NHL Betting Info. 3/7

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/7

Preview: San Jose at Calgary

When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
The San Jose Sharks have a firm hold on a postseason berth but still have their sights set on a division title as they sit six points behind Pacific-leading Anaheim. The Sharks attempt to keep alive their chances when they begin a two-game trip to Alberta on Monday against the division-rival Calgary Flames.
San Jose has a 14-point lead over Vancouver for third place in the Pacific despite falling to the Canucks at home Saturday. Calgary salvaged the finale of its four-game road trip Saturday, posting a 4-2 triumph at Pittsburgh, but likely won’t be able to do the same with its season. The Flames are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the sixth time in seven campaigns as they are 14 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 17 games remaining. San Jose and Calgary split their first four meetings of the season, with each team recording one victory in the other’s building.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), Sportsnet West (Calgary)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (35-23-6): Joe Thornton (62 points) has overtaken captain Joe Pavelski (61) for the team scoring lead thanks to his latest point streak – a four-game run that has seen him score one goal and set up five others. The 36-year-old former captain has not gone more than one contest without a point since a two-game stretch from Dec. 9-12 and has been kept off the scoresheet only four times in his last 35 contests. Brent Burns, who leads all NHL defensemen in goals, scored his career-best 23rd of the season Saturday – eclipsing his previous high set in 2013-14.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (27-34-4): Johnny Gaudreau has more than avoided a sophomore slump as he leads the team with 63 points – one shy of his total as a rookie last season. The 22-year-old native of New Jersey has gone four games without a goal and hasn’t scored in nine of his last 10 contests, but needs one to set a career high. Defenseman TJ Brodie also is close to setting a standard as he is one point away from matching his personal best of 41 from last season.
OVERTIME
1. The Flames are 2-9-1 since topping the Sharks in a shootout at San Jose on Feb. 11.
2. Pavelski needs one tally to reach the 30-goal plateau for the third consecutive season and fourth time in his career.
3. Monday’s contest is the opener of a season-high six-game homestand for Calgary, which has lost four of its last five (1-3-1) at Scotiabank Saddledome.
PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Flames 2

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/7

Preview: Washington at Anaheim
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
The NHL’s best team meets the league’s hottest when the Washington Capitals visit the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in what could be a Stanley Cup Finals preview. Anaheim moved into first place in the Pacific Division with a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday for its franchise-record 11th straight victory while Washington became the first club to reach 100 points with a 2-1 overtime win in Boston on Saturday and has a 13-point lead for the Presidents’ Trophy.
“That’s the position we want to be in,” the Ducks’ Rickard Rakell told reporters after Anaheim improved to 18-1-1 in its last 20 games and 25-4-2 since Christmas. “We’re not satisfied. We want to keep the momentum going. The team is coming together. We have four lines that play solid hockey. It must be tough to match up against us.” Washington hits the road for a three-game trip through California after going 3-1-0 in a four-game stretch in five days. “We believe that we have enough depth that we can play at a high pace, high compete level for the majority of the game, no matter the schedule I think,” Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen said after scoring in overtime Saturday. The key to victory Monday could be to avoid the penalty box as Anaheim (No. 1 power play through Saturday) is an eye-popping 19-for-42 with a man advantage while scoring at least one in each game of its streak while Washington (No. 2) is 6-for-18 in its last six.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, CSN DC (Washington), Prime Ticket and FSN San Diego (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (48-13-4): Washington boasts eight players with at least 13 goals with captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL-best 41) at the top and Evgeny Kuznetsov (team-high 66 points) next with 20. Ovechkin was given a five-minute major for boarding Boston’s Kevan Miller on Saturday – a hit which sent the defenseman to the hospital with an upper-body injury, but there was no immediate word on whether Ovechkin would face a suspension. Goaltender Braden Holtby (40-8-3) is expected to resume what will likely be a Vezina Trophy-winning season after Philipp Grubauer gave him a spell with a 33-save performance Saturday.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (37-19-8): Anaheim has outscored the opposition 41-21 during its winning streak and it’s offensive depth is starting to blossom. Corey Perry has a team-leading 28 goals while Rakell (17), Ryan Kesler (14) and David Perron (12) are the others with more than 10, but seven Ducks have between seven and nine tallies. Perron has been a major factor since being acquired from Pittsburgh in January with eight goals and 10 assists in 21 games since joining Anaheim while thriving on a line centered by captain Ryan Getzlaf (team bests of 42 assists and 51 points).
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks allow the fewest goals per game in the NHL along with Los Angeles at 2.28 with Washington third at 2.29.
2. The Capitals have won five straight in Anaheim since a 3-0 loss to the then-Mighty Ducks on Dec. 11, 2002.
3. This is the first meeting of the two-game season series because the Jan. 22 contest in Washington was postponed to April 10 because of snow.
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Capitals 2

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Preview: Vancouver at Los Angeles
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, March 7, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles Kings have won five of their last seven games but still have fallen out of first place in the Pacific Division, as their only two losses in that stretch came against new leader Anaheim. Los Angeles begins its quest to regain the top spot when it continues its five-game homestand against the division-rival Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
The Kings are 1-1-0 on the homestand and 4-2-0 during a string of nine straight games in southern California. Vancouver posted a 4-2 victory in San Jose on Saturday to halt a three-game slide that included a pair of home losses to the Sharks but paid a price as captain Henrik Sedin exited with an upper-body injury that will sideline him Monday. The Canucks’ postseason chances are slim as they trail Minnesota by 10 points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 18 games remaining and one team between them. Vancouver was blanked at home in its last meeting with the Kings but is 1-0-1 at Los Angeles this season, including a shutout victory Oct. 13.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), KCOP-13 (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (25-27-12): Sedin did not accompany the team to Los Angeles, returning to Vancouver for evaluation after sustaining a hard hit from San Jose’s Brent Burns. The Canucks also could be without Chris Tanev as the defenseman is listed as questionable after also suffering an upper-body injury in Saturday’s contest. Radim Vrbata, who hasn’t played since Feb. 21, could miss his sixth straight game because of a groin injury.
ABOUT THE KINGS (38-22-4): Los Angeles also could be down a player as Kris Versteeg is questionable with an upper-body injury he suffered in Saturday’s loss to Anaheim. The Kings would like to see Tyler Toffoli regain his scoring touch as the 23-year-old – who leads the team with 24 goals – has scored once in his last 13 games and twice in 20 contests. Jeff Carter also is mired in a slump, with one goal in his last 12 games and two in 21 matches.
OVERTIME
1. Kings C Anze Kopitar needs one goal to hit 20 for the eighth time in his 10 NHL seasons.
2. Vancouver LW Daniel Sedin is five tallies shy of reaching 30 for the fifth time in his career and first since 2011-12.
3. Los Angeles C Vincent Lecavalier owns the worst career plus/minus rating among active players at minus-140.
PREDICTION: Kings 3, Canucks 1