NHL Betting Info. 3/15

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/15

Preview: Florida at Montreal
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
With two straight victories in their pocket and a two-goal lead after 40 minutes on Monday, it appeared as if the Florida Panthers were ready to regain first place in the Atlantic Division. But Florida gave up three goals in a 5 1/2-minute span of the third period and lost to the New York Islanders, keeping it one point behind Boston as it enters Tuesday’s game against the host Montreal Canadiens.
The Panthers, who are even in points with second-place Tampa Bay, lost five of their six contests prior to the back-to-back triumphs before Monday’s loss. Montreal is wrapping up its four-game homestand after having a two-game winning streak snapped. The Canadiens fell to 2-1-0 on the stretch with Saturday’s setback against Minnesota as they lost for the fifth time in their last seven overall contests. Florida posted a 3-1 victory over Montreal at home on Dec. 29 in the opener of the team’s four-game season series, which concludes with two contests over the first five days of April.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida, Sportsnet, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (38-22-9): Jaromir Jagr played in his 1,616th career game Monday, passing Hall-of-Fame defenseman Larry Murphy for eighth place on the all-time list. Vincent Trocheck was kept off the scoresheet by the Islanders after notching a goal and five assists over his previous three games to earn the NHL’s Second Star of the Week honors. Jussi Jokinen, who leads the team with 37 assists and trails Jagr (53) for first on the club by three points, recorded two goals and 10 assists during a 10-game point streak that ended Monday.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (32-31-6): P.K. Subban (neck) sat out Saturday’s loss, missing a game for the first time since Jan. 30, 2013. Thanks to the defenseman’s injury, the number of Canadiens to appear in every contest this season shrunk to four – Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, captain Max Pacioretty and blue-liner Andrei Markov. Defenseman Mark Barberio has collected four points in his last four games, leaving him one shy of his career high of 10 set in 2013-14 with Tampa Bay.
OVERTIME
1. Galchenyuk was kept off the scoresheet Saturday after recording three straight two-goal performances to overtake Pacioretty for the team lead in tallies with 25.
2. Florida is 3-7-2 in its last 12 road games.
3. Pacioretty has collected a goal and five assists during his four-game point streak.
PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Panthers 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/15

Preview: Minnesota at Ottawa
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
The Minnesota Wild have made themselves at home on the road with three straight victories, but success traditionally has been hard to find when they visit Canada’s capital. The Wild vie for just their third win in eight all-time trips to Ottawa when they play the second contest of their three-game road trip against the Senators on Tuesday.
Minnesota faced little resistance to open the trek, cruising to a 4-1 victory over Montreal on Saturday as the team has outscored its opponents by a 32-17 margin in eight road games (6-2-0) since interim coach John Torchetti replaced Mike Yeo. While the eighth-place Wild are even in points with Colorado for the second wild card in the Western Conference with a game in hand, the Senators reside seven behind Detroit for the final spot in the East. Craig Anderson turned aside all 29 shots he faced as Ottawa skated to a 4-0 win over provincial-rival Toronto on Saturday and made 35 saves versus Minnesota on Nov. 7, 2014. Mike Hoffman tallied twice in that contest against the Wild but has been limited to just one point – an assist – in his last seven games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), TSN5, RDS2, WPCW (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE WILD (32-27-10): Torchetti has lit a fire under Thomas Vanek, and he certainly liked what he saw from the veteran forward against the Canadiens. “He knows what I want. We’re on the right page,” Torchetti told the Minneapolis Star Tribune of Vanek, who notched two assists on Saturday after being limited to just one point in his previous seven games. “He’s a vital cog on our team making the playoffs.” Devan Dubnyk also fits the bill in that regard, having permitted 11 goals in his last six outings (5-1-0) while also stopping 73-of-78 shots to win both career contests versus Ottawa.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (32-30-8): Zack Smith scored in his fifth straight contest on Saturday to extend his point streak to a career-best eight games (six goals, three assists). Mark Stone tallied twice and set up five goals in the last five contests and linemate Jean-Gabriel Pageau notched three assists versus the Maple Leafs. “Just three guys playing simple hockey and finding chemistry,” Stone told the team’s website. “I think when you find that chemistry, it’s easy to come to the rink and be comfortable on the ice. I think if you look at those two guys, they’re comfortable with me and I’m comfortable with them.”
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota is 2-7-1 in its last 10 games versus Ottawa.
2. The Senators are 0-for-14 on the power play in their last six contests.
3. Wild veteran RW Jason Pominville is expected to miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury.
PREDICTION: Wild 4, Senators 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/15

Preview: Detroit at Philadelphia
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Flyers are banking that the team’s sizzling play and a little home cooking can help close the gap in their pursuit of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With 13 points in their last eight contests (6-1-1), the Flyers look to cut into the three-point lead of the team they are chasing when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Philadelphia has won 10 consecutive games when Detroit pays a visit to the City of Brotherly Love, and the Flyers also fared well by posting a 2-1 shootout victory over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 17. Captain Claude Giroux scored in both regulation and the bonus format in Detroit but was held off the scoresheet in Philadelphia’s 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Friday and a 5-4 shootout loss to Florida the following night. The Flyers received some unexpected help from 30th-ranked Toronto, which recorded a 1-0 upset of Detroit on Sunday and gave Philadelphia two games in hand over the Red Wings. Petr Mrazek made 26 saves to suffer the hard-luck setback versus the Maple Leafs and has yielded just five goals on 77 shots in his last three games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, FSN Detroit, CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (34-21-11): Forward Anthony Mantha, who was the 20th overall pick of the 2013 draft, was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Monday and is expected to make his NHL debut versus Philadelphia. A two-time 50-goal scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Mantha will become the 900th player in history to suit up for the Red Wings. The 21-year-old Mantha, who is 6-5, 200-plus pounds, has collected 21 goals in 56 contests this season with the Griffins and hopes to give Detroit’s ailing offense (2.48 goals per game) a jolt.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (32-23-12): Injured forward Jakub Voracek is confident that Philadelphia is going to close the gap and overcome either Detroit or Pittsburgh for one of the wild-card spots. “I would say we are the hottest team out of the three,” Voracek told the Courier Post after briefly testing his injured left foot with some light skating on Monday. “We are very good and I’m pretty positive they know that we are playing well. The way we are confident right now, we don’t have to be worried about it.” Five of the Flyers’ 15 remaining regular-season games are against the Red Wings and Penguins, who are four points ahead of Philadelphia.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia’s Michal Neuvirth could be in line to make the start versus Detroit after turning aside 29 shots in the previous meeting. Fellow G Steve Mason likely would get the nod against Chicago on Wednesday.
2. Detroit has lost eight of its last 10 road games (2-6-2).
3. The Flyers are 8-for-32 on the power play in their last eight contests and have permitted just three tallies while short-handed in the last 10.
PREDICTION: Red Wings 3, Flyers 1

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/15

Preview: Los Angeles at Dallas
When: 8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
The Dallas Stars are sitting in a tie with St. Louis atop the Central Division, but staying there will be a challenge as they continue a daunting six-game stretch against some of the league’s top playoff hopefuls. Following a pair of matchups against Central powers Chicago and the Blues, the Stars will host the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
Dallas will try to bounce back from a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis in the second contest of its five-game homestand. “I’ve said all along this year that we’re going to benefit by playing these tough games against good teams,” said red-hot Stars forward Jason Spezza, who has tallied seven times during a six-game goal-scoring streak. “Nobody’s going to surprise you come playoff time.” Los Angeles opened its brief two-game road trip with a 5-0 drubbing of reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago behind Jonathan Quick’s 41st shutout – the most for a U.S.-born goaltender. The Kings have gone 8-2-1 in their last 11 games overall to maintain their grip on first place in the Pacific.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE KINGS (41-22-5): A number of Los Angeles players ended slumps in the rout of Chicago, with captain Dustin Brown halting an 11-game point drought with his first goal since Feb. 9 and Kris Versteeg notching his first points since he was acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline with a goal and an assist. Tyler Toffoli also ended a 10-game goalless streak with his team-high 25th tally. Vincent Lecavalier continues to be reborn on the West Coast, scoring three goals in four games, while Milan Lucic has netted three tallies and set up five others during his six-game point streak.
ABOUT THE STARS (41-20-9): Dallas has a dilemma in net as Antti Niemi is winless since Feb. 23 and has permitted 23 goals in his last six outings while Kari Lehtonen is 3-0-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average in his last five appearances. “I think both guys came in here knowing that we wanted to share the duties, and the way it is has worked out is they share the duties, but at different times, a different goalie takes the lead role,” coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. “It’s been trial and error, to tell you the truth.” Patrick Sharp, who has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, returned to practice Monday.
OVERTIME
1. Kings C Anze Kopitar needs one assist to move past Bernie Nicholls (431) for fifth place on the team’s all-time list.
2. The Stars are 5-for-14 on the power play over their last four contests.
3. Lecavalier will play in his 1,200th career game Tuesday.
PREDICTION: Stars 3, Kings 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/15

Preview: Boston at San Jose
When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
The San Jose Sharks have struggled at home all season, but they look to post back-to-back victories at SAP Center for the first time in two months when they host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. The Sharks are coming off an impressive 5-2 thumping of league-leading Washington and trying to keep pace with first-place Los Angeles and Anaheim in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks are 13-15-3 at home, where they are seeking consecutive wins for the first time since Jan. 14-16. San Jose is an NHL-best 25-9-3 on the road, while the Bruins have the second-best mark away from home at 23-7-3. Boston, which holds a one-point lead atop the Atlantic Division, will have to rely on its road prowess as it plays its next four – and eight of nine – away from home. “We really have to bring our ‘A game’ in order to get some points out of the trip,” Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask said. “It’s one of the most important times of the year and probably one of the biggest trips of the year.”
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (39-23-8): David Pastrnak, Boston’s first-round draft pick in 2014, is feeling at home on a line with David Krejci and Loui Eriksson, scoring twice in Saturday’s 3-1 win over the New York Islanders to give him four goals in four games. “I’m going to say this every time: Krech is an unbelievable player, and you know he’s going to find me in every position,” Pastrnak said. “For me, it’s just a pleasure to play with those guys.” Rask is unbeaten in regulation in six starts (4-0-2) this month.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (38-24-6): Martin Jones has been a workhorse in net for San Jose, but James Reimer will make his third start since he was acquired from Toronto at the trade deadlne. Reimer posted his first shutout of the season at Edmonton on March 8. “One, he deserves to play. He had an outstanding game against Edmonton,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “Two, that’s the plan with having these two guys here, is being able to keep both guys fresh down the stretch so we have two healthy starting goalies come playoff time.”
OVERTIME
1. Rask has allowed 12 goals in his last two starts versus San Jose.
2. Sharks captain Joe Pavelski recorded three goals and three assists in his last two games versus Boston.
3. The Bruins recalled C Frank Vatrano, who scored 31 goals in 31 games for Providence of the American Hockey League.
PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Bruins 2