Thursday's live Q&A wrap Video: Viva la keeper league!
Refresh your browser throughout the night to get line combos from every team in action, along with stats, streaks and rants that'll help you get the edge in your pool.
SENATORS 4 @ BRUINS 6 Coming in: Ottawa (13-19-6) had lost six of seven games on this eight-game roadie with only three points to show for it. Boston (29-7-4) had lost two in a row for the first time since October.
Goaltending match-up: Martin Gerber (16/21, .762 SV%) vs. Tim Thomas (26/30, .867 SV%) Net notes: Gerber gave up four goals in his last start vs. BOS and gave up three in his only start of 2009 coming in here. Thomas had an impressive 9-5-2 mark vs. OTT in his career with 22.05/ .939 splits.
Ottawa line combos Dany Heatley Jason Spezza Daniel Alfredsson Nick Foligno Mike Fisher Chris Neil Chris Kelly Antoine Vermette Brad Winchester
Boston line combos Chuck Kobasew Marc Savard Phil Kessel Blake Wheeler David Krejci Michael Ryder P.J. Axelsson Stephane Yelle Shawn Thornton
Key notes: Jason Spezza's (1A, -3, 18:11 ice time, 1:01 PP, no PK, 4 SOG, 9-4 FO) point streak is at five games now and he had 10 points in nine starts before tonight. Dany Heatley (1A, -4, 2 PIM, 18:54 ice time, 1:01 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) had an assist the last time these teams met and he came into this one with eight points in eight games.
Antoine Vermette (1G, 1A, +2, 22:12 ice time, 0:44 PP, 3:28 PK, 4 SOG, 13-9 FO) had five points in eight affairs before this one, while Chris Neil (1A, even, 5 PIM, 11:07 ice time, 0:15 PP, no PK, no SOG) got his first point since early November. He has been chipping in healthy PIM totals though and he fought again tonight.
Chris Kelly (1G, 1A, +1, 22:13 ice time, 0:44 PP, 3:28 PK, 4 SOG) has goals in two of three with points in five of 11. Brendan Bell (1G, -1, 2 PIM, 22:20 ice time, 1:11 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) has scored in two of three.
Marc Savard (1G, 2A, +3, 20:17 ice time, 3:28 PP, 0:27 PK, 2 SOG, 8-7 FO) was already nine points above the point-per-game average here before making yet another scoring summary appearance. He had three helpers in his last game vs. OTT. Chuck Kobasew (1G, 1A, +2, 18:59 ice time, 2:00 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) was on that line tonight and ended a five-game goalless slide. Phil Kessel (1A, +1, 16:47 ice time, 0:32 PP, no PK, 4 SOG, 0-1 FO) had three points in six games before tonight, but has been generally excellent.
David Krejci (1G, 1A, +2, 15:56 ice time, 0:32 PP, 0:41 PK, 3 SOG, 3-6 FO) had points in 19 of 20 before being shutout in his past two. Michael Ryder (1G, 1A, +3, 15:52 ice time, 3:28 PP, no PK, 5 SOG) had 12 points in 16 GP coming in, while Blake Wheeler (1A, +3, 2 PIM, 14:54 ice time, 0:32 PP, no PK, no SOG, 0-1 FO) had 15 points in 18 tilts before this evening.
Dennis Wideman (1A, -1, 26:32 ice time, 3:28 PP, 0:41 PK, 2 SOG) had seven points in six games coming in and he's having another strong campaign for his owners. P.J. Axelsson (1G, even, 15:32 ice time, 1:28 PP, 1:43 PK, 1 SOG) has goals in two of four with five points in five games after tonight.
THRASHERS 4 @ DEVILS 0 Coming in: Atlanta (13-23-5) hadn't won two straight games since mid-November and had just five of them since the start of December. New Jersey (23-13-3) hadn't lost more than two straight since a four-game losing streak in early-to-mid November.
Goaltending match-up: Kari Lehtonen (29/29) vs. Scott Clemmensen (16/19, .842 SV%) & Kevin Weekes (4/5, .800 SV%) Net notes: Lehtonen had given up 10 goals in three 2009 starts coming in, while Clemmensen had given up seven but had generally produced fairly strong results for his poolies. This was Lehtonen's first shutout of the season and 12th of his career in his 169th start.
Atlanta line combos Ilya Kovalchuk Erik Christensen Jason Williams Slava Kozlov Todd White Colby Armstrong Eric Perrin Marty Reasoner Joey Crabb
New Jersey line combos Zach Parise Travis Zajac Jamie Langenbrunner Patrik Elias Dainius Zubrus Brian Gionta Brian Rolston Bobby Holik David Clarkson
Key notes: Ilya Kovalchuk (1G, 1A, +1, 18:54 ice time, 4:10 PP, 1:11 PK, 6 SOG) has goals in four of five with points in five of six and multi-point games in two of four. Slava Kozlov (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 16:43 ice time, 4:06 PP, 0:21 PK, no SOG) had 16 points in 18 starts before tonight and has been consistent all season. Todd White (2A, +1, 17:28 ice time, 3:43 PP, 1:59 PK, 1 SOG, 12-13 FO) is another guy who has been putting up the points with regularity and he had 15 points in 14 starts before tonight.
Colby Armstrong (1G, +1, 15:22 ice time, 2:10 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) scored six times in nine games to close out December, but had no points in three January games until tonight. Marty Reasoner (1G, +1, 16:21 ice time, 0:11 PK, 5:29 PK, 1 SOG, 8-8 FO) hadn't scored since the middle of last month and although he has points in two of four, he's generally not a good add in most pools.
Joey Crabb (1A, +1, 15:10 ice time, 1:04 PP, 4:56 PK, 3 SOG, 0-1 FO) has points in three of six now, while Ron Hainsey (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 20:48 ice time, 3:53 PP, 3:11 PK, 2 SOG) stopped a six-game pointless slide tonight.
WILD 1 @ FLYERS 3 Coming in: Minnesota (20-16-3) had won the first two games of this four-affair road trip with nary a goal against to this point, while Philadelphia (21-10-9) finished up its six-game roadie with a respectable 2-2-2 mark.
Goaltending match-up: Niklas Backstrom (20/23, .870 SV%) vs. Martin Biron (27/28, .964 SV%) Net notes: Backstrom had faced this Flyers team only once in his career with three goals allowed in a loss. Biron had a 2-2-0 record vs MIN coming in with solid 2.27/ .913 peripherals.
Minnesota line combos Andrew Brunette Mikko Koivu Pierre-Marc Bouchard Owen Nolan Eric Belanger Antti Miettinen Stephane Veilleux James Sheppard Cal Clutterbuck
Philadelphia line combos Simon Gagne Mike Richards Mike Knuble Scott Hartnell Jeff Carter Scottie Upshall Arron Asham Glen Metropolit Andreas Nodl
Key notes: Kim Johnsson (1A, +1, 22:12 ice time, 5:24 PP, no PK, no SOG) had two points since the start of December before finding the scoring summary tonight. Stephane Veilleux (1G, even, 10:28 ice time, 0:50 PP. no PK, 2 SOG) had five goals on the year coming in and three of them had come in the past eight.
Mike Richards (1A, even, 22:04 ice time, 0:07 PP, 6:30 PK, 3 SOG, 17-6 FO) had no points in his other two career games vs. MIN and he had a single three-assist effort as his sole contribution in five starts coming in here. Mike Knuble (1G, even, 4 PIM, 19:21 ice time, 0:07 PP, 4:55 PK, 1 SOG) had a two-point game in eight starts as his only scoring summary appearance before tonight. Kimmo Timonen (1A, -1, 25:33 ice time, 0:07 PP, 10:47 PK, 1 SOG) has points back-to-back after four with none. He had 10 points in six games before that.
Scott Hartnell (1G, +2, 6 PIM, 17:41 ice time, no PP, 0:58 PK, 3 SOG, 0-1 FO) had only scored twice against MIN in his career before tonight. He had 16 points and 35 PIM in 17 GP overall headed in here. Scottie Upshall (1G, 1A, +2, 12:06 ice time, no PP, no PK, 4 SOG) has helpers in three in a row now.
LEAFS 2 @ CANADIENS 6 Coming in: Toronto (16-18-6) had 10 of 15 on the road beginning with this one, while Montreal (23-10-6) beat the Rangers last night at MSG and had gone 7-1-1 in its past nine.
Goaltending match-up: Vesa Toskala (16/21, .762 SV%) & Curtis Joseph (7/8, .875 SV%) vs. Jaroslav Halak (30/32, .938 SV%) Net notes: Toskala had a 5-2-1 career mark vs. MON before tonight with 3.08/ .889 peripherals. Halak had played the Leafs three times with just seven total goals against.
Toronto line combos Alexei Ponikarovsky Matt Stajan Nik Antropov Niklas Hagman Mikhail Grabovski Brad May Jason Blake Dominic Moore Lee Stempniak
Montreal line combos Max Pacioretty Tomas Plekanec Alexei Kovalev Andrei Kostitsyn Robert Lang Sergei Kostitsyn Tom Kostopoulos Maxim Lapierre Guillaume Latendresse
Key notes: Matt Stajan (1G, +1, 16:46 ice time, 2:25 PP, 3:13 PK, 4 SOG, 9-8 FO) was back in the line-up tonight for the Leafs, while Brad May (-2, 7 PIM, 9:15 ice time, 0:53 PP, no PK, 1 SOG, 0-1 FO) played his first game for his new team and fought.
Mikhail Grabovski (-1, 22 PIM, 12:47 ice time, 2:00 PP, 0:27 PK, 2 SOG, 4-5 FO), Jason Blake (even, 10 PIM, 15:15 ice time, 2:17 PP, 4:12 PK, 2 SOG) and Ian White (even, 10 PIM, 20:52 ice time, 2:54 PP, 5:48 PK, 3 SOG) scored big PIM evenings for their owners.
Nik Antropov (1A, even, 17:51 ice time, 2:23 PP, 3:58 PK, 1 SOG, 0-1 FO) has helpers in three of five as his only contributions in eight games. Tomas Kaberle (1G, -2, 20:48 ice time, 4:31 PP, 1:06 PK, 2 SOG) had nadda in three before tonight, but he closed out December with 10 points in 11 GP.
Patrice Brisebois (3A, +1, 19:03 ice time, 5:51 PP, 0:38 PK, 1 SOG) had eight points all season before tonight, although five of them had come since December 11th before this multi-point effort. Sergei Kostitsyn (1G, +1, 20 PIM, 11:50 ice time, 4:16 PP, 1:50 PK, 2 SOG) has points in two of three after five with none and he netted monster PIM stats here, while Andrei Kostitsyn (1G, 2A, +1, 15:48 ice time, 5:22 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) had seven points in six affairs before this one.
Guillaume Latendresse (1G, +1, 12 PIM, 14:05 ice time, 3:16 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) has goals back-to-back with points in three straight and five of six. Tomas Plekanec (1A, +1, 12 PIM, 14:52 ice time, 3:22 PP, 2:37 PK, 3 sOG, 9-8 FO) has five points in seven tilts now, so he's starting to pick it up. Robert Lang (1A, +2, 17:24 ice time, 6:00 PP, 2:05 PK, 1 SOG, 9-8 FO) had a hat trick last night @MSG and he has six points in three games.
Alexei Kovalev (1G, 1A, +2, 19:12 ice time, 4:19 PP, 3:20 PK, 3 SOG) has goals back-to-back with 15 points over his last 17 GP. Maxim Lapierre (1G, 1A, +2, 4 PIM, 15:31 ice time, 1:49 PP, 0:32 PK, 5 SOG, 3-6 FO) has six points in his last six starts now. Max Pacioretty (1G, +1, 12:07 ice time, 3:15 PP, 0:25 PK, 3 SOG) has goals in two of his four NHL games to date with points in three of them.
HURRICANES 2 @ PANTHERS 4 Coming in: Carolina (21-15-5) won its fourth straight with a victory over New Jersey Tuesday. Florida (18-16-6) went 2-1-1 on its past four-game road excursion.
Goaltending match-up: Cam Ward (27/30, .900 SV%) vs. Tomas Vokoun (31/33, .939 SV%) Net notes: Ward had won four in a row with six total goals against coming in here, while Vokoun has been hot and cold this season. He had a few shutouts several weeks ago, but has also been pulled a few times since then.
Carolina line combos Sergei Samsonov Eric Staal Tuomo Ruutu Ray Whitney Rod Brind'Amour Justin Williams Chad LaRose Matt Cullen Scott Walker
Florida line combos David Booth Nathan Horton Richard Zednik Cory Stillman Stephen Weiss Michael Frolik Ville Peltonen Gregory Campbell Radek Dvorak
Key notes: Anton Babchuk (1G, +2, 20:01 ice time, no PP, 1:20 PK, 2 SOG) has been showing up in the summaries lately and he has goals in three of six with points in five of those six. Matt Cullen (1A, even, 15:42 ice time, no PP, 1:51 PK, 2 SOG, 9-4 FO) had just three points dating back to the start of December, which is fairly low even for a third line centre. Scott Walker (1A, +1, 13:19 ice time, no PP, no PK, 3 SOG) also had just three points in that period before tonight.
Carolina's first line came through for a goal tonight. Eric Staal (1A, -1, 20:21 ice time, no PP, 0:32 PK, 5 SOG, 6-9 FO) now has 17 points in his past 15 starts. Tuomo Ruutu (1A, even, 19:26 ice time, no PP, 0:29 PK, 2 SOG) has four points in four 2009 tilts, while Sergei Samsonov (1G, even, 19:50 ice time, no PP, no PK, 4 SOG, 0-1 FO) has scored four times in five games with seven points in his past five.
David Booth (1G, 1A, +2, 18:08 ice time, 1:01 PP, no PK, 5 SOG) has points in seven straight now with nine points in that period before this evening. Richard Zednik (1A, +1, 17:03 ice time, 1:19 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) has points in two of four in January and four of 10 since getting back into the line-up. Jay Bouwmeester (1G, even, 25:24 ice time, 2:22 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) has points in three in a row. Nathan Horton (1G, +2, 17:39 ice time, 1:30 PP, no PK, 3 SOG, 2-8 FO) has seven points in 11 GP.
Ville Peltonen (1A, +1, 15:49 ice time, 0:32 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) has picked up four points in four games, while Cory Stillman (1A, even, 17:59 ice time, 1:43 PP, no PK, 3 SOG, 0-1 FO) has the same plus nine in 11 overall. Stephen Weiss (1A, even, 16:59 ice time, 1:43 PP, no PK, 3 SOG, 6-10 FO) has a five-game point streak going with 11 points in his past 10 now.
STARS 1 @ RED WINGS 6 Coming in: Dallas (17-16-5) had been off since Sunday's shootout win @VAN and had just five regulation losses since the start of December. Detroit (27-7-5) won its fourth straight by shutting out Columbus Tuesday.
Goaltending match-up: Marty Turco (14/18, .778 SV%) & Tobias Stephan (13/15, .867 SV%) vs. Chris Osgood (22/23, .957 SV%) Net notes: Turco was 3-10-5-4 vs. DET coming in with 2.78/ .902 splits, while Osgood had a 27-10-3-0 lifetime mark vs. DAL with 2.33/ .907 peripherals.
Dallas line combos Brian Sutherby Brad Richards Loui Eriksson Steve Ott Mike Ribeiro Chris Conner James Neal Mike Modano Jere Lehtinen
Detroit line combos Daniel Cleary Henrik Zetterberg Marian Hossa Johan Franzen Pavel Datsyuk Tomas Holmstrom Jiri Hudler Valtteri Filppula Mikael Samuelsson
Key notes: Trevor Daley (1A, +1, 22:58 ice time, 1:12 PP, 5:40 PK, 2 SOG) has five points in nine games now. Loui Eriksson (1G, +1, 22:56 ice time, 2:14 PP, 4:37 PK, 3 SOG) got his 21st of the year and has eight goals in his past 10 GP, although only three of them have come in the past seven.
Marian Hossa (1G, 1A, +2, 15:24 ice time, 3:38 PP, 0:32 PK, 3 SOG) is cruising at around a point-per-game pace, which is actually a bit under what you'd have expected on this team. He has goals back-to-back after seven without one though, so he'll get going and raise that ratio. Henrik Zetterberg (1G, 1A, +3, 18:36 ice time, 5:58 PP, 0:50 PK, 3 SOG, 13-6 FO) had five points in his first three games of 2009 and he's another guy due for a hot streak. Pavel Datsyuk (1G, 1A, -1, 16:29 ice time, 4:14 PP, 1:18 PK, 1 SOG, 10-5 FO) has points in 10 of 11 now and he had 20 points in that stretch before this tilt.
Daniel Cleary (1G, 1A, +1, 2 PIM, 15:05 ice time, 1:23 PP, 1:05 PK, 6 SOG, 5-0 FO) had one point in five starts before tonight, but he can one of those valuable standard league adds when he gets going because he does actually shoot the puck. Niklas Kronwall (3A, +4, 22:13 ice time, 5:01 PP, 2:36 PK, 1 SOG) had just four points dating back to the start of December, but three of them had come in five tries before this clash.
Tomas Holmstrom (1G, -1, 2 PIM, 15:05 ice time, 4:09 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) had 12 points in 14 GP before tonight's addition. Nicklas Lidstrom (1A, -1, 21:02 ice time, 6:37 PP, 1:24 PK, 1 SOG) picked up his 28th point of the season with nine in seven now.
PENGUINS 3 @ PREDATORS 5 Coming in: Pittsburgh (20-17-4) ended a season-high five-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta Tuesday. Nashville (17-19-3) was looking to end its own five-game losing skid here.
Goaltending match-up: Marc-Andre Fleury (30/34, .882 SV%) vs. Dan Ellis (5/7, .714 SV%) & Pekka Rinne (17/18, .944 SV%) Net notes: MAF had given up 11 goals in three starts before limiting Atlanta to one goal the other night. Ellis had started one other game in 2009 with three goals against.
Pittsburgh line combos Jordan Staal Sidney Crosby Tyler Kennedy Miroslav Satan Evgeni Malkin Petr Sykora Matt Cooke Max Talbot Alex Goligoski
Nashville line combos David Legwand Jason Arnott Martin Erat Ryan Jones Michael Santorelli J.P. Dumont Jerred Smithson Radek Bonk Joel Ward
Key notes: Sidney Crosby (2A, -1, 21:50 ice time, 4:01 PP, no PK, no SOG, 16-17 FO) got his 52nd and 53rd points, despite it being a losing effort. He had four points in eight games before tonight. Jordan Staal (1G, +1, 22:11 ice time, 1:59 PP, 1:34 PK, 4 SOG, 3-4 FO) ended an eight-game pointless streak on the day he signed his new contract and he also began the game on #87's wing because of a number of injuries to PIT LWs.
Petr Sykora (1G, -1, 16:23 ice time, 2:42 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) has three goals in two games with 19 points in his past 19 games now. This was Tyler Kennedy's (1A, -1, 19:47 ice time, 3:18 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) fourth game back in the line-up and first time in the scoring summary.
Jason Arnott (2A, -2, 2 PIM, 17:50 ice time, 2:50 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 9-5 FO) has four points in five games now after six points with nadda. David Legwand (1G, 1A, even, 18:08 ice time, 1:23 PP, 1:48 PK, 5 SOG, 6-5 FO) hadn't scored since mid-December and he broke a four-game pointless streak here, while had just one point in four before tonight. He had seven points in 12 GP before tonight's multi-point effort.
Ryan Suter's (1G, -2, 22:21 ice time, 4:00 PP, 2:09 PK, 2 SOG) last goal came at the end of November, but he has points in three of five now. Shea Weber (1A, -2, 20:54 ice time, 4:10 PP, 1:36 PK, 3 SOG) had no points in three starts before tonight with just three in 13 GP before tonight.
HAWKS 1 @ AVALANCHE 2 Coming in: Chicago (22-8-7) had won 11 of 13 after destroying Phoenix Tuesday. Colorado (20-19-1) stopped a three-game slide by beating Nashville Tuesday.
Goaltending match-up: Nikolai Khabibulin (30/32, .938 SV%) vs. Andrew Raycroft (43/44, .977 SV%) Net notes: Khabi had a 12-16-1-0 lifetime mark vs. this franchise with mediocre 3.01/ .899 peripherals, while Raycroft had only played the Hawks twice and had allowed seven goals. He had won his last five starts overall though.
Chicago line combos Kris Versteeg Jonathan Toews Dustin Byfuglien Troy Brouwer Patrick Sharp Patrick Kane Andrew Ladd Dave Bolland Martin Havlat
Colorado line combos Ryan Smyth Wojtek Wolski Milan Hejduk David Jones T.J. Hensick Chris Stewart Cody McLeod Tyler Arnason Marek Svatos
Key notes: Brian Campbell (1G, even, 21:03 ice time, 0:42 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) added his 29th point and they just continue to flow for the talented blueliner. A three-game pointless skid in November has been his longest period without a point to date. Patrick Kane (1A, even, 17:41 ice time, 0:42 PP, no PK, 5 SOG) returned to action from his high ankle sprain and got in the scoring summary while also ending a three-game pointless skid.
Back-to-back two-point games for Wojtek Wolski (1G, 1A, +1, 19:44 ice time, 2:52 PP, 0:31 PK, 5 SOG, 2-3 FO)? Nice. So far so good in the L1 centre experiment. Milan Hejduk (1A, +1, 19:30 ice time, 2:52 PP, 0:11 PK, 3 SOG, 1-4 FO) and Ryan Smyth (1G, 1A, +1, 19:10 ice time, 2:52 PP, 0:11 PK, 7 SOG, 2-1 FO) are proven producers and if that line can continue its chemistry...
ISLANDERS 2 @ FLAMES 5 Coming in: New York (12-25-4) had two wins since the start of December, although it had points in three of its past seven. Calgary (24-12-4) beat San Jose Tuesday, which pushed its record to 15-4-3 since getting spanked by those same Sharks November 13th.
Goaltending match-up: Joey MacDonald (36/41, .878 SV%) vs. Miikka Kiprusoff (24/26, .923 SV%) Net notes: MacDonald stats haven't been great, despite his level of play on many nights. Kipper had won six of seven starts overall coming in here, although his seasonal 2.86/ .901 splits haven't been great. They certainly improved last month though.
New York line combos Blake Comeau Mike Comrie Kyle Okposo Jeff Tambellini Josh Bailey Bill Guerin Sean Bergenheim Richard Park Trent Hunter
Calgary line combos Michael Cammalleri Craig Conroy Jarome Iginla Rene Bourque Daymond Langkow Matthew Lombardi Curtis Glencross Mikael Backlund David Moss
Key notes: Bill Guerin (1A, even, 19:25 ice time, 8:23 PP, 0:02 PK, 2 SOG) has points in six of eight and he added his 30th point of the season here. He had 44 and 47 in the past two years, so he's on a great pace thus far. Mark Streit (1A, +2, 2 PIM, 26:14 ice time, 8:20 PP, 2:51 PK, 4 SOG) has points in six of seven and aside from a couple of brief three-game pointless streaks he has been nails this year.
Jeff Tambellini's (1G, even, 11:40 ice time, no PP, no PK, 1 SOG) goal gives him points in four of eight, while Trevor Smith (1G, even, 10:49 ice time, 0:09 PP, 0:07 PK, 2 SOG, 2-2 FO) got his first NHL goal and point in his fifth game.
Dion Phaneuf (+3, 28:51 ice time, 6:04 PP, 6:23 PK, 3 SOG) had his three-game assist streak stopped, but this was his second +3 game of the month. He also had a -3 night. Jarome Iginla (1A, +1, 18:16 ice time, 5:41 PP, no PK, 6 SOG, 1-0 FO) has helpers in two of four and he got his 47th point tonight. Daymond Langkow (1G, 2A, +2, 15:01 ice time, 5:17 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 3-5 FO) has points in seven straight with 12 points in that period. He has goals in four in a row now.
Mikael Backlund (even, 10:44 ice time, 2:09 PP, no PK, 1 SOG, 2-5 FO), who had seven points in six games at the WJC, made his NHL debut tonight. Flames fans are going to love him over the years.
Michael Cammalleri (1G, 1A, even, 17:41 ice time, 5:10 PP, no PK, 6 SOG, 6-1 FO) had gone three games without a point in 2009 with a -6 rating, but he helped out tonight. Adrian Aucoin (2A, -1, 24:45 ice time, 6:23 PP, 6:22 PK, 6-1 FO) has five points in seven games now, while Curtis Glencross (1G, even, 12:51 ice time, 0:04 PP, 3:14 PK, 3 SOG, 0-1 FO) has goals in three of four with four points in that stretch.
LIGHTNING 2 @ COYOTES 3 Coming in: Tampa Bay (11-18-8) had points in seven of 11, while Phoenix (19-17-5) had been shutout 8-0 in its past two... including a thumping at the hands of Chicago Tuesday.
Goaltending match-up: Mike Smith (24/27, .889 SV%) vs. Ilya Bryzgalov (22/24, .917 SV%) Net notes: Smith had allowed seven, three and one in his three 2009 starts headed into this tilt, while Bryzgalov had given up just four goals in his past 99 minutes of hockey in a start and a relief effort.
Tampa Bay line combos Vaclav Prospal Vincent Lecavalier Martin St. Louis Ryan Malone Jeff Halpern Evgeny Artyukhin Jussi Jokinen Steven Stamkos Adam Hall
Phoenix line combos Shane Doan Olli Jokinen Steve Reinprecht Mikkel Boedker Kyle Turris Peter Mueller Enver Lisin Martin Hanzal Viktor Tikhonov
Key notes: Jeff Halpern (1G, 1A, even, 18:00 ice time, 1:06 PP, 1:35 PK, 5 SOG, 12-6 FO) has points in three of four and he had 18 points in 19 GP last year after the trade. Mark Recchi (1A, even, 16:09 ice time, 1:00 PP, 1:18 PK, 1 SOG, 0-2 FO) has 10 points in his past 17 GP, while Vaclav Prospal (1A, -1, 17:24 ice time, 1:00 PP, no PK, no SOG) has a five-game point streak going now with seven points in that stretch.
Andrej Meszaros (1G, even, 2 PIM, 22:33 ice time, no PP, 2:11 PK, 1 SOG) has points in two of four and this was his first goal of the season. Paul Ranger (-1, 23:50 ice time, no PP, 2:26 PK, 2 SOG) was back in the line-up tonight.
Olli Jokinen (1G, +1, 18:42 ice time, 3:06 PP, no PK, 3 SOG, 2-4 FO) has goals in three of five with eight points in nine games. Shane Doan (2A, +1, 21:42 ice time, 2:35 PP, 0:06 PK, 2 SOG, 4-2 FO) got his 39th point and he's right on pace to match last year's 78 points, but with a much higher PIM total. He has 52 already and had 59 last year. Peter Mueller (1G, even, 13:52 ice time, 2:17 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) has 12 points in 17 GP, while Steve Reinprecht (2A, +2, 19:23 ice time, 2:39 PP, no PK, no SOG, 1-4 FO) has points in three of five.
Kyle Turris (1G, +1, 14:12 ice time, 1:23 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 4-3 FO) collected his 13th point of the season here and while he's not worth the time in single season leagues yet, these down times are a great time to inquire in those deeper keeper leagues.
DUCKS 3 @ KINGS 4 Coming in: Anaheim (21-15-5) was 7-5-2 in its past 14, while Los Angeles (16-17-6) lost to this same Anaheim squad Tuesday and had won consecutive matches just once since the Calendar turned over to December five weeks ago.
Goaltending match-up: Jean-Sebastien Giguere (8/10, .800 SV%) & Jonas Hiller (14/16, .875 SV%) vs. Jon Quick (24/27, .889 SV%) Net notes: JSG's only other start this month to date resulted in four goals against and he was pulled tonight after a few weak goals. Quick came into this one with a 1.59 GAA and .943 SV% on the season. He had missed time with the flu.
Anaheim line combos Chris Kunitz Ryan Getzlaf Bobby Ryan Andrew Ebbett Brendan Morrison Drew Miller Travis Moen Samuel Pahlsson Rob Niedermayer
Los Angeles line combos Alexander Frolov Anze Kopitar Wayne Simmonds Kyle Calder Michal Handzus Dustin Brown Patrick O'Sullivan Jarret Stoll Teddy Purcell
Key notes: Are you kidding me with this Bobby Ryan (3G, +1, 23:46 ice time, 6:41 PP, no PK, 6 SOG) kid? What a story! He has goals in three straight and points in nine of 10. He had 22 points in 23 GP before tonight, so he passed the point-per-game plateau here. This was his first career hat trick and his team was trailing 3-0 when he scored his goals and that third one... nice. It's absolutely worth checking out the highlights for tonight.
Ryan Getzlaf (2A, even, 22:42 ice time, 7:22 PP, no PK, no SOG, 3-5 FO) still has not gone more than a single game without a point since his hot streak started in mid-October. Chris Pronger (2A, -1, 28:50 ice time, 8:45 PP, 2:52 PK, 1 SOG) had six points in six starts before this multi-point effort, while Ryan Carter (1A, +1, 9:39 ice time, no PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 5-4 FO) stopped a six-game pointless streak.
Steve Montador (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 14:42 ice time, 1:42 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) has points in three of seven with a steady string of PIM all season.
Anze Kopitar (1G, 1A, +3, 18:39 ice time, 2:43 PP, 1:00 PK, 4 SOG, 9-10 FO) had a 10-game goalless streak end tonight, which was good news for his owners. Dustin Brown (1G, 1A, +2, 20:12 ice time, 2:43 PP, 1:46 PK, 5 SOG) had gone six games without a point before this evening. Alexander Frolov (1G, 1A, +1, 19:29 ice time, 2:37 PP, 3:01 PK, 4 SOG) had gone 12 GP without an assist, although he had five goals in that time.
Kyle Calder (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 5:38 ice time, no PP, no PK, no SOG) had gone six games without a point. Wayne Simmonds (1G, +1, 2 PIM, 13:48 ice time, no PP, 0:44 PK, 3 SOG) has goals in two of three.
Kyle Quincey (1A, -1, 22:23 ice time, 2:14 PP, no PK, no SOG) had four points in four games before this evening, which ended a seven-game pointless stretch. Teddy Purcell (1A, -1, 2 PIM, 13:51 ice time, 2:32 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) had three points in four games before this game.
