NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, December 27th - Page Two
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Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators
| Minnesota Wild | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-8-4 | 15-13-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.06 | 1.94 | 17.40% | 86.00% | Team Stats | 2.82 | 2.76 | 19.60% | 81.80% |
The dilemma that the Minnesota Wild will face is what line to put Zach Parise on as he has missed the last two games. The Wild are in the middle of a ten game winning streak so it’s very likely that he goes back and plays alongside of Eric Staal and Jason Pominville. It doesn’t seem to matter what lines the Wild use, they seem to have been working pretty well of late. Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund will probably stay together and should be considered tonight as they have combined for four goals and nine assists in the last five games. Regardless of where Charlie Coyle lands he has to be looked at as a one-off play tonight. Not only does he lead the team in goals with 12 he has netted three goals to go along with five assists over the last five games. Like I said about many teams, when they are scoring a lot of goals it usually means that everyone is chipping in. Defensemen Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba make solid plays from the back line as they both skate on the top power play unit that has scored four goals over the last five games. Suter has five more points than his counterpart but Dumba is the one with the hot hand as he has racked up three points over the last five games. Minnesota is starting to get the depth they need in the scoring department and that should continue tonight against a Nashville team that has given up 13 goals in their last four home games.
If the playoffs were to start today the Nashville Predators would be on the outside looking in. Their record of 15-13-5 is good enough for 35 points which is three points short of both Calgary and Los Angeles for the eighth and final playoff spot. Look for the top line of Viktor Arvidsson, Mike Fisher and James Neal to try and break through and score a few goals on a very stingy Minnesota defense. The Wild have only given up 66 goals so far this season which is the second lowest total in the league. Neal and Fisher get the call on the top power play unit with Neal leading the team with 14 goals in just 29 games. Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen can also be counted on to put up some points as they too play on the team’s top power play unit. Kevin Fiala skates with them at even strength and can be used as a cheaper option if you want to go with a full line stack. Johansen leads the team in points with 23 while Forsberg has netted two goals in his last five games. Roman Josi is the play on the back line as nine of his 19 points have come when the Predators are on the power play. He has also racked up 100 shots so far this season. It may be tough for Nashville to score tonight against one of the better defensive teams in the league so be cautious here.
Elite Plays
MIN: Eric Staal
NSH: James Neal
Secondary Plays
MIN: Mikko Koivu, Charlie Coyle, Mathew Dumba, Ryan Suter
NSH: Mike Fisher, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg
Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks
| Winnipeg Jets | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Connor Hellebuyck |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-17-3 | 22-9-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 2.89 | 15.30% | 76.70% | Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.36 | 18.80% | 74.50% |
Winnipeg is another one of those teams that probably needed a three day break to try and regroup as they sit in sixth place in the Central Division. Scoring goals hasn’t been the problem as they have five players who have scored 20 points or more so far this season. The defense has been the problem as they have given up 105 goals through the 36 games they have played. The top line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine has been the most productive so far this season as Laine leads the team in goals, Ehlers leads in assists and Sheifele is at the top of the heap in points. Chicago will probably try to shut down that line but the question is will they be able to. Mathieu Perreault, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler makes a decent tournament play as they should be the line to have a bit more room on the ice as they are the away team. Each had registered at least three points over the last four games before the Christmas break. Tobias Enstrom finds himself on the point when the Jets draw a penalty but as far as defensemen go, Dustin Byfuglien is the guy you want. Byfuglien leads the team in shots with 105 of them while grabbing 22 points so far this season. Hopefully Winnipeg can keep putting the puck in the net while trying to cut down on their goals against per game average.
Chicago leads the Western Conference with 49 points through the first 36 games. Their 13-3-4 record on home ice should help them tonight against a Winnipeg team that is sporting a 6-11-2 record away from the home crowd. Both Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa could be ready to return to the ice tonight which could mean just a bit of line shuffling for head coach Joel Quenneville tonight. If Anisimov returns there’s no doubt he will be placed with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane while center Jonathan Toews slides down to the second line with Ryan Hartman and Hossa if he returns. In either scenario the cash game plays remain to be Kane and Panarin as both players are very close to being point-per-game players. Panarin leads the team with 36 points while Kane has found the back of the net ten times while assisting on 24 other goals. The back line features Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Both anchor the points on a power play that has scored five times over the last five games. We won’t know much until later on in the day about Hossa or Anisimov so sticking with Kane, Panarin, Keith and Seabrook for cash games is the way to go on home ice tonight.
UPDATE
It looks like Anisimov is in while Hossa has been placed on the injured reserve. Anisimov will join Kane and Panarin making this one of the more safer plays for your cash games tonight.
Elite Plays
WIN: Mark Scheifele
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
WIN: Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler
CHI: Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Calgary Flames at Colorado Avalanche
| Calgary Flames | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Chad Johnson |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-16-2 | 12-20-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.56 | 2.83 | 18.80% | 80.50% | Team Stats | 2.03 | 3.18 | 14.70% | 79.00% |
Calgary was on a roll before the break as their 7-3 record in the last ten games has catapulted them into a fourth place tie with the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. Although Johnny Gaudreau leads the team with just 22 points the Flames have scored 95 goals so far this season and have 14 players who have at least 11 points so far this season. Their 10-7-2 road record should help them here as they face a Colorado team that has only won four games on home ice. Gaudreau is on the team’s top power play unit along with the line of Kris Versteeg, Sean Monaham and Troy Brouwer that has scored 14 goals over the last ten games. Sam Bennett and Alex Chiasson skate with Gaudreau at even strength and make a nice GPP play if you are making multiple lineups. Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk can be used in tournament plays as they have racked up four points each in the last four games which has put both players at 19 points so far this season. T.J. Brodie gets the call from the back line to quarterback the top power play unit. He makes an okay play but I’d look at Dougie Hamilton first as he not only has nine more points than Brodie, he leads the team with 104 shots on goal. Mark Giordano is serviceable in this spot as well it’s just a matter of which one fits best into you lineup. Colorado has been prone to give up some goals so Calgary could come in here and go home with a victory.
Before the break the Avalanche had just scored four goals in their last five games including one in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks last Friday night. Not only do they have the worst record in the league they have scored a league low 67 goals as well. This is not a good hockey club and if I was allowed not to write anymore, I wouldn’t. This is a team at last check had Blake Comeau on their top power play unit. There is good news however. ‘If’ Colorado scores its usually the rest of the members of the power play doing the scoring. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen skate on the top line and can be used as a decent GPP duo tonight as MacKinnon leads the team with 23 points so far this season. Rantanen has done well since his promotion to the top line which is why his 15 points may seem a little paltry in comparison. Gabriel Landeskog is the third part to this equation but so far has come up way short of expectations by only registering nine points in the 23 games he has suited up for. Matt Duchene is the one-off play here as he skates on the second line with Mikael Grigorenko and Rene Bourque but skates with the top line when they get the man advantage. Tyson Barrie is the defensive choice here as he is second on the team in shots while manning the team’s top power play unit. Colorado does not score many goals so using any of these players in cash could be a waste of money.
Elite Plays
CGY: Johnny Gaudreau
COL: None
Secondary Plays
CGY: Sean Monahan, Dougie Hamilton, Troy Brouwer, T.J. Brodie
COL: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie
Dallas Stars at Arizona Coyotes
| Dallas Stars | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Kari Lehtonen |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 14-14-7 | 11-18-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.54 | 3.03 | 16.50% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 2.12 | 3.15 | 14.60% | 77.80% |
Dallas find themselves in the same boat as the Nashville Predators are in as they are three points away from claiming the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Stars were able to win two of their last three games before the break against Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Hopefully this is a sign that they are starting to get healthy and can get back to playing the style of hockey they were playing last year. Antoine Roussel will sit this one out as he did last game which may mean that the line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza could stay together for tonight’s game. Even if head coach Lindy Ruff puts his lines in the ‘Blend-O-Matic’ these are the guys that should be looked at for cash game play. They all play on the top power play unit that has just scored twice over the last six games. Seguin and Benn are the bread winners here as Seguin leads the team with 33 points with Benn trailing him by just four points. Patrick Eaves could be used as a one-off here as he leads the team with 12 goals while getting the extra time with the man advantage. John Klingberg is the play on the blue line as he rounds out the top power play unit. Klingberg racked up three assists right before the break which puts his season scoring total at two goals and 15 assists. Arizona has given up the second most goals in the league and will more than likely not find a way to stop both Seguin and Benn tonight.
Besides the Colorado Avalanche the Arizona Coyotes could be the next worst team in the league. They are in the cellar of the Pacific Division with an 11-18-5 record and have given up a total of 108 goals so far this season. They changed up the lines for their game against Toronto last Friday night and were only able to manage just one goal on home ice. Tobias Rieder was moved up to the top line alongside of Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal. Vrbata leads the team with just 22 points while defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson sits in second on the team scoring list with 17 points so far this season. If you were going to throw any Arizona players into a tournament you’d be best off picking from these four players as it only gets worse after that. Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo has done okay with the chance he’s been given as he has registered nine points in the 17 games he has suited up for. The second line of Lawson Crouse, Jordan Martinook and Anthony Duclair is almost useless in any format tonight as they have a combined 21 points which would be great if there was a ‘lowball’ tournament, but there isn’t. usually on bigger slates the mantra is avoid Arizona at all costs, so that’s the plan tonight.
Elite Plays
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
ARZ: None
Secondary Plays
DAL: John Klingberg, Jason Spezza, Patrick Eaves
ARZ: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal, Anthony DeAngelo
San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks
| San Jose Sharks | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Martin Jones |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-12-1 | 17-12-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.50 | 2.21 | 17.00% | 83.50% | Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.80 | 24.30% | 80.20% |
Over the past year these teams have historically played in very low scoring games. The Ducks have won three games by scores of 1-0, 1-0 and 3-2 while the Sharks have won two games by scores of 2-0 and 2-1. San Jose will go with the usual top line of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski while Logan Couture joins them from the second line to form 80% of the Sharks top power play unit. Pavelski has registered 12 of his 32 points with the man advantage while Thornton has recorded four assists over the last four games. Mikkle Boedker and Kevin Labanc skate with Couture at even strength and could be used here as a GPP play only. Anaheim will probably be a bit busy trying to shut down the Pavelski line which means that Couture and Company could see a little more scoring opportunities tonight. Defenseman Brent Burns is always in play if you can afford him as he leads the team in goals with 19 and in shots with 142. He scores like he is a high end forward which makes his value on the back end even more valuable as not many defensemen score like he does. With the low scoring history of these two teams tonight might be the night to fade and pray.
Anaheim went into the break losing their last two games and will look to get back on track in front of the home crowd tonight. They trail the Sharks by just three points for the division lead so a win in regulation could go a long way here. In last Thursday’s loss to Ottawa it looked like Nick Ritchie and Rickard Rakell both spent time on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Either way, Getzlaf and Perry are the chalk here at home while Rakell makes a decent one-off play as he has tallied 21 points in the 24 games he has played in. On any other night I’d say go ahead and use the second line of Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano in tournament play but I just can’t trust these two teams to come out and score a bunch of goals. Kesler can be used as a one-off much like Rakell as he has 14 of his 28 points when the Ducks have the man advantage. Defenseman Cam Fowler completes the top power play unit that has that scored eight goals over the last seven games. Fowler is enjoying a fine season so far by collecting nine goals and adding another 13 assists to his season total. The ducks should have the slight advantage on home ice but I wouldn’t go too crazy about it.
Elite Plays
SJ: Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
Secondary Plays
SJ: Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture
ANA: Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler