Twitter: @Nichols_NHLPool/ Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com
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BOSTON BRUINS 2 @ NEW YORK ISLANDERS 4
Goaltending match-up: Tim Thomas (38/41, .927 SV%) vs. Al Montoya (26/28, .929 SV%)
Combos: Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton/ Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Rich Peverley/ Mark Recchi - Chris Kelly - Michael Ryder/ Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton/ Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk/ Tomas Kaberle - Adam McQuaid/ Matt Bartkowski - Dennis Seidenberg
Scratches: Seguin, Ference, Kampfer
Top PP times: Kaberle (5:27), Chara (4:14), Bergeron (2:55), Peverley (2:48), Marchand (2:46)
Trending: Nathan Horton (1G, 2 PIM, 1:58 PP, 3 SOG) has goals in five of eight, while David Krejci (2A, 2:24 PP, 2 SOG) continued his absolutely beastly point contributions that have been streaming in since mid-January. Milan Lucic (1A, 2:11 PP, 2 SOG) has been excellent for hi s standard league fantasy owners. Zdeno Chara (1G, -1, 3 SOG) had a couple of points in the last game and then more tonight, so he’s still producing since “the incident”. Tomas Kaberle (1A, -1, no SOG) has been helping the transition game of the Bruins since the trade, but only had one point in nine games before this outing. He did reach the 40-point plateau on the season here though.
Combos: Matt Moulson - John Tavares - P.A. Parenteau/ Michael Grabner - Frans Nielsen - Kyle Okposo/ Blake Comeau - Josh Bailey - Matt Martin/ Michael Haley - Zenon Konopka - Justin DiBenedetto/ Travis Hamonic - Andrew MacDonald/ Radek Martinek - Jack Hillen/ Bruno Gervais - Milan Jurcina
Scratches: Gillies
Top PP times: Tavares (2:55), Parenteau (2:55), Moulson (2:55), Okposo (2:55), MacDonald (2:42)
Trending: John Tavares (1A, -1, 4 SOG) entered this one having already tallied one more point than last year’s 54, so it’s all gravy from here on in. Matt Moulson (1G, 1A, 4 SOG) came into tonight only two goals shy of matching last year’s total of 30. Michael Grabner (1G, +2, 0:44 PP, 7 SOG) continues to pen a great rookie season tale, while Kyle Okposo (2A, +2, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) had four points in four games headed in here. I really can’t say enough good things about P.A. Parenteau (1G, 1A, no SOG). Honestly, his actual results are really so-so in most fantasy formats, but I just really like this guy. Loved his talent level on his few call-ups with the Rangers last year and it was great to see him get a chance with the Isles and get more playing time.
CAROLINA HURRICANES 1 @ WASHINGTON CAPITALS 2
Goaltending match-up: Cam Ward (24/26, .923 SV%) vs. Braden Holtby (40/41, .976 SV%)
Combos: Cory Stillman - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu/ Jeff Skinner - Jussi Jokinen - Erik Cole/ Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose/ Drayson Bowman - Pat Dwyer - Troy Bodie/ Joni Pitkanen - Jamie McBain/ Tim Gleason - Jay Harrison/ Bryan Allen - Joe Corvo
Scratches: Joslin, Samson
Top PP times: Pitkanen (6:06), Staal (4:55), Corvo (4:53), Jokinen (4:31), Ruutu (4:22), Stillman (4:22)
Trending: Tuomo Ruutu (1G, +1, 5 SOG) had been shut down in his past four and had but one point in nine coming in here. Cory Stillman (1A, +1, 3 SOG) had five points in five games headed in here. Jamie McBain left this one injured.
Combos: Alex Ovechkin - Marcus Johansson - Mike Knuble/ Marco Sturm - Jason Arnott - Alexander Semin/ Jason Chimera - Brooks Laich - Eric Fehr/ Matt Hendricks - Boyd Gordon - Matt Bradley/ Karl Alzner - John Carlson/ Jeff Schultz - Dennis Wideman/ John Erskine - Scott Hannan
Scratches: King, Backstrom, Beagle, Sloan, Varlamov
Top PP times: Arnott (2:53), Wideman (2:41), Laich (2:10), Semin (2:10), Ovechkin (1:57)
Trending: Alex Ovechkin (1G, +1, 1 SOG) and Marcus Johansson (1A, +1, 0:43 PP, no SOG) weaved some magic in the last game against the Oilers and they connected again here. Mike Knuble (1A, +1, 0:43 PP, 1 SOG) has points in three of five now. Jason Arnott (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG) had 1-2-3 in 5 GP with the Caps before tonight.
LOS ANGELES KINGS 4 @ COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 2
Goaltending match-up: Jonathan Bernier (32/34, .941 SV%) vs. Steve Mason (18/22, .818 SV%)
Combos: Dustin Penner - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams/ Ryan Smyth - Jarret Stoll - Dustin Brown/ Alexei Ponikarovsky - Michal Handzus - Wayne Simmonds/ Kyle Clifford- Trevor Lewis - Kevin Westgarth/ Willie Mitchell - Drew Doughty/ Jack Johnson - Rob Scuderi/ Alec Martinez - Matt Greene
Scratches: Harrold, Richardson, Drewiske
Top PP times: Johnson (5:35), Kopitar (5:16), Williams (5:15), Doughty (5:09), Penner (4:55)
Trending: Since February 1, Anze Kopitar (3G, +2, 2 PIM, 4 SOG) had racked up 17 points in 17 GP coming in here. Drew Doughty (2A, +2, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) ended a four-game pointless skid here, while Jack Johnson (1A, -1, 2 SOG) had been blanked for six. Justin Williams (1G, 2A, +1, 2 PIM, 2 SO)G had four March points in his four games headed into this one. Dustin Brown (1A, +1, 3:23 PP, no SOG) had zeroes in four in a row coming in.
Combos: Rick Nash - Derick Brassard - Jakub Voracek/ Matt Calvert - Antoine Vermette - R.J. Umberger/ Derek Dorsett - Samuel Pahlsson - Scottie Upshall/ Ethan Moreau - Derek MacKenzie - Jared Boll/ Grant Clitsome - Kris Russell/ Marc Methot - Jan Hejda/ Fedor Tyutin - Sami Lepisto
Scratches: Stralman, Murray, Rivet, Clark
Top PP times: Brassard (3:30), Umberger (3:29), Russell (3:27), Nash (3:24), Tyutin (2:33)
Trending: This was Derik Brassard’s (1G, -1, 4 SOG) second game back and second time with pointage. Scottie Upshall (1G, +1, 1:43 PP, 2 SOG) had 2-0-0 in 5 GP with CBJ coming in here. Rick Nash (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 8 SOG) hit the 60-point plateau tonight and has points in three in a row after four without one. It’s not like you’d ever take him out of your lineup though, right? Fedor Tyutin (1A, no SOG) has points in two of three after five without one.
EDMONTON OILERS 1 @ DETROIT RED WINGS 2 (OT)
Goaltending match-up: Devan Dubnyk (42/44, .955 SV%) vs. Jimmy Howard (26/27, .963 SV%)
Combos: Magnus Paajarvi - Shawn Horcoff - Jordan Eberle/ Alexandre Giroux - Andrew Cogliano - Ryan Jones/ Linus Omark - Gilbert Brule - Liam Reddox/ Jean-Francois Jacques - Colin Fraser - Steve MacIntyre/ Ladislav Smid - Tom Gilbert/ Jim Vandermeer - Jeff Petry/ Jason Strudwick - Kurtis Foster
Scratches: Hall, Peckham, Hemsky, Gagner
Top PP times: Foster (3:46), Gilbert (3:41), Eberle (3:25), Brule (3:24), Horcoff (3:21)
Trending: Ryan Jones (1G, 2 PIM, 24:50 TOI, 4 SOG) has little fantasy value, but he scored the game's only goal through the first 59:35. So close. After the game, Taylor Hall immediately tweeted: "Boys played unreal road game tonight. Great game. Can't believe Cogs gets high sticked in the mouth again. Just another nick in the picasso"
Combos: Johan Franzen - Pavel Datsyuk - Danny Cleary/ Valtteri Filppula - Henrik Zetterberg - Todd Bertuzzi/ Justin Abdelkader - Mike Modano - Tomas Holmstrom/ Jiri Hudler - Darren Helm - Drew Miller/ Nicklas Lidstrom - Brad Stuart/ Jonathan Ericsson - Niklas Kronwall/ Jakub Kindl - Ruslan Salei
Scratches: Eaves, Rafalski, Draper
Top PP times: Lidstrom (9:00), Zetterberg (6:23), Datsyuk (6:09), Holmstrom (5:52), Kronwall (5:05)
Trending: Pavel Datsyuk (1G, 1A, +2, 6 SOG). Wow. Watch the OT GWG and that's why he's, well, Pavel Datsyuk. Nicklas Lidstrom (1G, +1, 6 SOG) has more points. Yadda, yadda. Johan Franzen's (1A, +1, 2:17 PP, 6 SOG) have been a bit sparse of late, so this point helped. Niklas Kronwall (1A, +1, 6 SOG) ended a four-game pointless skid here.
OTTAWA SENATORS 2 @ TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 1
Goaltending match-up: Curtis McElhinney (34/35, .971 SV%) vs. Dwayne Roloson (20/22, .909 SV%)
Combos: Colin Greening - Jason Spezza - Bobby Butler/ Erik Condra - Ryan Shannon - Marek Svatos/ Nick Foligno - Zack Smith - Chris Neil/ Ryan Potulny - Jesse Winchester - Francis Lessard/ Filip Kuba - Erik Karlsson/ Chris Phillips - Brian Lee/ Derek Smith - Sergei Gonchar
Scratches: Michalek, Alfredsson, Regin, Carkner, Leclaire
Top PP times: Karlsson (8:19), Spezza (8:14), Gonchar (7:59), Butler (6:53), Shannon (6:33)
Trending: Jason Spezza (1G, +1, 4 SOG) maintained his point-per-game post-injury pace with his first period goal, although he had only two points in five games coming in here. Erik Karlsson (1A, 4 SOG) was coming off his impressive two-goal, 10-SOG outing, while Ryan Shannon (1A, no SOG) had six points in eight games headed in. If Sergei Gonchar's (1A, +1, no SOG) not careful, he may actually make his fantasy owners finish the season with a hint of a smile. Points in 4 of 5 now. Bobby Butler (1G, +1, 4 PIM, 1 SOG) came into tonight with 6-4-10 in 13 GP. Colin Greening (1A, +1, no PP, 1 SOG) has points in four of five now.
Combos: Steven Stamkos - Vincent Lecavalier - Martin St. Louis/ Simon Gagne - Dominic Moore - Teddy Purcell/ Sean Bergenheim - Nate Thompson - Adam Hall/ Dana Tyrell - Blair Jones - Marc-Andre Bergeron/ Mattias Ohlund - Eric Brewer/ Brett Clark - Victor Hedman/ Mike Lundin - Matt Smaby
Scratches: Jones, Downie, Kubina, Ritola
Top PP times: Stamkos (6:32), Lecavalier (6:18), St. Louis (6:08), Gagne (5:34), Clark (4:31)
Trending: Martin St. Louis (1G, 2 SOG) got TB on the board and when the evening began, he needed only two points to reach another 80-point campaign. Steven Stamkos (1A, 4 SOG) was already there with 81 and needed 14 to match last year’s 95. Teddy Purcell (1A, 2:09 PP, no SOG) continues to be a depth source of points over the past while.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS 3 @ ATLANTA THRASHERS 2 (OT)
Goaltending match-up: Martin Brodeur (24/26, .923 SV%) vs. Ondrej Pavelec (27/30, .900 SV%)
Combos: Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Nick Palmieri/ Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus/ Rod Pelley - David Steckel - David Clarkson/ Vladimir Zharkvov - Jacob Josefson - Mattias Tedenby/ Colin White - Anton Volchenkov/ Henrik Tallinder - Mark Fayne/ Anssi Salmela - Andy Greene
Scratches: Fraser, Mair
Top PP times: Kovalchuk (8:00), Rolston (6:05), Elias (5:57), Zajac (5:09), Zubrus (4:45)
Trending: Travis Zajac (2G, -1, 3 SOG) has a point in four of five this month, including goals in two of four after a stretch of 10 without one. Patrik Elias (2A, 1 SOG) had 31 points in 35 GP vs. ATL coming in, while Brian Rolston (1A, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) has points in four straight and has been pretty consistent for awhile now. Ilya Kovalchuk (1G, 1A, -1, 6 SOG) hit the 50-point plateau and continues to rack up points after that horrific start.
Combos: Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler/ Chris Thorburn - Nik Antropov - Anthony Stewart/ Radek Dvorak - Tim Stapleton - Evander Kane/ Rob Schremp - Alex Burmistrov- Eric Boulton/ Tobias Enstrom - Dustin Byfuglien/ Zach Bogosian - Ron Hainsey/ Johnny Oduya - Mark Stuart
Scratches: Cormier, Maxwell
Top PP times: Byfuglien (5:50), Enstrom (5:16), Ladd (3:09), Little (3:09), Antropov (3:08)
Trending: Blake Wheeler (1G, +1, 2:59 PP, 2 SOG) had 3-3-6 in 8 GP with ATL coming into this one. Bryan Little (2A, +1, 2 SOG) had a two-pointer in four outings this month before tonight and Andrew Ladd (1A, +1, 1 SOG) continues to build on what’ll be a career high in points with his new team. Dustin Byfuglien (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 7 SOG) was back in action tonight and helped out his poolies as usual, although I'm still kind of surprised his goal was called off. Tobias Enstrom (1A, 4 PIM, 1 SOG) has B2B 50-point seasons and his next point will mark a new career high.
MINNESOTA WILD 0 @ DALLAS STARS 4
Goaltending match-up: Jose Theodore (27/31, .871 SV%) vs. Kari Lehtonen (14/14)
Combos: Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Martin Havlat/ Andrew Brunette - John Madden - Antti Miettinen/ Eric Nystrom - Matt Cullen - Chuck Kobasew/ Guillaume Latendresse - Warren Peters - Brad Saubitz/ Nick Schultz - Jared Spurgeon/ Marek Zidlicky - Greg Zanon/ Marco Scandella - Brent Burns
Scratches: Stoner, Clutterbuck, Barker
Top PP times: Cullen (4:12), Zidlicky (3:41), PMB (3:38), Havlat (3:10), Brunette (3:01)
Trending:
Combos: Loui Eriksson - Brad Richards - Tomas Vincour/ Brenden Morrow - Mike Ribeiro - Adam Burish/ Toby Petersen - Jamie Benn - Jamie Langenbrunner/ Steve Ott - Tom Wandell - Jason Williams/ Alex Goligoski - Stephane Robidas/ Mark Fistric - Karlis Skrastins/ Jeff Woywitka - Trevor Daley
Scratches: Barch, Sutherby, Fistric
Top PP times: Richards (4:58), Ribeiro (4:27), Morrow (4:27), Eriksson (3:59), Goligoski (3:38)
Trending: Jamie Benn (1G, +1, 4 PIM, 1:40 PP, 5 SOG) has goals in every single game this month. All six of them. Nice run for the youngster. This was the second game back for Brad Richards (1A, +1, 2 SOG). He was shutout in the first, but still created chances. Mike Ribeiro (1G, 1A, +2, 3 SOG) came into this one needed three points to reach 60 for the season. Loui Eriksson (1A, +1, 1 SOG) has points in six of eight now, while Trevor Daley (1G, +2, 3:05 PP, 1 SOG) has points in four of five from the back end.
ANAHEIM DUCKS 6 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE 2
Goaltending match-up: Dan Ellis (24/26, .923 SV%) vs. Brian Elliott (27/33, .818 SV%)
Combos: Bobby Ryan - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry/ Brandon McMillan - Saku Koivu - Teemu Selanne/ Brad Winchester - Todd Marchant - Dan Sexton/ Jarkko Ruutu - Kyle Chipchura - George Parros/ Lubomir Visnovsky - Toni Lydman/ Francois Beauchemin - Luca Sbisa/ Andreas Lilja - Cam Fowler
Scratches: Brookbank, Sutton, Blake
Top PP times: Fowler (3:05), Selanne (2:49), Visnovsky (2:49), Perry (2:42), Getzlaf (2:41)
Trending: Let's see.... Anaheim game? Ryan Getzlaf (1G, 2A, +1, 2 SOG). Check. Corey Perry (1G, 1A, +1, 5 SOG). Check. Bobby Ryan (1G, +2, 2 PIM, 1:02 PP, 6 SOG). Check, although he made you wait for it. This was Saku Koivu's (1G, 1A, +1, 2 PIM, 1:08 PP, 2 SOG) second game back and he has points in each of them. Teemu Selanne (2A, 2 SOG) already had 64 points in 58 GP vs. COL coming in here. Lubomir Visnovsky (1A, +1, no SOG) has been unconscious with the Ducks and his poolies have reaped the rewards.
Combos: Kevin Porter - Paul Stastny - David Jones/ Brandon Yip - Matt Duchene - Milan Hejduk/ Cody McLeod - Ryan O'Reilly - Daniel Winnik/ David Koci - Jay McClement - Philippe Dupuis/ Ryan O'Byrne - Matt Hunwick/ Ryan Wilson - Erik Johnson/ Adam Foote - Jonas Holos
Scratches: Liles, Stoa
Top PP times: Stastny (4:20), Duchene (4:20), Johnson (4:17), Hejduk (2:56), Jones (2:37)
Trending: David Jones (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) had 7-2-9 in 15 GP headed in here. Erik Johnson (1A, -2, 4 SOG) had 2-2-4 in 8 GP with COL coming into this start. Paul Stastny (1A, +1, 1 SOG) came into this clash with 12-13-25 in 32 home dates.
