Twitter: @Nichols_NHLPool/ Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 6 @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 2
Goaltending match-up: Dwayne Roloson (30/32, .938 SV%) vs. James Reimer (24/29, .828 SV%) & Jean-Sebastien Giguere (6/7, .857 SV%)
Combos: Good luck with that. Round and round they go, where they'll stop... only Guy Boucher knows.
Scratches: Jones, Downie, Kubina, Smaby
Top PP times: N/A
Trending: Both Martin St. Louis (2A, +1, 1 SOG) and Steven Stamkos (2A, +1, no SOG) added multi-point third periods to satisfy their owners' cravings for points. Teddy Purcell (3A, +3, 1 SOG) had collected 19 points in 20 GP coming into this Monday night match-up. Brett Clark (2A, +4, 2 SOG) has points in two of three after six without one.
Combos: Clarke MacArthur - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin/ Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel/ Colby Armstrong - Darryl Boyce - Joey Crabb/ Fredrik Sjostrom - Tim Brent - Mike Brown/ Dion Phaneuf - Keith Aulie/ Luke Schenn - Carl Gunnarsson/ Mike Komisarek - Brett Lebda
Scratches: Rosehill, Gustavsson
Top PP times: Phaneuf (4:53), Kessel (3:36), Lupul (3:24), Bozak (3;11), Gunnarsson (3:01)
Trending: Dion Phaneuf (1G, -1, 2 SOG) has only his second three-game point streak of the season, but the points have been flowing more freely of late. Nikolai Kulemin (1G, -1, 2:09 PP, 2 SOG) also scored a goal for me tonight and reached the 50-point plateau in the process. Joffrey Lupul (1A, -3, 4 SOG) has points in four of five, while Tim Brent (1A, 2:58 PP, no SOG) had three points in three games coming in here.
SAN JOSE SHARKS 3 @ CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 6
Goaltending match-up: Antti Niemi (14/18, .778 SV%) & Antero Niittimaki (14/16, .875 SV%) vs. Corey Crawford (33/36, .917 SV%)
Combos: Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Devin Setoguchi/ Ryane Clowe - Logan Couture - Dany Heatley/ Torrey Mitchell - Joe Pavelski - Kyle Wellwood/ Ben Eager - Andrew Desjardins - Jamal Mayers/ Douglas Murray - Dan Boyle/ Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Jason Demers/ Niclas Wallin - Ian White
Scratches: Braun
Top PP times: Boyle (4:02), Heatley (3:00), Marleau (2:53), Clowe (2:47), White (2:27)
Trending: Joe Thornton (1G, -1, 1:45 PP, 1 SOG) also scored the last time he faced the Hawks and he already had 40 points in 33 GP vs. CHI coming in. He only had 22 points in 35 road tilts before tonight. Joe Pavelski (1G, 1A, -1, 2:12 PP, 4 SOG) had two points in six games this month headed in here, so this multi-pointer was welcome. Patrick Marleau (2A, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) hasn’t gone more than three games without a point since early December. Dan Boyle (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 6 SOG) has points in each of his two games back and he also reached the 40-point plateau here.
Combos: Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Patrick Kane/ Troy Brouwer - Michael Frolik - Marian Hossa/ Viktor Stalberg - Ryan Johnson - Tomas Kopecky/ Fernando Pisani - Jake Dowell - Bryan Bickell/ Duncan Keith - Nick Leddy/ Chris Campoli - John Scott/ Niklas Hjalmarsson - Brent Seabrook
Scratches: Hendry, Bolland, Campbell
Top PP times: Keith (6:51), Sharp (6:36), Toews (6:04), Hossa (6:04), Kane (6:04)
Trending: This was Patrick Sharp’s (4A, +2, 2 SOG) best single-game output of the season and he also vaulted himself into career high pointage here. He came into tonight two points shy of last year’s mark of 66. Marian Hossa (2G, 6 SOG) had 14-7-21 in 20 GP vs. SJ coming in here and he has goals in eight of his past 11 starts. Patrick Kane (1G, 1A, +2, 2 SOG) improved upon his point-per-game average, while Jonathan Toews (1G, 1A, +2, 4 SOG) broke his prior career high of 69 points here and he’s into 70+ territory for the first time. Tomas Kopecky (2A, +2, 3:10 PP, 1 SOG) only had two points on the month coming in, but hit the 40-point plateau for the season here. Brent Seabrook (1A, +2, 3:22 PP, 1 SOG) came into this one needing two points to reach 40.
MINNESOTA WILD 2 @ VANCOUVER CANUCKS 4
Goaltending match-up: Niklas Backstrom (18/21, .857 SV%) vs. Roberto Luongo (33/35, .943 SV%)
Combos: Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen/ Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Martin Havlat/ Matt Cullen - John Madden - Cal Clutterbuck/ Eric Nystrom - Warren Peters - Chuck Kobasew/ Nick Schultz - Brent Burns/ Clayton Stoner - Greg Zanon/ Jared Spurgeon - Marek Zidlicky
Scratches: Barker, Latendresse, Staubitz
Top PP times: Havlat (6:46), Burns (6:43), Koivu (6:14), Brunette (6:14), PMB (5:47),
Trending: Mikko Koivu (1G, 1A, +1, 5 SOG) was back in action here after missing time with a broken finger. He had 31 points in 29 games away from home coming in and needless to say, he made an immediate impact for his poolies. Andrew Brunette (1G, 1A, +1, 3 SOG) has points in three of seven this month. Brent Burns (1A, +1, 5 SOG) tied his career high of 43 points on Minnesota's second goal.
Combos: Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows/ Mason Raymond - Ryan Kesler - Mikael Samuelsson/ Raffi Torres - Manny Malhotra - Jannik Hansen/ Chris Higgins - Maxim Lapierre - Jeff Tambellini/ Dan Hamhuis - Christian Ehrhoff/ Aaron Rome - Sami Salo/ Keith Ballard - Chris Tanev
Scratches: Glass
Top PP times: Ehrhoff, Kesler, Samuelsson, Sedins (1:16)
Trending: Daniel Sedin (1G, -1, 2 SOG) came into tonight with 39 points in 56 GP vs. MIN, while Henrik Sedin (1A, -1, 1 SOG) had 46 in 60. Mikael Samuelsson (2A, -1, 1 SOG) has points in five straight and he began the night needing three points to hit 50 for the season. Ryan Kesler (2G, 4 PIM, 7 SOG) had a two-point effort the last time he faced the Wild and he has points in four in a row after having two in nine. Christian Ehrhoff (2A, -1, no SOG) had six points in five games before tonight. Jannik Hansen (1A, +2, 2 PIM, 1 SOG) had three points in March before tonight. Sami Salo left this one with an apparent injury. Don't say it.
