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**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Kings (33-19) at Capitals (40-10)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Mike Richards was supposed to be the Los Angeles Kings' Derek Jeter and represent the pivotal piece to winning championships. He won two Stanley Cups, yet was shown the door last summer.

Richards hit two highs and many more lows in four seasons with the Kings, who terminated his contract last summer. He had been sent to the minor leagues after his play and production dropped off and was arrested at the Canadian border in June for possession of a controlled substance.

The 31-year-old eventually settled a grievance with Los Angeles but was out of the NHL until the Washington Capitals signed him in January. Richards faces the Kings on Tuesday for the first time since his departure and insists there are no hard feelings toward the organization or Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi.

'He had to do things that he probably didn't want to do at the end of the day, but I didn't make it easy on him, either, to keep me around,' Richards said. 'I want to say fault on both parts, but it's probably more so on me, and he had to do what he had to do (for) what he thought benefited the L.A. Kings.'

Lombardi could have bought out Richards with no salary-cap ramifications in the summer of 2014 after the Kings' second Cup but let the two-way forward and former Philadelphia Flyers captain convince him to keep him around. The GM adored Richards and still praises him for setting the tempo in the first playoff series in 2012 against Vancouver, the first sign Los Angeles was title-bound.

Acquired from Philadelphia at the 2011 draft, Richards had 15 points in the 20 games during 2012 Cup run and was his usual penalty-killing, defensive-minded self for the first two seasons before he became a fourth-liner and was a bit part of the 2014 championship. The Kings waived him and sent him to the American Hockey League for a stint a year ago with the hope Richards would get his game together, but that didn't happen and his 16 points were a career low.

Richards' off-ice problems publicly came to light when he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance at a North Dakota-Manitoba border crossing June 17. The Kings terminated his contract June 29 'for a material breach of the requirements of his standard player contract,' and in October they settled on paying him a portion of the $22 million left on the deal.

Looking back on his time with the Kings, Richards remembers the Stanley Cups fondly and doesn't want to harp on the bad times.

'I don't hold grudges,' the Kenora, Ontario, native said after a recent Capitals practice. 'I'm happy to be here now and I'm a true believer that everything happens for a reason. We'll see how this plays out.'

Richards has yet to register a point in 11 games with Washington, where he's able to play with former Kings teammate and 2014 playoff MVP Justin Williams. After Richards signed a pro-rated $1 million deal for the rest of the season, Williams said the Capitals are 'not going to put a ceiling on what he can do because we've seen what he can do.'

Coach Barry Trotz and general manager Brian MacLellan didn't expect Richards to be an offensive juggernaut, believing instead he was a good fit as a gritty complementary piece. Trotz said he was honest about what he wanted from Richards and didn't come in with preconceived notions.

'I think he was a player that, it's probably no different than (Alex Ovechkin), a lot of people make assumptions, a lot of people have perceptions and it's not necessarily reality,' Trotz said. 'It's the outside world. Unless you're in that locker room or you're playing every night and competing with or against Mike Richards, that's the only way you find out about the person. He's been as advertised coming in for us.'

The day the Capitals signed Richards, Lombardi said: 'Now that everything's out in the open and the team can work with him without things being hidden, I think he's got a great shot.'

Richards said signing with the Capitals was all about winning - not proving the Kings wrong.

'It's not proving people wrong,' Richards said. 'If you're looking to do that, then you got other issues probably if you're in this sport to do that. It's more just about getting the best out of you, taking advantage of the opportunities you're given and really just being a part of the NHL and doing your best to have success.'

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Jets (25-27) at Hurricanes (25-21)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

In many of its recent games, it's been difficult to predict which Carolina Hurricanes team will show up. Is it the one that scores goals in bunches or the one that can barely dent the net?

The Hurricanes were a high-scoring team in their latest game and in a victory against the Winnipeg Jets earlier this month. They'll try for another such effort while keeping the Jets from a franchise-record fifth straight road win Tuesday night.

Carolina (25-21-10) has scored five or more goals in four of its last 10 games. The Hurricanes have also tallied one or none in the other six.

They had their best offensive performance of the season Saturday, a 6-3 victory against the New York Islanders, and Victor Rask found the net twice after scoring one goal in his previous 14 games.

"We can become more consistent offensively," coach Bill Peters said. "Three (goals) is a beautiful number, I think. If you can get to three each and every night, you're getting a point or points. I think we have enough skill to get three a night."

The Hurricanes won 5-3 in Winnipeg on Feb. 5 with Andrej Nestrasil scoring twice and Jordan Staal recording a season-best three points. Netrasil has four of his nine goals in his last four games.

The Jets (25-27-3) are hoping to change the result in this matchup extending their road-point streak to seven games, which is one shy of the franchise mark they set last season.

Winnipeg has won its last five games in Carolina and is 10-1-2 in its last 13 dating back to the franchise's days in Atlanta as Carolina's Southeast Division rival.

Carolina is hoping to have leading scorer Justin Faulk available for this visit from the Jets. The defenseman has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury.

Goaltender Cam Ward is doubtful because of a lower-body ailment. He kept the Jets scoreless for the first 38 minutes in the victory in Winnipeg, and Faulk scored one of the team's four first-period goals.

"We're a lot better team than we played them in Winnipeg so it'll be a truer indication," Peters said. "I think they'll play better. We'll play better. That was (the first game) coming out of the All-Star break. That's a different time when you take all those days off."

Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec registered a 2-1 shootout win in Edmonton on Saturday in his return from a knee injury that had kept him out since Nov. 21.

"To win always feels good," Pavelec said. "It was nice to be back after almost three months. I enjoyed it. The guys did a great job to keep them outside and they were patient. They were waiting for their opportunities, and in the first few minutes, that helped me a lot."

Pavelec is 5-1-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average in his last six games against Carolina. Hurricanes netminder Eddie Lack gave up five goals in his most recent matchup with Winnipeg on April 4 while with Vancouver after going 4-1-0 with a 2.29 GAA in his first five meetings.

The Jets won't have defenseman Mark Stuart for at least four weeks because of a broken hand, and Adam Pardy is expected to take his spot.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Bruins (30-20) at Blue Jackets (23-28)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Joonas Korpisalo's improvement has the Columbus Blue Jackets playing some of their best hockey of the season.

The rookie goaltender faces one of his toughest tests yet Tuesday night, as he'll attempt to slow down the NHL's hottest scorer and a Boston Bruins team that's rolling offensively.

Columbus (23-28-6) has offered some encouragement to an overall disappointing season by going 4-0-1 since Feb. 4 and winning six of its last eight. Korpisalo has played a key role in the surge by stabilizing a position placed in disarray by injuries to Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney.

The 21-year-old is 8-1-2 with a 1.94 goals-against average while starting 11 of the team's last 13 games. He's yielded two or less goals in nine of his starts during the stretch, including Saturday's 33-save effort in a 4-2 win over Ottawa.

Korpisalo had 32 saves on Jan. 23 in a 3-2 shootout loss at Boston, third in the NHL with 168 goals. Brad Marchand scored in that contest, one of 13 goals the Bruins wing has produced during a career-best 13-game tear since Jan. 16.

Marchand has a goal in 12 of the last 13 games and seven straight, two shy of Hall of Famer Phil Esposito's team record set in 1970-71. He wasted no time extending the streak, scoring eight seconds into Sunday's matchup at Detroit for the fastest goal in franchise history.

The Bruins (30-20-6) have 15 goals through the first three of a season-high six-game trip despite a power play that's 0 for 11 and playing the last two without All-Star center Patrice Bergeron, out with an undisclosed injury sustained during Thursday's 6-2 rout of Winnipeg.

Boston also has been giving up goals in bunches of late, permitting 19 over its last four. Tuukka Rask was pulled for the second time in three starts after surrendering five on 24 shots midway through Sunday's wild 6-5 loss to the Red Wings.

The Bruins blew an early 3-1 lead as Detroit recorded four consecutive goals, but rallied to tie it at 5-all early in the third before ultimately having their six-game road winning streak halted.

"I think we ran out of gas a little bit at the end," coach Claude Julien said. "We had some players that have played hard here the last two games and this was a tough one for them to try and get that same energy we had."

Rask, who allowed five goals on 32 chances in 32:29 of a 9-2 loss to Los Angeles last Tuesday, does own a 1.75 GAA in winning three of five starts against Columbus. He's also been better on the road, having amassed an 11-4-2 record and a 2.09 GAA in 18 starts compared to a 3.08 mark at home.

Boston is 18-6-3 as the visitor, second only to Washington in road winning percentage, and had won four straight in Columbus prior to a 6-2 loss on Dec. 27, 2014.

The Blue Jackets have won three of four in Columbus and moved to 2-0-1 on a five-game homestand behind Boone Jenner's two goals and Korpisalo's solid performance against Ottawa.

'We're getting that feeling, excitement back in our game,' forward Brandon Saad said. 'Anytime you string some wins together and the streak we have with forcing games to overtime and bouncing back like we do, it's exciting for the team. We're feeling good about ourselves.'

Saad, Columbus' leader with 21 goals, has scored in two straight and has five in his last eight.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Flyers (24-21) at Devils (29-21)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Outstanding goaltending and defense made the New Jersey Devils a perennial playoff participant during the previous two decades.

That same formula may help them get back there after a three-year drought.

The surging Devils vie for a fourth straight win and second over the Philadelphia Flyers in four days when the longtime rivals face off Tuesday night.

In a season where it's averaging an NHL-low 2.19 goals, New Jersey (29-21-7) is right in the playoff mix by being the league's stingiest team. The Devils have lowered their league-leading goals-against average to 2.18 by yielding 18 over an 8-2-2 stretch that's vaulted them into one of the Eastern Conference's two wild-card spots.

'You can't say it's a fluke at this point in the season,' forward Lee Stempniak said. 'We've worked extremely hard.'

New Jersey has relied heavily upon standout goaltender Cory Schneider, second in the league with 47 starts, but received an excellent stand-in performance from Keith Kincaid to extend the streak. The seldom-used backup made 28 saves for his first career shutout in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Los Angeles.

"I credit our goalie coach Chris Terreri; he's done a great job with both our goalies and I think (Kinkaid) has done a fantastic job of being able to stay ready and perform when called upon," first-year coach John Hynes told the NHL's official website.

Schneider got a break after recording 31 saves in Saturday's 2-1 win in Philadelphia, his seventh consecutive outing allowing two goals or less. The All-Star owns a 1.56 GAA over that span and a league-leading 1.98 mark this season.

Another strong effort could be in the works with Philadelphia (24-21-10) in the midst of an offensive funk. The Flyers have managed one goal in three of their past four games and didn't score until the final seconds of Sunday's 3-1 defeat to the New York Rangers.

Philadelphia, seventh in the eight-team Metropolitan Division, has lost five of six.

"Those were two big points that we needed," forward Wayne Simmonds said. "But, short memories. We've got to forget about this one and move on to New Jersey on Tuesday night."

On a positive note, Shayne Gostisbehere assisted on Brayden Schenn's late goal to extend his point streak to 12 games, the longest by a rookie defenseman in NHL history. The 22-year-old has 15 points over the run.

Simmonds has scored eight of his team-leading 20 goals over the last 10 games and had one in the Flyers' 4-3 overtime win at New Jersey on Dec. 4. The road team has won all three 2015-16 meetings, with the Devils earning a 4-1 victory in Philadelphia on Oct. 29 behind Schneider's 27 saves and Travis Zajac's two power-play goals.

New Jersey, 5-0-1 in its last six at home, is 5 of 11 on the power play against the Flyers this season, and the unit has accounted for all five goals during the winning streak. The Devils have converted a league-leading 42.9 percent (12 of 28) of their chances over the last 10 games, including 8 of 14 in five home outings.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:50 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Sabres (23-28) at Senators (25-26)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Buffalo Sabres will try to continue their high-scoring ways this week but haven't fared well in recent road games.

They'll try to change that Tuesday night against the slumping Ottawa Senators while matching their longest win streak this season.

Buffalo (23-28-6) scored 10 goals in back-to-back home victories and had three in the opening period of a 4-1 win over Colorado on Sunday. Jack Eichel found the net 2:02 into the game to end a six-game drought, and Evander Kane tallied his sixth in eight contests.

"There's a lot of positive things going on in this locker room," Eichel said. "I think as a team we can get on a little bit of a streak and start to patch together a few more wins in a row."

Kane, though, has been suspended for this game after missing practice Monday morning, sleeping in after attending the All-Star game in Toronto on Sunday.

The Sabres have netted one goal in each of their back-to-back road losses but registered a 3-2 victory in Ottawa on Jan. 26. Eichel scored twice as Buffalo ended a four-game skid to the Senators (25-26-6) and a six-game road losing streak in the series.

The Sabres play five of their next six away from home and seek their first string of three consecutive victories since Nov. 7-12 to kick off that stretch.

They'll face a team that's dropped three in a row, one shy of matching its longest skid this season, and slow starts have hindered Ottawa in that slump. The Senators have failed to score in at least the first 30 minutes in each of those games and didn't get on the scoreboard until the third period Saturday in a 4-2 loss at Columbus.

"It's real important. We've had trouble starting games this year," Kyle Turris said after practice Monday. "We need to be better at that. So getting a good start, getting off on the right foot with lots of energy, especially at home, get the crowd on your side, it makes the game a lot easier."

The Senators are still seeking their first win since acquiring former Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf in a nine-player deal last Tuesday. The veteran defenseman has three assists in his three games with the team.

Phaneuf doesn't have a point in his last six games against Buffalo while fellow star blueliner Erik Karlsson has three goals and two assists in his past five matchups. Karlsson's 11 career goals versus the Sabres are his most against any opponent.

Bobby Ryan has six goals and three assists in his last seven meetings, and Turris scored twice in the first game against Buffalo this season, a 3-1 win Oct. 8.

Eichel has three of his 17 goals in the two games versus Ottawa, the rookie's most against any team. Kane began his current scoring binge by tallying the Sabres' first goal in last month's victory.

The Senators haven't lost four straight since an 0-2-2 skid Oct. 15-24. They've won two of three at home, where they play their next three games.

Ottawa has scored at least one power-play goal in four straight contests, going 5 for 20 in that run. Buffalo has killed off 17 of 19 penalties in its last six games, including a season-high six against Colorado.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:51 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Sharks (29-20) at Lightning (30-21)

Date: February 16, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Steven Stamkos' future in Tampa Bay became clearer this week, and the Lightning will try to use that assurance to boost them toward some more positive results.

They'll first seek to bounce back from their first home loss of 2016 on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks.

Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman quashed any rumors that his team was seeking to deal its superstar forward before the Feb. 29 trade deadline by issuing a statement Monday. The Lightning are seeking to work out a long-term contract extension with Stamkos.

"Steven Stamkos will not be traded before the NHL's trade deadline," Yzerman said. "I have said repeatedly that it is our hope to reach an agreement with Steven on a new contract at some point, and with 27 games remaining in the season, our entire organization, Steven included, wants to focus on making the playoffs. I will keep the negotiating process strictly between the involved parties and have no further comment on the state of those negotiations."

The timing of Yzerman's statement comes with the Lightning (30-21-4) having lost three of four following a 10-1-0 stretch. Playing at home couldn't help Tampa Bay on Sunday against St. Louis.

The Lightning ended a nine-game win streak on their own ice - one shy of tying their franchise mark - with a 2-1 defeat. The Blues' winning goal came with 2:19 remaining after an overturned video review.

"We've just got to regroup here because everyone around us (in the standings) is winning," coach Jon Cooper said. "That nice little run brought us back into the playoff picture, but we might wake up Tuesday morning and we might be out (of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot)."

Tampa Bay is seeking a third consecutive win over San Jose and its first in three home matchups. The Lightning won 4-3 Dec. 5 with Nikita Kucherov scoring a pair of goals.

The Sharks (29-20-5) defeated Arizona 4-1 on Saturday to improve to 2-0-1 in their last three, tallying a combined nine goals in the past two. San Jose has spread out that scoring with only Joonas Donskoi finding the net in both contests.

"We're in a good mindset right now," coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're comfortable in our game and there's no panic, whether we're down or some bounces go against us. We're finding ways to keep our composure, stay in the game and we're getting rewarded for that."

San Jose has matched a season high by scoring at least one power-play goal in four consecutive games, going 7 for 20. The Sharks haven't produced a five-game streak since Oct. 30-Nov. 9, 2014.

San Jose scored all three of its goals with the man advantage in its December matchup with Tampa Bay, which has killed 35 of 37 penalties in its last 11 contests.

Sharks defenseman Brent Burns had a goal and an assist in the last meeting but has been stuck on 18 goals since Jan. 11, going without a score in a season-worst 14 games.

San Jose's top scorer, Joe Pavelski, will seek to avoid his longest drought this season, seven games. He has one assist in his last three versus Tampa Bay.

Stamkos has eight goals and five assists in nine career matchups with the Sharks.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:51 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Stars (37-15) at Blues (32-17)

Date: February 16, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Jake Allen took no offense when the St. Louis Blues weren't too worried about Brian Elliott stepping in as the No. 1 goaltender following Allen's injury last month.

Pretty soon they'll have both of them.

Allen's return is imminent, although it's unclear if he'll be ready to play Tuesday night as the Blues host surging Dallas looking to tighten the Central Division race by beating the Stars for the third time in four meetings this season.

Elliott has gone 9-3-2 with a 1.72 goals-against average since Allen went down with a lower-body injury Jan. 8, improving his season GAA to 2.07 over 30 appearances. He also has a league-leading .933 save percentage, besting Allen's marks of 2.17 and .924.

Allen has been skating with the team and could return any day. Elliott, though, was in net for a two-game trip to the Sunshine State, making 30 saves in Friday's 5-3 win over Florida before stopping 37 shots in Sunday's 2-1 win over Tampa Bay.

The Blues (32-17-9), who are among the stingiest teams in the league with 2.31 goals allowed per game, have gone 3-0-1 since dropping three of their previous four. They trail Central co-leaders Dallas (37-15-5) and Chicago by six points.

"From the start of the year, both our goalies didn't surprise anyone," said rookie center Robby Fabbri, who has scored in the last two and also has three assists during a four-game point streak. "We knew how good they were. They've kept us in games. They've won us games."

St. Louis also has gotten a boost from the return of Jaden Schwartz, who had a goal and an assist against the Panthers in his first game since missing the previous 49 with a fractured left ankle.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has been out the last three with a right knee injury, but he's been skating with the club and also could return soon.

"This defense has really rallied around missing (Pietrangelo)," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It looks like we found some rhythm. We're starting to really play well and we have to keep playing well."

The Stars also have been hot lately and won their fourth straight Monday when Mattias Janmark scored 3:49 into overtime of a 3-2 victory over Nashville that began a three-game trip. They've won five straight away from home following an 0-5-3 road stretch Dec. 26-Jan. 19.

Cody Eakin and Ales Hemsky also scored for Dallas, which has won seven of its last eight - the only loss coming at Chicago on Thursday - to tie the Blackhawks atop the division with three games in hand.

"We wanted to keep rolling," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought it was a heck of a hockey game. It was who was going to finish or which goalie was going to give in a little bit, and neither one wanted to give in."

The Stars have had some trouble against St. Louis, though. The Blues won the first meeting 3-0 on Dec. 12 behind Allen's 26 saves. St. Louis won a nine-round shootout for a 3-2 victory Dec. 26 with Allen in net, but Elliott's 33 saves weren't enough in Dallas' 3-0 home win the following night that ended a four-game skid in the series.

Antti Niemi was in net for both defeats, while Kari Lehtonen picked up his only shutout of the season with 22 saves in the previous meeting. Lehtonen could get the start in this one after Niemi stopped 24 shots Monday.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:51 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Ducks (28-19) at Oilers (22-29)

Date: February 16, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

A fourth straight Pacific Division title seemed out of the question for the Anaheim Ducks less than two months ago. Their schedule for the rest of this month could have them back in first.

The red-hot Ducks look to continue capitalizing on struggling opponents and extend their dominance of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.

Anaheim (28-19-8) entered the Christmas break at the bottom of the Western Conference, but a 16-4-2 stretch has it second in the division and five points back of Los Angeles.

The Ducks are in position to close that gap further and potentially overtake the Kings by the time they meet in Anaheim on Feb. 28. They're in the midst of a six-game stretch against teams out of playoff position, opening it with a 6-4 win at Calgary on Monday.

"We're having fun," said Corey Perry, who had a goal and assist. "Everybody knows their role, everybody's playing their role and everyone's doing the right things. It's working out right now."

Mike Santorelli's recent production has been a welcome surprise. The center has nine goals and five assists on the season, getting three and one over the last three games after matching his career high with a pair of tallies Monday.

"He's opportunistic," coach Bruce Boudreau told the team's official website. "He has a touch around the net and has good hands. When he gets chances, he's scoring goals."

Ryan Getzlaf is on a tear with 20 points in 16 games after assisting on Perry's goal against the Flames. The captain has nine points while the Ducks are 3-1-1 on this season-high seven-game road trip that ends in Vancouver on Thursday.

Getzlaf has 35 points over his last 32 meetings with the Oilers. His 25 in 18 visits to Edmonton over that stretch include 15 during a 10-game streak. He kept that going on New Year's Eve by scoring in a 1-0 victory as Anaheim improved to 9-1-1 in its last 11 at Rexall Place.

The Ducks are 17-2-2 in its last 21 overall matchups with the Oilers (22-29-6).

Edmonton is in the West cellar and is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games after falling 2-1 in a shootout to Winnipeg on Saturday. The Oilers were outshot 33-22 through overtime

"We haven't been in the other team's offensive end enough to really get volume shooting," coach Todd McLellan said. "There hasn't been enough rhythm in our game."

Connor McDavid is looking to bounce back from only his second games without a point in seven since returning from a broken clavicle. He's totaled 12 points over that stretch, including a season-high five in a 5-2 win over Toronto on Thursday.

Cam Talbot will be back in net after an illness sidelined him for one game. However, the Oilers came away impressed with rookie Laurent Brossoit, who had 32 saves before giving up goals on two shootout attempts.

"I thought LB was excellent," McLellan told the team's official website. "I think that he's got a real bright future in the game.

"We're going to play Cam a fair amount, as long as his level of play goes up. Now we've got to figure out what do with LB. Do we want him watching Cam, or stopping 35 shots a night? We'll have to make that decision."

Talbot made 34 saves against the Ducks on New Year's Eve, while the Oilers could only muster 21 shots.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:52 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Grand Salami - February

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
2/1 No games scheduled - - -
2/2 12 64.5 75 OVER
2/3 3 16 15 UNDER
2/4 12 64.5 77 OVER
2/5 4 21 27 OVER
2/6 12 62 67 OVER
2/7 3 16.5 17 OVER
2/8 4 20 20 PUSH
2/9 12 64.5 72 OVER
2/10 3 16.5 10 UNDER
2/11 9 49.5 66 OVER
2/12 7 35.5 47 OVER
2/13 10 52 56 OVER
2/14 5 25 24 UNDER
2/15 7 38.5 - -
2/16 8 - - -
2/17 3 - - -
2/18 11 - - -
2/19 5 - - -
2/20 9 - - -
2/21 6 - - -
2/22 4 - - -
2/23 9 - - -
2/24 4 - - -
2/25 10 - - -
2/26 5 - - -
2/27 9 - - -
2/28 7 - - -
2/29 6 - - -

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:52 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews

Here's hoping you didn't place a bet on the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup early this season when the Habs looked unstoppable for a while and became the betting favorites to hoist the Cup.

The season went downhill once star goalie Carey Price, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, went down with an injury, and last week came news out of Canada that Price won't return this season. The team thus far has denied that media report. Price has been out since suffering a lower-body injury Nov. 25 against the New York Rangers. He was expected back early last month. A Montreal newspaper said Price has a torn MCL in his right knee. Price has been participating in light skating for weeks but hasn't even donned the goalie equipment. The last statement from the team came from general manager Marc Bergevin on Jan. 21 when he suggested that Price would be sidelined for another three to four weeks.

The Habs were 17-4-2 (NHL-leading 36 points) following a win in Price's final game before the injury. Now they are 27-25-4 (58 points) and not even holding a playoff spot. Price was 10-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .934 save percentage. Now Montreal ranks 19th in GAA at 2.7 per game. The Canadiens acquired goalie Ben Scrivens from Edmonton in late December and he's been pretty good thus far but doesn't have the track record to feel confident about that continuing the rest of the way.

Montreal is +2500 to win the Cup.

Stamkos Staying Put

The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 29 (yep, it's a leap year), but one guy who apparently won't be on the move is Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos. He's the kind of talent who would have altered Cup odds for any team he would have gone to, but Lightning GM Steve Yzerman says he's not trading Stamkos even though he could walk away this summer as an unrestricted free agent. You keep hearing that Stamkos wants to sign with his hometown Maple Leafs, who recently made a big trade with an eye on clearing salary-cap space to lure Stamkos. He has said he wants to stay in Tampa, but what else would he say? Stamkos is looking for a deal worth about $10 million a year like those signed by Chicago stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Stamkos will get that kind of money from someone even though he's having a moderately disappointing season with 22 goals and 20 assists. One reason the Lightning haven't re-signed him yet is they are concerned about the impact his salary hit will have on their ability to sign others. The Bolts have a lot of talented guys coming up toward free agency, led by star defensemen Victor Hedman. I wouldn't rule out a trade just yet, but perhaps at the NHL draft in late June with the assumption that the acquiring team has a pre-arranged contract extension set with Stamkos. The Lightning would be dumb to deal him now as they still have a championship-caliber roster and are +700 third-favorites to repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

This Week's Games To Watch

Los Angeles at Washington, Tuesday: This could easily be a Stanley Cup preview, and it's currently the third-favored exact Cup matchup at +800. Washington continues to lead the NHL in points while the Kings are atop the Pacific Division. The L.A. players might be hitting a wall at this point as it's game No. 5 on a season-high seven-game road trip. The Kings are 2-2 on it after a 1-0 loss on New Jersey on Sunday. The Kings have played the last few games without star goalie Jonathan Quick due to a lower-body injury. It's not clear if Quick will play here against the league's highest-scoring offense and thus there's no opening line. The Caps had a five-game winning streak end Saturday in a 4-3 loss at Dallas. That was notable because it was just Washington goalie Braden Holtby's second regulation loss since Nov. 12. Holtby entered the game 27-1-3 since Nov. 12, with the only regulation loss Jan. 16 at Buffalo. First meeting of the season between the Caps and Kings.

Buffalo at Ottawa, Tuesday: Clearly Sabres forward Evander Kane isn't a very bright guy. He was suspended for this game after missing practice on Monday. Why wasn't Kane there? Because he apparently didn't make it back from Toronto on time after attending the NBA All-Star Game. Perhaps if he hadn't posted some pictures of himself as well as his tickets on his Instagram account, Kane could have had a better excuse for missing practice and not gotten suspended. He supposedly also posted (and later deleted) footage of his all-star partying on Snapchat. Kane has 16 goals and eight assists in 47 games this season. The Senators, on a three-game losing streak, are -145 favorites here.

Detroit at Pittsburgh, Thursday: Red Wings forward and future Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk reached the 900-point plateau for his career on Sunday. He's the sixth player in Red Wings history to reach that milestone, joining Gordie Howe (1,809 points), Steve Yzerman (1,755), Alex Delvecchio (1,281), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,142) and Sergei Fedorov (954). Pretty good company. On Monday, Datsyuk was named the NHL's first star for last week after collecting five goals and two assists in four games, helping his team to a 3-0-1 record. Might the Pens get back Evgeni Malkin by this game? He missed a sixth straight game Monday with a lower-body injury but is "making progress," according to Coach Mike Sullivan.

Chicago at Minnesota, Sunday : This game will be nationally televised by NBC at it's being held outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. As of now, it doesn't look like we will get snow during it, which is a shame. The forecast for Sunday afternoon is a high of 39 with a 20 percent chance of precipitation. The Blackhawks have lost first-line winger Marian Hossa for likely at least a couple of weeks to a lower left leg injury suffered on Saturday. Hossa has 28 points on the season and is four goals shy of 500 career. The Wild have been huge disappointments this season and it cost head coach Mike Yeo his job over the weekend. Minnesota entered Monday's game in Vancouver with one win in its past 14 games. John Torchetti, who was coaching the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, has been named interim coach.

**TheGame** · 02-16-2016, 08:52 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

NHL

Hot teams
-- Washington won five of last six games. Kings are 8-1 in game after their last nine losses.
-- Winnipeg won three of its last four games. Carolina won three of last four at home.
-- Columbus won four of its last five games. Bruins won four of their last six games.
-- New Jersey won its last three games, allowing two goals.
-- Buffalo won its last two games, 5-4/4-1.
-- San Jose won 12 of its last 17 games.
-- Dallas Stars won six of their last seven games. St Louis won four of its last six.
-- Anaheim won nine of its last eleven games.

Cold teams
-- Flyers lost five of their last six games.
-- Ottawa lost six of its last eight games.
-- Lightning lost three of its last four games.
-- Edmonton lost four of its last five games.

Series records
-- Kings won eight of last nine games with Washington.
-- Jets won seven of last ten games with Carolina.
-- Bruins won eight of last ten games with Columbus.
-- Flyers lost six of last eight games with New Jersey.
-- Senators won six of last eight games with Buffalo.
-- Road team won last four San Jose-Tampa Bay games.
-- Dallas Stars lost four of last five games with St Louis.
-- Ducks won five of last six games with Edmonton.

Totals
-- Six of last seven Los Angeles games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Winnipeg games went over the total.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Boston games.
-- Last four New Jersey games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 11-3-1 in last fifteen Ottawa games.
-- Four of last five Tampa Bay games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Dallas games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-0-3 in last ten Anaheim games.

Back-to-backs
-- Dallas Stars are 2-4 on road if they played the night before.
-- Anaheim is 3-6 if it played the night before.

**Satch** · 02-16-2016, 09:21 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Philadelphia at New Jersey
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
The New Jersey Devils are ascending in the Metropolitan Division while the Philadelphia Flyers are having a difficult time keeping pace. The Devils look to secure their fourth straight victory and second over the Flyers in four days when the clubs meet at the Prudential Center on Tuesday.
Stingy goaltending continues to be the name of the game for New Jersey, which gave workhorse Cory Schneider a breather and saw Keith Kinkaid turn aside 28 shots in a 1-0 triumph over Los Angeles on Sunday. Schneider is expected to be back in net versus Philadelphia, against which he made 31 saves in a 2-1 victory on Saturday. While the Devils are winning with a limited offense, the Flyers have not been as fortunate as they’ve mustered just 12 goals during a 1-3-2 stretch – with five coming in Thursday’s victory over Buffalo. Shayne Gostisbehere scored a power-play goal versus New Jersey and assisted on Brayden Schenn’s tally in Sunday’s 3-1 setback to the New York Rangers to extend his point streak to 12 games – the longest by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, MSG-Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (24-21-10): Steve Mason has had little room for error with Philadelphia struggling to find its offense. The 27-year-old has yielded just 17 goals in his last seven outings (3-3-1) but may get the night off on Tuesday considering his 0-7-0 career mark with a 3.70 goals-against average versus New Jersey. Michal Neuvirth turned aside 22 shots in the hard-luck setback to the Devils on Saturday to fall to 5-2-5 with a 2.02 GAA in his career against the club.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (29-21-7): Although veteran Mike Cammalleri (hand/wrist) likely will miss his eighth straight game on Tuesday, New Jersey expects fellow forward Stefan Matteau to return to the lineup. Matteau suffered a facial fracture and a cut under his right eye after taking a deflected puck to the head during Friday’s practice. “We did some off-ice stuff with him today,” coach John Hynes told NorthJersey.com. “He was on some pain (medications) the last couple days, so we just wanted to get his heart rate up and did an off-ice workout with him.”
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia RW Matt Read is expected to be in the lineup versus New Jersey after injuring his knee while blocking a shot in the waning moments of Sunday’s tilt.
2. The Devils will wear their red, green and white retro uniforms for the first time this season on Tuesday.
3. The Flyers are 3-9-3 in 15 games without C Sean Couturier this season.
PREDICTION: Devils 1, Flyers 0

**Satch** · 02-16-2016, 09:22 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Los Angeles at Washington
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Veteran center Mike Richards faces his former team for the first time since a messy departure as his Washington Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Richards helped the Kings capture two Stanley Cups during his four years in Tinseltown before a combination of limited production and an arrest at the Canadian border for possession of a controlled substance led to the club terminating the remaining five years and $22 million of his contract.
“(Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi) had to do things that he probably did want to do at the end of the day, but I didn’t make it easy on him, either, to keep me around,” the 31-year-old Richards told reporters. “I want to say fault on both parts, but it’s probably more so on me, and he had to do what he had to do (for) what he thought benefited the L.A. Kings.” While Washington saw its five-game winning streak halted with a 4-3 setback to Dallas on Saturday, Los Angeles has alternated victories and losses over the last eight contests – including the first four of its season-high seven-game road trip. Goaltender Jonathan Quick, who is unlikely to play on Tuesday, sat out his third straight game with a lower-body injury in Sunday’s 1-0 setback to New Jersey.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSMA (Washington)
ABOUT THE KINGS (33-19-3): Los Angeles’ offense has gone up and down like a yoyo, as the team has scored 20 goals in its three wins this month and four in the three losses. Tyler Toffoli has scored a goal and set up four others during the last five games, but has yet to tally in four career meetings with the Capitals. Goaltender Jhonas Enroth turned aside 17 shots versus the Devils and could be in line to face Washington, versus which he owns a 2-0-3 mark with a 2.91 goals-against average.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (40-10-4): While Richards has yet to record a point with Washington, fellow former King Justin Williams has scored two goals in his last three contests to raise his total to 18 – matching last season’s mark with Los Angeles. “I want to say it’s just another game, but it’s not,” the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy-winning Williams told reporters. “It has a lot of meaning to me, it has a lot of importance to me.” Captain Alex Ovechkin has scored in four straight games and has 18 goals in his last 19 contests, with seven of those tallies accounting for half of his power-play total this season.
OVERTIME
1. Washington D Brooks Orpik (lower-body injury) could make his return from a 40-game absence on Tuesday.
2. Los Angeles has permitted one power-play goal in each of its last five contests.
3. The Capitals have scored with the man advantage in three straight games following an 0-for-17 stretch in the previous five contests.
PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Kings 2

**Satch** · 02-16-2016, 09:22 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/15

Preview: Winnipeg at Carolina
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to stay close in the Eastern Conference playoff chase and a repeat performance from less than two weeks ago against the Winnipeg Jets will help bolster their chances. The Hurricanes are riding a four-game point streak (2-0-2) entering Tuesday’s matchup against the visiting Jets, including a 5-3 win at Winnipeg on Feb. 5.
The goaltending situation for each team has changed since their meeting earlier this month. Carolina netminder Cam Warm had to exit Saturday’s 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders due to a lower-body injury and is listed as doubtful for Tuesday. Conversely, Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec was back in net for the first time since mid-November and earned the victory in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win at Edmonton. “It was only one game,” Pavelec said. “We’ve got a long road in front of us and we are in the hunt for the playoffs so we need a lot more. It felt good to be back on the ice for sure.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), FSN Carolinas
ABOUT THE JETS (25-27-3): Winnipeg received a jolt Monday when it was revealed that defenseman Mark Stuart will be sidelined for four-to-six weeks with a broken hand sustained against Edmonton. Stuart, who will be replaced by Adam Pardy, was hurt six minutes into the game but played the rest of the way. “He somehow played the game that he played, which was as good a game as he’s had in a number of weeks. … I don’t know how he did it,” coach Paul Maurice said. “After the game, he said he should have it looked at and it turned out it was a fairly significant break in his hand.”
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (25-21-10): While Eddie Lack is expected to start in place of Ward, Carolina is playing a wait-and-see game on leading scorer and defenseman Justin Faulk, who has sat out the past two games with a lower-body injury. Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said Monday that Faulk, who has not practiced since he was hurt last Thursday, will skate Tuesday morning before a decision is made on his playing status. Andrej Nestrasil had been mired in a nine-game goal-scoring drought before tallying twice in the win at Winnipeg and has four goals in his last four contests.
OVERTIME
1. Winnipeg has won its last five games at Carolina.
2. Hurricanes C Jordan Staal has 12 goals and 21 points in 27 games versus the Jets, including a three-point outing on Feb. 5.
3. Jets D Toby Enstrom will play in his 600th career game Tuesday.
PREDICTION: Hurricanes 4, Jets 2

Announcement

NHL Betting Info. 2/16

NHL Betting Info. 2/16

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