NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, February 2nd - Page Two

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2016-02-02 14:16:52

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils – 07:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
New York Rangers					New Jersey Devils
			Henrik Lundqvist
			Record					Record
			27-17-5					25-20-5
Team Stats	2.86	2.59	17.50%	79.50%	Team Stats	2.24	2.28	18.50%	80.90%

After a 14-2-2 start to the season, the Rangers lost some momentum down the stretch and posted just a 13-15-3 record over their last 31 games. While it may still be good enough for second place in the Metropolitan Division, last year’s President Trophy winners have likely fallen too far behind the division leading Washington Capitals to realistically catch up. The Rangers will look to start the second half of the season the same way they did the first half while also solving their road woes as they own just a 9-12-3 record away from Madison Square Garden this season. Rick Nash was apparently unable to heal up during the week long All-Star break and will be out of action once again tonight. With Nash out of commission and the Devils being the NHL’s slowest paced team, things aren’t overly promising for this Rangers squad tonight. With that said, Derrick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello lead the team in scoring and join forces on both the top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Also, Alain Vigneault will be leaning on Derek Stepan to keep things rolling (he has a goal and five assists in the last six games) to replace some of the offense left behind by Rick Nash. On defense, both Ryan McDonagh and Keith Yandle see plenty of run with the man advantage and are solid offensive producers. It’s not the ideal matchup for them, but their still fine options in all formats.

The Devils saw their four-game winning streak snapped as they fell 2-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game before the break, but still somewhat surprisingly find themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. While they picked up an overtime victory against these Rangers in their only prior meeting this season, only the Anaheim Ducks have averaged less than New Jersey’s 2.24 goals per game and play at the slowest pace in the entire NHL (89.9 CP60). Their low-event approach is not a recipe for fantasy goodness, but with that said, Michael Cammalleri has posted 14 goals and 24 assists in 42 games and is still a cash game option on the wing of both their top forward line and #1 power-play unit. Lee Stempniak scored a goal against the Rangers in that first meeting, owns four goals and two assists in the last five games, and joins Cammalleri and Adam Henrique in all situations. He’s still very reasonably priced and almost assured to be scarcely owned, making him (and Henrique) very intriguing GPP options. Kyle Palmieri has posted 12 goals in 24 home games this season and gives John Hynes a quality secondary scoring line alongside Travis Zajac and Joseph Blandisi. The blue-line has been a fantasy wasteland for the Devils all season and can be safely ignored tonight on such a busy slate. Update: Michael Cammalleri will not play tonight

New York Rangers

CF%: 47.8, CP60: 107.3, 5×5 Differential: 25
Elite Options: Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard
Secondary Options: Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh

New Jersey Devils

CF%: 46.8, CP60: 89.9, 5×5 Differential: 0
Elite Options: None
Secondary Options: Adam Henrique, Lee Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac

St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators – 08:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
St. Louis Blues					Nashville Predators
			Brian Elliott					Carter Hutton
			Record					Record
			28-16-8					23-18-8
Team Stats	2.42	2.40	19.60%	85.20%	Team Stats	2.55	2.63	20.30%	78.50%

St. Louis is sitting comfortably in third place in the Central Division, but Coach Hitchcock has been openly disappointed with his teams’ consistency this season. The Blues managed to score just one goal in losing both games prior to the break but have had their way with the Nashville Predators in their three meetings during the first half of the season. While Jaden Schwartz looks to be on the verge of making his long-awaited return to the lineup, he’s unlikely to suit up for tonight’s game. Vladimir Tarasenko leads the team with 46 points in 50 games and is their most dangerous offensive weapon. While he stayed in Nashville and missed practice yesterday, reports are that he’ll play alongside Paul Stastny and Magnus Paajarvi on the top forward line. Alternatively, Alex Steen is one of the most underrated players in the league and has quietly amassed 15 goals and 27 assists in 52 games. He’s tallied two goals and two assists in three games against the Predators this season and sees exposure to Tarasenko on the #1 power-play unit. Defensively, Kevin Shattenkirk is the top option as the quarterback of the #1 power-play. With Nashville sporting the league’s 25th ranked penalty kill, he’s a top tier option.

The All-Star break came at the wrong time for the Nashville Predators as they had finally gained some traction and picked up wins in each of their final four games (all on the road) of the first half. After playing just three home games during the entire month of January, they’ll kick off a four game home stand against the division rival St. Louis Blues tonight. While St. Louis has had their number this season, Nashville is hoping that the addition of Ryan Johansen will change things this time around. Johansen has picked up three goals and seven assists in his first ten games in a Predators uniform and forms one of the games most formidable duos on the top line alongside James Neal. Peter Laviolette finally decided to shift Mike Ribeiro to the wing of that line against Calgary in the last game before the break which is an obvious upgrade over the Fiala/Salomaki combo he had been using. With Ribeiro now on the top line, Mike Fisher benefits as well as he’ll join Filip Forsberg and Craig Smith on the second forward line that is definitely capable of providing some consistent secondary scoring. Shea Weber and Roman Josi have both scored a goal and added an assist in the first three meetings against St. Louis and are fine options on the blue-line despite the sub-optimal matchup. If you’re looking for some value, Mattias Ekholm has also posted a goal and an assist against St. Louis this season and finished the first half with a five game point streak. He’s posted three goals and nine assists over the last 14 games and should continue to see a larger role with Seth Jones no longer in the picture.

St. Louis Blues

CF%: 51.4, CP60: 105.8, 5×5 Differential: 7
Elite Options: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk
Secondary Options: Troy Brouwer, Jori Lehtera, Paul Stastny, Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko

Nashville Predators

CF%: 53.7, CP60: 106.5, 5×5 Differential: -2
Elite Options: James Neal, Ryan Johansen, Shea Weber, Roman Josi
Secondary Options: Mike Fisher, Mike Ribeiro, Filip Forsberg, Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm

Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets – 08:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Dallas Stars					Winnipeg Jets
			Antti Niemi					Connor Hellebuyck
			Record					Record
			31-14-5					22-24-3
Team Stats	3.20	2.62	21.30%	79.90%	Team Stats	2.57	2.82	15.90%	77.20%

It was a struggle down the stretch for the Dallas Stars, but they still find themselves sitting in second place in the Central Division and should benefit from the short break. They’ll kick off the second half of the season in Winnipeg to face a Jets team that they’ve already defeated in both prior meetings this season and who have allowed 2.82 goals against per game this season. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin both represented the Stars in Nashville over the weekend and find themselves in second and third place respectively in the NHL scoring race this season. Only Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin have combined for points on the same goal (39) more often than this duo (35) and they remain elite options tonight in this favorable matchup. Patrick Sharp is slated to join those two on the top line which solidifies him as a fine secondary option. Jason Spezza runs the show on their #2 power-play unit and not only led the team in points during the month of January, but has posted six goals and 13 assists over his last 18 games. John Klingberg has cooled off a bit after a red-hot start to the season, but still holds the reigns as the point-man on the #1 power-play unit which should bode well for him against this heavily penalized Winnipeg squad. Alternatively, both Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers also see a healthy dose of playing time with the man advantage and carry much cheaper price-tags.

With the Jets sitting in the cellar of the Central Division by a fairly wide margin, this team figures to be “sellers” over the next several weeks and Paul Maurice will likely increase the workload of some of the young talent on this team as they shift focus towards next season. He shuffled up his forward lines right before the break and put very intriguing prospects Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele on a line with leading scorer Blake Wheeler. The 19 year-old Ehlers posted his first career hat trick against the Coyotes to close out the first half and has now picked up points in four straight games. Both he and former first-round pick Mark Scheifele see a major fantasy boost from playing alongside Wheeler and look like excellent values tonight against the fast-paced Dallas Stars. Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Drew Stafford team up on the second line and, since they’ll likely be widely overlooked, have some GPP appeal. On defense, Dustin Byfuglien showed off his talents in Nashville over the weekend and hit the break having posted three goals and an assist in the last two games. He’s locked into 23+ minutes of ice-time per game and is a tremendous threat on the point of the #1 power-play unit.

Dallas Stars

CF%: 53.2, CP60: 116.5, 5×5 Differential: 13
Elite Options: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, John Klingberg
Secondary Options: Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers

Winnipeg Jets

CF%: 51.4, CP60: 106.7, 5×5 Differential: 6
Elite Options: Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien
Secondary Options: Mark Scheifele, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Tyler Myers

Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Los Angeles Kings					Arizona Coyotes
			Jonathan Quick					Louis Domingue
			Record					Record
			30-15-3					24-20-5
Team Stats	2.58	2.23	21.20%	82.20%	Team Stats	2.65	2.96	17.80%	76.60%

After pulling out to a wide lead in the Pacific Division, the Kings seemingly put things into cruise control and simply coasted into the All-Star break. However, with several teams (including this Arizona squad) turning things on and inching closer to them in the standings, Darryl Sutter will be expecting his team to play with a sense of urgency tonight in the desert. While they’ve struggled against this Arizona team in their previous meetings this season, the Kings own a substantial puck possession advantage and will look to take advantage of an Arizona penalty kill that posted an awful 66.7% kill rate during the month of January. With their penalty kill struggles in mind, I’ll be targeting the Kings 7th ranked power-play specifically in this one. The newly re-signed Anze Kopitar is fresh off a month of January that saw him post 3 goals and 11 assists in 12 games and centers the #1 power-play unit. He’s joined by Tyler Toffoli and Milan Lucic both at even strength and on the power-play and it’s Toffoli who actually leads Los Angeles with 22 goals (seven on the power-play). The trio of Vincent Lecavalier, Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik will likely see much less fantasy attention tonight, but see a healthy dose of playing time on the #2 power-play unit and are very intriguing GPP options. Drew Doughty is the household name on the blue-line and scored goals in back-to-back games heading into the break while his understudy Jake Muzzin racked up 10 points in 12 games during January. Both players soak up the lions share of playing time with the man advantage and are excellent options on defense.

On paper this looks like a disastrous matchup for the Arizona Coyotes, however, they’ve rather surprisingly taken three of the four previous meetings between these two teams this season. Arizona lost five of their last seven games before the break, but still find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race in the Pacific Division. Oliver Ekman-Larsson entered the break tied for the team lead with 34 points and has torched the Kings for four goals and an assist in those prior four meetings. The matchup is obviously not ideal, but he’s the only Coyote on my cash game radar tonight. Up-front, Martin Hanzal has also had success against the Kings this season; scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists in three games. He’s joined by the talented Max Domi both at even strength and on the #1 power-play unit and still very cheap on most sites. Despite not scoring a goal in any of the last 14 games, Mikkel Boedker is still tied with OEL for the team lead with 34 points and is joined on the top line by Tobias Rieder and Antoine Vermette. However, with the Kings allowing just 2.27 goals against per game this season and Darryl Sutter having Anze Kopitar stellar defense awaiting orders, I’ll be looking elsewhere on this busy slate.

Los Angeles Kings

CF%: 56.2, CP60: 109.7, 5×5 Differential: 2
Elite Options: Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin
Secondary Options: Milan Lucic, Marian Gaborik, Vincent Lecavalier, Alec Martinez

Arizona Coyotes

CF%: 47.2, CP60: 106, 5×5 Differential: -2
Elite Options: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Secondary Options: Max Domi, Martin Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker, Tobias Rieder, Antoine Vermette

Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche – 09:00 PM EST

Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	Stats	GF/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%
Chicago Blackhawks					Colorado Avalanche
			Corey Crawford					Calvin Pickard
			Record					Record
			33-16-4					26-22-3
Team Stats	2.75	2.30	21.50%	82.60%	Team Stats	2.71	2.73	20.00%	79.10%

A 20-7-0 record down the stretch propelled the Chicago Blackhawks to the top of the Central Division heading into the All-Star Break and the defending Stanley Cup Champions look very prepared to defend their crown as spring time approaches. They start the second half of the season on a three game road trip that begins in Denver tonight against the Avalanche, but will be without their Captain Jonathan Toews for tonight’s game. Chicago has won two of the prior three meetings between these two teams and Joel Queneville will be leaning heavily even more heavily on the dynamic Kane/Panarin/Anisimov line tonight than usual. Patrick Kane is running away with the scoring title and has scored three goals and dished out a pair of assists in the three meetings against Colorado this season. He and Artemi Panarin have been the most dangerous offensive duo in the league this season and they should continue their offensive assault tonight against the worst puck possession team in the NHL. Teuvo Teravainen looks to be the beneficiary of Toews’ one-game absence as he’s slated to take over as the center between Andrew Shaw and Marian Hossa. Both Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith have already cracked the 30 point barrier and are rock solid cash game options as the point men on the #1 power-play against Colorado’s subpar 79.8% penalty kill.

The Avalanche finished the first half of the season with an impressive victory over the Los Angeles Kings and will open the second half with an equally difficult matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Pepsi Center. While the matchup is daunting, the Avalanche are quite fortunate to see Jonathan Toews watching things from the press-box tonight. While Marian Hossa remains a disrupting defender, the top line containing Nathan Mackinnon and Matt Duchene should see much more open ice. Duchene leads the team with 42 points in 52 games with MacKinnon trailing just behind with 41. Gabriel Landeskog hasn’t had a very memorable season by his standards, but he did find the back of the net on two occassions against the Kings in his last outing and has tallied a goal and three assists in the three previous meetings with the Blackhawks this season. He’s posted 21 points in 24 home games this season and joins Duchene and MacKinnon on the #1 power-play unit. Tyson Barrie joins that trio as the quarterback of that #1 power-play unit and he’s posted some fairly dramatic home vs road splits as well with 6 goals and 16 assists in 22 games at the Pepsi Center.

Chicago Blackhawks

CF%: 50.9, CP60: 109.7, 5×5 Differential: -3
Elite Options: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Secondary Options: Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw

Colorado Avalanche

CF%: 44.1, CP60: 109.3, 5×5 Differential: -4
Elite Options: Tyson Barrie
Secondary Options: Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Jarome Iginla, Carl Soderberg, Erik Johnson