NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, January 24th - Page Two
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Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators
| Washington Capitals | Ottawa Senators | ||||||||
 | Philipp Grubauer |  | Mike Condon | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 32-9-6 | 25-15-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.22 | 2.09 | 20.70% | 85.70% | Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.64 | 17.60% | 81.50% |
Over the last 11 games the Washington Capitals have scored less than four goals just one time. Think about that for a minute as you start to construct your line ups for tonight’s contests. That one time however was in this same rink back on back on January 7th in a 1-0 win that saw Washington muster just 20 shots on the Ottawa goaltender. In fact in those 11 games Washington has only cracked the 30 shot barrier just twice which is a bit low for a team scoring that many goals. The power play has been hitting on all cylinders as they have scored six times over the last five games so there may be a good place to start tonight. Defenseman John Carlson will not play in tonight’s game which opens the door once again for Matt Niskanen to walk through as he will get the golden opportunity to man the point on the top power play unit. Niskanen has 26 points so far this season and should be able to get plenty of chances against an Ottawa team that has given up four power play goals in their last five games. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie serve as the team’s top line on both even strength situations as well as when the capitals draw a penalty. I have a feeling this line will be used a little bit in cash game play as well as in tournaments. Over the last 12 games Backstrom has put up 17 points while Oshie and Ovechkin have found the score sheet 15 times over that same time period. When a team is scoring at the pace the Capitals are almost anyone is in play. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson play on the team’s second line that has combined for 36 points over the last 12 games. Andre Burakovsky has been hot from the third line as his 11 points over the last 12 games may suggest. The only thing that could stop the Capitals tonight is themselves as they come in from playing Carolina last night.
Ottawa scored six goals last game and still managed to lose in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The important thing here is that they did earn another point which helped them stay three points ahead of the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic division. Ottawa also has five games in hand on the Bruins which can only point to the Bruins falling further behind when they get their week off. Mike Hoffman makes for a decent one-off play here as although he skates on a line with Tom Pyatt he does log a lot of time when the senators draw a penalty. Hoffman has collected seven goals and two assist over the last nine games which now has him tied with Kyle Turris for the team lead with 17 goals. Speaking of Turris, he centers the team’s top line along with Ryan Dzingel and Bobby Ryan. Turris also has nine points in the last nine games as he is the player from this line that joins Hoffman on the team’s top power play unit that has found the back of the net six times in the last nine games. Now this is where it gets interesting. Derick Brassard, Zack Smith and Mark Stone have kept the team on track as they have tallied eight goals and 13 assists over the last nine games with each player registering seven points apiece. Stone gets the shoulder tap here to play with Hoffman and Turris when Ottawa has the man advantage. Erik Karlsson and Dion Phaneuf round out the top power play unit from the back line with Karlsson being the safer play as he leads the team with 39 points. This may all be a moot point however as the Capitals play a very tough brand of defensive hockey.
Elite Plays
WSH: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin
OTT: Mike Hoffman
Secondary Plays
WSH: T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Matt Niskanen, Justin Williams
OTT: Kyle Turris, Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Derick Brassard, Dion Phaneuf
Buffalo Sabres at Nashville Predators
| Buffalo Sabres | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Robin Lehner |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 19-18-9 | 23-17-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.37 | 2.67 | 22.40% | 74.10% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.53 | 17.40% | 82.60% |
Buffalo has won three of their last four games as they pull into The Music city for tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. Normally around this time of year we are saying how the Sabres need to improve and better luck next year. This year is just a little different as they go into tonight’s game just six points away from the third place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. They do have to jump over four teams to get there but with it being this close anything can happen. Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo lead the team in points from the top line while Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart are right there as well. The Sabres use these pairs from the top two lines to form 80% of their power play unit that has scored four goals in the last four games. O’Reilly has registered 11 of his 29 points in the last nine games he has suited up for while Okposo leads the team with 14 goals. Meanwhile Reinhart has found the score sheet eight times in the last 11 games. Eichel has missed some time this season but makes for a very solid play from the second line as he has lit the lamp ten times which gives him 19 points in 25 games. Rasmus Ristolainen is the play from the point as he takes control on the team’s top power play unit. So much so that he has 17 of his 28 points while on the man advantage. Buffalo is playing better and could catch Nashville looking forward to Thursday’s game against Columbus.
Thanks to winning six of their last seven games the Nashville Predators not only got themselves back into playoff position but they could have very well saved head coach Peter Laviolette’s job. Tonight they look to improve on their 12-5-5 record in front of the home crowd as they face a Buffalo team that has just eight wins on the road. The top line of Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg is the line to target for your cash games as they should have plenty of room to skate while Laviolette will give them every opportunity to play against the weaker Buffalo lines. Both players have tallied a team high eight points in the last 11 games while Johansen leads the team with 35 points with Forsberg close behind with 31. James Neal leads the team with 16 goals although he is just 6 games back from an injury that had him miss nine games so far this season. Defenseman Roman Josi is still injured but the return of P.K. Subban gives us a decent option here if we want to pick on the Sabres for a full line stack. Subban is another player that has been injured as will play in his third game since his return. Look for Nashville to win this one as they seem to be coming together very nicely as they continue to get healthier.
Elite Plays
BUF: None
NSH: Ryan Johansen
Secondary Plays
BUF: Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart
NSH: James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, P.K. Subban
San Jose Sharks at Winnipeg Jets
| San Jose Sharks | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Aaron Dell |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-16-2 | 22-24-4 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.62 | 2.28 | 16.60% | 82.40% | Team Stats | 2.82 | 3.06 | 17.90% | 77.10% |
With two games in hand the Sharks find themselves just one point away from the Pacific Division lead. San Jose is hot as the roll into Winnipeg to take a jets team that is fighting for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference. Patrick Marleau netted four goals from the top line in last night’s 5-1 win in Colorado. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton complete the top line at even strength which also serves as the team’s top power play unit. Pavelski has recorded a team leading 15 points with the man advantage while being second on the team’s scoring chart with 42 points in 48 games. Logan Couture comes up from the second line to lead the team with seven power play goals as he skates with Kevin Labanc and Mikkel Boedker at even strength. I wouldn’t mind using this line in tournaments if you are multi entering as they should see a bit more room on the ice than the top heavy first line. Both Boedker and Labanc have registered 14 points apiece so far his season. Defenseman Brent Burns and his high salary continue to perform as he leads the team with 20 goals and 30 assists in 48 games. His 20 goals is tied for 11th in the league which in itself is mind boggling when you consider that guys like Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Connor McDavid are all below him on the goal scoring chart. Look for the sharks to score some tonight against a Winnipeg team that has given up 28 goals in the last eight games.
After winning two games in a row with Ondrej Pavelec as the goalie the team dropped a 3-2 decision to the Anaheim Ducks on home ice last night. Winnipeg is in a bit of trouble as they find themselves in the same situation as the Los Angeles Kings, on the outside looking in. Now for the tough stuff. Patrik Laine is very close to returning to the lineup but as of 12:40 PM EST there was no confirmation that that was going to happen. Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault have been skating on one line while Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers have been skating with Andrew Copp on the second scoring line. Even if Laine were to return the thought process here would be that Copp would be bumped back out of the top six leaving the other five players as safe plays tonight. Scheifele and Ehlers have combined for 13 goals and 12 assists over the last 11 games and should be able to improve on that tonight against a San Jose team that has their way in Colorado last night. Wheeler has a one-off feel to him tonight as he has collected ten of his 39 points over the last ten games. Dustin Byfuglien is the choice on the back line if you want to pay a little extra as he has found the score sheet 30 times so far this season. If you are looking for a discount you can always roll the dice with Jacob Trouba as he has recorded eight of his 18 points over the last 11 games.
Elite Plays
SJ: Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski
WIN: Mark Scheifele
Secondary Plays
SJ: Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau
WIN: Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien
Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Chicago Blackhawks | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | Corey Crawford | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 21-22-5 | 30-14-5 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.67 | 2.92 | 23.00% | 80.10% | Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.47 | 17.90% | 75.40% |
Thanks to a horrendous start to the New Year, the Tampa Bay Lightning have slipped into a tie for last place with the Buffalo Sabres with 47 points in the Atlantic Division. Scoring 17 goals in the last nine games doesn’t help them nor does it help us as we try to find some value for our line ups tonight. A lot of their ‘unsuccess’ has stemmed from the team trying to make three scoring lines when they basically have enough talent for two strong lines. Nikita Kucherov is expected to pull Vladislav Namestnikov and Ondrej Palat along on the first line Tyler Johnson centers Alex Killorn and Joel Vermin. We can argue all we want but Namestnikov and Vermin are not top six players as yet especially when you have a third line that features Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Drouin. Kucherov leads the team with 17 goals and 42 points while Drouin is right behind him with 14 goals which is good for second on the team. I don’t mind pairing Drouin with Filppula for tournament plays but Kucherov is probably the only forward to consider for your cash game plays tonight. Defenseman Victor Hedman would be the other consideration if you need a steady cash game play. Although he doesn’t have the Brent Burns type of numbers but he has lit the lamp seven times to go along with 31 assists so far this season.
It looks like old times when you look at Chicago’s top scorers over the last 11 games and Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa line up 1-2-3 with 11, eight and seven points respectively. The only problem is that none of them skate with each other on any even strength of power play line. This isn’t actually bad as the balanced scoring has helped the team win seven of their last nine games which has them in a tie with the Minnesota Wild for the central Division lead with 65 points. Kane will skate with Artemin Panarin and Artem Anisimov on the top line while doubling as the team’s top power play unit. Anisimov leads the team with 18 goals while Panarin is just five points behind Kane for the team lead with 43 points. Toews centers Ryan Hartman and Richard Panik on the second line while the line of Tanner Kero, Vincent Hinostroza and Marian Hossa looks to be the tournament play tonight. Hossa and Company have collected five goals and nine assists over the last five games and could be in for a big night against a Tampa team that has won two games in their last ten. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook man the points on a power play that has not scored in the last five games. Stick with Keith here though as his 31 points has him sitting fourth on the Blackhawks scoring chart right behind the top line.
Elite Plays
TB: Nikita Kucherov
CHI: Patrick Kane
Secondary Plays
TB: Victor Hedman, Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat
CHI: Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
| Minnesota Wild | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Devan Dubnyk |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 30-11-5 | 19-20-9 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.28 | 2.26 | 20.90% | 84.10% | Team Stats | 2.69 | 3.15 | 17.10% | 74.20% |
Minnesota will look to keep a leg up on the Chicago Blackhawks in the central Division as both are currently tied for the top spot with 65 points. The Wild do have two games in hand however but I wouldn’t look for them to step of the gas just yet. Eric Staal, Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle skate as the team’s top line at even strength which has seen both Staal and Niederreiter grab a combined ten goals and nine assists in the last ten games. While this may be a decent line to target for tournament play the second line of Mikko Koivu, Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund may be an even better play. We have to assume that although the Stars have given up 22 goals in the last five games they will try to shut down the top line. Now whether they can or not is a different conversation but regardless the second line should have plenty of scoring opportunities tonight. Granlund has snagged ten points over the last ten games while Koivu and Zucker have each registered nine points over that same time period. Zach Parise could be used in a pinch but he has not returned to form as some would have expected since his injury. Parise does get the opportunity to play on the top power play line while taking a regular shift on the third line. Defenseman Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba are the choices from the back line with Suter being the more consistent play. Suter has snared nine of his 30 points over the last ten games while Dumba has chipped in six points over that same time period. If Minnesota plays their game they should have no problem lighting the lamp tonight.
The Dallas Stars come into this one with 47 points which is not good enough to qualify for the end of the season tournament come mid-April. 51 points represents the last playoff spot which means if Dallas is to get there they not only have to reach both Calgary and St Louis, they also have to jump over three other teams to get there. Jamie Benn, Patrick Eaves and Cody Eakin skate as one scoring line while Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Antoine Roussel try to generate some offense from the second line. Seguin is the best bet here on home ice as he has notched 16 goals and 29 assists to lead the team with 45 points. Eaves leads the team in goals with 17 while pairing him with Benn may not be a bad idea as he has found the score sheet 39 times in the 44 games he has played in. All three players are joined by Spezza and defenseman John Klingberg when the Stars draw a penalty so looking outside the box here may not be a good idea, especially for cash games. Klingberg has lit the lamp four times and has assisted on four other goals over the last ten games which would indicate that he could be a solid play tonight. Then again the Stars could pull their ‘Houdini’ act again and not score any goals like they have done twice already this month against Anaheim and the New York Islanders.
Elite Plays
MIN: Eric Staal
DAL: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn
Secondary Plays
MIN: Charlie Coyle, Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Suter, Nino Niederreiter
DAL: Jason Spezza, John Klingberg, Patrick Eaves