NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, December 22nd - Page Two
Montreal Canadiens at Minnesota Wild – 08:00 PM EST
| Montreal Canadiens | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 17-8-6 | |||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.00 | 2.38 | 19.30% | 85.20% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.35 | 20.60% | 77.90% |
Not too long ago, the Montreal Canadiens had started the season 9-0-0 and looked like the most formidible threat for Lord Stanley in the league.. Flash forward less than two months, and the team looks to be in total disarray. They lost for the fifth straight time last night against the Nashville Predators and are now just 1-8-0 over their last eight games. With Minnesota only allowing 1.98 goals per game this season at the Xcel Energy Center this season, it’s just tough to get too excited about Montreal this evening. Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais are fine GPP options up front and both P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov have signifcant upside on the blue-line, but they’re all somewhat expensive across the industry and i’ll be looking elsewhere for cash games until this team rights the ship.
Minnesota was unable to contain the high-flying Dallas Stars last night, but they’ll look to get back to their winning ways with the free-falling Montreal Canadiens invading the Twin Cities. Minnesota has posted a very solid 12-4-1 record at the Excel Energy Center this season, but this does not look to be a game chock-full of offensive scoring chances. If you’re targeting Minnesota this evening, you’ll want to focus your attention to the top two forward lines and both Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon on the blue-line. Zach Parise and Kikko Koivu have been the most dangerous offensive weapons, with Thomas Vanek, Mikael Granlund, Jason Pominville and Jason Zucker all nice secondary plays. However, I really don’t expect an offensive shootout from these two teams right now and I think there are much safer cash game options on the board.
Elite Options
MON: None
MIN: Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter
Secondary Options
MON: Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais, P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov
MIN: Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker, Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, Jared Spurgeon
Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars – 08:30 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 20-11-4 | 24-7-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.37 | 22.00% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 3.42 | 2.55 | 22.70% | 79.80% |
The defending Stanley Cup Champions put their three-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Western Confernence leading Dallas Stars in what should be one of the nights most entertaining games. Patrick Kane finds himself running away with the NHL scoring title as we approach the halfway point of the season, and with Dallas pushing the pace more than any other team in the league, he should have even more scoring opportunities tonight than usual. He’s joined by the impressive KHL defector Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov on the top line with both players carrying very reasonable asking prices across the industry. With Marian Hossa watching from the press box, captain Jonathan Toews will have his hands full at even strength, but he joins both Kane and Panarin on the Hawk’s top power-play unit which should bode well for all three against Dallas’ unimpressive 79.8% penalty kill. On defense, both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook not only share the duties on the point of that #1 power-play unit, but both players have also put up impressive offensive numbers on the young season and their offensive roles are even more clearly defined now with Trevor Daley no longer in the picture.
In what could be a preview of the Western Conference finals, this game has the makings of a chess match as each coach pulling out every trick in the book to try and get the matchups they want. Simply put, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are the most lethal duo in the NHL right now and are fine plays regardless of the matchup. WIth that said, they were in action last night and they’ll be shadowed at every opportunity tonight by the suffacating defense of Jonathon Toews and this just might not be the time to shell out the kind of coin needed to roster them in cash games. With that said, they do catch quite a break with Marian Hossa being sidelined tonight. Jason Spezza joins the top forward line on the #1 power-play unit and put up solid numbers offensively and John Klingberg continues to be an offensive force on the blue-line. However, with Corey Crawford owning an incredible 1.49 GAA in 10 December starts, don’t over-expose yourself.
Elite Options
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
Secondary Options
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrew Shaw
DAL: Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg
Toronto Maple Leafs at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Bernier |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-13-7 | 15-15-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.39 | 2.65 | 18.10% | 78.80% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 3.19 | 14.90% | 81.90% |
The Maple Leafs have not been overly appealing from a fantasy perspective this season and had to battle Colorado last night, but they’re still in play tonight as they face an Arizona team has allowed an NHL worst 4.11 goals against per game since the beginning of December. They kicked off a three game road trip with an impressive victory over the Colorado Avalanche last night and this team quietly owns a very respectable 9-5-3 record since their ugly 2-8-4 start to the season. For the second straight game, the Maple Leafs exploded offensively, and there looks to be plenty of value to be found from them tonight. Tyler Bozak has been wielding a red-hot hockey stick, as the talented center posted a hat trick last night and now owns four goals and four assists over the last six games. With James van Riemsdyk and P.A. Parenteau joining him on the top forward line and #1 power-play unit, all three players can be used with confidence. Alternatively, Leo Komarov chipped in a pair of goals last night as well and has been thriving lately alongside Nazem Kadri and Michael Grabner on the second forward line. Defensively, Dion Phaneuf is the top option, but both Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner are fine options at a cheaper price-point.
The Coyotes stopped the bleeding a bit with a 1-0 victory in Brooklyn on Saturday, but it’s been a very rough month of December for them as they own just a 2-6-1 record. While some of their promising young talent was able to shine at the beginning of the season, their recent struggles are far from surprising. This is a team in the midst of a total rebuild and they’re simply not ready to competitive on a nightly basis. However, with another subpar team visiting the desert, it’s probably not wise to completely overlook them tonight. Arizona posted a 4-3 victory the only other time these two teams met this season and their offense revolves around each of its top two forward lines. Rookie Max Domi leads the team with 25 points and has found a comfort zone playing alongside Antoine Vermette and Mikkel Boedker. That leaves veteran Martin Hanzal to skate with Tobias Reider and Anthony Duclair on another adept scoring line. With that said, perhaps the best play of the night from the Coyotes is defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The future star has picked up points in back-to-back games and consistently logs 25+ minutes of ice-time per game. He’s also the quarterback of their #1 power-play unit which should bode well for him against the Maple Leafs mediocre 78.8% penalty kill.
Elite Options
TOR: Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, James van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf
ARI: Max Domi, Martin Hanzal, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options
TOR: Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner
ARI: Mikkel Boedker, Anthony Duclair, Antoine Vermette
Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames – 09:00 PM EST
| Winnipeg Jets | Calgary Flames | ||||||||
 | Ondrej Pavelec |  | Jonas Hiller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 15-15-2 | 15-16-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 3.00 | 14.70% | 76.80% | Team Stats | 2.61 | 3.36 | 11.00% | 73.60% |
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Jets this season, but regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, the fans in Winnipeg will likely head into the holiday break having expected much more. Winnipeg lost to Edmonton last night and own just a 7-11-1 record over their last 18 games. However, they’ll face a Calgary Flames team that has allowed an abysmal (and league worst) 3.36 goals against this season, so they simply can’t be overlooked tonight. Each of their top two lines has alternated carrying the offensive load for this team over the past few weeks and both lines can be targeted as you see fit….. it’s just tough to pinpoint which one is slated to “go off” on any given night. While the forward situation can leave you guessing a bit, Dustin Byfuglien is easily the top choice from Winnipeg on defense. His sky-high asking price is a bit of a turnoff, but he fired 10 shots on goal last night and is simply able to fill up the stat sheet unlike any other blue-liner in the NHL.
Calgary may have dropped each of its last two games, but this team appears to have finally turned the corner and they still have their eyes on a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Prior to their two game skid, Calgary has strung together seven straight victories and they’ll hit the ice tonight just a couple points out of second place in the Pacific Division. Tonight they’ll face a Winnipeg team that was not only in action last night, but who has also allowed 3.29 goals against per game on the road this season. The Jets also have the unflattering distinction of being the most penalized team in the NHL, so I’ll be looking for some exposure to the dangerous Calgary power-play. Johnny Gaudreau has racked up 7 goals and 6 assists in just nine games this month and is the top offensive weapon on this team. Alternatively, Sean Monahan and Jiri Hudler are also offensively gifted with secure roles on the man advantage. On the blue-line, Mark GIordano looks to finally be coming alive as he’s notched one goal and two assists in the last two games. Behind him the Flames are very deep defensively with Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell all very capable offensively.
Elite Options
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mark Giordano
Secondary Options
WPG: Andrew Ladd, Drew Stafford, Mathieu Perreault
CGY: Jiri Hudler, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Dennis Wideman
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings – 10:30 PM EST
| San Jose Sharks | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | Jonathan Quick | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-15-2 | 20-10-2 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.76 | 19.80% | 83.20% | Team Stats | 2.47 | 2.19 | 17.60% | 85.00% |
The Sharks fell 4-3 in overtime against the Blackhawks on Sunday and are in desperate need of a win after posting an ugly 2-6-2 record over their last ten games. However, they’ll have their hands full as they make the trip to Southern California to battle the rival Los Angeles Kings. With Logan Couture (and possible Joel Ward) once again out of commission, San Jose is really struggling for find some consistent secondary scoring, which could be a big problem for them tonight as Anze Kopitar will likely be deployed to slow down the top line of Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski (with Dainius Zubrus). To relieve the pressure on that top line, Patrick Marleau will need to develop some offensive cohesiveness with Joonas Donskoi and Matthew Nieto on the second line. Brent Burns is a uniquely gifted offensive defenseman and always in play if you can afford him. He’s picked up two points in the two previous games against Los Angeles this season and his 148 SOG is ranked 2nd behind just Alex Ovechkin in the entire NHL.
The Kings were embarassed 5-0 by Toronto and have now lost three of their last four games. That could be very bad news for the visiting San Jose Sharks. Los Angeles looks to be the crème of the crop of the Pacific Division and remain the best puck possession team in the league by Corsi standards. This will be the Kings only home game during a very tough 11 game stretch, so they should be very motivated to not only protect their home ice, but also head into the short holiday break on a winning note. With Anze Kopitar and his line mates Marian Gaborik and Milan Lucic likely being tasked with trying to slow down the Sharks top line, the weight of the reunited “That 70’s line”. This trio has tremendous chemistry at times last season and has easily been the most productive offensively (With Lucic rather than Pearson for most of the season). On defense, both Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin have a tremendous offensive upside and soak up nearly all of the available playing time on the point of the Kings power-play. They’re both fine options in all formats.
Elite Options
SAN: Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns
LAK: Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin
Secondary Options
SAN: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau
LAK: Tanner Pearson, Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Milan Lucic, Alec Martinez