Twitter: @Nichols_NHLPool/ Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com
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NEW JERSEY DEVILS 1 @ BOSTON BRUINS 4
Goaltending match-up: Martin Brodeur (26/29, .897 SV%) vs. Tim Thomas (30/31, .968 SV%)
Combos: Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Nick Palmieri/ Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus/ Mattias Tedenby - Jacob Josefson - David Clarkson/ David Steckel - Adam Mair - Rod Pelley
Defensemen: Henrik Tallinder-Mark Fayne; Colin White-Anton Volchenkov; Anssi Salmela-Andy Greene.
Scratches: Fraser, Zharkov
Top PP times: Kovalchuk (1:50), Rolston (1:44), Zajac (1:07), Josefson (1:05), Tedenby (1:05)
Trending: Ilya Kovalchuk (1G, -2, 6 SOG) had been blanked in his past three games, but came into tonight four goals shy of salvaging a 30-goal campaign. Mattias Tedenby (1A, no SOG) had 5A in 5 GP coming in here, while Jacob Josefson (1A, -1, 1 SOG) had 2-3-5 in that time.
Combos: Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton/ Michael Ryder - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi/ Tyler Seguin - Chris Kelly - Rich Peverley/ Brad Marchand - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton/ Zdeno Chara - Johnny Boychuk/ Tomas Kaberle - Dennis Seidenberg/ Andrew Ference - Adam McQuaid
Scratches: Paille, Kampfer
Top PP times: Chara (5:02), Kaberle (5:01), Krejci (4:25), Horton (4:20), Lucic (4:20)
Trending: Zdeno Chara (1G, 2A, +2, 4 SOG) had five points in nine March games before tonight and Tomas Kaberle (2A, +1, 1 SOG) has points in three of five. This was his first multi-point game since Feb. 8. Milan Lucic (1G, 1A, +2, 2 SOG) had 12-13-25 in 30 home games coming in. Dennis Seidenberg (1A, +1, 3:23 PP, 3 SOG) had no March points before this evening. Patrice Bergeron (2A, +2, 2:41 PP, no SOG) has points in two of three after seven straight zeroes. Mark Recchi (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 3:23 PP, 4 SOG) added the ENG.
OTTAWA SENATORS 3 @ CAROLINA HURRICANES 4
Goaltending match-up: Curtis McElhinney (20/24, .833 SV%) vs. Cam Ward (36/39, .923 SV%)
Combos: Colin Greening - Jason Spezza - Bobby Butler/ Nick Foligno - Zack Smith - Chris Neil/ Erik Condra - Ryan Shannon - Marek Svatos/ Roman Wick - Jesse Winchester - Francis Lessard/ David Hale - Erik Karlsson/ Chris Phillips - Brian Lee/ Patrick Wiercioch - Filip Kuba
Scratches: Michalek, Alfredsson, Regin, Carkner, Gonchar
Top PP times: Karlsson (4:56), Spezza (3:59), Kuba (3:56), Shannon (3:49), Condra (3:33)
Trending: Bobby Butler (1A, 0:06 PP, no SOG) had been shut down in his past four, while Jason Spezza (2A, +1, 5 SOG) has been piling up points and had 31 in 26 vs. CAR coming in here. Just like last year, he’s been money since coming off a long injury layoff. Marek Svatos (1G, -1, 0:51 PP, 4 SOG) had 1-2-3 in 9 GP with OTT before this outing. Erik Karlsson (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) added a goal in the third and has 44 points.
Combos: Cory Stillman - Eric Staal - Erik Cole/ Jeff Skinner - Tuomo Ruutu - Jussi Jokinen/ Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose/ Drayson Bowman - Pat Dwyer - Jerome Samson/ Tim Gleason - Joe Corvo/ Derek Joslin - Bryan Allen/ Joni Pitkanen - Jay Harrison
Scratches: McBain, Bodie
Top PP times: Staal (3:19), Corvo (2:50), Skinner (2:22), Cole (2:17), Ruutu (2:17)
Trending: Eric Staal (1A, +1, 3 SOG) entered tonight’s action six points shy of the 70 he had last year. Check his injury status though. Cory Stillman (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 1:57 PP, 2 SOG) had 2-5-7 in 11 GP with CAR coming in and Erik Cole has a point in six of 10 this month. Chad LaRose (2G, +1, 0:37 PP, 2 SOG) has points in two of three and Jeff Skinner (1A, 1 SOG) had five March points and 52 points overall coming in. Tuomo Ruutu (1G, -1, 5 SOG) has points in four of six now and he began this evening two points shy of the 50-point mark. Jussi Jokinen (1A, -1, 2:02 PP, no SOG) has points in four of eight. Joni Pitkanen (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 1:46 PP, 1 SOG) has points in B2B games after six without one.
FLORIDA PANTHERS 0 @ NEW YORK RANGERS 1
Goaltending match-up: Tomas Vokoun (32/33, .970 SV%) vs. Henrik Lundqvist (22/22)
Combos: Niclas Bergfors - Marty Reasoner - Sergei Samsonov/ David Booth - Mike Santorelli - Jack Skille/ Evgeny Dadonov - Shawn Matthias - Steve Bernier/ Darcy Hordichuk - Ryan Carter - Michal Repik/ Jason Garrison - Mike Weaver/ Dmitry Kulikov - Keaton Ellerby/ Alexander Sulzer - Joe Callahan
Scratches: Weiss, Timmins, Clemmensen
Top PP times: N/A
Trending:
Combos: Brandon Dubinsky - Artem Anisimov - Ryan Callahan/ Vinny Prospal - Erik Christensen - Marian Gaborik/ Ruslan Fedotenko - Brian Boyle - Brandon Prust/ Wojtek Wolski - Derek Stepan - Mats Zuccarello/ Steve Eminger - Dan Girardi/ Ryan McDonagh - Mike Sauer/ Bryan McCabe - Matt Gilroy
Scratches: Avery, Staal, Biron
Top PP times: Gaborik (1:18), Callahan (1:18), McCabe (1:15), Prospal (1:08), Stepan (1:04)
Trending: Brandon Dubinsky (1G, +1, 0:42 PP, 5 SOG) broke a scoreless tie midway through the third and has points in six of seven now. Ryan Callahan (1A, +1, 1 SOG) had 7-7-14 in 9 GP this month before tonight. Artem Anisimov (1A, +1, no PP, 4 SOG) had racked up 10 points this month before tonight too, which was his 45th point of the season.
BUFFALO SABRES 2 @ MONTREAL CANADIENS 0
Goaltending match-up: Ryan Miller (31/31) vs. Carey Price (22/23, .957 SV%)
Combos: Thomas Vanek - Tim Connolly - Jason Pominville/ Tyler Ennis - Brad Boyes - Drew Stafford/ Nathan Gerbe - Paul Gaustad - Mark Mancari/ Rob Niedermayer - Cody McCormick - Mike Grier/ Andrej Sekera - Tyler Myers/ Jordan Leopold - Chris Butler/ Shaon Morrisonn- Mike Weber
Scratches: Montador, Kaleta, Hecht, Lalime
Top PP times: Vanek (4:58), Pominville (4:56), Leopold (4:40), Sekera (4:34), Boyes (4:14)
Trending: Tyler Myers (1A, +2, no SOG) had 4A in 2 GP before tonight and Andrej Sekera (1A, +1, no SOG) had 1-11-12 in 11 GP from the back end this month before adding more here. Nathan Gerbe (2G, +2, 0:02 PP, 3 SOG) also added the ENG and has found the back of the net five times in his past five games.
Combos: Michael Cammalleri - Lars Eller - Andrei Kostitsyn/ Travis Moen - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta/ Ryan White - David Desharnais - Benoit Pouliot/ Nigel Dawes - Andreas Engqvist - Tom Pyatt/ Hal Gill - P.K. Subban/ Roman Hamrlik - James Wisniewski/ Paul Mara - Alexandre Picard
Scratches: Plekanec, Halpern, Sopel, Weber
Top PP times: Cammalleri (2:31), Gomez (2:15), Subban (1:51), Wisniewski (1:49), Desharnais (1:49)
Trending:
WASHINGTON CAPITALS 5 @ PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 4 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Michal Neuvirth (29/33, .879 SV%) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (6/9, .667 SV%) & Brian Boucher (13/14, .929 SV%)
Combos: Brooks Laich - Nicklas Backstrom - Alexander Semin/ Jason Chimera - Marcus Johansson - Mike Knuble/ Marco Sturm - Boyd Gordon - Matt Bradley/ Matt Hendricks - Jay Beagle - Eric Fehr/ Karl Alzner - John Carlson/ Jeff Schultz - Dennis Wideman/ John Erskine - Scott Hannan/
Scratches: Ovechkin, King, Arnott, Sloan
Top PP times: Wideman (2:56), Backstrom (2:56), Laich (2:56), Semin (2:32), Fehr (2:20)
Trending: This was the second game back in the line-up for Nicklas Backstrom (1G, 1A, -1, 4 SOG) and first box score appearance. Make that eight straight 20+ goal campaigns for the durable Mike Knuble (1G, 2A, +2, 0:40 PP, 1 SOG). He’s not a fantasy star, but he’s one of those guys who can make a great complementary player. Brooks Laich (1A, -1, 2 SOG) had six March points before tonight, while Marcus Johansson (1G, 1A, +2, 0:16 PP, 3 SOG) had six points in eight tries before tonight. Dennis Wideman (1G, -2, 3 SOG) reached the 40-point plateau for the season here and added to the 6A in 10 GP he had with WAS coming in. Shootout: Hendricks, Backstrom, Semin
Combos: Scott Hartnell - Danny Briere - Ville Leino/ James van Riemsdyk - Jeff Carter - Claude Giroux/ Andreas Nodl - Mike Richards - Kris Versteeg/ Dan Carcillo - Blair Betts - Darroll Powe/ Andrej Meszaros - Matt Carle/ Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn/ Sean O'Donnell - Nick Boynton
Scratches: Pronger, Syvret, Shelley, Zherdev
Top PP times: Timonen (3:04), Richards (2:59), Hartnell (2:59), Leino (2:59), Versteeg (2:57)
Trending: Claude Giroux (1G, 1A, +2, 2:06 PP, 2 SOG) came into tonight needing four points to hit 70 for the season. Kris Versteeg (1G, +1, 5 SOG) had shot blanks in seven straight. Andrej Meszaros (1A, +1, 0:42 PP, 3 SOG) has picked up points in B2B affairs and Matt Carle (1A, +3, 1:37 PP, no SOG) has points in seven of 10. He came into tonight one point shy of last year’s mark of 35 points. Shootout: Leino, Briere
NEW YORK ISLANDERS 5 @ TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 2
Goaltending match-up: Al Montoya (36/38, .947 SV%) vs. Dwayne Roloson (23/28, .821 SV%)
Combos: Matt Moulson - John Tavares - P.A. Parenteau/ Michael Grabner - Frans Nielsen - Kyle Okposo/ Blake Comeau - Josh Bailey - Jesse Joensuu/ Matt Martin - Zenon Konopka - Michael Haley/ Travis Hamonic - Andrew MacDonald/ Jack Hillen - Radek Martinek/ Bruno Gervias - Milan Jurcina
Scratches: Gillies
Top PP times: Tavares (2:59), Parenteau (2:59), Moulson (2:38), Jurcina (1:56), MacDonald (1:51)
Trending: Josh Bailey (1G, 1:25 PP, 1 SOG) had drawn nothing in five straight before hitting the score sheet here. Michael Grabner (1G, 1A, +2, 1:32 PP, 6 SOG) came into this one four points below a 50-point campaign, so his ENG goal left him only two back. Kyle Okposo (1G, +1, 1:32 PP, 3 SOG) had nothing in four before tonight. Frans Nielsen (1G, +2, 1:43 PP, 4 SOG) had 20 points in 24 GP coming in here.
Combos: Seriously... why even bother? 11 F + 7 D = good luck with that.
Scratches: Jones, Downie, Ritola, Smaby
Top PP times: St. Louis (6:54), Lecavalier (6:51), Gagne (5:48), Stamkos (5:36), Clark (4:47)
Trending: Teddy Purcell (1A, 3:40 PP, 4 SOG) had 2-5-7 in 10 March GP coming in and Vincent Lecavalier (1A, -2, 2 PIM, 6 SOG) had 42 points in 44 GP vs. NYI before adding more here. Dominic Moore (1G, 2:23 PP, 3 SOG) has a goal in two of four.
EDMONTON OILERS 1 @ NASHVILLE PREDATORS 3
Goaltending match-up: Devan Dubnyk (27/30, .900 SV%) vs. Pekka Rinne (19/20, .950 SV%)
Combos: Ryan Jones - Andrew Cogliano - Jordan Eberle/ Magnus Paajarvi - Liam Reddox - Linus Omark/ Alexandre Giroux - Ryan O'Marra - Teemu Hartikainen/ Steve MacIntyre - Chris Vande Velde - Jason Strudwick/ Ladislav Smid - Tom Gilbert/ Kurtis Foster - Theo Peckham/ Jim Vandermeer - Jeff Petry
Scratches: Hall, Horcoff, Fraser, Jacques, Brule, Hemsky, Gagner
Top PP times: Gilbert (3:02), Jones (2:35), Foster (2:35), Cogliano (2:35), Eberle (2:35)
Trending: Jordan Eberle (1G, -1, 1 SOG) has been averaging a point per game against the Preds this season and he has goals in B2B games now. He’s closing in on the magical 42-point mark, which is where all Oilers players collect before they explode. Speaking of which, check the injury status of Kurtis Foster. Andrew Cogliano (1A, -1, 3 SOG) has a point in three of four.
Combos: Martin Erat - David Legwand - Joel Ward/ Patric Hornqvist - Mike Fisher - Sergei Kostitsyn/ Jerred Smithson - Nick Spaling - Jordin Tootoo/ Colin Wilson - Blake Geoffrion - J.P. Dumont/ Ryan Suter - Shea Weber/ Shane O'Brien - Cody Franson/ Jonathon Blum - Kevin Klein
Scratches: Halischuk
Top PP times: Weber, Suter, Kostitsyn, Fisher, Hornqvist (2:18)
Trending: Sergei Kostitsyn (1A, 2 PIM, 2 SOG) had four points in three tilts headed in and Patric Hornqvist (1G, +1, 3 SOG) had a 2A game against the Wings, but has otherwise been really quiet this month. Martin Erat (1G, +2, 1:53 PP, 3 SOG) had racked up 11 points in 10 GP this month coming in. Shea Weber (1A, +1, 1 SOG) had collected five points in seven affairs headed in and Ryan Suter (2A, +1, 2 SOG) has a point in four straight with two different multi-point efforts in that span.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 3 @ MINNESOTA WILD 0
Goaltending match-up: James Reimer (29/29) vs. Niklas Backstrom (14/17, .824 SV%)
Combos: Clarke MacArthur - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin/ Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel/ Fredrik Sjostrom - Nazem Kadri - Joey Crabb/ Jay Rosehill - Tim Brent - Mike Brown/ Dion Phaneuf - Keith Aulie/ Luke Schenn - Carl Gunnarsson/ Matt Lashoff - Brett Lebda
Scratches: Komisarek, Armstrong, Boyce, Gustavsson
Top PP times: Phaneuf (5:23), Kessel (4:42), Lupul (4:34), Kadri (4:18), Gunnarsson (3:53)
Trending: Joffrey Lupul (1G, +1, 2 SOG) has picked up a point in five of nine now. Phil Kessel’s (1A, +1, 2 SOG) first period point tied him with last year’s output of 55 points. Tyler Bozak (1A, +1, 3:24 PP, 1 SOG) has points in four of six. Naturally, a Toronto game would not be complete with a contribution from the consistent trio of Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 1A, +1, 2 PIM, 3:11 PP, 1 SOG), Nikolai Kulemin (2A, +1,3:07 PP, no SOG) and Clarke MacArthur (1A, +1, 3:07 PP, 1 SOG).
Combos: Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen/ Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Martin Havlat/ Matt Cullen - John Madden - Cal Clutterbuck/ Eric Nystrom - Chuck Kobasew - Brad Staubitz/ Nick Schultz - Brent Burns/ Clayton Stoner - Jared Spurgeon/ Greg Zanon - Nate Prosser
Scratches: Zidlicky, Scandella, Barker, Peters, Latendresse
Top PP times: Koivu (7:28), Brunette (6:46), Burns (5:53), Miettinen (5:49), Cullen (5:11)
Trending:
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 4 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE 5 (SO)
Goaltending match-up: Steve Mason (28/32, .875 SV%) vs. Brian Elliott (29/33, .879 SV%)
Combos: Rick Nash - Derick Brassard - Jakub Voracek/ Scottie Upshall - Antoine Vermette - R.J. Umberger/ Jared Boll - Derek MacKenzie - Matt Calvert/ Ethan Moreau - Samuel Pahlsson - Derek Dorsett/ Sami Lepisto - Jan Hejda/ Marc Methot - Fedor Tyutin/ Kris Russell - Craig Rivet
Scratches: Stralman, Clitsome, Murray, Clark
Top PP times: Russell (2:15), Nash (2:06), Voracek (2:00), Brassard (2:00), Umberger (2:00)
Trending: Rick Nash (1G, 3 SOG) came into this one two points back of last year's 67 points and had nine points in eight games before today. Kris Russell (1A, +1, 3 SOG) has points in six of 11. Derick Brassard (1A, +1, 1 SOG) has a point in four of eight now. R.J. Umberger (2G, +2, 4 SOG) had 55 points last season and came into tonight four shy of that. Derek MacKenzie (1G, 1A, +2, no PP, 1 SOG) had five points in nine games before this multi-pointer.
Combos: David Jones - Paul Stastny - Milan Hejduk/ Mark Olver - Matt Duchene - Daniel Winnik/ Ryan Stoa - Ryan O'Reilly - Kevin Porter/ Jay McClement - Cody McLeod - Brandon Yip/ Ryan Wilson - Erik Johnson/ John-Michael Liles - Ryan O'Byrne/ Matt Hunwick - Jonas Holos
Scratches: Dupuis, Koci, Foote
Top PP times: Stastny (3:29), Liles (3:19), Johnson (3:15), Jones (3:05), Duchene (3:04)
Trending: Matt Duchene (2G, +1, 4 SOG) has points in five straight with goals in three of four. Ryan O'Reilly (1G, -1, 2 PIM, 2:38 PP, 2 SOG) has potted goals in four of eight. Kevin Porter (1A, -2, 2:49 PP, 2 SOG) has points in B2B starts after a dry stretch. Mark Olver (2A, +2, 2:05 PP, 2 SOG) has points in three of four. Daniel Winnik (1G, 1A, +2, 0:16 PP, 3 SOG) scored the clutch GTG in the dying seconds on the PP and has points in three of five. Shootout: Hejduk
ST. LOUIS BLUES 1 @ PHOENIX COYOTES 2
Goaltending match-up: Jaroslav Halak (21/23, .913 SV%) vs. Ilya Bryzgalov (29/30, .967 SV%)
Combos: Andy McDonald - David Backes - Chris Stewart/ Philip McRae - Patrik Berglund - Matt D'Agostini/ Chris Porter - T.J. Oshie - B.J. Crombeen/ Ryan Reaves - Adam Cracknell - Cam Janssen/ Nikita Nikitin - Alex Pietrangelo/ Ian Cole - Roman Polak/ Kevin Shattenkirk - Tyson Strachan
Scratches: Jackman, Steen, Colaiacovo
Top PP times: Shattenkirk (1:22), Pietrangelo (1:12), Stewart (1:30), Berglund (1:30), McDonald (1:30)
Trending: Chris Stewart (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG) had a five-game pointless skid coming into this outing. Kevin Shattenkirk (1G, -1, 4 SOG) has points in four of eight from the back end.
Combos: Ray Whitney - Eric Belanger - Shane Doan/ Mikkel Boedker - Lauri Korpikoski - Radim Vrbata/ Taylor Pyatt - Vernon Fiddler - Lee Stempniak/ Paul Bissonnette - Kyle Turris - Andrew Ebbett/ Keith Yandle - Derek Morris/ David Schlemko - Michal Rozsival/ Rostislav Klesla- Adrian Aucoin
Scratches: Hanzal, Ekman-Larsson, MacLean
Top PP times: Yandle (5:30), Doan (4:57), Whitney (4:32), Korpikoski (4:18), Vrbata (4:18)
Trending: Ray Whitney (1G, +2, 7 SOG) entered tonight five points back of last year's mark of 58 points. Radim Vrbata (2A, +2, 1 SOG) had six points in five affairs before this outing. Lauri Korpikoski (1G, 1A, +2, 2 SOG) had five points in seven tilts before this night.
