NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, January 19th - Page Two
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning – 07:30 PM EST
| Edmonton Oilers | Tampa Bay Lightning | ||||||||
 | Cam Talbot |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 18-23-5 | 24-17-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.33 | 2.89 | 17.20% | 80.10% | Team Stats | 2.60 | 2.31 | 18.20% | 79.80% |
The Oilers put an end to a four-game losing streak with a shootout victory over Calgary on Saturday night and followed it up with an impressive win in Miami last night, but they’ve really fallen apart down the stretch and gone just 5-8-3 in their last 16 games. They’ll continue their three game road-trip tonight in Tampa Bay and they’ll need a good showing if they plan on being in any position to make a late push for a playoff spot once they get Connor McDavid back into the lineup after the All-Star break. Unfortunately, the Oilers are averaging a putrid 1.87 goals per game on the road this season and also lost Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a long term wrist injury in last night’s game. The Oilers forward lines have been in a constant state of flux lately, but it looks like Todd McLellan is ready to reunite Taylor Hall with Leon Draisaitl and Teddy Purcell on the top line, with Jordan Eberle teaming up with Benoit Pouliot and Anton Lander on the second line. While I’m not expecting a ton of offense from Edmonton tonight, it’s tough to overlook the Taylor Hall line, especially in GPP’s. On defense, Justin Schultz has started to show some life offensively and scored a goal against Tampa Bay in their first meeting making him a fine punt option on sites where he’s still cheap.
Tampa Bay extended their winning streak to five games on Sunday against the Florida Panthers, and while Edmonton was busy battling Florida last night in Miami, Tampa was resting up. The first half of the season has not gone according to plan in Tampa, but John Cooper finally has reestablished the two-headed offensive attack that led this team to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Steven Stamkos leads the team with 20 goals and headlines the top line alongside Vladislav Namestnikov and Ondrej Palat while Nikita Kucherov has posted 18 goals and 19 assists in 45 games and joins Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn in the second line. With Edmonton allowing an ugly 2.89 goals against per game this season, they all look like fine options. Tampa Bay has seen it’s power-play click at an 25.0% clip on home ice this season and this not only gives a fantasy boost to all six mentioned above, but also helps Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Marchessault. On defense, Victor Hedman torched the Oilers for a goal and two assists in their first meeting and has scored a goal and added six assists in the last five games. Anton Stralman has the luxury of running things from the point of the #1 power-play unit and has posted four points in his last four games.
Elite Options
EDM: Taylor Hall
TAM: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman
Secondary Options
EDM: Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Teddy Purcell, Justin Schultz, Andrej Sekera
TAM: Ondrej Palat, Valtteri Filppula, Jonathan Marchessault
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators – 08:00 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 31-13-4 | 20-17-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.90 | 2.29 | 22.60% | 81.70% | Team Stats | 2.53 | 2.71 | 20.40% | 76.80% |
If anyone was doubting the Stanley Cup champs after their somewhat sluggish start, they probably been silenced after Chicago picked up their 11th straight victory on Sunday against the Canadiens. They’ll put their streak on the line tonight in the Music City against a Nashville team who they have defeated in two of their three meetings this season. Nashville has not been nearly as strong defensively this season as they have in years past and this Chicago team brings a relentless offensive attack. Patrick Kane looks to be well on his way to winning the NHL scoring race and quite possible the Hart Trophy and now owns 29 goals and 40 assists in 48 games and has only been held off the scoresheet seven times this season. Newcomers Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov have flourished alongside Kane with Panarin likely the front-runner to bring home some hardware himself (Calder Trophy). Jonathan Toews leads Andrew Shaw and Marian Hossa one of the best two-way lines in the NHL and Toews has been on an offensive heater of his own lately with 10 goals and 8 assists over the last 16 games. Defensively, both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have posted almost identical offensive numbers and both players climb way up my rankings tonight against Nashville’s horrendous 76.8% penalty kill.
After dropping the final five games of a six game road trip, the Predators were very pleased to return home and finally ended their skid with an impressive 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. While they’re well rested and sporting a solid 13-6-3 record this season at the Bridgestone Arena, the matchup against the surging Chicago Blackhawks is the toughest on the board tonight. The Predators acquired Ryan Johansen with the hopes he’d provide and offensive spark and he certainly hasn’t disappointed as he’s racked up two goals and five assists in five games with his new team. He’s joined by sniper James Neal and rookie Kevin Fiala on the top line but Coach Quenneville shadowed them with the Toews/Hossa/Shaw when these teams squared off last week and that’s an obvious blow to their fantasy outlook tonight. However, this does leave the uber talented Filip Forsberg in a fine matchup against the offensively aggressive Patrick Kane line and Forsberg found the back of the net in last week’s contest. On defense, both Shea Weber and Roman Josi are top-tier fantasy options on the blue-line. This may not be the most ideal matchup for them, but they still possess GPP-winning upside.
Elite Options
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
NAS: None
Secondary Options
CHI: Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov, Andrew Shaw, Teuvo Teravainen
NAS: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, James Neal, Shea Weber, Roman Josi
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings – 10:30 PM EST
| Dallas Stars | Los Angeles Kings | ||||||||
 | Antti Niemi |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-12-5 | 28-13-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.30 | 2.65 | 22.20% | 79.70% | Team Stats | 2.64 | 2.20 | 21.10% | 82.20% |
The Stars were one of the hottest teams in the league through the majority of the first half of the season, but it looks like opposing teams have figured them out a bit and they’ve stumbled down the stretch and have now dropped six of their last seven games. It’s not quite time to panic in “Big D” but they’ve already been surpassed by the streaking Chicago Blackhawks and need to turn things around quickly before finding themselves in less than stellar playoff position in the highly competitive Central Division. They’ll have their hands full once again tonight as they close out their three game tour of California tonight at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings. It’s not a secret that Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin (with Cody Eakin) are the focal point of this Dallas offensive attack, but that trio has been rather quiet lately and are almost certainly set for a full dose of Anze Kopitar pestering defense tonight. They’re way too talented to be overlooked completely, but with Los Angeles allowing just 2.20 goals per game this season, I’ll be reserving my exposure to GPPs. Jason Spezza has been the hottest Dallas scorer lately as he’s picked up points in three straight games and has now racked up two goals and nine assists over the last nine games. He’ll be joined by talented forwards Patrick Sharp and Valeri Nichushkin on the second forward line and also sees a healthy dose of playing time alongside Benn and Seguin on the #1 power-play unit. On defense, John Klingberg has seemingly disappeared lately, but he’s still running things from the point of the #1 power-play unit and has posted an impressive 38 points in 46 games.
The Kings have pretty much already locked up the top spot in the Pacific Division and at times lately it looks like they know it. They’ve yet to post back-to-back wins in the year 2016 but they should be motivated for two points tonight against the Stars. Los Angeles enters action tonight as the #1 puck possession team in the league this season (56.1 CF%) and should benefit offensively tonight against a Dallas team that is rated as the fastest paced team in the NHL. The newly signed Anze Kopitar has been on an absolute tear lately, posting three goals and five assists during a current four game scoring streak. He’ll be joined by the talented Tyler Toffoli and Milan Lucic on the top line, and while they’ll have some extended defensive responsibilites in this one, they still look like fine options tonight. Alternatively, Jeff Carter leads Tanner Pearson and Dwight King on a dangerous second line with Carter also centering the #1 power-play unit. With the Stars owning a subpar 79.7% penalty kill, there’s also plenty to like from the Los Angeles blue-line. Drew Doughty garners the most headlines and is a solid option in all formats, but it’s been Jake Muzzin doing most of the damage lately. Muzzin has picked up a point in seven straight games and offers nearly the same upside as Doughty at a significantly reduced asking price across the industry.
Elite Options
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin
Secondary Options
DAL: Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, Cody Eakin, Valeri Nichushkin, John Klingberg
LAK: Milan Lucic, Marian Gaborik, Tanner Pearson, Alec Martinez