NHL Betting Info. 1/22

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Preview: NY Islanders at Ottawa

When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, January 22, 2016
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
The Ottawa Senators return to the comforts of home, after a five-game road trip, in search of their third win in four contests when they host the New York Islanders on Friday. Ottawa completed its trek with a 2-3-0 record after falling 6-3 at New Jersey on Thursday but looks to continue its success at Canadian Tire Centre, where it has gone 11-6-4.
Mike Hoffman appears to have recovered from the upper-body injury he suffered Monday at San Jose as he scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season versus the Devils, putting him six away from matching his rookie campaign in 2014-15. New York visits Canada’s capital for a rare road contest on a stretch during which it plays eight of 10 games at home. The Islanders are riding a three-game point streak (2-0-1) but hope John Tavares can break out of his funk, as the captain has gone six contests without a goal. Ottawa posted a 3-2 overtime triumph at home in its first meeting with New York on Dec. 5, rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period and emerging victorious on captain Erik Karlsson’s tally 3:34 into the extra session.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York), TSN5, RDS (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (24-15-6): Like Tavares, Kyle Okposo – who leads the team with 33 points – has had difficulty scoring goals of late. The 27-year-old former first-round draft pick has tallied in only three of his last 18 games, totaling five goals in that span. Defenseman Travis Hamonic, who has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 7, returned to practice Wednesday and is considered day-to-day.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (22-19-6): Kyle Turris missed his first game of the season Thursday while defenseman Marc Methot sat out his second straight contest – both with lower-body injuries that also could keep them out of the meeting with New York. Mika Zibanejad became the sixth member of the club to reach double digits in goals, with Karlsson and Zack Smith both one shy of joining the ranks. Karlsson, who tops the club – and all NHL defensemen – in both assists (40) and points (49), has recorded 12 multi-point performances this season.
OVERTIME
1. Islanders LW Brock Nelson leads the team with 18 goals – two shy of his career high set last season.
2. Senators G Craig Anderson, who was pulled from Thursday’s loss after allowing four goals on seven shots, needs one victory to reach 20 for the fifth time in his career.
3. Jean-Gabriel Pageau (four) and Smith have combined for seven of Ottawa’s league-high nine short-handed goals.
PREDICTION: Islanders 4, Senators 3

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Preview: Chicago at Florida
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, January 22, 2016
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida
The Florida Panthers have struggled since their franchise-record 12-game winning streak came to an end, and the schedule-maker has done them no favors with back-to-back contests against two of the NHL’s hottest teams coming up. The Panthers look to snap their four-game slide (0-3-1) when they host the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
“No one predicted we would be in first in the division, no one predicted us to be sixth in the entire league,” Florida coach Gerard Gallant told the Miami Herald. “We just need to press the reset button and get back at it.” The Panthers, who also host surging Tampa Bay on Saturday, could get a boost with the possible return of Aaron Ekblad, as the defenseman has missed the last four games with a concussion. Chicago had its franchise-record 12-game winning streak halted Thursday with a 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay, which has won seven in a row. League scoring leader Patrick Kane (72 points) notched an assist for the Blackhawks, who registered a season-low 18 shots.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Florida
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (32-14-4): Chicago went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Thursday as left wing Richard Panik was scratched after oversleeping for the morning skate. Jiri Sekac, who was acquired from Anaheim on Thursday for Ryan Garbutt, is expected to meet the team in Florida and could make his debut. Artem Anisimov, who normally centers Kane and Artemi Panarin, has scored in back-to-back games and has 17 goals on the season – five shy of his career high set in 2013-14 with Columbus.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (26-15-5): While Ekblad could be back, fellow defensemen Willie Mitchell (undisclosed) and Erik Gudbranson (upper body) are questionable, prompting the team to recall Dylan Olsen from the minors on Thursday. The Panthers have managed just five goals in the last four games and their slumping power play has been a factor, going 0-for-22 over the last eight contests. Leading scorers Jaromir Jagr (32 points), Jonathan Huberdeau (31) and Aleksander Barkov (28) all have been kept off the scoresheet in three straight games.
OVERTIME
1. The Blackhawks have won their last eight meetings with Florida, including a 3-2 victory at home on Oct. 22.
2. Jagr is three assists away from 1,100 in his career and has 737 goals – four shy of Brett Hull for third place on the all-time list.
3. Chicago captain C Jonathan Toews, who has been held to one shot in each of the last two games, needs one assist to reach 300 for his career.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Panthers 2

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Preview: St. Louis at Colorado
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, January 22, 2016
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
The St. Louis Blues can match their longest winning streak of the season when they continue a four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. The Blues outlasted the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Wednesday for their third consecutive victory and have won five of the last six following a five-game winless drought (0-2-3).
St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock is stressing the importance of a strong finish with matchups against the Avalanche and white-hot Chicago prior to the All-Star break. “These are big games, two division games now coming back,” Hitchcock said. “We get a bunch of defensemen back hopefully in a day, so that’s going to help us quite a bit. Overall we’ve got to keep going.” Colorado has posted back-to-back 2-1 victories over Buffalo and Winnipeg and is 3-1-0 in its last four, allowing a total of four goals. The Avalanche have won both meetings against the Blues this season, including a 4-3 victory on Jan. 6.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE BLUES (28-15-7): St. Louis appeared to be in deep trouble when starting goaltender Jake Allen was injured in a shootout loss at Anaheim on Jan. 8 that stretched the team’s skid to five games, but backup netminder Brian Elliott has been superb in his place. Elliott is 5-1-0 since Allen was hurt, allowing two goals or fewer on four occasions, and has turned aside 111-of-117 shots during the three-game winning streak. “We’re playing well, even if we’re giving up a lot of shots,” Elliott said. “When someone makes a big block, that makes a huge difference.”
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (24-21-3): Former Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, who has been sidelined for the past seven games due to a lower-body injury, is expected to return to the lineup either Friday or Saturday against Dallas. Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said he will let the team’s training staff make the call on the availability of Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick by St. Louis in the 2006 draft. “It took a little bit longer than I wanted, but fortunately the guys have been playing great and that makes it easier when they’re winning to kind of make sure you’re ready to go,” Johnson said.
OVERTIME
1. Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko has six goals and 11 points in 13 games versus the Avalanche.
2. Colorado has permitted one goal in its last 14 short-handed situations.
3. D Carl Gunnarsson is set to return for the Blues. who are 0-for-11 on the power play over the past four games.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Blues 2

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SHARP MOVES
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