NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, November 8th - Page Two
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Boston Bruins at Montréal Canadiens
| Boston Bruins | Montréal Canadiens | ||||||||
 | Zane McIntyre |  | Carey Price | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-5-0 | 10-1-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.27 | 2.91 | 13.00% | 84.30% | Team Stats | 3.25 | 2.25 | 17.90% | 80.00% |
Boston disposed of the Buffalo Sabres on home ice last night by a score of 4-0 and now travel across the border to take on the best team in the league, the Montreal Canadiens. Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak lead the team in scoring as both are averaging over a point per game but after that the pickings get a bit slim. Montreal will try to shut down the top line that features both players along with Patrice Bergeron as their center, so it’s probably best to look at the second line tonight. David Backes and David Krejci logged a lot of minutes on the power play last night which makes them the play here against a Montreal team that has given up a power play goal in three of their last four games. This is one of the most heated rivalries in the league and based on the first meeting back on October 22nd it looks like it’s in full bloom as Boston took five penalties in that game while Montreal took six. Torey Krug is the defenseman you want here as he gets the top minutes on the power play and is leading the team in shots with 39.
The Canadiens are switching things up a bit as Max Pacioretty looks like he will join Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov. This should help jump start Pacioretty as he has only found the scoresheet once over the last four games. Playing on a line with David Desharnais and Andrew Shaw will do that to one so look for the top line to do some damage tonight against a tired Boston squad. The second line will feature Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec with either Daniel Carr or recent call-up Sven Andrighetto on their left wing. Shea Weber is the stud on defense as he has 10 points in 12 games while 30 shots have made it to the net. You could take Andrei Markov at a discount here but I’d look elsewhere if you are selecting Weber. Montreal is a perfect 7-0 at home and should continue winning in front of the home crowd tonight.
UPDATE
Paul Byron looks to play with Galchenyuk and Radulov while Pacioretty will skate with Gallagher and Plekanec. With Montreal being the home team, I’d expect the Pacioretty line to get the favorable match ups throughout the night.
Elite Plays
BOS: None
MTL: Shea Weber
Secondary Plays
BOS: David Krejci, David Backes, Torey Krug, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
MTL: Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, Alexander Radulov, Brendan Gallagher
Los Angeles Kings at Toronto Maple Leafs
| Los Angeles Kings | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||||||||
 | Peter Budaj |  | Frederik Andersen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 6-6-0 | 5-4-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.25 | 2.67 | 11.40% | 77.30% | Team Stats | 3.08 | 3.33 | 23.50% | 84.20% |
The last thing the Kings wanted to see was a five game road trip come up on the schedule, but that’s exactly what they have. Their 1-4 record on the road could be much better and will undoubtedly try to improve on that tonight. Los Angeles really needs their skill players to start leading the way as defenseman Alec Martinez leads the team in scoring with nine points and Dustin Brown is second with seven points. Nic Dowd has garnered four points in the last six games, which leads the team in that category as well. Where is Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar and Tyler Toffoli? Oh wait, I found them. They are on the Kings anemic power play that has only scored four goals over the first 12 games. Martinez has found his way on the top power play unit with Drew Doughty as the blue liners and should be viewed as a one-off here until the Kings start to put the puck in the net on a more consistent basis.
The Maple Leafs look to improve on their three game winning streak as they host Los Angeles tonight at the Air Canada Center tonight. This is tricky one here is Auston Matthews and William Nylander stole a lot of front page headlines early in the season while they were racking up a combined ten goals and nine assists in the first six games. Since then the duo has been introduced to real life in the NHL as they have a combined four assists over the last six games. It is now their turn to re-adjust. The second line of Mitchell Marner, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk has been the most productive over the last six games as each is averaging at least a pint a game in those games. Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and defenseman Jake Gardiner also have a little appeal tonight as they all skate on the top power play unit with Nylander and Matthews. The Bozak line looks to be the play tonight until Matthews and company start to pick up the pace.
Elite Plays
LAK: None
TOR: Mitchell Marner
Secondary Plays
LAK: Alec Martinez, Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar
TOR: Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, Auston Matthews, Jake Gardiner
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets
| Dallas Stars | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Antti Niemi |  | Connor Hellebuyck | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-5-3 | 5-7-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.58 | 3.17 | 14.30% | 78.70% | Team Stats | 2.62 | 3.15 | 10.40% | 81.80% |
The Dallas Stars started off their five game road trip with a rough one as they lost to the Blackhawks by a score of 4-3 in overtime. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Jamie Benn and why he’s off to suck a slow start. Yes, he’s second on the team in pints next to line mate Tyler Seguin but his shooting percentage sits at a meager 7.1 %. Patrick Eaves joins the two superstars on the line that the Jets will try to shut down. All three play on the top power play unit along with Antoine Roussel and defenseman John Klingberg. It’s tough to take any other Dallas player besides the top three but Roussel does make a nice one-off play here as he gets the opportunity to play with the teams three skill players. Fourth liner Gemel Smith made the most of his 16 minutes on the ice by scoring two goals and I guess if you’re feeling very lucky you could use him as a deeper GPP play, but I wouldn’t advise it.
This looks like yet another miserable year for the Winnipeg Jets. They have managed to win five games so far even with injuries to Brian Little, Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and a host of others but are now showing a few chinks in the armor. The top line of Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele are the play here on home ice while Patrik Laine makes for a decent one-off play tonight. All you have to do is add defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to the mix and you have the team’s top power play unit. Not that that’s been anything special lately as it’s been six games since the jets scored with the man advantage. I will tell you one thing though, this is the first time in a while that those five have been together on the top unit and it wouldn’t surprise me if the scored a power play goal tonight. All five of those players lead the team in scoring over the past seven games as well as on the season so deviating from them may be a mistake tonight. Finally they took Adam Lowry off that top unit as he really isn’t as good as the rest of the bunch. This game could have some goals in it so stick with the top line tonight.
Elite Plays
DAL: Tyler Seguin
WIN: Blake Wheeler
Secondary Plays
DAL: Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, Patrick Eaves
WIN: Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Dustin Byfuglien
Ottawa Senators at Nashville Predators
| Ottawa Senators | Nashville Predators | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Pekka Rinne | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-4-0 | 3-5-3 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.55 | 2.55 | 12.90% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.55 | 3.00 | 28.60% | 75.70% |
With all the emotions swirling around Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators, the team has been able to sustain a winning record while sitting in third place in the Atlantic division. They have scored the third least goals in the division as the defense and goaltending seems to be leading the way. Erik Karlsson is in play on a nightly basis as he leads the team in scoring with three goals and seven assists while getting a substantial amount of ice time when the team has the man advantage. You have to like Mike Hoffman here on the road as he has scored all three of his goals over the last five games and appears to be heating up. The Predators will be focusing on the top line of Bobby Ryan, Derick Brassard and Mar Stone which would make Hoffman an excellent one-off play here as he gets top minutes on the power play as well. Hoffman plays on a line with Kyle Turris and Tom Pyatt who could be the sneaky GPP stack of the night. Ryan and Brassard need to pick up the pace a bit of Ottawa wants to remain in the play-off picture as they have totaled just 11 points between them in the first 11 games.
Hey! I have an idea! Let’s trade Shea Weber for P.K. Subban! Ok, so that may not only be a bit harsh but maybe a bit premature as well but you can’t deny the fact that the Predators look a bit disheveled when they play in their defensive zone. Their 3-5-3 start doesn’t help matters either as head coach Peter Laviolette continues to switch up the lines on almost a nightly basis trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Nashville started out by scoring ten power play goals in the first six games but has only scored two goals since with the man advantage. Defenseman Matt Irwin has played in the team’s last five games and has four points to his credit, which is more than everyone on the team except James Neal and Craig Smith. Nashville went with a top line of Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and James Neal last game in a 3-2 shootout loss to Carolina so if Laviolette keeps the lines the same, this would be the one to target tonight. Neal and Johansen are joined by Filip Forsberg and defensemen Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm on the top power play unit but may have a tough time tonight against an Ottawa team that has not given up a goal with a man in the box in over six games.
Elite Plays
OTT: Erik Karlsson
NSH: None
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan, Derick Brassard
NSH: Ryan Johansen, James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Viktor Arvidsson
Arizona Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche
| Arizona Coyotes | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Louis Domingue |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 4-7-0 | 5-6-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.73 | 3.82 | 8.80% | 75.00% | Team Stats | 2.00 | 3.00 | 17.10% | 79.50% |
The Coyotes found some success last week as they beat both San Jose and Nashville on home ice. The only team that they didn’t beat on the brief three-game home stand was the team they face tonight in the Colorado Avalanche. I wouldn’t expect much out of them again tonight as they are a putrid 1-6 on the road and to make matters worse, it’s almost impossible to tell where the scoring will come from. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is usually consistent and has five goals and two assists in the team’s first 11 games. Brad Richardson leads the team in both goals and points from the team’s third line as he has four goals and four assists so far this season. Jamie McGinn plays on the second, which should be the line to target on the road but his line mates in Anthony Duclair and Dylan Strome have not been able to generate much offense so far this season. Max Domi and Radim Vrbata each have seven points playing on the top line and should only be considered for deeper GPP plays tonight.
The Avalanche have only scored six goals in the last six games and have only found of the net 22 times in their first 11 games. There is certainly a power outage here as they look some kind of offense going against Arizona tonight. Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon will skate on the top line with rookie Mikko Rantanen and for all intents and purposes, this is the line to target here. Duchene has had a hand in five of Colorado’s last six goals and should have some room on the ice to skate a bit tonight. The second line of Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Soderberg and Jarome Iginla could be use as GPP plays as the Avalanche could score a few goals against the team that has given up 42 goals so far this season. That number is second in the conference only to the 51 pucks that Calgary has found behind their goalie. Erik Johnson gets the call to play the point on the top power play unit but taking Tyson Barrie may be a better play as he is the more offensive player not only in goals, but shots as well.
Elite Plays
ARZ: None
COL: Matt Duchene
Secondary Plays
ARZ: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Radim Vrbata, Jamie McGinn
COL: Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie