NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, January 4th - Page Two
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Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks
| Detroit Red Wings | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 | Petr Mrazek |  | John Gibson | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 16-16-5 | 19-12-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.38 | 2.89 | 11.70% | 82.30% | Team Stats | 2.69 | 2.77 | 24.00% | 81.60% |
It looks like the Detroit Red Wings are trying to shake something up where their power play is concerned as they have only scored one goal over the last nine games when they have had the man advantage. Their 16-16-5 record has them in in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with 37 points which has the team seven points away from the last playoff spot. The top line of Henrik Zetterberg, Anthony Mantha and Tomas Tatar have combined for six goals and nine assists over the last four games and will remain on one of the power play units that Detroit will employ tonight. They will be joined by Steve Ott and Niklas Kronwall as it almost makes sense to put Ott in front of the net while the others wind up and try to pepper the goaltender. The only concern I have is that I’m not sure that Ott can control himself enough to not draw a penalty while working in traffic. The second line that features Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen is the one I’d target for your GPP plays as Vanek has played well this year as evidence of his 21 points in just 26 games. Gustav Nyquist joins this unit at both even strength and on a power play unit that will probably see even time tonight when the Wings draw a penalty. Now here’s where it gets interesting. We already know that Ott is on the power play which is almost absurd to say but joining the Nielsen line on the second unit will be forwards Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou. What this means is that this unit will not have a defensemen on it and that makes sense as well as Detroit is very thin on the back line. Larkin is always good as a one-off play, especially on the road as his third line status will not attract the top defensive lines of the opposing team. It also doesn’t hurt that his 11 goals so far this season lead the team in that category. I don’t know about playing any defenseman from this team as I would normally go with the injured Mike Green so it’s probably best to stay away from that mess tonight.
Anaheim needs a win here tonight to keep pace with the first place San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division. After tonight they will have played two more games than the division leaders so getting a win here will be a plus towards ending up in the top spot. Ryan Getzlaf has not skated in the last two days due to a lower-body injury which has prompted the team to recall Chris Wagner. This obviously isn’t a good sign which could point to Getzlaf missing tonight’s game. Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry and Joseph Cramarossa will probably be used as the team’s top line tonight with Rakell leading the team in goals with 16 goals in just 28 games. Ryan Kesler leads the team with 34 points while Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano skate alongside him at even strength. I wouldn’t mind pairing Kesler with Silfverberg for tournament play as the latter has 11 goals and 15 assists so far this season. Kesler is probably the best one-off play here though as he not only leads the team in points he has netted three goals to go along with three assists in the last five games. Cam Fowler is the choice on the back line as he plays on the team’s top power play unit. He also has registered 11 of his 22 points when the Ducks have the man advantage. Sami Vatanen has been a disappointment this season as he only has 48 shots on goal which has given him two goals and 14 assists this season. Look for the Ducks to win in a close hard fought battle.
Elite Plays
DET: None
ANA: Rickard Rakell, Corey Perry
Secondary Plays
DET: Anthony Mantha, Dylan Larkin, Henrik Zetterberg, Frans Nielsen, Gustav Nyquist
ANA: Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Cam Fowler