NHL Grind Down: Tuesday, October 27th - Page Two
Los Angeles Kings at Winnipeg Jets – 08:00 PM EDT
| Los Angeles Kings | Winnipeg Jets | ||||||||
 | Jonathan Quick |  | Ondrej Pavelec | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 40-27 | 43-26 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.66 | 2.40 | 19.00% | 80.90% | Team Stats | 2.72 | 2.49 | 17.80% | 81.80% |
The Los Angeles Kings will try to improve on their current 5 game winning streak tonight in Winnipeg against the Jets. The Kings have fully turned around a poor start and look like one of the best teams in the league right now. They are dominating possession and getting stellar goaltending from Jonathan Quick. The Tyler Toffoli – Jeff Carter – Milan Lucic line has been the best for the Kings, combining for 18 points in 8 games this season. Tyler Toffoli was held scoreless last game, but had 5 goals in the prior 4 games and is a threat in all situations as he led the league in short handed goals last year. Despite Los Angeles’ stellar play as of late, they are experimenting with some different line combinations outside of the Carter-Toffoli-Lucic line to get former 40-goal scorer Marian Gaborik going as Gaborik only has 1 point on the season. The matchup against Winnipeg at home isn’t great, but the Kings have been so dominant as of late that you shouldn’t be overly concerned.
The Winnipeg Jets are a solid team this year, but face a tough task tonight against the Kings. Blake Wheeler leads the charge for the Jets with 11 points in 8 games to start the year. Wheeler has a point in every game this season. The Jets are also getting balanced scoring with Drew Stafford contributing 5 goals and 3 goals apiece from linemates Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers. Dustin Byfuglien continues to release his cannon from the point and has 5 points in 8 games. Despite their success putting the puck in the net, the matchup against the Kings is one of the worst you can have, even on home ice. Los Angeles possesses the puck at an elite level and I expect they will continue to do so in this game.
Elite Plays
LAK: Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Carter
WPG: Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien
Secondary Plays
LAK: Anze Kopitar, Milan Lucic, Drew Doughty
WPG: Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Nikolaj Ehlers
Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Louis Blues – 08:00 PM EDT
| Tampa Bay Lightning | St. Louis Blues | ||||||||
 | Ben Bishop |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 50-24 | 51-24 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 3.16 | 2.51 | 18.80% | 83.70% | Team Stats | 2.91 | 2.40 | 22.30% | 83.70% |
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost a hard fought game to the Chicago Blackhawks over the weekend in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finalists. Tonight, the Lightning travel to St. Louis to face an equally tough task. The Lightning are 5-2-2 on the season, led by Steven Stamkos who has 5 goals and 7 points over that span. Victor Hedman actually leads the team in points, with 9 over 8 games. The most surprising thing about this Tampa Bay team is the struggles of the “Triplets” line to start the season. Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson have combined for only 11 points in 9 games after being one of the best lines in the league for much of last year. Much is made of how the Lightning are a different team on the road, and they don’t get a good matchup tonight against St. Louis. The Blues are one of the best possession teams in the league and execute a solid defensive system.
The St. Louis Blues are 5-2-1 to start the year and look like one of the best teams in the NHL. Despite key injuries to Paul Stastny, Jaden Schwartz, and Kevin Shattenkirk, the Blues have continued to play solid defensive hockey while linemates Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen lead the offense. Both Steen and Tarasenko are producing at a better than point-per-game clip and don’t look like they plan on stopping anytime soon. Vladi “the Tank” Tarasenko is a top-10 player in the NHL and he looks poised to improve on last season’s 73 point campaign. Rookie defenseman Colton Parayko has flourished in Shattenkirk’s absence, capped off by a 2 point, 6 shot effort on Saturday. Look for Parayko to get involved on the power-play tonight, as the Lightning only stop the opposition 72% of the time.
Elite Plays
TBL: Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman
STL: Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Colton Parayko
Secondary Plays
TBL: Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Ryan Callahan, Jonathan Drouin
STL: Jori Lehtera, Alex Pietrangelo, Troy Brouwer
Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild – 08:00 PM EDT
| Edmonton Oilers | Minnesota Wild | ||||||||
 | Ben Scrivens |  | Devan Dubnyk | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 24-44 | 46-28 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.35 | 3.37 | 17.70% | 76.70% | Team Stats | 2.77 | 2.41 | 15.80% | 86.30% |
The Edmonton Oilers and young stud Connor McDavid travel to Minnesota to face the Wild tonight. McDavid is living up to the hype and now leads the Oilers with 9 points in 9 games. Former first round pick Nail Yakupov has flourished on McDavid’s wing, producing 8 points in 9 games, and finally looks like the player that the Oilers have hoped he would become. The Oilers are a much improved offensive team as they finally possess two highly skilled scoring lines. Previously, all teams had to do in order to beat Edmonton was shut down the Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins line. I expect McDavid and Co. to continue to light up the scoresheet throughout the season, though I don’t particularly love the matchup against a Minnesota club that historically plays strong defensive hockey. Look for the Oilers to convert on the power-play where Minnesota has struggled to start the year (77.3% on the penalty kill).
The Minnesota Wild are 5-2-1 on the season and sport a sterling 3-0-0 record on home ice where they will face the Edmonton Oilers tonight. The Wild’s attack is paced by Zach Parise, who has 7 goals and 9 points in 8 games this year. For cash game purposes, Parise is one of the most reliable players in the league as he comes with a high floor due to his shot volume, but also possesses multi-point upside. Parise’s linemate Jason Pominville has yet to pot a goal this year, but I don’t expect him to go goalless for long. The matchup against Edmonton isn’t as great as it was last season, but it is definitely a positive one for the Wild on home ice. Power-play quarterback Ryan Suter has been piling up the fantasy points this season in a variety ways, including a 5 shot on goal, 7 blocked shot performance last time out. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a Pominville – Parise – Suter goal tonight in which all 3 players get a point.
Elite Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid, Nail Yakupov, Taylor Hall
MIN: Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Jason Pominville
Secondary Plays
EDM: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Andrej Sekera
MIN: Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Mikael Granlund
Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars – 08:30 PM EDT
| Anaheim Ducks | Dallas Stars | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Kari Lehtonen | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 51-24 | 41-31 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.78 | 2.70 | 15.70% | 81.00% | Team Stats | 3.13 | 3.13 | 19.00% | 80.70% |
The Anaheim Ducks played one of their best games of the season last night against the Chicago Blackhawks, but failed to score a goal (despite 39 shots on net) and were defeated in overtime 1-0. Elite winger Corey Perry had a confidence-inducing performance with 8 shots on goal and numerous scoring chances. The Ducks will look to build on this solid game when they travel to Dallas tonight to face the Stars. Dallas has been an offensive force this year, but they are playing above their heads defensively and will struggle in that department over the course of the season. The matchup is a decent one for Anaheim and if they continue to play the way they did against the Hawks, the goals will start to come. If coach Bruce Boudreau chooses to keep Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf together, I like them to hit the scoresheet tonight. Anaheim probably won’t win this game on the back-to-back, but they are in a solid spot to improve on their paltry goal total for the year.
The Dallas Stars have the best offense in the NHL and it primarily comes in the form of one line: Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp. Benn and Seguin each have 12 points in 8 games this season. This line possesses the puck at a level unmatched by any other trio in the league. They are deadly both at even strength and on the power-play. Any time Dallas is playing, you need to be conscious of your Benn-Seguin exposure (particularly in tournaments) as they are capable of notching multiple points every single game despite whatever matchup they may be facing. While Anaheim has played solid defensively this year, playing Dallas on the back-to-back after a deflating loss isn’t going to be a recipe for success. Look to Jason Spezza as a chronically under-owned play as he gets plus matchups with most of the attention on Benn and Seguin.
Elite Plays
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
DAL: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg
Secondary Plays
ANA: Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler
DAL: Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza
Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks – 10:00 PM EDT
| Montreal Canadiens | Vancouver Canucks | ||||||||
 | Carey Price |  | Ryan Miller | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 50-22 | 48-29 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.61 | 2.24 | 16.50% | 83.70% | Team Stats | 2.88 | 2.68 | 19.30% | 85.70% |
The Montreal Canadiens are still undefeated and possess a 9-0-0 record to start the season. Tonight, Montreal heads to Vancouver to face the Canucks who are 3-2-3 on the year and still looking to find their stride. The Montreal attack has been torrid to start the year. Linemates Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, and Brendan Gallagher each have over 10 points on the season as do P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov. Montreal is scoring 3.89 goals a game while only allowing 1.33 goals against per game and their power-play is converting at 22.9%. While most of these numbers aren’t sustainable, Montreal will be a cup contender this year and continue to win games regularly. Carey Price is always a reasonable option in net—-he won the Vezina last year and will likely win it again this year. For DFS purposes, it may make the most sense to fade Montreal in this game as guys like Pacioretty and Subban are likely to come with high ownership. Vancouver has been a reasonably solid defensive team and Ryan Miller looks like the Ryan Miller of old.
It is no secret that the Vancouver Canucks’ offense runs through Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. Over the years, the twins have seen a plethora of different players on their wing, but none have truly stuck over time. Radim Vrbata was brought in last season to fill that role and performed admirably for much of the year, registering the highest point total of his career with 63 points in 79 games. Vrbata is in the midst of a slow start to the season and has been reunited with the Sedins both at even strength and on Vancouver’s top power-play unit. Unfortunately, tonight is not the night you should target Vrbata, as the matchup against Montreal and Carey Price is horrendous. A Sedin-Sedin-Vrbata tournament entry would be the ultimate contrarian play.
Elite Plays
MTL: Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec
VAN: None.
Secondary Plays
MTL: Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov, Alex Galchenyuk
VAN: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Radim Vrbata