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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 3 @ BUFFALO SABRES 2
Goaltending match-up: Ilya Bryzgalov (29/31, .935 SV%) vs. Ryan Miller (8/11, .727 SV%) & Jhonas Enroth (15/15)
Combos: Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jaromir Jagr/ James van Riemsdyk - Sean Couturier - Jakub Voracek/ Andreas Nodl - Max Talbot - Wayne Simmonds/ Jody Shelley - Ben Holmstrom - Zac Rinaldo/ Matt Carle - Erik Gustafsson/ Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn/ Andreas Lilja - Andrej Meszaros
Scratches: Read, Zolnierczyk, Briere
Top PP times: Jagr (4:48), Hartnell (4:03), Carle (3:53), Voracek (3:11), JVR (2:50)
Trending: Claude Giroux (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) posted 76 points last season in a breakout campaign and he already had 7-8-15 in 11 GP coming in here. Jaromir Jagr (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) came into this one with 96 points in 73 career GP vs. BUF and his current point streak is at five games. He maintained his point-per-game average too. Scott Hartnell (1G, +1, 3 SOG) has come alive on this line and he already had nine points in four games headed in here. James van Riemsdyk (1G, +2, 1 SOG) has points in two of three after four without one. Jakub Voracek (1A, 2 PIM, 3 SOG) had 50 and 46-point seasons coming into this one with his new team and he had five points in 11 GP coming in here. Not exactly lighting the world on fire yet. Sean Couturier (1G, +1, 1:57 PP, 2 SOG) had been blanked in his past five.
Combos: Thomas Vanek - Ville Leino - Jason Pominville/ Nathan Gerbe - Luke Adam - Drew Stafford/ Brad Boyes - Derek Roy - Patrick Kaleta/ Matt Ellis - Paul Gaustad - Cody McCormick/ Christian Ehrhoff - Jordan Leopold/ Tyler Myers - Andrej Sekera/ Mike Weber - Robyn Regehr/
Scratches: Gragnani, Ennis
Top PP times: Roy (5:12), Pominville (5:12), Myers (5:01), Boyes (4:56), Vanek (3:50)
Trending: Thomas Vanek (1A, +2, 2 SOG) had already tallied 15 points in his 10 games coming in. Jason Pominville (1A, +1, 5 SOG) had 5-9-14 before adding more here. Luke Adam (1G, 1A, +2, 3:11 PP, 1 SOG) has helpers in each of his past four outings. Andrej Sekera (1G, +1, no PP, 3 SOG) had a few points in the first few games, but then zeroes until tonight. Jordan Leopold (1A, 2:55 PP, 2 SOG) ended a five-game pointless skid here.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 5 @ NEW JERSEY DEVILS 3
Goaltending match-up: Jonas Gustavsson (19/22, .864 SV%) vs. Martin Brodeur (18/23, .783 SV%). This was Brodeur's first post-injury game since his last start on October 13th. Patience. His stats will be there. He had a save in this game that'll be in every highlight package... check it out. Johan Hedberg, incidentally, will start Thursday. Not a shock there with a B2B situation and Brodeur fresh off the IR.
Combos: Joffrey Lupul - Tim Connolly - Phil Kessel/ Clarke MacArthur - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin/ Matthew Lombardi - Tyler Bozak - Joey Crabb/ Philippe Dupuis - Dave Steckel - Mike Brown/ Carl Gunnarsson - Dion Phaneuf/ Mike Komisarek - John-Michael Liles/ Jake Gardiner - Luke Schenn
Scratches: Franson, Orr, Rosehill
Top PP times: Phaneuf (2:59), Liles (2:25), Connolly (2:09), Kessel (2:09), Lupul (2:09)
Trending: Phil Kessel (2A, +3, 4 SOG) now has six multi-pointers on the season and he’s racking up points left and right. Joffrey Lupul (3G, +3, 5 SOG) still hasn’t gone more than a single game without a point this year. I checked his game logs and his last hat trick was back in ’07-8. He actually had two of them in three games in mid-December that season. One of them was a 3G, 3A effort against the Pens in an 8-2 win. Tim Connolly (2A, +1, no SOG) had two points in three games before this outing. Mikhail Grabovski (1G, 1A, +2, 1:42 PP, 2 SOG) has points in three in a row now for the first time this season with goals in four of his past seven. John-Michael Liles (1A, +3, no SOG) had tallied seven points before this outing, while Matthew Lombardi (1A, 0:09 PP, 1 SOG) has points in three of five. Jake Gardiner (1A, 0:52 PP, no SOG) has points in four of his past seven now.
Combos: Zach Parise - Adam Henrique - Ilya Kovalchuk/ Petr Sykora - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus/ Mattias Tedenby - Ryan Carter - David Clarkson/ Cam Janssen - Brad Mills - Nick Palmieri/ Henrik Tallinder - Adam Larsson/ Andy Greene - Mark Fayne/ Bryce Salvador - Anton Volchenkov
Scratches: Fraser, Pelley, Boulton
Top PP times: Larsson (3:11), Kovalchuk (3:11), Parise (3:00), Sykora (3:00), Elias (3:00)
Trending: Patrik Elias (1G, -1, 1 SOG) has been a constant for poolies so far this season. Dainius Zubrus (1G, -1, 0:15 PP, 1 SOG) had a two-goal outing against the Kings as his only pointage before tonight. Adam Henrique (1A, -2, 0:15 PP, 3 SOG) has points in two of three now and he earned the chance to open this match between the two studs, although by game's end it was Ilya Kovalchuk (1A, -2, 5 SOG) back at LW with Parise at C and Sykora at RW. Adam Larsson (1A, -2, no SOG) added his first NHL point in the second period. His single season value may be low, but there’s little room for argument he’ll be anything but a star on the blueline for years to come. David Clarkson (1G, -1, 5 PIM, 0:15 PP, 2 SOG) ended a four-game pointless streak with a breakaway goal.
PHOENIX COYOTES 4 @ COLORADO AVALANCHE 1
Goaltending match-up: Mike Smith (39/40, .975 SV%) vs. Semyon Varlamov (24/27, .889 SV%)
Combos: Lauri Korpikoski - Daymond Langkow - Shane Doan/ Ray Whitney - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata/ Taylor Pyatt - Boyd Gordon - Mikkel Boedker/ Andy Miele - Patrick O'Sullivan - Raffi Torres/ David Schlemko - Rostislav Klesla/ Keith Yandle - Derek Morris/ Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Adrian Aucoin
Scratches: Bissonette, O'Reilly
Top PP times: Yandle, Hanzal, Whitney, Vrbata, Doan (0:59)
Trending: Radim Vrbata (2G, +1, 2 PIM, 5 SOG) entered this evening on the strength of five points in his past two games. He added the ENG too. Ray Whitney (2A, +1, 1 SOG) maintained his point-per-game average and has a slight cushion now, while Martin Hanzal (1A, +1, 2 SOG) had three separate two-pointers in four games before this outing. Lauri Korpikoski (1G, +1, no PP, 3 SOG) had three points in the four prior games before tonight.
Combos: TJ Galiardi - Paul Stastny - Milan Hejduk/ Joakim Lindstrom - Matt Duchene - David Jones/ Gabriel Landeskog - Ryan O’Reilly - Daniel Winnik/ Cody McLeod - Jay McClement - Chuck Kobasew/ Erik Johnson - Jan Hejda/ Shane O’Brien - Kyle Quincey/ Ryan Wilson - Ryan O’Byrne
Scratches: Porter, Hunwick, Mueller
Top PP times: Quincey (5:16), Hejduk (4:32), Johnson (4:08), Stastny (3:57), Jones (3:32)
Trending: Ryan O'Reilly (1G, -1, 3 SOG) had his eight points in the nine games coming in here. Daniel Winnik (1A, no PP, 5 SOG) has points in five of nine.
Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.
