NHL Grind Down: Wednesday, November 25th - Page Three
Anaheim Ducks at Arizona Coyotes – 09:00 PM EST
| Anaheim Ducks | Arizona Coyotes | ||||||||
 | Frederik Andersen |  | Mike Smith | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 7-10-4 | 10-9-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 1.76 | 2.57 | 15.00% | 88.20% | Team Stats | 2.75 | 2.95 | 15.00% | 83.30% |
The Ducks are one of the few teams stuck playing in back-to-back days tonight, but their matchup in Arizona is one you probably don’t want to ignore. Arizona is a allowing 2.95 GA/G this season and breaking down the Ducks from a fantasy standpoint is about as clear cut as it gets in the NHL today. Their top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell is where you’ll want to focus your attention, and they proved it last night. That trio was responsible for all five Anaheim goals against Calgary with Ryan Getzlaf picking up assists on each of them. On defense, it’s another trio of players that offer the most fantasy value. Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen all enjoy time on the power-play and each one has similar offensive potential.
The Coyotes will be happy to be back in the desert after a four-game road trip, and they defeated this Anaheim team in their only prior meeting this season. The Coyotes have a ways to go before considering themselves a playoff threat, but they’re hanging tough to start the season with a 10-9-1 record at the quarter-pole. Martin Hanzal leads the charge offensively as he’s already racked up 18 points in 18 games. He centers both Mikkel Boedker and Tobias Rieder on the top line, but all three are better suited for GPP use against the Ducks. Max Domi and Anthony Duclair are exciting young talents and they surround Brad Richardson on the teams very adept second line but, just like the top line, aren’t the safest cash game options. With that said, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the top fantasy option from this team. The 24 year-old defenseman has scored four goals and dished out ten assists in 20 games, but his value takes a bit of a hit as Anaheim owns the league’s #1 penalty kill (88.5%).
Elite Plays
ANA: Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf
ARZ: None
Secondary Plays
ANA: Rickard Rakell, Ryan Kesler, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler
ARZ: Martin Hanzal, Max Domi, Mikkel Boedker, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Ottawa Senators at Colorado Avalanche – 09:30 PM EST
| Ottawa Senators | Colorado Avalanche | ||||||||
 | Craig Anderson |  | Semyon Varlamov | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 10-5-5 | 8-12-1 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.90 | 2.70 | 20.60% | 77.10% | Team Stats | 2.86 | 2.95 | 20.30% | 77.50% |
The Senators stormed into Dallas and posted a seven spot on the Stars last night to extend their current winning streak to three games. They’ll head to Denver tonight with a very solid 11-5-5 record and should have success against a Colorado team that has struggled with puck possession all season. Erik Karlsson leads the Senators with 23 points in their first 20 games and this matchup sets up very well for him if you can afford to pay his big-ticket asking price. Up-front, the Senators top line of Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan has been dynamic and are all fine (and somewhat underpriced in some places) options this evening. Conversely, Mark Stone has picked up 19 assists in 19 games this season and teams up with Mike Zibanejad (and Shane Price) to provide Dave Cameron with a very skilled second line. With the Avalanche owning a subpar 77.5% penalty kill and allowing nearly three goals per game this season, Ottawa looks like a nice source for some value.
The Avalanche are the worst team in the league by Corsi standards, but they do benefit from catching the Ottawa Senators on the second half of back-to-back games. While Colorado is not a team you’ll want to over-expose yourself to in cash games, their top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene should not be overlooked. While they may be a bit more suited for GPP use, that trio has combined for 25 goals and 30 assists already this season. On the blue-line, both Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson are worth a look as Ottawa sports just a 77.1% penalty kill.
Elite Plays
OTT: Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson
COL: Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene
Secondary Plays
OTT: Mark Stone, Mike Zibanejad, Milan Michalek, Chris Wideman
COL: Jarome Iginla, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, Francois Beauchemin
Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EST
| Chicago Blackhawks | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Corey Crawford |  | Martin Jones | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 11-8-2 | 13-8-0 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.71 | 2.62 | 21.10% | 78.90% | Team Stats | 2.76 | 2.43 | 13.60% | 79.10% |
Chicago is in the midst of an unforgiving six-game west-coast road trip, and they’ve looked sluggish in each of their last two games. However, they should be well rested for tonight’s clash with San Jose. Offensively, it’s been the Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin line carrying nearly all of the offensive load. Kane has already racked up 32 points in just 21 games and finds himself tied atop the NHL scoring race with Jamie Benn. Artemi Panarin has made his presence felt in the NHL with 21 points in 21 games and still finds himself very reasonably priced on several sites. While that line is pretty much set in stone, we’ve seen Joel Quenneville tinker with the rest of his forward groups. It no longer looks like Marian Hossa will play alongside Jonathan Toews, and that’s a big blow to his fantasy outlook. The key to getting to points tonight for Chicago may very well rest with their power-play as San Jose owns a mediocre 79.1% penalty kill. With that in mind, both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are quality options on defense.
The Sharks enter tonight’s game having won six straight games, but they’ll certainly be put to the test tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champs. While they’re still without the services of Logan Couture, the Sharks have used their balanced scoring attacked and terrific goaltending from Martin Jones to keep things moving in the right direction. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton team up on the team’s top forward line (with Melker Karlsson) to form the most dangerous offensive threat, with Patrick Marleau leading both Joel Ward and Joonas Donskoi on the second line. Defensively, Brent Burns is a different kind of beast. He’s already picked up 17 points in 21 games and his 94 SOG trails just Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. This is a tough matchup for San Jose, but they’re playing very well and should not be overlooked.
Elite Plays
CHI: Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith
SAN: Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns
Secondary Plays
CHI: Artem Anisimov, Andrew Shaw, Brent Seabrook
SAN: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joel Ward, Melker Karlsson