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NEW YORK ISLANDERS 2 @ NEW YORK RANGERS 7
Goaltending match-up: Dwayne Roloson (45/52, .865 SV%) vs. Henrik Lundqvist (18/20, .900 SV%)
Combos: Matt Moulson - John Tavares - P.A. Parenteau/ Blake Comeau - Rob Schremp - Jon Sim/ Michael Grabner - Frans Nielsen - Josh Bailey/ Matt Martin - Zenon Konopka - Trevor Gillies/ Andrew MacDonald - Travis Hamonic/ Mark Eaton - James Wisniewski/ Jack Hillen - Milan Jurcina
Scratches: Gervais, Martinek
Top PP times: Nielsen (3:14), Wisniewski (3:02), Tavares (2:29), Moulson (2:29), Parenteau (2:29)
Trending: John Tavares (1A, 1 SOG) has a six-game point streak going along now and in the six games leading into tonight he was +3 too. James Wisniewski (1A, +1, no SOG) also has points in each of his past six. Rob Schremp (1G, -3, 1:00 PP, 2 SOG) has been great this month and added to the 4-6-10 in 11 GP he had, while Blake Comeau (1A, -3, 1:31 PP, 2 SOG) had eight points in seven outings before this result. P.A. Parenteau (1G, 2 PIM, 2 SOG) has scored in four of his past six outings and has points in five of them.
Combos: Mats Zuccarello - Derek Stepan - Marian Gaborik/ Brandon Dubinsky - Artem Anisimov - Chris Drury/ Ruslan Fedotenko - Brian Boyle - Brandon Prust/ Sean Avery - Erik Christensen - Alexander Frolov/ Marc Staal - Dan Girardi/ Steve Eminger - Michal Rozsival/ Matt Gilroy - Michael Sauer
Scratches: Del Zotto, Boogaard, White
Top PP times: Gaborik (5:21), Stepan (4:20), Staal (4:07), Zucarello (4:06), Drury (3:04)
Trending: Marian Gaborik (1G, 1A, -1, 6 SOG) had been nursing a sore groin, but was back in the line-up tonight. He’s had a relatively quiet season with 9-10-19 in 22 GP, but those are still good totals and he’ll heat up before too long. Mats Zuccarello (1A, -1, 3 SOG) recorded his first NHL point tonight in his second game. Derek Stepan (1G, 1A, -1, 4 SOG) had a three-game goal streak coming in with six total December points, while Brandon Dubinsky (1G, 1A, +1, 1:50 PP, 6 SOG) had eight points in 10 GP before this one. Chris Drury (2A, +1, 3 SOG) has points in three of four now. He should have or gain eligibility for both centre and the wing, so he has a shot to be a decent depth guy in many leagues. Artem Anisimov (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 0:01 PP, 3 SOG) had four points in five games before this outing. Matt Gilroy (2G, +3, 2:05 PP, 3 SOG) had no goals before tonight, so why not score a few here? He still has little fantasy value for now, although he does have offensive potential. Brian Boyle (1G, 2A, +3, no PP, 3 SOG). Too legit to quit. Or something like that. Ruslan Fedotenko (1G, +3, 0:01 PP, 3 SOG) has scored in two games straight and has points in five of eight.
BOSTON BRUINS 3 @ FLORIDA PANTHERS 2 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Tim Thomas (32/34, .941 SV%) vs. Scott Clemmensen (40/42, .952 SV%)
Combos: Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton/ Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin/ Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder/ Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton/ Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk/ Dennis Seidenberg - Steven Kampfer/ Andrew Ference - Adam McQuaid
Scratches: Stuart, Marchand
Top PP times: Seidenberg (1:24), Lucic (1:19), Krejci (1:06), Ryder (1:06), Bergeron (1:00)
Trending: David Krejci (2G, +2, 6 SOG) had one point in four games coming in, but also 10 points in 11 GP this month. Zdeno Chara (1A, 2 PIM, 0:42 PP, 3 SOG) snapped a six-game pointless skid, while Michael Ryder (2A, +2, 5 SOG) has points in B2B games for the first time since the start of the month. Blake Wheeler (1A, +2, no PP, 2 SOG) had three points in four affairs prior to this outing. He scored in the shootout and was the only one from either team to do so.
Combos: Chris Higgins - Stephen Weiss - Evgeny Dadonov/ David Booth - Mike Santorelli - Michael Frolik/ Marty Reasoner - Shawn Matthias - Steve Bernier/ Darcy Hordichuk - Steven Reinprecht - Bill Thomas/ Bryan Allen - Dennis Wideman/ Dmitry Kulikov - Bryan McCabe/ Mike Weaver - Jason Garrison
Scratches: Ellerby
Top PP times: Weiss (2:38), McCabe (2:37), Wideman (2:35), Santorelli (2:21), Booth (1:57)
Trending: David Booth (1G, +1, 2 SOG) had only one point in seven games before tonight, while Michael Frolik (2A, +2, 1:11 PP, 3 SOG) has been the opposite lately and has points in eight of 10 now. Mike Santorelli (1G, +2, 3 SOG) has points in four of eight now.
MINNESOTA WILD 3 @ COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 4 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Jose Theodore (19/22, .864 SV%) vs. Steve Mason (37/40, .925 SV%)
Combos: Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen/ Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Martin Havlat/ Eric Nystrom - John Madden - Cal Clutterbuck/Brad Staubitz - Matt Cullen - Chuck Kobasew/ Greg Zanon - Nick Schultz/ Marek Zidlicky - Cam Barker/ Marco Scandella - Brent Burns
Scratches: Stoner, O'Sullivan, Spurgeon
Top PP times: Zidlicky (7:36), Cullen (7:25), Havlat (7:10), Koivu (7:00), Miettinen (6:28)
Trending: Mikko Koivu (1G, 8 SOG) had been blanked in his prior three starts. Antti Miettinen (1A, 5 SOG) has a point in three of five after three without one. Marek Zidlicky (2A, +1, 1 SOG) has helpers in three of his past four and had six in 11 coming in here. Cal Clutterbuck (1G, +1, 5:13 PP, 2 SOG) had chipped in three points in three games before adding more here. Pierre-Marc Bouchard defined "deking him out of his jock" with his shootout move.
Combos: Rick Nash - Antoine Vermette - Kristian Huselius/ R.J. Umberger - Kyle Wilson - Tom Sestito/ Ethan Moreau - Samuel Pahlsson - Chris Clark/ Andrew Murray - Derick Brassard - Jared Boll / Kris Russell - Mike Commodore/ Jan Hejda - Marc Methot/ Anton Stralman - Fedor Tyutin
Scratches: Dorsett, Voracek, Klesla
Top PP times: N/A
Trending: Derick Brassard (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG) has goals in B2B games with points in four of seven. Kristian Huselius (1A, -1, 1 SOG) had been blanked in four straight since recording a hat trick @EDM. Rick Nash (2A, +1, 3 SOG) had drawn blanks in his past four and had one point in six affairs coming in. He also scored in the shootout, as did Kyle Wilson and Huselius.
BUFFALO SABRES 2 @ CALGARY FLAMES 5
Goaltending match-up: Ryan Miller (28/33, .848 SV%) vs. Miikka Kiprusoff (25/27, .926 SV%)
Combos: Thomas Vanek - Rob Niedermayer - Tyler Ennis/ Drew Stafford - Jochen Hecht - Jason Pominville/ Nathan Gerbe - Patrick Kaleta - Luke Adam/ Cody McCormick - Paul Gaustad - Mike Grier/ Andrej Sekera - Shaone Morrisonn/ Jordan Leopold - Steve Montador/ Craig Rivet - Mike Weber
Scratches: Roy, Butler, Myers
Top PP times: Leopold (4:59), Pominville (4:13), Ennis (4:04), Sekera (3:36), Stafford (3:31), Vanek (3:31)
Trending: Drew Stafford (1G, +1, 3 SOG) had five goals in his six starts this month coming in. Jason Pominville (1A, 4 SOG) had collected eight points in 10 GP before tonight.
Combos: Alex Tanguay - Olli Jokinen - Jarome Iginla/ Niklas Hagman - Matt Stajan - Ales Kotalik/ Curtis Glencross - Brendan Morrison - Rene Bourque/ Tom Kostopoulos - David Moss - Tim Jackman/ Robyn Regehr - Jay Bouwmeester/ Mark Giordano - Cory Sarich/ Adam Pardy - Anton Babchuk
Scratches: Backlund, Conroy, Mikkelson
Top PP times: Iginla (3:10), Jokinen (3:10), Tanguay (2:38), Bourque (2:38), Giordano (2:27)
Trending: Jarome Iginla (1G, +2, 4 SOG) now has seven different multi-pointers since his surge began in mid-November with a pile of points in between. Olli Jokinen (1G, 1A, +2, 4 SOG) had tallied eight points in 12 December GP headed in here, while Alex Tanguay (2A, +2, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) has a point in five of seven. Anton Babchuk (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 1:55 PP, 1 SOG) has a point in six of his past 11 outings.
DETROIT RED WINGS 4 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE 3 (OT)
Goaltending match-up: Chris Osgood (46/49, .939 SV%) vs. Peter Budaj (26/30, .867 SV%)
Combos: Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Tomas Holmstrom/ Jiri Hudler - Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi/ Jan Mursak - Justin Abdelkader - Drew Miller/ Kris Draper - Darren Helm - Patrick Eaves/ Nicklas Lidstrom - Brad Stuart/ Jonathan Ericsson - Niklas Kronwall/ Ruslan Salei - Jakub Kindl
Scratches: Cleary, Datsyuk, Rafalski
Top PP times: Lidstrom (5:29), Kronwall (4:30), Franzen (3:23), Zetterberg (3:21), Bertuzzi (3:04), Filppula (3:04)
Trending: Jiri Hudler (1G, 1A, 2:21 PP, 2 SOG) broke a 13-game pointless streak tonight. Ouch. Johan Franzen (1G, -1, 4 SOG) has potted goals in three of five and Nicklas Lidstrom (1G, 3A, 1 SOG) had seven points in six starts before this evening. Niklas Kronwall (1G, 1A, -1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG) had five points in six affairs before this outing. Valtteri Filppula (1A, no SOG) has a point in four of his past five now. Todd Bertuzzi (1A, 5 SOG) had just three points in December before this outing.
Combos: Tomas Fleischmann - Matt Duchene - Milan Hejduk/ T.J. Galiardi - Paul Stastny - David Jones/ Daniel Winnik - Ryan O’Reilly - Kevin Porter/ Brandon Yip - Philippe Dupuis - Cody McLeod/ John-Michael Liles - Ryan O'Byrne/ Adam Foote - Matt Hunwick/ Ryan Wilson - Kevin Shattenkirk
Scratches: Holos, Yip, Koci
Top PP times: Liles (6:47), Stastny (6:41), Hejduk (6:34), Shattenkirk (6:14), Duchene (6:12)
Trending: Milan Hejduk (1A, +1, 1 SOG) hadn’t played since Dec. 10, but jumped right back into the scoring summary for his owners. He’s been having one of his more productive seasons in recent memory. Matt Duchene (2G, +1, 6 SOG) had been blanked for three straight before this evening, while Tomas Fleischmann (1A, +1, 3:52 PP, 4 SOG) still has a point-per-game average with his new team after 12 starts. David Jones (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 3:34 PP, 6 SOG) has a point in four of his past seven tilts. Paul Stastny (1A, +1, 4 SOG) ended a three-game pointless period, which was his longest of the season. John-Michael Liles (1A, 2 PIM, 6 SOG) had a two-pointer vs. OTT as his only offensive contribution in eight coming in here.
LOS ANGELES KINGS 4 @ SAN JOSE SHARKS 0
Goaltending match-up: Jonathan Quick (24/24) vs. Antti Niemi (33/37, .892 SV%)
Combos: Marco Sturm - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown/ Ryan Smyth - Jarret Stoll - Justin Williams/ Kyle Clifford - Michal Handzus - Wayne Simmonds/ Brad Richardson- Trevor Lewis - Kevin Westgarth/ Jack Johnson - Drew Doughty / Alec Martinez - Rob Scuderi / Matt Greene - Davis Drewiske
Scratches: Harrold, Ponikarovsky, Mitchell
Top PP times: Doughty (2:21), Kopitar (2:00), Brown (2:00), Stoll (2:00), Smyth (2:00)
Trending: Marco Sturm (1G, +2, no PP, 3 SOG) scored his first goal as a King tonight in his fourth start and has points B2B too. Before this one even began, Dustin Brown (2G, +3, 7 SOG) had produced more points (17) than his prior two months (14). Make sure to catch the highlights to see Brown's second goal - specifically the pass from Anze Kopitar (3A, +3, 3 SOG). Nice. Kopitar added to the 14 points in 11 GP he had this month coming in. Drew Doughty (1A, +3, 2 PIM, 4 SOG) had racked up nine points in seven affairs before this one and Jack Johnson now has eight points in his past eight clashes.
Combos: Dany Heatley - Joe Thornton - Patrick Marleau/ Ryane Clowe - Logan Couture - Benn Ferriero/ Jamie McGinn - Joe Pavelski - Devin Setoguchi/ Jamal Mayers - Scott Nichol / Douglas Murray - Dan Boyle/ Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Niclas Wallin/ Kent Huskins - Jason Demers/ Derek Joslin
Scratches: Mitchell, McCarthy, Braun
Top PP times: Heatley (2:27), Boyle (2:27), Pavelski (2:09), Marleau (1:48), Thornton (1:48)
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