@Nichols_NHLPool on Twitter for timely NHL & poolie info, along with occasionally snarky comments.
Live blogging nightly: line combos, defensive pairings, analysis, statistical trends and more from every game on the NHL docket. Refresh the 'Live NHL Recap' page while the games are on to get new info as it is added.
Send in a brief fantasy hockey question, including all relevant league info, and it may be included in a future Hockey Hearsay blog during the week. One per person, please. Send it via Twitter for a possible response in the blog, or send via email (include your first name and hometown to represent!) if you'd prefer. chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com
MINNESOTA WILD 3 @ BOSTON BRUINS 1
Goaltending match-up: Jose Theodore (35/36, .972 SV%) vs. Tuukka Rask (31/33, .939 SV%)
Combos: Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Chuck Kobasew/ Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Martin Havlat/ Patrick O'Sullivan - Matt Cullen - Cal Clutterbuck/ Eric Nystrom - John Madden - Brad Staubitz/ Nick Schultz - Brent Burns/ Clayton Stoner - Greg Zanon/ Cam Barker - Marco Scandella
Scratches: Miettinen, Spurgeon
Top PP times: Cullen (1:22), Madden (1:13), Brodziak (1:08), Havlat (1:08), Burns (1:08)
Trending: Martin Havlat (1G, 4 SOG) tallied 54 points last season and he came into tonight on pace for 74 points. He had 77 in 81 with Chicago before going to Minnesota. He actually hadn’t scored in his past seven starts and had just one in his last 13. Cal Clutterbuck (1G, 1A, +2, 0:47 PP, 3 SOG, 8 hits) has potted goals in four of eight now. Mikko Koivu (1G, 2 PIM, 0:47 PP, 2 SOG) added the ENG and has 17 points over his past 17 GP.
Combos: Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton/ Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin/ Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder/ Brad Marchand - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton/ Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk/ Dennis Seidenberg - Steve Kampfer/ Andrew Ference - Adam McQuaid
Scratches: Paille, Stuart
Top PP times: Bergeron (4:25), Savard (4:18), Seidenberg (4:03), Ryder (3:59), Kampfer (3:57)
Trending: Steve Kampfer (1G, +1, 2 SO)G has struck for goals from the back end in three of five now. Patrice Bergeron (1A, 2 SOG) began the night with nine points in his last nine games.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 4 @ NEW JERSEY DEVILS 2
Goaltending match-up: Brian Boucher (18/20, .900 SV%) vs. Johan Hedberg (16/20, .800 SV%)
Combos: James van Riemsdyk - Mike Richards - Andreas Nodl/ Scott Hartnell - Danny Briere - Ville Leino/ Darroll Powe - Jeff Carter - Claude Giroux/ Dan Carcillo - Blair Betts - Jody Shelley/ Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn/ Matt Carle - Andrej Meszaros/ Oskars Bartulis - Sean O'Donnell
Scratches: Syvret, Zherdev
Top PP times: Briere (4:48), Timonen (4:21), Giroux (4:21), Hartnell (4:21), Carter (4:18)
Trending: Scott Hartnell (2G, +2, 3 SOG) has goals in three of four and he was the recipient of a hugely favourable bounce off the boards to score his first late second marker. Hedberg victimized by yet another bad bounce. Ville Leino (3A, +3, 3:39 PP, 2 SOG) has points in four of seven, while Matt Carle (2A, +1, 3:43 PP, 2 SOG) has his second four-game point streak in the last month. Danny Briere (2G, +3, 2 SOG) has found the back of the net in three of five and he had 30 points with 59 PIM overall coming in.
Combos: Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Nick Palmieri/ Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus/ Vladimir Zharkov - Jason Arnott - Adam Mair/ Rod Pelley - Tim Sestito - David Clarkson/ Colin White - Henrik Tallinder/ Andy Greene - Anton Volchenkov/ Anssi Salmela - Mark Fraser
Scratches: Langenbrunner, Tedenby, Corrente
Top PP times: Kovalchuk (1:34), Arnott (1:34), Zajac (1:34), Zubrus (1:13), Green (1:13), Elias (1:13)
Trending: The big news for the Devils leading into this game was that Jamie Langenbrunner would not dress and could be dealt soon. His stats on the season are nothing impressive, but a change of scenery on a top team could certainly provide that needed boost for him. He’ll be a UFA this summer. Patrik Elias (1A, -1, no SOG) had 64 points in 66 GP vs. PHI coming in and had 12 points in 15 GP overall coming in. Dainius Zubrus (1G, -1, 2 SOG) was back in the line-up tonight and had a long string of zeroes to his name before this outing. David Clarkson (1G, +1, 0:26 PP, 2 SOG) hadn’t registered a point since the end of November, although he certainly had PIM between then and now.
ST. LOUIS BLUES 5 @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 6 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Jaroslav Halak (15/19, .789 SV%) & Ty Conklin (11/12, .917 SV%) vs. Jonas Gustavsson (39/44, .886 SV%)
Combos: Vladimir Sobotka - David Backes - Matt D'Agostini/ Brad Winchester - Jay McClement - Brad Boyes/ B.J. Crombeen - Patrik Berglund - Alex Steen/ Cam Janssen - Adam Cracknell - Chris Porter/ Roman Polak - Eric Brewer/ Carlo Colaiacovo - Erik Johnson/ Barret Jackman - Alex Pietrangelo
Scratches: Strachan
Top PP times: Steen (1:24), Berglund (1:24), Colaiacovo (1:24), Backes (1:18), Pietrangelo (1:17)
Trending: David Backes (1G, 1A, 3 SOG) had 48 points last year and came into this one with 30 already before this multi-point performance. He has points in five of six and this was his third game with at least two points in that span. Alex Steen (1G, +1, 3 SOG) carried 15 points in 15 GP since the start of last month before the puck dropped here and his shootout move was a beauty to freeze Gustavsson. Matt D’Agostini (1G, 1A, +1, 0:36 PP, 7 SOG) had four points in five games headed in. Brad Boyes (2A, +1, no PP, 3 SOG) has been picking up the pace lately with points in five of seven and he scored in the shootout.
Combos: Joey Crabb - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel/ Clarke MacArthur - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin/ Colby Armstrong - Darryl Boyce - Kris Versteeg/ Fredrik Sjostrom - Tim Brent - Colton Orr/ Francois Beauchemin - Dion Phaneuf/ Tomas Kaberle - Luke Schenn/ Brett Lebda - Mike Komisarek
Scratches: Gunnarsson
Top PP times: Kaberle (2:08), Kessel (2:02), Versteeg (1:52), Phaneuf (1:49), Bozak (1:30)
Trending: Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 8 SOG) is still carrying the hot touch around the net, now with goals in 10 of his past 13. Sweet shootout move. Phil Kessel (2G, -1, 7 SOG) came into this one with 4-7-11 in 13 GP. He has multi-goal games in two of five as well after having only one in the rest of his season. Clarke MacArthur (1A, -1, 1:02 PP, 1 SOG) hit the 30-point plateau tonight and had 11 in 15 coming in. Nikolai Kulemin (1A, 0:13 PP, 1 SOG) had nine points in 13 GP before this outing. Kris Versteeg (1G, 1A, +1, 4 SOG) began the evening with 11 points in 15 GP and he scored in the shootout. Darryl Boyce (1A, +2, 0:28 PP, 1 SOG) has struck for a point in three of his four starts on this call-up. Colby Armstrong (1G, 1A, +1, 0:06 PP, 2 SOG) had three points in five affairs before tonight. Tyler Bozak blew a wrister past Conklin in the shootout.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 1 @ MONTREAL CANADIENS 2 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Brent Johnson (22/23, .957 SV%) vs. Carey Price (31/32, .969 SV%)
Combos: Tyler Kennedy - Jordan Staal - Evgeni Malkin/ Chris Kunitz - Mark Letestu - Pascal Dupuis/ Chris Conner - Max Talbot Arron Asham/ Deryk Engelland - Craig Adams - Michael Rupp/ Paul Martin - Zbynek Michalek/ Brooks Orpik - Kris Letang/ Alex Goligoski - Ben Lovejoy
Scratches: Cooke, Crosby, Godard
Top PP times: Malkin (3:31), Letang (2:53), Goligoski (2:53), Kennedy (2:10), Kunitz (2:09)
Trending: No Sidney Crosby for tonight’s tilt, who headed home with what’s being called an upper-body injury. It’s not believed to be a long-term thing. Alex Goligoski (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG) was coming off a four-pointer in that demolition of TB. He had five points all of last month. Ben Lovejoy (1A, +1, 2 PIM, no PP, 2 SOG) had four points in his past five starts, stretching over three weeks, coming in here. Matt Cooke also missed this one with personal issues.
Combos: Michael Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn/ Max Pacioretty - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta/ Benoit Pouliot - David Desharnais - Mathieu Darche/ Travis Moen - Jeff Halpern - Tom Pyatt/ Hal Gill - P.K. Subban/ James Wisniewski - Jaroslav Spacek/ Alexandre Picard - Yannick Weber
Scratches: Hamrlik, Eller
Top PP times: Wisniewski (7:26), Gionta (5:37), Cammalleri (5:25), Gomez (4:49), Plekanec (3:26)
Trending: Benoit Pouliot (1G, +1, 1:34 PP, 2 SOG) had been blanked for eight straight and not only did he score in regulation, but his shootout goal was really nice. Worth catching the highlights with a trip down memory lane involving Peter Forsberg.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS 1 @ EDMONTON OILERS 2
Goaltending match-up: Nathan Lawson (1/3, .333 SV%) & Kevin Poulin (19/19) vs. Devan Dubnyk (30/31, .968 SV%)
Combos: Matt Moulson - John Tavares - P.A. Parenteau/ Michael Grabner - Josh Bailey - Jesse Joensuu/ Blake Comeau - Rob Schremp - Jon Sim/ Matt Martin - Zenon Konopka - Trevor Gillies/ Andrew MacDonald - Travis Hamonic/ Jack Hillen - Milan Jurcina/ Dylan Reese - Bruno Gervais
Scratches: Nielsen, DiPietro
Top PP times: Tavares (7:30), Parenteau (7:30), Moulson (7:30), MacDonald (7:26), Jurcina (6:46)
Trending: Blake Comeau (1G, 4:09 PP, 2 SOG) connected on the PP and has goals in three of six with points in six of nine. Rob Schremp (1A, 4:07 PP, 2 SOG) had 11 points in 14 GP last month. Josh Bailey (1A, 3:44 PP, no SOG) had chipped in four points in seven games coming in with three of those points having come in one tilt.
Combos: Taylor Hall - Sam Gagner - Ales Hemsky/ Dustin Penner - Andrew Cogliano - Gilbert Brule/ Linus Omark - Liam Reddox - Magnus Paajarvi/ Ryan Jones - Colin Fraser - Steve MacIntyre/ Theo Peckham - Tom Gilbert/ Ladislav Smid - Jeff Petry/ Jim Vandermeer - Jason Strudwick
Scratches: Jacques, Foster, Stortini
Top PP times: Gilbert (1:12), Hall (1:01), Omark (1:01), Brule (1:01), Petry (1:01)
Trending: Dustin Penner (1G, 1A, +2, 0:56 PP, 1 SOG) has points in five of his past six with two multi-pointers in that time. Andrew Cogliano (2A, +1, no PP, 2 SOG) had three points in five games coming in and this was his second multi-pointer in that period as well. Gilbert Brule (1G, +1, 4 PIM, 2 SOG) has goals in B2B games after a long string of nothing.
PHOENIX COYOTES 2 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE
Goaltending match-up: Jason LaBarbera (34/34) vs. Craig Anderson (31/32, .969 SV%)
Combos: Scottie Upshall - Eric Belanger - Shane Doan/ Ray Whitney - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata/ Wojtek Wolski - Lauri Korpikoski - Paul Bissonnette/ Taylor Pyatt - Vernon Fiddler - Lee Stempniak/ Ed Jovanovski - Adrian Aucoin/ Keith Yandle - Derek Morris/ - Sami Lepisto - David Schlemko
Scratches: Ekman-Larsson, Turris, Bryzgalov
Top PP times: Hanzal (1:16), Whitney (1:16), Doan (1:16), Vrbata (1:07), Yandle (1:07)
Trending: Lee Stempniak (1A, +1, 0:09 PP, 2 SOG) has points in two of three this month. He had two points in December. Taylor Pyatt (2G, +2, 0:09 PP, 2 SOG) scored both goals for Phoenix and has points here and there, but is generally not a strong fantasy option. Shane Doan (1A, +1, 4 SOG) added the assist on the ENG and pushed his point streak to eight games. He's been excellent for awhile now.
Combos: Tomas Fleischmann - Matt Duchene - Milan Hejduk/ David Jones - Paul Stastny - T.J. Galiardi/ Daniel Winnik - Ryan O'Reilly - Brandon Yip/ Kevin Porter - Philippe Dupuis - Greg Mauldin/ John-Michael Liles - Ryan O'Byrne/ Matt Hunwick - Adam Foote/ Ryan Wilson - Kevin Shattenkirk
Scratches: Holos, Koci, McLeod
Top PP times: Shattenkirk (1:34), Stastny (1:29), Liles (1:05), Duchene (1:00), Jones (1:00)
Trending:
NASHVILLE PREDATORS 5 @ LOS ANGELES KINGS 2
Goaltending match-up: Anders Lindback (24/26, .923 SV%) vs. Jonathan Bernier (23/28, .821 SV%)
Combos: Colin Wilson - David Legwand - Marek Svatos/ Sergei Kostitsyn - Marcel Goc - Patric Hornqvist/ Nick Spaling - Jerred Smithson - Joel Ward/ J.P. Dumont - Chris Mueller - Wade Belak/ Shea Weber - Ryan Suter/ Kevin Klein - Francis Bouillon/ Cody Franson - Shane O'Brien
Scratches: Sulzer, Klasen
Top PP times: Weber (3:03), Suter (3:03), Hornqvist (2:47), Wilson (2:47), Kostitsyn (2:47)
Trending: Marek Svatos (1G, +1, 0:48 PP, 2 SOG) scored! This was his fourth game with the Preds and first time in the box score. Colin Wilson (1G, 2A, +1, 2 SOG) has three different multi-pointers in his past five outings and had 10 points in 16 GP coming in. His third point marked a single-game career high for him too. Shea Weber (2A, +2, 3 SOG) already had six points in three games before today. Sergei Kostitsyn's (1G, 2A, +1, 3 SOG) great run continued here and he's been solid for five weeks now. Ryan Suter (2A, 1 SOG) has points in three in a row after four without one. He had 10 points in 12 GP coming in. Patric Hornqvist (2G, +1, 2 PIM, 5 SOG) has goals in four straight and had five points in three affairs before tonight.
Combos: Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Wayne Simmonds/ Ryan Smyth- Michal Handzus - Justin Williams/ Kyle Clifford - Jarret Stoll - Marco Sturm/ Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis - Kevin Westgarth/ Jack Johnson - Drew Doughty/ Rob Scuderi - Matt Greene/ Alec Martinez - Davis Drewiske
Scratches: Westgarth, Ponikarovsky, Mitchell
Top PP times: Smyth (2:50), Doughty (2:50), Kopitar (2:50), Stoll (2:30), Brown (2:15)
Trending: The points are flowing with regularity for Anze Kopitar (2A, 2 SOG), which is what his owners expected when they drafted him in the fall. Ryan Smyth (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 2 sOG) had scored five times in five games coming in here and Marco Sturm (1A, +1, 0:54 PP, 2 SOG) ended a brief three-game pointless skid here. Jarret Stoll (1G, -1, 2 SOG) had two points in seven games coming in and he was hit with a puck in the face late in this one, so double-check his injury status if he's on your roster.
BUFFALO SABRES 3 @ SAN JOSE SHARKS 0
Goaltending match-up: Ryan Miller (36/36) vs. Antero Niittymaki (19/22, .864 SV%)
Combos: Thomas Vanek - Tim Connolly - Jason Pominville/ Tyler Ennis - Jochen Hecht - Drew Stafford/ Luke Adam - Rob Niedermayer - Cody McCormick/ Paul Gaustad - Mike Grier/ Andrej Sekera - Tyler Myers/ Jordan Leopold - Steve Montador/ Mike Weber - Shaone Morrisonn/ Craig Rivet
Scratches: Butler, Kaleta, Gerbe
Top PP times: Leopold (2:38), Connolly (2:38), Vanek (2:38), Stafford (2:22), Myers (2:22)
Trending: Thomas Vanek (1G, 2 SOG) opened the New Year with B2B two-pointers and made another scoring summary appearance here. Drew Stafford's (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) career has been best-described as inconsistent, but give the man credit for the 20 points in 24 GP coming in here. He's done the job when healthy this year, at least so far. Jordan Leopold (1A, 2 SOG) ended a four-game pointless skid, while Tyler Ennis (1A, +1, 1:03 PP, 2 SOG) had nadda in five before this effort. Jochen Hecht's (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 1:03 PP, 1 SOG) point streak has been extended to six games with points in eight of nine.
Combos: Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Dany Heatley/ Ryane Clowe - Logan Couture - Benn Ferriero/ Jamie McGinn - Torrey Mitchell - Devin Setoguchi/ Brandon Mashinter - Scott Nichol - Jamal Mayers/ Douglas Murray - Dan Boyle/ Kent Huskins - Marc-Edouard Vlasic/ Niclas Wallin - Jason Demers
Scratches: Pavelski, Joslin
Top PP times: Boyle (6:49), Demers (4:42), Heatley (4:33), Marleau (4:17), Thornton (4:17)
Trending: The only thing worthwhile for the Sharks tonight was Dany Heatley (11 SOG) breaking the former franchise record of shots in a game, which was 10.
