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**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Flames (19-21) at Blue Jackets (15-26)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The clock is ticking on the first half of the season for the Calgary Flames.

'Ran out of time,' coach Bob Hartley said following the latest loss in a down stretch.

The Flames will try to squeeze something positive from what's left before the All-Star break, starting with Thursday night's visit to the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets.

Calgary (20-21-3) remains unable to get out of its rut, going 5-7-1 since a seven-game winning streak to open December. The Flames are tied with Edmonton at the bottom of the Western Conference with 43 points.

Tuesday's 4-2 loss at New Jersey was their second in a row and gave them a 1-3-1 mark in five as they stumble toward the All-Star break.

"We've put ourselves in a little bit of a hole," defenseman Kris Russell said. "I believe in this team, I believe we can get out of it."

Calgary, 1-3-1 in its last five away from home going into the third game of a five-game trip, has seen its once-productive play in the offensive zone disappear. The Flames, who led the league with 3.55 goals per game while winning nine of 11 from Dec. 1-27, have scored two or fewer goals five times in nine games since.

They beat Florida 6-0 last Wednesday but have managed three goals in the two losses that have followed.

Columbus (17-26-4) might provide the perfect opportunity for Calgary to get back on track offensively. The Blue Jackets' 3.21 non-shootout goals allowed per game is easily the worst mark in the league, and they've given up 3.80 in their last 15 contests.

The first 14 of that stretch were played without goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who missed 17 games with a groin injury. He was rusty in his return Tuesday, allowing five goals on 27 shots in a 6-3 loss to Washington.

Bobrovsky surrendered two goals on the first three shots faced and five on 15 before finishing with 22 saves, including denying Alex Ovechkin on a third-period penalty shot.

'It's a tough spot,' coach John Tortorella said. 'We know he's going to be better. He's been out for a while.'

Columbus has gone 2-4-1 in its last seven, further cementing its spot in the NHL cellar.

The Blue Jackets, however, have won the last three in this series and earned at least a point in 10 of 11 meetings. Rene Bourque scored twice and Bobrovsky made 38 saves in a 3-2 road win in the most recent March 21.

The Flames' Karri Ramo stopped 23 shots in that contest and will make his first start since Jan. 11 after sitting out three games with an illness. He surrendered all of the goals in a 5-4 loss to San Jose his last time out Jan. 11 but posted a 1.01 goals-against average in winning two of his previous three starts.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Canucks (15-17) at Bruins (22-16)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Vancouver Canucks have fared relatively well despite allowing at least 40 shots in each of the first four stops on a six-game trip.

The Canucks know they've been fortunate, and must clamp down starting Thursday night against a Boston Bruins team that's been rejuvenated offensively amid three straight victories.

Vancouver (19-17-11) allowed an average of 30.1 shots and gave up 40 or more five times prior to this trip, during which it's yielded 44.3 while going 2-1-1. Two nights after giving up a season-high 48 in a 2-1 shootout win over the New York Islanders, the Canucks allowed 49 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers.

The 97 shots are the second-highest total in the league in a two-game span dating to 1989-90. Vancouver has allowed at least 40 shots in four straight games, its most since at least the start of that 1989-90 season.

"It's frustrating. It's tough," coach Willie Desjardins told the NHL's official website. "It takes a lot of energy when you're in your zone defending. It's not that our guys haven't battled. They have blocked shots, guys have worked hard.

"It's a matter of playing with confidence. It seems we are not confident when (we are) going to make a play and as a result we are hesitating a little bit."

The Canucks have yielded 10 goals on the trip and have killed off 15 of 16 penalties in the last seven games. However, they're averaging 1.8 non-shootout goals and 24.5 shots on the road swing.

"It's tiring for everyone," said forward Daniel Sedin, who hasn't scored in four games since tying Markus Naslund as Vancouver's all-time goals leader with 346.

"It's not going to work. We are going to have to try and fix it."

Ryan Miller is expected to be in net for a third straight start. Backup Jacob Markstrom struggled while facing 22 shots in a 4-0 loss to Boston (24-16-5) on Dec. 5, a contest in which the Canucks were held to 17 shots.

Boston averaged 2.2 goals in a 2-7-1 stretch from Dec. 22-Jan. 13 but has scored 11 times during the three-game winning streak that's followed.

"We've got to keep putting pressure, and we saw some good results out of it," center Patrice Bergeron told the Bruins' official website after scoring for the third time in two games in Tuesday's 4-1 victory at Montreal.

One game after recording their second-most shots of the season with 45 in a 3-2 win over Toronto, the Bruins needed just 24 for the win over the Canadiens.

Boston has posted a 6-0 goal advantage in the third period of the last three games after being outscored 4-0 in the third in losing the previous two. David Pastrnak returned from a three-game absence due to an upper-body injury to score one of the Bruins' two third-period goals Tuesday.

"These are points we need to get that we work hard to get, because everybody's so tight in the standings," veteran forward Max Talbot said. "So we're very, very happy with the two points. We'll enjoy it ... and think about next game."

Tuukka Rask, who recorded one of his four shutouts this season at Vancouver, has a 2.00 goals-against average in his last five starts.

Daniel Sedin does not have a goal in his last 10 regular-season games against the Bruins. He'll be without brother Henrik, who is out through the All-Star break with an upper-body injury suffered Sunday.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Senators (18-18) at Devils (21-19)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

As thrilled as the New Jersey Devils are to have Mike Cammalleri return, the Ottawa Senators can't be happy it came in time for them to see him.

At least the Senators won't have to face Cammalleri for the rest of the regular season after closing a five-game trip Thursday night at New Jersey in a matchup of teams battling at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

This game comes two days after Cammalleri's return coincided with the Devils' highest-scoring game since Christmas. The 13-year veteran remains the team's points leader (36) despite missing eight games with a hand injury, and New Jersey (23-19-5) scored only eight goals in the last seven.

"It's no secret we've struggled to score at times, so to add a guy with his talent and his nose for the net is a huge boost for our team," linemate Lee Stempniak said.

Cammalleri was back Tuesday, registering one assist and one shot, but his impact was clearly felt as New Jersey defeated Calgary 4-2. Stempniak had his first multipoint game since November.

"It was a big lift in the sense that, it's not just what he brings on the ice," coach John Hynes said. "There's a locker room element to the team that he brings, just his leadership and his moxie and understanding the game."

It was his first game since scoring twice in a 3-0 win in Ottawa on Dec. 30. He also had three assists there in a 5-4 shootout victory Oct. 22. Cammalleri has seven goals and six assists in his last 10 games against the Senators as his teams have gone 8-1-1, including 4-0 since joining the Devils.

This is the clubs' third and final meeting of the season. New Jersey is 5-1-1 in the last seven.

Both teams are seeking a third consecutive victory, something the Senators (22-18-6) haven't done since late November. They had lost nine of 10 on the road before beating two of the West's top teams, 5-3 over Los Angeles on Saturday and 4-3 in a shootout at San Jose on Monday.

Ottawa trailed in the third period of both games.

'It's nice for us to know that when we get down a goal or two we're going to come back,' said Zack Smith, whose short-handed goal on a penalty shot tied Monday's game with 5:31 left. 'It's almost the mentality we had last year where you just know you will tie it up at some point in the third and see what happens in overtime.'

That mentality helped the Senators earn a postseason berth with a 23-4-4 finish, and they're seeking a similar turnaround after a recent 5-10-1 funk dropped them out of playoff position. They're one point behind New Jersey for the East's final wild-card spot.

Only nine points separate second place from 13th place in the jumbled East standings.

'It seems every team around us keeps winning and every team is in the mix," Devils goalie Cory Schneider said.

Schneider kept New Jersey competitive during Cammalleri's absence. He has a 1.57 goals-against average in his last nine games, a stretch which began with his 36-save shutout of the Senators. He's 5-1-1 with a 1.39 GAA in seven career starts against them.

Counterpart Craig Anderson has won seven of eight against the Devils with a 1.37 GAA, including two shutouts in his last three.

It's unclear if Senators top goal scorer Mike Hoffman will play after leaving Monday's game when he crashed into the goal post. He's listed as day to day.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Flyers (18-16) at Penguins (20-17)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Neither Pennsylvania team currently holds a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference race, but the Philadelphia Flyers should feel better about their position than a Pittsburgh Penguins club again falling short of expectations.

They've had plenty to celebrate after recent head-to-head meetings, too.

The Flyers look to win a ninth straight meeting and jump the Penguins in the standings when they meet Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia (20-16-8) missed the playoffs last season and brought in coach Dave Hakstol straight from the college level to help lead a turnaround. The Flyers may not have played as well as they'd hoped to this point, ranking second-to-last in goals, but they're certainly making progress.

They surged through a 5-0-1 stretch before falling 3-2 at home to Toronto on Tuesday and have a pair of four-game winning streaks since Thanksgiving after having only one all of last season.

Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been a pleasant surprise since being called up from the AHL on Nov. 14 and scored his eighth goal in the third period against the Maple Leafs. The Flyers, though, allowed the winner in the final minute to the club that entered with the fewest wins in the league.

"We are not a playoff team if we come out like that. That's just not good for us," Gostisbehere said. "We have to prepare for everyone no matter who they are. I think we scored the first goal and thought it was going to be a big night for everyone on the stat sheet and we sat back a little bit. We're going to learn from these mistakes and keep pushing through."

Gostisbehere has yet to experience this rivalry with the Penguins (21-17-7), which has been extremely one-sided lately. Pittsburgh has not faced the Flyers this season and hasn't beaten them since Oct. 17, 2013, getting outscored 30-14 in the last eight matchups.

The Penguins have gone 2 for 29 on the power play in that stretch, and Sidney Crosby has only one goal and one assist in his last seven against Philadelphia. Ending their longest losing streak in the series since 1982-84 could boost a team that has dropped five of seven after falling 5-2 at St. Louis on Monday.

Evgeni Malkin's 20th goal put Pittsburgh ahead with 4:04 left in the second period, but it blew the lead 1:18 later and didn't score again. Despite acquiring Phil Kessel in the offseason, the Penguins rank near the bottom of the league in goals and sit in 11th place in the East, one point ahead of Philadelphia and Carolina.

"We've just got to find ways to win," said Crosby, who has two goals and four assists during a four-game point streak. "We're not any different and if we want to push into the playoffs here, we've got to find ways to do that."

Marc-Andre Fleury should be back in net after getting Monday off. He shut out Carolina with 22 saves Sunday but is 0-4-1 with a 4.03 goals-against average in his last six against the Flyers.

Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux will be looking to continue their success against Fleury and Pittsburgh. Voracek has three goals and seven assists during a six-game point streak against the Penguins, and Giroux has two goals and nine assists in his last seven against them.

Steve Mason has a 1.29 GAA in his last five starts against Pittsburgh.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Hurricanes (20-19) at Maple Leafs (13-20)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Toronto Maple Leafs' ended one of their longest skids of the season with their best scoring performance in nearly two weeks. They have a chance to keep that momentum when they face a team missing its top goaltender.

Cam Ward is out indefinitely for the Carolina Hurricanes, who will wrap up a brief road trip Thursday night.

Toronto snapped a five-game losing streak Tuesday when Matt Hunwick's shot in the final seconds deflected in off a Philadelphia defenseman's knee. The Maple Leafs (17-20-7) were outscored 19-5 before that 3-2 victory.

"I think your determination should show every night," coach Mike Babcock said. "Not every second night or every third night or when you're feeling good. Every night. That to me is the goal for our team, that we're prepared and that we compete every single night."

Toronto has been outscored 7-2 in back-to-back home losses and will try to avoid dropping three straight there since its 0-3-1 start to this season. The Maple Leafs appear to be catching a break with Ward sidelined due to a concussion.

Carolina's top netminder had given up a combined three goals in his last three starts against Toronto but suffered a 2-1 shootout loss in his latest outing Nov. 20. Nazem Kadri scored the tying goal with 3:33 left in regulation and paved the way for Toronto to end a four-game losing streak in the series.

This time, Toronto will likely start Eddie Lack in net, and his 2.97 goals-against average this season is substantially higher than Ward's 2.41. Lack yielded all of the goals in a 5-0 drubbing in Pittsburgh in his latest start Sunday.

That performance gave Carolina back-to-back defeats since its season-high four-game win streak.

Lack has recent experience taking over for an injured No. 1 goaltender. He started 20 games last season while Ryan Miller was out with a knee injury for Vancouver and helped the Canucks reach the playoffs by going 12-6-2 with a 2.43 GAA.

Lack earned a 4-1 win in his only start against Toronto on March 14, making 28 saves.

"I'm looking forward to playing and doing my best," Lack said. "I'm not really happy with the Pittsburgh game but it's an opportunity for me to bounce back. We're just going to take it day by day here. I'm not looking longer than that."

The Hurricanes (20-19-8) have called up Phillip Di Giuseppe from his minor league conditioning stint, and he could return Thursday. The forward hasn't played since an overtime loss to Nashville on Jan. 2 because of a concussion.

"We missed the element of speed. He's got pace," coach Bill Peters said. "We want to play fast, and he allows us to do that. It makes that (third) line quicker."

Peters is hopeful that defenseman Brett Pesce will end his two-game absence due to a lower-body injury, and veteran blueliner Ron Hainsey could play despite some dental issues.

Carolina captain Eric Staal has eight goals and eight assists in his last 13 games against Toronto, but he has one goal and three assists in his first nine contests in 2016.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Blackhawks (31-13) at Lightning (23-17)

Date: January 21, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the verge of their longest winning streak in 12 years, though they've once again been outdone by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Last season's Stanley Cup Final participants stand as the NHL's two hottest teams entering Thursday night's marquee matchup, with the Blackhawks on a franchise-record 12-game run and the resurgent Lightning vying for a seventh consecutive win.

No buildup was really necessary for the Blackhawks' first visit to Tampa since their pivotal 2-1 victory in Game 5 of a finals series it won in six, but both teams' stellar recent play has added to the hype.

Chicago (32-13-4) has outscored opponents 47-22 since last losing Dec. 27, with Tampa Bay (25-17-4) nearly as impressive in compiling a 24-13 margin over its best stretch of the season.

The Lightning can earn their longest streak since winning a club-record eight straight during their 2003-04 championship season by halting a four-game skid against Chicago including last year's finals. The Blackhawks earned a 1-0 home win Oct. 24 on Jonathan Toews' goal 17 seconds into overtime.

'We turned the page on last year, but the storyline is going to read, 'the Stanley Cup Finals a year later'," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "But they won (Tuesday) and their streak is at 12 and we're at six so that's 18 wins between us. It's going to be a good one."

The Blackhawks' dominant stretch has been led by the same core that carried them to their third title in six years last spring. Patrick Kane has 21 of his league-leading 71 points during the streak, Toews has eight goals and five assists and Duncan Keith 12 points and a plus-11 rating.

Rookie Artemi Panarin has done his part as well by amassing six goals and eight assists, including two of the latter to support Corey Crawford's 38 saves in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Nashville that opened a three-game trip.

"We're getting contributions from everybody, all four lines, all six (defensemen)," Keith said. "It's one game at a time. I think we're trying to be smart and playing a good team game."

Crawford owns a 1.88 goals-against average in winning nine consecutive starts.

"He's been amazing," said Kane, who scored his 30th goal Tuesday to already match a career high. "He just seems like he's got a whole new focus in the net, and some nights he looks unbeatable. It's pretty fun to watch. I think he's very underrated as far as goalies go around the league, but we feel we have the best kept secret with him."

The Lightning are well aware of Crawford's talents, as he held them to 10 goals in the finals and stopped 21 shots in this season's previous meeting. The steady goaltender helped Chicago limit Steven Stamkos to one assist in the 2015 championship series.

Stamkos leads Tampa Bay with 20 goals but has taken a back seat of late to young Russians Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov. Both had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 6-4 win over Edmonton, giving Namestnikov 10 points over the unbeaten run highlighted by a hat trick Friday against Pittsburgh.

Kucherov has five goals and four assists over a six-game point streak and 26 points in 20 games since Dec. 5, second only to Kane (30) over that span.

Ben Bishop figures to be back in goal after Andrei Vasilevskiy worked the Edmonton game. The All-Star has yielded three goals over a three-start winning streak to lower his GAA to 1.97, second in the NHL.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Predators (18-18) at Jets (21-22)

Date: January 21, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

A matchup with the slumping Nashville Predators one week ago yielded the Winnipeg Jets a brief scoring breakout, one they haven't been able to build upon.

They'll attempt to get their offense untracked when the Central Division rivals face off again Thursday night.

Winnipeg has scored 11 times in losing four of six, though nearly half of those goals came in a 5-4 overtime home win over the Predators last Thursday. The Jets have scored two in two games since, including Monday's frustrating 2-1 home loss to Colorado in which they generated 37 shots.

'We're kind of having a little blockage here,' center Mathieu Perreault said. 'We've just got to find a way to get it done. This time of the year, with the standings, where we're sitting, those are huge points we left on the table. So we've got to bear down here, get going.'

Injuries to Drew Stafford (undisclosed) and Mark Scheifele (lower body), two of the team's top four goal scorers, have played a role in the slump. Stafford will miss a third consecutive game and Scheifele a sixth straight.

Nashville's main problem during a 1-5-1 stretch has been preventing goals, having allowed 25 over that span. Pekka Rinne has permitted three or more in eight of his last nine starts and surrendered three on his first 13 shots faced in Tuesday's 4-1 defeat to red-hot Chicago.

The Predators failed to capitalize on a 39-27 shot advantage, an ongoing issue during their disappointing season. It's the 10th time Nashville (20-18-8) has scored two or fewer goals when recording at least 35 shots, the most in the NHL.

"It's a tough league," captain Shea Weber said. "There are some really good teams and it's a tough game every night, so I can't put a finger on exactly why we can't get on a roll, but we're working at it and we'll try to dig ourselves out."

Nashville sits sixth in the Central, three points above last-place Winnipeg (21-22-3), despite leading the league with a plus-4.7 shot differential per game.

A return to form from Rinne, who's 0-4-1 with a 3.73 goals-against average over his past five starts, would help as well. The All-Star goaltender made just 19 saves before yielding Blake Wheeler's game-winner 51 seconds into overtime in last week's meeting.

Rinne did register a 20-save shutout in a 7-0 home rout of the Jets on Nov. 14 but stopped only 14 of 17 as Winnipeg won 4-1 in Nashville on Jan. 5 behind Stafford's two goals. Having lost 11 of 12 road starts, he could give way to Carter Hutton in the opener of this four-game Canada trip.

Hutton led Nashville to its last victory with 29 saves in Saturday's 4-0 win over struggling Minnesota.

Connor Hellebuyck has given Winnipeg more stability by posting a 1.73 GAA and .942 save percentage over an 11-start stretch. The rookie, third in the NHL with a 2.00 GAA, followed up a 24-save effort in Friday's 1-0 win at Minnesota with 32 against the Avalanche.

Hellebuyck had 31 saves against Nashville last week, the Jets' lone win in their last four at home. They're on the second of a six-game homestand that extends after the All-Star break.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:46 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Oilers (15-24) at Stars (27-13)

Date: January 21, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

With their final three games before the All-Star break at home, the Dallas Stars believe they can halt a January slide that's come mostly on the road.

Looking to continue their success at the American Airlines Center, the Stars can begin a potential turnaround by preventing their season-high losing streak from reaching five games Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

Dallas (29-13-5) entered the new year with a seven-point lead in the Western Conference, but it's 1-5-2 this month and finds itself five points behind a West-leading Chicago team that's won 12 straight. The Stars have earned two points in six of those January games that came away from home.

Mired in an 0-5-3 road slide and allowing an average of 4.6 goals in the last seven of those losses, the Stars should be glad to remain in Texas prior to next weekend's All-Star festivities.

"They are huge games," defenseman Alex Goligoski told the Stars' official website after they concluded an 0-2-1 trip through California with Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Los Angeles.

"Get some ground back and throw some points back up on the board. We've been good at home lately. We got to go home and get the job done."

Dallas is 17-5-0 at home, where it's yielded 11 goals in the last nine and won a season-high five in a row before falling 2-1 to Minnesota on Jan. 9. The Stars allowed their three opponents on the recent trip to go 4 for 7 on the power play, but they've killed 17 of 18 penalties in the last seven at home.

Antti Niemi has a 1.30 goals-against average during a 6-1-0 stretch at home.

'We've got to regroup, get things in order and focus on the rest of the season,' forward Antoine Roussel said. 'It's going to come hard. Teams in the league are getting better, and they're aiming at us."

Home or away, Dallas needs to improve on the 1.8 goals its averaged in the last six games. It's gone 2 for 15 on the power play during that stretch.

Tyler Seguin is third in the league with 53 points and three behind teammate Jamie Benn, but he has two goals and one assist in 2016.

Jason Spezza recorded a hat trick as Dallas won for the third straight time at home over Edmonton (19-24-5), 4-2 on Oct. 13. The Stars are 13-1-2 in the last 16 at home against the Oilers, who avenged the October defeat with a 2-1 overtime victory in Edmonton on Dec. 4.

Playing its first game since learning third-leading scorer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would miss six to eight weeks with a hand injury, Edmonton's four-game point streak ended with a 6-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

"At the end of the night that's too many (goals against)," coach Todd McLellan told the Oilers' official website. "They're too talented a team for us to play as loose and poorly as we did in our zone, and that's team-wide."

Cam Talbot, who signed a three-year contract extension Sunday, watched as backup Anders Nilsson faced 30 shots. Talbot, who has a 1.45 GAA in his last four starts, hasn't played against Dallas this season with Nilsson facing 94 shots in the two meetings.

Jordan Eberle has two goals and two assists in his last four games against the Stars.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:46 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Sharks (21-18) at Coyotes (22-18)

Date: January 21, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

While improved offensive play has keyed the San Jose Sharks' rise in the standings, the Arizona Coyotes' scoring drought has become a concern.

Though their winning streak has ended, the visiting Sharks still have a chance to stretch their point streak to a season-high seven Thursday night in a battle between two of the three teams tied for second in the Pacific Division.

San Jose (23-18-3) had averaged 2.7 goals per game before its current 5-0-1 stretch in which it has found the net 24 times. It hasn't earned a point in seven straight games since an eight-game run in March 2014.

The Sharks were on the verge of extending their five-game winning streak until they pulled down Ottawa's Jack Smith on a breakaway with 5:31 remaining in regulation of Monday's 4-3 shootout defeat. Smith converted the tying penalty shot, which stood after officials went to replay to see if the puck stopped moving forward before he took the shot.

"We have been playing great lately," Matt Nieto, who put San Jose ahead earlier, told the team's official website. "We'll take the point and move on."

Logan Couture scored his second goal in nine games since returning from a right leg injury and Joe Thornton added his 14th assist over his last 14. Tomas Hertl has scored in two straight games, giving him four goals and seven points in the past six. He has four in eight meetings with the Coyotes.

Couture had his five-game point streak in the series snapped in a 5-3 road loss April 4 in the most recent matchup. San Jose, which is tied with Arizona and Vancouver and 12 points behind Los Angeles, had gone 9-1-3 over the previous 13 meetings.

The Coyotes are having a much more difficult time scoring. They've totaled three goals over an 0-2-1 stretch after averaging 3.6 over their prior seven.

Antoine Vermette's goal with 11:56 remaining ended a scoreless drought of more than six periods in Monday's 2-1 home loss to Buffalo. Shane Doan has only tallied one of his team-high 16 goals over the last six games.

"We're a little bit off on our shooting and a lot of our shots are getting blocked," coach Dave Tippett said. "These are tight games and the second half gets tighter - people are scrambling for points and we're no different."

Arizona (22-18-5) has come up empty on its 10 power-play opportunities over the past two games after going 14 for 39 in its previous 10. The club also has allowed opponents to go 6 for 11 in those situations in its past four.

Joe Pavelski has a team-high seven power-play goals for a San Jose team that ranks near the top of the NHL by converting 21.2 percent of its chances. The Sharks, however, have let opponents score on 5 of 11 power plays in their last five games.

They're expected to face Louis Domingue, who hopes to rebound from his first regulation defeat in 11 starts since taking over for the injured Mike Smith. He's 7-1-3 with a .936 save percentage as a starter.

San Jose's Martin Jones will likely get an opportunity to win his fifth straight start after posting a 1.95 goals-against average over his last four. While with the Kings, he had 26 saves in a 4-0 win Dec. 4, 2014, in his only career start in Phoenix.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:46 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Preview: Wild (22-16) at Kings (27-13)

Date: January 21, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

A revitalized Vincent Lecavalier is certainly doing his part to protect the Los Angeles Kings' healthy lead atop the Pacific Division.

The veteran center aims for a fourth consecutive game with a goal as the Kings attempt to deal the reeling Minnesota Wild a sixth straight loss Thursday night.

Reduced to being a predominately healthy scratch in Philadelphia, Lecavalier has flourished as a second-line center since being acquired by the Kings on Jan. 6. The 35-year-old extended his longest goal streak since the 2012-13 season with a power-play score that helped Los Angeles improve to 4-1-1 since his arrival with Tuesday's 3-2 win over Dallas.

'You can tell he's having fun again,' said Milan Lucic, who broke a 2-all tie in the third period to lengthen his point streak to five games. 'The coaches have put him in position to succeed, and that's something he's earned. He's playing with some great players and making the most of his time on the power play.'

Lecavalier's three goals - all of which have come in man-advantage situations - are two more than he totaled over the final 42 games of his failed two-year stint with the Flyers. They're also two more than what Minnesota (22-16-8) has produced over the last three defeats of its latest January swoon.

After being shut out by Winnipeg and Nashville on back-to-back nights, the Wild got an early goal from ex-King Jarret Stoll but couldn't hold on in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Anaheim.

All five losses have come in regulation, and the Wild are one away from matching their longest skid since Jan. 3-13, 2015.

Minnesota has scored just four goals during the slide and none on the power play in a club-record 11 straight, going 0 of 24 over the drought.

"I feel like we had some good stuff around the net and some good possession in the zone, but you leave the night with zeros and you lose the game 3-1," Zach Parise told the NHL's official website. "It's our responsibility to score some goals."

A breakout doesn't appear particularly likely, as the Kings rank second in the NHL with 2.20 goals allowed per game and have held the Wild to one goal or less in each victory of a 3-1-0 series stretch. That includes a 2-1 win at Staples Center on Oct. 16 on Anze Kopitar's goal 2:19 into overtime.

Kopitar added two assists against Dallas to extend his point streak to five games and has 20 points over Los Angeles' 9-2-1 run. Jake Muzzin is on an eight-game streak after assisting on Lucic's game-winner.

The Kings, winners of 15 of 20 at home, also have received outstanding work from Jonathan Quick, who improved to 9-1-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average in his last 11 starts with 27 saves against Dallas.

Devan Dubnyk continues to keep the Wild in games, having allowed five goals over his last three and sporting a 1.84 GAA through his past five. There's a chance he may be rested in this one in favor of Darcy Kuemper, who stopped 35 shots in the previous meeting with Los Angeles.

Kuemper yielded three goals in winning three consecutive starts prior to a 2-1 loss to New Jersey on Jan. 10.

Stoll scored his first goal in 17 games with the Wild since being claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers on Dec. 15. The veteran center spent the previous seven seasons with Los Angeles and was a member of the Kings' 2012 and '14 Stanley Cup championship teams.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:46 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Grand Salami - January

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
1/1 2 10.5 9 UNDER
1/2 12 61.5 63 OVER
1/3 4 21 22 OVER
1/4 5 27 17 UNDER
1/5 8 43.5 46 OVER
1/6 5 26.5 23 UNDER
1/7 7 38.5 29 UNDER
1/8 6 31.5 34 OVER
1/9 10 53 47 UNDER
1/10 6 30 32 OVER
1/11 4 20.5 22 OVER
1/12 8 42.5 45 OVER
1/13 4 21.5 20 UNDER
1/14 8 42.5 37 UNDER
1/15 6 31 31 PUSH
1/16 10 52 48 UNDER
1/17 7 35 34 UNDER
1/18 5 26.5 26 UNDER
1/19 8 42.5 50 OVER
1/20 3 15.5 10 UNDER
1/21 10 - - -
1/22 6 - - -
1/23 11 - - -
1/24 5 - - -
1/25 6 - - -
1/26 9 - - -
1/27 4 - - -
1/28 No games scheduled - - -
1/29 No games scheduled - - -
1/30 No games scheduled - - -
1/31 No games scheduled - - -

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:47 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

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

Count me among the many who expected the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to take a step back this season. Sure, they'd still make the playoffs because that's not all that tough in the NHL, especially in the Western Conference where there are two fewer teams than in the East. But I certainly didn't expect the Hawks to be one of the league's best regular-season teams and a top Stanley Cup contender again after losing the likes of Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp, among others, off last year's team for salary-cap reasons.

But clearly GM Stan Bowman knows what he's doing (other than giving Bryan Brickell a big extension a couple of years ago). In the trade for Saad, Bowman landed gifted second-line center Artem Anisimov. He has solidified that position, which has been a weak spot on the Hawks for years. Anisimov has 15 goals and 10 assists and has helped second-line right wing Patrick Kane get off to the best start of his career. The Hart Trophy favorite leads the NHL with 29 goals and 69 points. Bowman also got Russian KHL player Artemi Panarin on a low-cost, low-risk two-way contract, and he's your Calder Trophy favorite with 43 points (16 goals).

Last week, Bowman made sure to keep his incredibly successful head coach happy by signing Joel Quenneville to a three-year extension. He deserved a monster raise with those three Cups, and the $50 million deal that Mike Babcock got from the Maple Leafs this past offseason changed the financial landscape for coaches across the NHL.

The Hawks enter Tuesday's game at Nashville on an 11-game winning streak, which has tied the 2012-13 team for the longest in franchise history. They haven't lost since a 2-1 defeat at home to Carolina on Dec. 27 that dropped Chicago to 20-13-4. The Hawks were 13 points behind Central Division-leading Dallas then. Now Chicago has a three-point cushion atop the division and leads the West with 66 points. If you are wondering, the NHL record winning streak is 17 games, set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chicago is back up to the second-favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +500, behind only Eastern Conference-leading Washington (+400). The Hawks are now +300 favorites to win the West. The team has quality wins over Pittsburgh (twice) and Montreal (twice) during the streak. But Chicago has had a fairly beneficial schedule. The Blackhawks are just -110 favorites for Tuesday's game at Nashville. They are 2-1 vs. the Preds this season but lost the only meeting in Tennessee, 5-1 on Dec. 10. It should be said that No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford, having his best season, got that night off.

The schedule gets much tougher for Chicago after Tuesday. It visits Tampa Bay on Thursday night in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch; the Hawks beat the visiting Lightning 1-0 in overtime on Oct. 24. The next night, Chicago goes to Atlantic Division-leading Florida; Chicago beat the visiting Panthers 4-3 on Oct. 22. And then St. Louis visits the Windy City in an NBC national TV game on Sunday night. I don't expect Chicago gets through that Florida Swing with the winning streak intact, however.

Here are some other games to watch this week:

Vancouver at Boston, Thursday: The Canucks got some bad news in that star Henrik Sedin is likely out until after the All-Star break with an upper-body injury that came courtesy of a first-period hit from the Islanders' Mikhail Grabovski on Sunday. Grabovski received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct but no suspension. Sedin has nine goals and 28 assists this season. Expect some payback on Grabovski on March 1 when the Canucks see the Isles again. Boston thinks it might have center David Krejci back for this game. He has been out since Dec. 27 with an upper-body injury. Krejci practiced with the team Monday for the first time since then.

Anaheim at Washington, Friday: The Ducks continue to limp around near the bottom of the Pacific Division and on the fringes of the playoff race but still haven't made a major shakeup of the vastly disappointing team. There has been some talk the team was looking to acquire young Jonathan Drouin, the No. 3 overall pick in 2013, from Tampa Bay as Drouin has requested a trade and is currently in the AHL. Anaheim was involved in a trade with Pittsburgh over weekend, but I don't think it solves the team's offensive problems. The Ducks got forward David Perron and defenseman Adam Clendening for forward Carl Hagelin. Perron scored in his Duck debut Sunday, a 3-2 loss to the Kings. The Capitals might clinch the Metropolitan Division by mid-February as they have a 17-point lead entering the week. They are going to be the East's top seed barring an epic collapse. The Caps could get back defenseman John Carlson here. He has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury. Carlson had six goals and 27 points in 34 games prior to the injury.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:47 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

NHL

Hot teams
-- Bruins won last three games, allowing four goals. Vancouver is 6-0 in game following its last six losses.
-- Senators won last two games, 5-3/4-3. Devils won their last two, 2-0/4-2.
-- Flyers won five of their last seven games.
-- Chicago won its last twelve games. Tampa Bay won its last six.
-- San Jose won five of its last six games.
-- Kings won three of their last four games.

Cold teams
-- Flames lost four of their last five games. Blue Jackets lost five of last seven.
-- Penguins lost five of their last seven games.
-- Toronto lost five of last six games. Carolina lost its last two games, 3-2/5-0.
-- Nashville lost six of its last seven games. Winnipeg lost four of its last six.
-- Edmonton lost five of its last seven games. Dallas Stars lost seven of their last eight.
-- Arizona lost its last three games, outscored 7-3.
-- Minnesota lost eight of its last ten games.

Series records
-- Flames lost five of last six games with Columbus.
-- Canucks won four of last six games with Boston.
-- Devils won four of last five games with Ottawa.
-- Flyers won their last eight games with Pittsburgh.
-- Hurricanes won four of last five games with Toronto.
-- Lightning lost their last four games with Chicago.
-- Predators lost three of last four games with Winnipeg.
-- Edmonton lost four of last six games with Dallas.
-- Sharks won five of last seven games with Arizona.
-- Kings won three of last four games with Minnesota.

Totals
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Columbus games.
-- Under is 4-0-2 in last six Boston games.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight New Jersey games.
-- Under is 7-3 in last ten Philly-Pittsburgh games.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Toronto games.
-- Eight of last nine Chicago-Tampa Bay games stayed under.
-- Seven of last nine Winnipeg-Nashville games stayed under.
-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Dallas games.
-- Over is 10-3-1 in last fourteen San Jose games.
-- Under is 5-0-1 in last six Minnesota games.

Back-to-backs
-- Minnesota is 2-7 if it played the night before.

**TheGame** · 01-21-2016, 07:47 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 1/21

Previews, Streaks, Tips, Notes

Chicago BlackHawks at Tampa Bay Lightning January 21, 7:30 EST

When Chicago visits Tampa Bay the teams will look to continue a solid 'Under' trend for bettors. In the past nine meetings the Blackhawks and Lightning have played 8 'Under' and 1 'Over'. Although Lightning have averaged 4.5 goals/game the past four, it's never easy scoring on Chicago as they've allowed 2 or less in nine of the last ten on the ice going 5-2-3 'Under'. Lightning 11-5 'Under' after putting 5 or more between the pipes were sticking with the series 'Under' trend.

Announcement

NHL Betting Info. 1/21

NHL Betting Info. 1/21

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