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BOSTON BRUINS 4 @ PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2
Goaltending match-up: Tuukka Rask (23/25, .920 SV%) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (28/31, .903 SV%)
Combos: Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder/ Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi/ Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Tyler Seguin/ Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton/ Zdeno Chara - Steve Kampfer/ Dennis Seidenberg - Johnny Boychuk/ Matt Bartkowski - Andrew Ference
Scratches: Horton, McQuaid
Top PP times: Ryder (4:43), Savard (4:41), Kampfer (4:15), Bergeron (3:46), Chara (3:15), Seidenberg (3:15)
Trending: Zdeno Chara (1G, +1, 3 SOG) and Brad Marchand (1G, +1, 0:15 PP, 1 SOG) struck for goals 12 seconds apart fairly late in the third period to erase an 0-2 hole and then Mark Recchi (1G, 6 PIM, 3:04 PP, 2 SOG) scored the improbably GWG with 49 seconds left. Huge collapse for the Pens. Chara had a goal the last time he met the Pens Nov. 10 and he had three points in four games this month coming in. Recchi had five points in six tilts coming in here. Patrice Bergeron (2A, +2, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) carried 12 points in 11 GP before tonight. Gregory Campbell (1G, 2A, +1, 0:14 PP, 4 SOG) doesn't chip in often, but had a great night here. Michael Ryder (A, 2 SOG) ended a five-game pointless spell, while Dennis Seidenberg (2A, +2, 2 SOG) has seven points over his past nine affairs.
Combos: Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Pascal Dupuis/ Matt Cooke - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy/ Michael Rupp - Max Talbot - Chris Conner/ Dustin Jeffrey - Mark Letestu - Craig Adams/ Brooks Orpik - Kris Letang/ Paul Martin - Milan Michalek/ Alex Goligoski - Deryk Engelland
Scratches: Lovejoy, Asham, Crosby
Top PP times: Malkin (8:05), Kunitz (7:19), Letang (6:56), Goligoski (6:07), Staal (6:08)
Trending: Kris Letang (1G, -1, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) had never scored in 10 prior tries vs. BOS and had gone nine games overall without a goal coming in here. Otherwise, he's been money for poolies all season. Evgeni Malkin (1A, -2, 2 SOG) had 22 points in 21 home games coming in here, although he had just two points in seven tilts overall before this one began. Paul Martin (1A, -1, 3:24 PP, no SOG) ended a seven-game pointless stretch here and had just three points dating back to the start of December.
PHOENIX COYOTES 4 @ ST. LOUIS BLUES 3
Goaltending match-up: Jason LaBarbera (33/36, .917 SV%) vs. Jaroslav Halak (29/33, .879 SV%)
Combos: Shane Doan - Eric Belanger - Scottie Upshall/ Ray Whitney - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata/ Taylor Pyatt - Vernon Fiddler - Lee Stempniak/ Paul Bissonnette - Kyle Turris - Lauri Korpikoski/ Ed Jovanovski - Adrian Aucoin/ Keith Yandle - Derek Morris/ - Sami Lepisto - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Scratches: Schlemko, Rozsival
Top PP times: Hanzal (2:55), Whitney (2:55), Vrbata (2:55), Doan (2:37), Yandle (2:18)
Trending: Adrian Aucoin (1A, 1:23 PP, no SOG) has chipped in points of five of seven from the back end now, while Lee Stempniak (1G, +1, 0:41 PP, 5 SOG) has points in three of five after a long string of zeroes. Ed Jovanovski (1A, 2 PIM, 0:07 PP, 2 SOG) has points in three of seven. Kyle Turris (1G, 1A, +1, 0:24 PP, 5 SOG) has points in four of his past eight. Lauri Korpikoski (1G, 1A, +1, 0:24 PP, 2 SOG) had no points in four games before this multi-pointer.
Combos: Vladimir Sobotka - David Backes - Matt D'Agostini/ Brad Winchester - Jay McClement - Brad Boyes/ Alex Steen - Patrik Berglund - B.J. Crombeen/ Chris Porter - T.J. Hensick - Cam Janssen/ Roman Polak - Eric Brewer/ Carlo Colaiacovo - Erik Johnson/ Barret Jackman - Alex Pietrangelo
Scratches: Strachan
Top PP times: Steen (2:37), Berglund (2:28), Backes (1:46), Pietrangelo (1:45), Johnson (1:36)
Trending: Alex Steen's (1A, 1 SOG) hot streak continued here and he had 16 points in 17 GP coming in. Matt D'Agostini (1G, 1A, +2, 0:48 PP, 2 SOG) began the evening with a pair of two-pointers in his past three outings. David Backes (1G, +2, 5 SOG) has goals in three of four and had 19 points in 22 home games coming in. Brad Boyes (1A, -1, 2 SOG) has quietly chipped in points in seven of his past nine.
DETROIT RED WINGS 4 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE 5
Goaltending match-up: Jimmy Howard (6/10, .600 SV%) & Andrew MacDonald (15/16, .938 SV%) vs. Peter Budaj (26/30, .867 SV%)
Combos: Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Tomas Holmstrom/ Jiri Hudler - Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi/ Kris Draper - Darren Helm - Patrick Eaves/ Drew Miller - Justin Abdelkader - Jan Mursak/ Nicklas Lidstrom - Niklas Kronwall/ Jonathan Ericsson - Brian Rafalski/ Jakub Kindl - Ruslan Salei
Scratches: Tatar, Stuart, Osgood
Top PP times: Lidstrom (3:49), Rafalski (3:39), Zetterberg (3:18), Holmstrom (3:18), Franzen (3:11)
Trending: Henrik Zetterberg (1G, 1A, -3, 4 SOG) had 3 PPGs last year and he scored his 4th tonight while extending his point streak to 11 games. Make it yet another 40+ point campaign for Nicklas Lidstrom (2A, -3, 2 SOG). Brian Rafalski (1G, +1, 4 PIM, 2 SOG) hadn't scored in 22 prior tries vs. COL, but he's been sizzling all season for his fantasy owners. This was Jan Mursak's (1G, +1, no PP, 1 SOG) eighth start and first goal and point. Tomas Holmstrom (1G, 1A, -3, 2 SOG) has a point in three of six.
Combos: Milan Hejduk - Matt Duchene - Tomas Fleischmann/ 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/ Ryan Wilson - Adam Foote/ Matt Hunwick - Jonas Holos
Scratches: Shattenkirk, Koci, McLeod
Top PP times: Liles (7:13), Duchene (7:11), Fleischmann (6:51), Hejduk (6:47), Stastny (6:30)
Trending: Matt Duchene (2G, 1A, +3, 4 SOG) needed and delivered at least three points here to get back to the point-per-game plateau on the season. Paul Stastny (1G, 2 SOG) had four points in nine games coming in and David Jones (1G, 2A, +3, 3:02 PP, 1 SOG) had two different three-pointers this season to his name coming in here. Tomas Fleischmann (2A, +3, 3 SOG) had a multi-pointer, which he needed to rise back to the point-per-game mark. Brandon Yip (1A, +1, 3:17 PP, no SOG) had one point in 10 GP before tonight.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 3 @ LOS ANGELES KINGS 2
Goaltending match-up: James Reimer (30/32, .938 SV%) vs. Jonathan Quick (25/28, .893 SV%)
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/ Carl Gunnarsson - Mike Komisarek
Scratches: Lebda
Top PP times: Kessel (1:09), Bozak (1:09), Crabb (1:09), Kaberle (1:08), Versteeg (1:03)
Trending: The line of Nikolai Kulemin (1G, +1, 0:46 PP, 3 SOG), Mikhail Grabovski (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 0:46 PP, 4 SOG) and Clarke MacArthur (1A, +1, 0:46 PP, no SOG) came through with another timely goal for the Leafs in the third period and it stood up as the GWG. Phil Kessel (1G, 6 SOG) had 3G, 2A in 3 GP vs. LOS coming in and he's been producing well for the last month or so. Colby Armstrong (1A, 0:05 PP, 1 SOG) had five points in four January games coming in, while Tyler Bozak (1A, 2 SOG) had five points in six contests headed in. Kris Versteeg's (1A, 4 SOG) point contributions have been flowing for several months now, including five points in the two games leading into tonight. Darryl Boyce (1G, 0:05 PP, 1 SOG) has points in four of his six starts.
Combos: Alexei Ponikarovsky - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown/ Ryan Smyth- Michal Handzus - Justin Williams/ Marco Sturm - Jarret Stoll - Wayne Simmonds/ Kyle Clifford - Trevor Lewis - Kevin Westgarth/ Rob Scuderi - Drew Doughty/ Willie Mitchell - Jack Johnson/ Alec Martinez - Matt Greene
Scratches: Harrold, Richardson, Drewiske
Top PP times: Doughty (3:57), Kopitar (3:57), Brown (3:57), Smyth (3:46), Handzus (3:27)
Trending: Ryan Smyth (1A, 1 SOG) had eight points in six tilts headed in here and had 20 points in 21 home games as well. Jarret Stoll (1A, 2 PIM, 1:43 PP, 5 SOG) has his first three-game point streak since the eight straight in November. Wayne Simmonds (1G, no PP, 2 SOG) put the brakes on a seven-game pointless spell. Marco Sturm (17 PIM, 1:45 PP, 2 SOG) hit the PIM home run for his owners this evening.
