NHL Betting Info. 2/12

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Preview: Nashville at Tampa Bay
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, February 12, 2016
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to rebound from a rough road trip when they begin a four-game homestand against Western Conference teams with a visit from the Nashville Predators on Friday. The Lightning had won 10 of their previous 11 contests before allowing nine goals in losses at Ottawa and Montreal earlier in the week.
“We’re not going to panic over 48 hours,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “This is a humbling league. You can’t get too comfortable at any time.” The Lightning go after their ninth straight victory at home against the Predators, who are in a battle for the last few playoff spots in the West. Nashville dropped three of the last four at home since hosting the All-Star Game, falling 5-3 to NHL points-leader Washington on Tuesday. Forward Filip Forsberg, who had two assists and the shootout winner in the 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay on Oct. 20, has three goals and two assists in the last two games for the Predators.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (25-21-8): Nashville has struggled in the defensive zone since the break, allowing 14 goals in four games as Pekka Rinne managed just an .862 save percentage. Defenseman Roman Josi (38 points) had a goal against Washington and fellow blue liner Shea Weber (35) has tallied twice in three games for the Predators, who are in the bottom half of the league in scoring. Center Ryan Johansen continues to produce with 15 points in 14 games – five in the past three – since being acquired from Columbus.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (29-20-4): Captain Steven Stamkos is in another goal drought with one in the past 10 games and Cooper shuffled the lines in the third period against Montreal, switching leading scorer Nikita Kucherov to his line. Kucherov, who shares the team lead at 21 goals with Stamkos, was kept off the scoresheet during the two-game trip after recording seven goals and seven assists in his previous 11 contests. Jason Garrison (lower body), who missed Tuesday’s game, is out 3-to-5 weeks and fellow defenseman Slater Koekkoek was recalled.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville LW James Neal is one goal away from reaching 20 for the eighth straight season to start his career.
2. Tampa Bay LW Ondrej Palat (body maintenance) and C Valtteri Filppula (flu) missed practice Thursday.
3. Predators F Colin Wilson (lower body) returned to the lineup for the first time in a month Tuesday and had two shots on goal.
PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Predators 1

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Preview: St. Louis at Florida
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, February 12, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
Off to the second-best start in franchise history, the Florida Panthers will begin a six-game homestand on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. The surprising Panthers, who hold a six-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings atop the Atlantic Division, will face five opponents from the Western Conference on the homestand.
Jaromir Jagr scored his 739th career goal in Tuesday’s 7-4 victory at Buffalo to move within two tallies of tying Brett Hull on the all-time list. The soon-to-be 44-year-old Jagr will be without linemate Aleksander Barkov, who along with defenseman Erik Gudbranson is expected to sit out both games this weekend. St. Louis’ offensive woes continued in a 2-1 shootout loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday that capped a three-game homestand and left coach Ken Hitchcock flustered. “We all talk about line combinations and chemistry – you’ve got to play harder than this,” Hitchcock said. “A lot harder than this.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Florida
ABOUT THE BLUES (30-17-9): Jaden Schwartz, who scored a career-best 28 goals last season, will return to the lineup after missing 49 games due to a fractured left ankle and looks to provide a boost for an offense that had managed one goal or less in five of the past six games. “We have some tough times scoring right now,” Blues leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko said. “I think the main part is to stay focused, be close friends in the locker room and success will come.” Brian Elliott, who will make his 13th start in a row, has yielded nine goals in his last six outings.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (32-16-6): Florida’s No. 2 line of Vincent Trocheck, Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith continues to deliver superb production, combining for three goals and eight points in the romp over Buffalo. Smith has six goals and 11 points in his last nine games, Jokinen has 12 points in his last eight and Trocheck has five tallies and 11 points in his last seven contests. “Obviously, the last two months playing together we really have chemistry going with us,” Jokinen said. “We all can shoot, pass and make plays. It’s been really fun to play with those guys.”
OVERTIME
1. Florida’s Roberto Luongo is tied with fellow G Glenn Hall (906 games) for sixth place on the career for the most appearances at his position.
2. The Blues had a six-game win streak in the series snapped with a 3-1 home loss to the Panthers on Dec. 1.
3. Florida is 11-1-1 in its last 13 games at home.
PREDICTION: Panthers 3, Blues 2

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Preview: Calgary at Arizona
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, February 12, 2016
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
The Calgary Flames attempt to extend their winning streak to four games when they visit the Pacific Division-rival Arizona Coyotes on Friday. Calgary, which trails Nashville by five points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, improved to 4-1-0 this month with Thursday’s 6-5 shootout triumph at San Jose.
Leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau and fellow forwards Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma were back in the lineup following a one-game suspension for being late to practice, with Monahan scoring a goal to run his point streak to four games. Arizona, which is one point ahead of Calgary in the West, remains in search of its first win of the month as it enters with a five-game losing streak. The Coyotes put forth a better defensive effort in Wednesday’s 2-1 setback against Vancouver, however, as they surrendered five or more goals in each of their previous four contests. Arizona is 2-0-0 in the five-game season series after posting a pair of 2-1 victories.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet 360 (Calgary), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE FLAMES (25-25-3): Jonas Hiller is likely to be in net after replacing an injured Karri Ramo late in Thursday’s triumph. Ramo was helped off the ice after being crashed into by San Jose’s Joonas Donskoi with three minutes remaining in the third period. Calgary also could be without David Jones on Friday as the forward also exited the win over the Sharks with an undisclosed injury.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (24-23-6): Captain Shane Doan is on the verge of becoming the franchise’s all-time scoring leader as he needs two points to pass Dale Hawerchuk (929) for the honor. The 39-year-old also is one tally shy of reaching the 20-goal plateau for the 13th time in his career. Mikkel Boedker is tied for second on the team with 35 points but has scored just one goal in his last 18 games.
OVERTIME
1. Flames rookie C Sam Bennett has collected six points (two goals) during his three-game streak.
2. Arizona has won only two of its last 11 contests (2-7-2).
3. Gaudreau is three goals shy of matching his total as a rookie last season.
PREDICTION: Coyotes 3, Flames 2