile Schwartz and has posted eight of his 52 points over the last seven games. The second line sees Patrik Berglund centering Magnus Paajarvi and David Perron and could be used here as a tournament play against the defensively challenge Winnipeg Jets. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is the choice on the back line as he soaks up a majority of the extra ice time when the Blues draw a penalty. Pietrangelo’s 43 points has him ranked fifth on the team in points. St Louis should be able to come away with the victory tonight in front of the home crowd.
Elite Plays
WIN: Mark Scheifele
STL: Vladimir Tarasenko
Secondary Plays
WIN: Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien, Mathieu Perreault
STL: Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz, Alex Pietrangelo, Patrik Berglund
Arizona Coyotes at Dallas Stars
| Arizona Coyotes | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Mike Smith |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-41-9 | 32-36-11 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.33 | 3.17 | 15.70% | 77.80% | Team Stats | 2.70 | 3.06 | 17.90% | 73.80% |
It looks like defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will not suit up for tonight’s game as he has been granted a leave of absence from the team. This is a classy move on the Coyotes part as their playoff chances went out the window by the turn of the calendar year. Shane Doan was last spotted skating with Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini while the second line looks like it will be comprised of Alex Burmistrov, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. This is what Arizona had in mind when they acquired Duclair as he and Domi starred for Team Canada in their gold medal winning effort in the World Juniors a few years ago. Radim Vrbata skates on the team’s third line and leads the Coyotes with 18 goals and 35 assists so far this season. With their best defenseman on the shelf look for Alex Goligoski to handle the power play chores on the back line tonight. It’s a spin-the-wheel kind of night as most of these teams are just looking to stay healthy as they play for nothing more than a paycheck.
If you are a die hard fan in the Dallas area you can head over to StubHub right now and grab a ticket for tonight’s game for just $6. It will cost you at least 10 times that to park and grab some food before the game making this the best bargain of the night. Much like the Carolina Hurricanes the Stars have been switching up their lines looking for what may be their foundation for next year. Jason Spezza was taken of the fourth line with Adam Cracknell to skate with Radek Faksa and Gemel Smith while Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn remain on the top two lines but not skating together. Benn draws Cody Eakin and Devin Shore while Remi Elie and Brett Ritchie must surely be star struck skating next to Seguin. Rostering anyone but Benn, Seguin or Spezza is surely asking for trouble here as although their line mates may get in on a goal or two, they are the three that will most likely grab the points when the team draws a penalty. John Klingberg would be the fourth player to consider here as he soaks up a majority of the ice time from the back line when the stars have the extra attacker. All of of these guys have tallied 47 or more points so far this season. Seguin’s 70 and Benn’s 67 points will not be caught by anyone else this season.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Radim Vrbata, Max Domi, Christian Dvorak, Alex Goligoski
DAL: Jason Spezza, John Klingberg
Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche
| Chicago Blackhawks | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Calvin Pickard | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 50-22-7 | 21-54-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.96 | 2.55 | 18.30% | 77.70% | Team Stats | 1.93 | 3.38 | 12.70% | 76.50% |
This is certainly a lopsided contest on paper as Chicago is the best team in the Western Conference while Colorado is surely the worst. Chicago is about as easy of a team to handicap as there is with Jonathan Toews, Richard Panik, Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin making up the team’s top power play unit from the top two lines. Nick Schmaltz skates with Toews and Panik while Tanner Kero centers the more talented Kane and Panarin. I’m not too sure that past statistics matter in this one as both lines should have plenty of looks at the net tonight. Duncan Keith is the chalk play from the blue line as his 51 points has him tied for fifth place with Dustin Byfuglien for most points by a defenseman this season. Chicago should be able to win this one without breaking a sweat.
Colorado is the worst teams in the league as they are still looking for their 10th win on home ice tonight. They are the only team to not have reached that threshold and have just two shots left to accomplish that feat. Nathan MacKinnon, Sven Andrighetto and Mikko Rantanen give the team their best chance to score in front of the home crowd tonight. MacKinnon leads the team with 51 points while Rantanen has taken over the team scoring lead with 18 goals. These aren’t good numbers by any stretch of the imagination but there’s not that much of an expectation out of a team that has scored just 154 goals this season. Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are literally the only other talent this team has besides defenseman Tyson Barrie. Like a lot of other teams in the league the avalanche are taking a look at some of their younger talent so sticking with any of these guys would be recommended as GPP plays only. Not to mention the fact that you actually have to score some goals to get a better fantasy score.
Elite Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane
COL: None
Secondary Plays
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Richard Panik, Tanner Kero
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Sven Andrighetto, Mikko Rantanen, Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene