Re: NHL Betting Info. 2/11
Preview: Anaheim at Columbus
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 11, 2016
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
The Anaheim Ducks are 7-1-0 in their last eight games – a stretch which has moved them comfortably into third place in the Pacific Division as they continue their season-long seven-game road trip in Columbus against the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Anaheim bounced back from a 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday with a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday with Rickard Rakell serving as the face of the turnaround with two goals after he was a career-worst minus-4 versus the Penguins.
“As the season has gone on, I think we’ve become a better team and a more resilient team,” Ducks coach Boudreau told reporters. “… Now you’re under 30 games left. I remember at the beginning of the season saying, ‘We got 70 games left; what’s everyone worried about?’ But now there’s under 30, and we’re still in a dogfight. It’s one of those things we have to keep the foot on the gas.” Anaheim finds itself one point behind San Jose for second in the division and eight behind first-place Los Angeles with three games remaining against its southern California rival. Columbus is 4-1-1 in its last six games after opening a five-game homestand with a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets, though, are one of three clubs in the 16-team Eastern Conference that is considered out of playoff contention as it sits last in the Metropolitan Division and 13 points behind the wild-card leaders through Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (26-19-7): Rakell told reporters “you just want to prove to your coaches and teammates that you’re better than that,” after Tuesday’s bounce-back performance, but the organization probably knows that already as the 22-year-old is second on the club with 13 goals and third with 28 points. Rakell has five goals in his last nine games and has flourished since joining a line with Corey Perry (team-high 21 goals), who shares the club lead with captain Ryan Getzlaf at 38 points. Anaheim leads the NHL in penalty killing at 89 percent after extinguishing 6-of-7 Philadelphia power plays.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (21-28-6): Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (7-6-3, .923 save percentage) is 6-1-2 in his last nine starts after making a career-high 44 saves Tuesday and has been a savior with Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney out with injuries. “It’s terrific what’s going on with him,” Columbus coach John Tortorella told reporters. “For him and the organization, for now, for the future, we need to stay within ourselves, though. It’s a small sample … He has a lot to learn. The thing you can’t teach is his mental approach, his mental toughness. Whether it’s a good play or a bad play, it’s flat line as far as his concentration.” Scott Hartnell shares second on the team with 18 goals and has a club-best 36 points, and could be a prime candidate to be moved at the Feb. 29 trade deadline.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks allow the third-fewest shots per game in the NHL at 27.5.
2. Brandon Saad, who leads the Blue Jackets with 19 goals, hasn’t scored in four contests since recording three in a two-game span – both against Montreal – that ended a nine-contest drought.
3. Anaheim prevailed in the season’s first meeting 4-2 on Nov. 6.
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Blue Jackets 2
Preview: Anaheim at Columbus
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 11, 2016
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
The Anaheim Ducks are 7-1-0 in their last eight games – a stretch which has moved them comfortably into third place in the Pacific Division as they continue their season-long seven-game road trip in Columbus against the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Anaheim bounced back from a 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday with a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday with Rickard Rakell serving as the face of the turnaround with two goals after he was a career-worst minus-4 versus the Penguins.
“As the season has gone on, I think we’ve become a better team and a more resilient team,” Ducks coach Boudreau told reporters. “… Now you’re under 30 games left. I remember at the beginning of the season saying, ‘We got 70 games left; what’s everyone worried about?’ But now there’s under 30, and we’re still in a dogfight. It’s one of those things we have to keep the foot on the gas.” Anaheim finds itself one point behind San Jose for second in the division and eight behind first-place Los Angeles with three games remaining against its southern California rival. Columbus is 4-1-1 in its last six games after opening a five-game homestand with a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets, though, are one of three clubs in the 16-team Eastern Conference that is considered out of playoff contention as it sits last in the Metropolitan Division and 13 points behind the wild-card leaders through Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (26-19-7): Rakell told reporters “you just want to prove to your coaches and teammates that you’re better than that,” after Tuesday’s bounce-back performance, but the organization probably knows that already as the 22-year-old is second on the club with 13 goals and third with 28 points. Rakell has five goals in his last nine games and has flourished since joining a line with Corey Perry (team-high 21 goals), who shares the club lead with captain Ryan Getzlaf at 38 points. Anaheim leads the NHL in penalty killing at 89 percent after extinguishing 6-of-7 Philadelphia power plays.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (21-28-6): Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (7-6-3, .923 save percentage) is 6-1-2 in his last nine starts after making a career-high 44 saves Tuesday and has been a savior with Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney out with injuries. “It’s terrific what’s going on with him,” Columbus coach John Tortorella told reporters. “For him and the organization, for now, for the future, we need to stay within ourselves, though. It’s a small sample … He has a lot to learn. The thing you can’t teach is his mental approach, his mental toughness. Whether it’s a good play or a bad play, it’s flat line as far as his concentration.” Scott Hartnell shares second on the team with 18 goals and has a club-best 36 points, and could be a prime candidate to be moved at the Feb. 29 trade deadline.
OVERTIME
1. The Ducks allow the third-fewest shots per game in the NHL at 27.5.
2. Brandon Saad, who leads the Blue Jackets with 19 goals, hasn’t scored in four contests since recording three in a two-game span – both against Montreal – that ended a nine-contest drought.
3. Anaheim prevailed in the season’s first meeting 4-2 on Nov. 6.
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Blue Jackets 2
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