NHL Betting Info. 1/19

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Preview: Boston at Montreal

When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
The free-falling Montreal Canadiens have dropped four in a row but have a chance to end the skid against one of their favorite opponents when they host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. Montreal has won only four times in its last 20 games (4-15-1) but has dominated the series against Boston with 13 victories in the past 15 matchups.
The Canadiens have scored more than three regulation goals only once since Nov. 25 – a 5-1 drubbing of the Bruins in the Winter Classic that marked their third win in four meetings this season. “We’re going to get out of this,” forward Brendan Gallagher said. “It’s taking longer than we would have liked, but we’re going to get out of this. The only way we’re going to do that is by sticking together as a group.” Boston had been in a tailspin of its own, losing eight of 10 (2-7-1) before rebounding with consecutive victories over Buffalo and Toronto. The Bruins moved a point ahead of Montreal, which has tumbled to fifth place in the Atlantic Division following a record-setting 9-0-0 start to the season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), RDS, Sportsnet (Montreal)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (23-16-5): David Krejci, who was leading Boston in scoring with 11 goals and 33 points in 35 games, practiced Monday for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury against Ottawa on Dec. 27 but doesn’t appear he’ll be ready to play Tuesday. “I need to feel 100 percent skating and 100 percent shooting,” Krejci said. “I’m getting there, but it was a good day today.” Krejci will accompany the team to Montreal along with forward David Pastrnak, who has been sidelined for the past three games due to an upper-body injury.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (23-19-4): Captain Max Pacioretty is emerging from his scoring slump by scoring five goals over the last eight games. Montreal has faced a grueling stretch during its 0-3-1 skid, falling to Pittsburgh and St. Louis to go along with a pair of defeats in a four-day span to Chicago, which has ripped off 11 straight victories. The schedule eases up after the matchup with Boston – the next seven games for the Canadiens will come against teams that are currently sitting in the bottom three of their respective divisions.
OVERTIME
1. Bruins G Tuukka Rask is a nightmarish 4-15-3 against Montreal.
2. Pacioretty has 14 goals in 30 games versus Boston, including six tallies in his last eight.
3. The Bruins have snuffed out 26-of-27 power-play chances over the past nine games.
PREDICTION: Canadiens 4, Bruins 1

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Preview: Edmonton at Tampa Bay
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
The Tampa Bay Lightning are beginning to resemble the team that won the Eastern Conference and finished two wins shy of the Stanley Cup championship last season. The Lightning have won five straight games to move into playoff position and will attempt to build on that when they host the improving Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over Edmonton on Jan. 8 to start its streak and held off Atlantic Division-leading Florida 3-1 on Sunday. “I don’t care what team you are in the league,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “You win a few in a row, you think you can win every single game. The more we’ve won, that’s kind of how that feeling’s been on the bench.” The Oilers also are gaining confidence after a 4-2 victory at Florida on Monday that extended their point streak to four games (2-0-2), but they lost third-leading scorer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins indefinitely to a hand injury. Nugent-Hopkins (30 points) blocked a shot in the second period Monday and did not return.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE OILERS (19-23-5): All-Star Taylor Hall came into the game against Florida with one point in his previous six contests but pushed his team-leading total to 45 with a pair of goals and an assist. Teddy Purcell will face his former team Tuesday after notching his 10th goal to go along with a pair of assists and Jordan Eberle scored for the first time in seven games. Cam Talbot is 2-1-1 in his last four games, allowing a total of six goals, and earned his ninth win Monday – one day after signing a three-year contract extension.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (24-17-4): Ondrej Palat has recorded four points in seven games since returning from a second stint on injured reserve, but there’s no coincidence Tampa Bay is 6-1-0 in that stretch. “(Palat) is a guy that’s essential to any winning formula you have on a team,” captain Steven Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times. “So, we missed him, for sure.” Stamkos (team-best 20 goals) and Vladislav Namestnikov (eight points in five games) have skated with Palat on a line through most of the winning streak.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 37 points – including at least one in five consecutive games.
2. Edmonton LW Lauri Korpikoski (foot) is questionable after missing Monday’s game.
3. Lightning D Victor Hedman has recorded one goal and six assists with a plus-4 rating over his last five contests.
PREDICTION: Lightning 5, Oilers 2

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Preview: Chicago at Nashville

When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane apparently has pretty high standards as he told the team’s website that the club is on “a good little run here.” Kane looks to extend that “run” to a franchise-best 12th consecutive victories on Tuesday when the Blackhawks visit the Central Division-rival Nashville Predators.
Named the NHL’s First Star of the Week, Kane scored and set up a goal on Sunday as Chicago won 11 in a row for the second time in four years with a 5-2 victory over Montreal. The 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who leads the league in goals (29), assists (40) and points (69), has two tallies and set up another as the Blackhawks have taken two of three from Nashville this season. Filip Forsberg and Eric Nystrom each scored as the Predators snapped a five-game skid (0-4-1) with a 3-0 triumph over Minnesota on Saturday. Both forwards have joined James Neal in tallying twice versus the Blackhawks this season while Mike Ribeiro has recorded a goal and two assists.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CSN Chicago
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (31-13-4): While Kane’s goal scoring has dominated the headlines, captain Jonathan Toews is making some news of his own on the offensive end. “We’re on a bit of a roll right now,” said Toews, who has scored 10 goals and set up eight others in his last 16 games. “We’d love to continue that pace and keep the momentum that we have right now.” Toews recorded his second multi-goal performance of the season on Sunday and notched his 300th career assist to become the third member of the 2006 draft class to reach that milestone (Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux).
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (20-17-8): Former Blackhawk Carter Hutton turned aside all 29 shots he saw to record his first shutout on Saturday. When asked if Hutton or struggling Pekka Rinne will be in net on Tuesday, coach Peter Laviolette stopped short of making a public decision. “It’s a team sport, a team game,” Laviolette said. “We need all of our players to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs and then start that journey. We need everybody.”
OVERTIME
1. Chicago RW Andrew Shaw, who has three multi-point performances in his last five games, collected three goals and an assist versus Nashville this season.
2. The Predators have scored a power-play goal in three straight contests and four of their last five.
3. Blackhawks G Corey Crawford is riding a career high-tying eight-game winning streak, which was originally set from Feb. 20-March 5, 2011.
PREDICTION: Predators 2, Blackhawks 1

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Preview: Dallas at Los Angeles
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
The Dallas Stars attempt to halt their three-game slide when they conclude their three-game trek through California against the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Dallas has dropped six of its seven games this month to fall three points behind reigning Stanley Cup-champion Chicago in the Central.
Captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have combined for three goals and three assists during the skid and rank second and third in league scoring with 56 and 53 points, respectively. Los Angeles has lost two of its last three at home (1-1-1) but edged the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday to extend its division lead over Arizona to 10 points. Vincent Lecavalier has been paying dividends since being acquired from Philadelphia, scoring a power-play goal in each of his last two games while notching three points in five contests with the Kings. Dallas won two of its three meetings with the Kings last season, posting a 2-0 triumph in the only contest at Los Angeles.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE STARS (29-12-5): Ales Hemsky tallied Saturday in his second game back from injury, ending a 22-game drought. A two-time 20-goal scorer with Edmonton, the 32-year-old Czech has recorded 15 goals in 115 contests since signing a three-year, $12 million contract with Dallas on July 1, 2014. Patrick Sharp has been kept off the scoresheet in two straight contests after collecting six goals and nine assists during a 12-game point streak.
ABOUT THE KINGS (28-13-3): Anze Kopitar, who received an eight-year, $80 million contract extension over the weekend, was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after registering two goals and five assists in three games. The 28-year-old Slovenian, who leads Los Angeles in assists (25) and points (38), has landed on the scoresheet in 10 of his last 11 contests – posting two four-point efforts in that span. Jake Muzzin’s seven-game point streak is the longest by a Kings defenseman since Lubomir Visnovsky’s nine-game run in December 2005.
OVERTIME
1. The Stars have lost seven in a row (0-4-3) and nine of their last 10 (0-6-4) on the road.
2. Los Angeles G Jonathan Quick remains in search of his 41st career shutout, which will move him past Frank Brimsek and John Vanbiesbrouck and into first place among American-born goaltenders.
3. Dallas placed Jordie Benn (lower body) on injured reserve and recalled fellow D Esa Lindell from Texas of the American Hockey League.
PREDICTION: Kings 3, Stars 2

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/19

NHL
Hot teams
— Flyers won five of their last six games.
— Washington won six of its last seven games. Columbus won its last two games, 2-1/3-1.
— Vancouver won three of its last four games. Rangers won three of last four at home.
— Lightning won last five games. Edmonton won its last two games, allowing three goals.
— Bruins won last two games, after losing six of previous eight.
— Chicago won its last eleven games, allowing six goals in last four.
Cold teams
— Toronto lost last five games, outscored 19-5.
— Flames lost three of their last four games. New Jersey lost five of its last seven.
— Montreal lost its last four games, scoring seven goals.
— Predators lost five of their last six games.
— Dallas Stars lost six of their last seven games. Los Angeles won seven of its last 10 games.
Series records
— Flyers won three of last four games with Toronto.
— Capitols lost four of last six visits to Washington.
— Rangers lost last two games with Vancouver after winning previous five.
— Devils lost their last six games with Calgary.
— Home side won six of last seven Edmonton-Tampa Bay games.
— Canadiens won nine of last ten games with Boston.
— Blackhawks won five of last seven games with Nashville.
— Kings lost four of last five games with Dallas.
Totals
— Five of last six Toronto games stayed under total.
— Eight of last ten Washington-Columbus games went over.
— Over is 3-1 in Canucks’ last four visits to Manhattan.
— Six of last eight Calgary games stayed under the total.
— Five of last seven Edmonton games stayed under total.
— Under is 5-0-2 in last seven Boston games.
— Under is 5-2-2 in last nine Chicago games.
— Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Dallas-Los Angeles games.
Back-to-backs
— Edmonton is 2-3 if it played night before; teams are 3-0 the night after playing Florida.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/19

TORONTO (16-20-0-7, 39 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (20-15-0-8, 48 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:05 PM Top Trends for this game. TORONTO is 3-17 ATS (+22.4 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons. TORONTO is 11-40 ATS (+60.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. TORONTO is 18-31 ATS (-17.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. TORONTO is 4-14 ATS (-10.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. PHILADELPHIA is 10-3 ATS (+6.4 Units) in home games in January games over the last 2 seasons. PHILADELPHIA is 5-13 ATS (-8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season. PHILADELPHIA is 4-13 ATS (-12.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History PHILADELPHIA is 3-3 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons PHILADELPHIA is 3-3-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons 3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)

WASHINGTON (34-8-0-3, 71 pts.) at COLUMBUS (17-25-0-4, 38 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:05 PM There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game. Head-to-Head Series History COLUMBUS is 5-6 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons WASHINGTON is 6-5-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons 8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.1 Units)

VANCOUVER (19-17-0-10, 48 pts.) at NY RANGERS (24-16-0-5, 53 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:05 PM Top Trends for this game. NY RANGERS are 16-5 ATS (+9.2 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons. VANCOUVER is 181-193 ATS (+420.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996. NY RANGERS are 214-207 ATS (-115.6 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996. NY RANGERS are 12-17 ATS (-13.0 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History NY RANGERS is 3-2 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons NY RANGERS is 3-2-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons 3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)

CALGARY (20-20-0-3, 43 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (22-19-0-5, 49 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:05 PM Top Trends for this game. CALGARY is 70-66 ATS (+148.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons. CALGARY is 53-49 ATS (+110.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. CALGARY is 43-37 ATS (+85.9 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons. CALGARY is 14-9 ATS (+26.1 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons. NEW JERSEY is 25-49 ATS (+81.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History CALGARY is 5-0 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons CALGARY is 5-0-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons 3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.3 Units)

EDMONTON (19-23-0-5, 43 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (24-17-0-4, 52 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:35 PM Top Trends for this game. EDMONTON is 26-26 ATS (+60.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons. TAMPA BAY is 2-7 ATS (-7.3 Units) on Tuesday nights this season. TAMPA BAY is 22-26 ATS (-9.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons. TAMPA BAY is 322-384 ATS (-170.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996. Head-to-Head Series History TAMPA BAY is 3-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons 2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.8 Units)

BOSTON (23-16-0-5, 51 pts.) at MONTREAL (23-19-0-4, 50 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 7:35 PM Top Trends for this game. BOSTON is 64-62 ATS (-28.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons. BOSTON is 7-15 ATS (-10.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season. MONTREAL is 88-68 ATS (+159.2 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996. MONTREAL is 66-54 ATS (+2.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History MONTREAL is 14-5 (+12.4 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons MONTREAL is 14-5-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons 9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

CHICAGO (31-13-0-4, 66 pts.) at NASHVILLE (20-17-0-8, 48 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 8:05 PM Top Trends for this game. CHICAGO is 17-20 ATS (-22.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. NASHVILLE is 199-162 ATS (+27.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996. CHICAGO is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in January games this season. CHICAGO is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) second half of the season this season. CHICAGO is 17-2 ATS (+13.8 Units) after a non-conference game this season. CHICAGO is 19-5 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season. NASHVILLE is 20-25 ATS (-18.8 Units) in all games this season. NASHVILLE is 27-32 ATS (-8.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. NASHVILLE is 5-11 ATS (-11.7 Units) vs. division opponents this season. NASHVILLE is 2-7 ATS (-10.1 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season. NASHVILLE is 9-19 ATS (+29.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History NASHVILLE is 8-10 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons CHICAGO is 10-8-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons 9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.5 Units)

DALLAS (29-12-0-5, 63 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (28-13-0-3, 59 pts.) - 1/19/2016, 10:35 PM Top Trends for this game. DALLAS is 1-6 ATS (-6.3 Units) in January games this season. DALLAS is 1-6 ATS (-6.3 Units) second half of the season this season. DALLAS is 34-24 ATS (+60.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons. DALLAS is 12-5 ATS (+17.3 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons. DALLAS is 36-29 ATS (+69.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. DALLAS is 10-4 ATS (+15.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. LOS ANGELES is 68-58 ATS (+135.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons. LOS ANGELES is 130-144 ATS (-23.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996. LOS ANGELES is 12-21 ATS (-25.6 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons. Head-to-Head Series History DALLAS is 4-2 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons DALLAS is 4-2-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons 3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/19

Dave Cokin



BRUINS @ CANADIENS 7:35 PM

Take: BRUINS -105

If you’re a history buff, you might well be considering Montreal as a play tonight. The Canadiens have enjoyed enormous success against the Bruins, particularly on the ice surface at Montreal. But it’s the most recent result between these two Original Six franchises that has me looking the visitor’s way tonight.

Over the course of the lengthy NHL regular season, there aren’t all that many games that teams specifically circle as must win. But I think we have one of those this evening. The Bruins don’t need total recall to reflect on what took place on January 1. The latest NHL Winter Classic at Foxboro, home of the Patriots, was a disaster for the Bruins. They were outplayed badly by Montreal in an eventual 5-1 Canadiens romp. Head coach Claude Julian was downplaying the revenge angle at practice on Monday, but the players know the score and this is a game the Bruins want very badly.

As crazy as the domination in this series has been for the Habs, they’re not a very good hockey team right now. Since opening the campaign with a phenomenal 9-0 run, Montreal has won only 14 of its last 37 games. The goaltending has been perhaps better than expected considering the lengthy absence of the brilliant Carey Price. But overall, the Habs haven’t been much and the truth is they’re really not a playoff caliber team right now.

The Bruins have had a peculiar season, in that they’ve been a much better team on the road than at home. They’re arriving in Montreal with at least a bit of momentum off back to back wins. Tuukka Rask continues to be plagued by some madding inconsistency, and the veteran goalie has some gnarly numbers against the Canadiens. So there are some concerns on that count tonight.

But the bottom line for me is that the circumstances here make this what might well be the biggest game to date so far this season for Boston. In spite of their issues with this opponent, I think the Bruins come out flying tonight, and Montreal is a team ripe for the taking currently. In a pick ’em situation, I’ll back the Bruins.