NHL Betting Info. 3/17

[TheGame]

Preview: Wild (32-27) at Devils (33-30)


Date: March 17, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


Coach John Torchetti knows blowing a late lead and settling for one point certainly won't help the Minnesota Wild's playoff pursuit.


At least their situation isn't nearly as dire as that of the fading New Jersey Devils.


Minnesota finishes a three-game trip looking to hand New Jersey a fourth consecutive home loss Thursday night.


The Wild (32-27-11) entered Tuesday's matchup with Ottawa having won three straight on the road and were seconds away from earning a critical two points. The Senators, though, scored with 7.1 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it and struck again with 30.4 left in overtime to pull out a stunning 3-2 victory.


Minnesota has gone 1-2-1 following a four-game winning streak as it tries to fend off Colorado in what has become a two-team race for the Western Conference's final playoff spot. The pressure especially is on the Wild to appear in a fourth straight postseason after coach Mike Yeo was fired Feb. 13 following an eighth consecutive defeat.


They've gone 9-5-1 under Torchetti.


"We were lucky we got the extra point," Torchetti said. "Some nights like that, you don't get that extra point and you play a great game. We battled hard. We can learn a lot from that game. We should have won 2-1. Now we're on to New Jersey. We got a point, so just move from there."


The Devils (33-30-7) had their own playoff aspirations, but they've gone 4-9-0 in their last 13 and would have to jump four teams for the East's second wild-card spot. After winning back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month, they surrendered their most goals of the season in Monday's 7-1 loss at Anaheim.


'We would have been happy to win two out of three (on the road trip), but to finish it like this leaves a bad taste in your mouth,' defenseman Andy Greene said. 'We have to step back and realize that we did take two out of three.'


Keith Kinkaid made his fourth start since Cory Schneider suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in a loss to Dallas on March 4, but he allowed six goals for the second time in that stretch before being pulled in the third period.


'It doesn't matter how badly you lose or how little you lose by. A loss is a loss,' Kinkaid said.


Kinkaid could get the start against the Wild and certainly would appreciate some offensive help. New Jersey has been outscored 13-2 during a three-game home losing streak that is part of a 1-5-0 stretch in Newark.


The Devils did just enough to beat Minnesota 2-1 in the first meeting Jan. 10 and got a goal from Adam Henrique, who has gone without a point in his last four.


Devan Dubnyk didn't start that contest for the Wild but should be in net for this one. He has a 2.10 goals-against average during a 5-1-1 stretch and made 30 saves to beat the Devils the last time he faced them March 10, 2015.


Zach Parise scored in the first meeting for his first goal in four matchups since signing with Minnesota prior to the 2012-13 season, shortly after leading the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. He didn't have a point in his return to New Jersey on March 20, 2014.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Hurricanes (31-26) at Penguins (37-24)


Date: March 17, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


As the Carolina Hurricanes' offensive struggles have cost them key points, the Pittsburgh Penguins are putting together a run even without one of their top scorers.


The Penguins will go for their third straight win in this series while trying to inch up the hectic Eastern Conference standings when they host the Hurricanes on Thursday night.


Pittsburgh (37-24-8) lost Evgeni Malkin for the rest of the regular season and likely the first round of the playoffs when he exited Friday's 3-2 win at Columbus early with an upper-body injury.


The Penguins, though, followed with Sunday's 5-3 road victory over the New York Rangers before goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's stellar effort in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout win over the New York Islanders helped move Pittsburgh to 21-10-4 at home.


While Sunday's offensive outburst was nice to see without Malkin, second on the team with 27 goals and 58 points, the tight victory against the Islanders might be the style of game the Penguins need to win down the stretch.


Fleury made 25 saves through overtime and pushed aside all three shots in the shootout. Chris Kunitz scored in regulation and Kris Letang netted the shootout winner.


'Toward the end of the year, it's going to be games like that, one-goal games,' Letang said. 'You have to be comfortable in those.'


The Penguins hold the first wild-card berth in the East and are within three points of the Metropolitan Division's third guaranteed postseason spot as they try to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.


Fleury's play over the last three weeks is promising for a late push. He is 6-2-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in his last eight starts.


The 12-year veteran has two career shutouts against the Hurricanes, including a 22-save effort in a 5-0 win Jan. 17 in Pittsburgh. Fleury followed that with 29 saves in a 2-1 shootout victory in Carolina on February 12.


Carolina (31-26-13), though, won the first two matchups behind strong play from its goalie. Cam Ward stopped 37 shots in a 2-1 win in Pittsburgh on Dec. 19 and then had 23 saves in a 3-2 overtime home victory Jan. 12.


Eddie Lack was the starter Tuesday and made 29 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss at Washington. The Hurricanes extended their point streak to six games, though three of those resulted in overtime defeats during a five-game OT streak.


The last one was bitter as it seemed the Capitals' Evgeny Kuznetsov may have been offside before Alex Ovechkin beat Lack in overtime. On-ice officials upheld the goal, which was challenged by the NHL situation room.


Victor Rask, Phillip Di Giuseppe and Jordan Staal are the only three Hurricanes to score in their back-to-back losses, starting with Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss at Buffalo.


Still, Carolina held the NHL-leading Capitals in check to pick up a point and stay within striking distance of the second wild-card spot in the East.


'Outstanding,' coach Bill Peters said. 'I thought the young D did a great job and I thought our forwards competed very hard.'


The Hurricanes will play the fourth game on a five-game road trip which concludes Saturday against Minnesota. They've earned at least one point in five straight away from home, going 2-0-3.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Red Wings (34-25) at Blue Jackets (28-33)


Date: March 17, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


After a second straight one-goal defeat added to their March struggles, the Detroit Red Wings can't afford another loss to one of hockey's worst teams.


The Red Wings can get back on track by avoiding a second road defeat in 10 days to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.


In a battle to extend North American professional sports' longest playoff streak to 25 seasons, Detroit (34-25-11) hasn't played much like a postseason contender while losing five of seven this month. After falling 1-0 to lowly Toronto at home Sunday, the Red Wings yielded the first two goals en route to opening their four-game trip with a 4-3 loss to surging Philadelphia on Tuesday.


"I know we came into (Tuesday night) knowing we needed to win," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Now we have to go Thursday night and get a win. That's the only thing I worry about."


The Red Wings are feeling a sense of urgency as the number of games dwindle and the pressure mounts. Though Blashill didn't question his team's effort Tuesday, he wants them to respond better when faced with in-game adversity.


Detroit has allowed the first goal in every game this month.


"We didn't show the resilience we need to show (again Tuesday)," Blashill said. "When we get scored on we can't let the momentum get away from us ... We haven't done a good enough job of that."


Though the Red Wings killed all six penalties against the Flyers and 14 of 15 in four games, they're 3 for 24 on the power play in March.


Points leader Henrik Zetterberg doesn't have a point in seven straight on the road, where the Red Wings are 2-7-2 since early February. Their current three-game road skid included a 5-3 loss to Columbus (28-33-8) on March 8.


Jimmy Howard allowed four of those goals on 31 shots in his most recent start but Petr Mrazek could be in net for this one.


Mrazek, who didn't yield more than two goals in four starts prior to giving up all four Tuesday, stopped 28 shots in a 2-1 home shootout victory over the Blue Jackets on Feb. 23.


Columbus followed last week's win over Detroit with home losses to Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets trailed 1-0 after two periods Sunday, but the Lightning scored two straight short-handed goals and broke things open on just nine third-period shots en route to a 4-0 victory.


"That's frustrating," said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, whose team has allowed 19 goals while losing three of five in March. "It needs to be a lesson learned that we need to stay with it, and hopefully we can learn from it."


Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed seven goals in two games since missing 19 with a groin injury.


Boone Jenner has a goal in each game with the Red Wings this season and Cam Atkinson had two with an assist in last week's matchup.


Columbus will be without defenseman Dalton Prout after he drew a one-game suspension for sucker punching Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov.


Detroit's Tomas Tatar has two goals and three assists in his last three at Columbus.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Panthers (39-22) at Maple Leafs (24-34)


Date: March 17, 2016 7:30 PM EDT


Jaromir Jagr isn't hung up on the Florida Panthers winning the Atlantic Division, but that might take care of itself if the team accomplishes what the veteran is aiming for.


"Playing very good hockey going into the playoffs" will most certainly include beating the worst team in the league, and the Panthers play three of their final 12 games against Toronto beginning with Thursday night's matchup to conclude a three-game road trip.


The Maple Leafs, however, are a game away from matching their top winning streak of the season.


After Tuesday's 4-1 win in Montreal, the Panthers (39-22-9) again find themselves atop the Atlantic, with Boston a point back and Tampa Bay two behind. Jagr is focused on the ice rather than the numbers.


"Through my experience, it's nice to win a division, but the main thing is to be playing very good hockey going into the playoffs, if we make it," the 44-year-old said. "I saw a lot of teams that clinch five or 10 games before.


"They are resting players and then, in the first round, they're upset. The team wasn't ready to play against teams that were fighting until the last game to make the playoffs. It's good to win it, but on the other side, I'd rather fight to the end."


Over a 3-1-1 span, things have improved offensively for the Panthers, averaging 4.00 goals after managing seven over a 1-3-0 stretch.


Aleksander Barkov scored for a third straight game Tuesday and has four in his last five, Nick Bjugstad has scored in consecutive contests, while Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau each have eight points in five games. Trocheck had a goal and an assist against the Canadiens and has 24 of his 48 points in the last 23 games.


"He's playing very well lately," Jagr told the team's official website. "He's skating and he's got a lot of confidence, and he's shooting the puck with a lot of confidence. He's a very underrated player. I'm glad he's underrated. People don't pay attention to him too much, but on the team we know how good he is."


Special teams have factored into the five-game span with a 4-of-15 mark on the power play while going 10 of 11 on the penalty kill. Toronto, meanwhile, hasn't given up a power-play goal in 15 chances over the last six games.


The series started with Florida's 5-1 home win Jan. 26 with a goal and an assist from Trocheck, Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen. The Panthers have won six of the last seven matchups behind 4.00 goals per game.


The Maple Leafs (24-34-11), however, have limited their last two opponents to one goal. That came in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay to begin a six-game homestand, putting them in position for their third three-game win streak of the season.


It was also the first time they scored four non-shootout goals since a 5-4 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 20, going 3-7-1 between those efforts with 1.73 goals per game.


"We want to establish a winning feeling in this room and over the last week or so I think we've improved on that, and it's always good for your confidence when you're winning games," said Ben Smith, who scored his first goal in 15 games this season and added an assist. "You want to keep bringing that effort and improve on the things that we're not doing as well."


Goaltending has been a big part of the back-to-back wins with Jonathan Bernier posting a .985 save percentage.


Likely counterpart Roberto Luongo is 2-2-0 with a 3.66 goals-against average and .871 save percentage in his last five games, but he's 5-0-0 with 1.83 and .932 marks in his past six against Toronto.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Islanders (38-21) at Predators (35-22)


Date: March 17, 2016 8:00 PM EDT


The Nashville Predators are one of the league's hottest teams and have taken control of the Western Conference wild-card race to all but assure another trip to the postseason.


Now their mission is to keep that push going over their final 12 games and head into the playoffs on a roll.


Nashville begins a tough three-game stretch against likely playoff-bound foes Thursday night as it looks to beat the visiting New York Islanders for the first time in five meetings.


The Predators (35-22-13) hold a sizable lead for the West's first wild card thanks to a 10-1-5 stretch. They earned seven of a possible 10 points over a five-game road trip after James Neal recorded a hat trick in Monday's 3-2 win over Edmonton.


"Every game is going to be tough down the stretch," said Neal, who has five goals and two assists in seven games this month. "I thought we did a good job to stay on the right side of the puck (Monday) and got some timely goals and managed to get a big win."


Although Nashville had success on its trip, only Colorado has a realistic shot of making the playoffs with the other opponents sitting toward the bottom of the West. The competition gets tougher over the next week with a visit from the Islanders (38-21-9) and a trip to face NHL-leading Washington on Friday, followed by Monday's home matchup with Pacific-leading Los Angeles.


The Predators have earned nine of a possible 12 points at home since Feb. 15.


"We got the job done (Monday), and there's a good feeling in the room," center Ryan Johansen said. "Going back home now with eight home games and four on the road to finish up this season, it was a big, tough road trip."


Nashville had a two-goal lead in the first meeting with New York on Oct. 15 before John Tavares and Anders Lee had a goal and an assist apiece to help the Islanders rally for a 4-3 victory.


They've outscored the Predators 16-9 during their four-game winning streak in the series, but they're 1-1-2 since March 9 after falling 2-1 in a shootout at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.


Lee assisted on Kyle Okposo's tying goal with 5:25 remaining before Okposo, Tavares and Frans Nielsen all missed in the shootout. Coach Jack Capuano decided to rest Brock Nelson and Shane Prince and inserted Mikhail Grabovski, who hadn't played since Feb. 19 because of an upper-body injury.


"I'm real proud of the guys and the effort they put forth," Capuano said. "You come into this building against a really high-quality team on a back-to-back with long travel and come out with a point."


The Islanders are fighting with the Rangers and Penguins for home-ice advantage in the first-round of the playoffs, but they've lost three straight on the road after winning six of their previous seven.


'It would've been nice to get two (points Tuesday), obviously,' defenseman Travis Hamonic said. 'It's a pretty obvious thing, but you get them the best way you can this year. You try to gather them and I think we battled hard."


Jean-Francois Berube played well in his third NHL start as New York moves on without Jaroslav Halak, who will be out for at least the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury.


Thomas Greiss could be back in net against the Predators, who will have to decide how to approach the back-to-back set with Pekka Rinne. He's started on consecutive days only once this season.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Lightning (40-25) at Stars (41-21)


Date: March 17, 2016 8:30 PM EDT


The Dallas Stars ended a stretch against their top Western Conference competition with a clunker this week.


The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a similar disappointment at the hands of the NHL's worst team.


While the Stars seek a rebound win to reignite their bid for the West's top spot, the Lightning hope to keep pace in the East's Atlantic Division when they meet in Dallas on Thursday night.


Dallas (41-21-9) opened a key five-game homestand with Friday's 5-2 victory over Chicago and Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis, the two other teams battling for the Central title.


Then the Stars' bid for the West's best record took a hit with Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Pacific-leading Los Angeles. Dallas' five-game point streak ended as it fell to 22-11-2 at American Airlines Center, tightening the four-team race at the top of the conference.


The Stars' goaltending concerns grew louder as they allowed at least five goals for the sixth time since Feb. 18. They are the league's only team with a 4.00 goals-against average while playing 13 games in that span.


Antti Niemi made 31 saves but allowed all five goals to the Blues, and he relieved an ineffective Kari Lehtonen against the Kings. Lehtonen surrendered four goals on 11 shots and was pulled just 1:07 into the second period before Niemi stopped 10 of the final 11 shots.


'This was a big letdown for us,' coach Lindy Ruff said. 'I thought we came out flat. We knew that it was going to be a rough, tough game. They came out good, we came out casual.'


Lehtonen had just made 21 saves in the win over Chicago but remains neck and neck with Niemi at the bottom of the league in save percentage - owning a .903 mark, just better than Niemi's .901.


Both are on pace to be the worst marks in a Dallas uniform since Marty Turco's .898 in 2008-09 - though Lehtonen did finish at .903 last season.


Usually Dallas' offensive explosiveness is good enough to offset its defensive issues, but leading scorers Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were held without a point for just the 16th time. The Stars are 3-8-5 in those contests.


Each scored and assisted in Dallas' 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 15. Five different Stars players tallied a goal for just their second win in the last seven games of this series.


The Lightning (40-25-5) have won five of six in Dallas since 2002-03, and they have won seven of their last nine road games.


However, Tampa Bay is coming off Tuesday's bitter 4-1 loss at Toronto. The Lightning have scored just eight goals in a 1-3-1 span, half coming from Sunday's 4-0 win at Columbus to open a four-game trip.


The Maple Leafs have the fewest points in the NHL but managed to snatch two away from Tampa Bay, which is in a tight race with Florida and Boston in the Atlantic.


'That was a really disappointing game,' coach Jon Cooper said. 'One team came out to win a hockey game and the other team came out thinking they were going to win the hockey game. That was it. The right team won.'


Ben Bishop took the night off but has been solid in net with a 7-1-1 record since Feb. 20 and .957 save percentage in seven games since Feb. 26. He made 37 saves against the Blue Jackets for his fourth shutout.


However, he allowed all five goals on 22 shots in the October loss to the Stars and has an .868 save percentage in three career starts against them.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Sharks (39-24) at Coyotes (30-32)


Date: March 17, 2016 10:00 PM EDT


Brent Burns isn't the sole reason San Jose is thriving at the moment, but there's no denying the defenseman's ability to get on the score sheet regularly gives the Sharks a unique advantage.


They've also continued the strange trend of being far better on the road than at home.


San Jose can win a fifth straight road game by remaining unbeaten against the Arizona Coyotes this season in the first of two matchups in four days Thursday night.


Burns has set career highs with 26 goals and 64 points while tying Sandis Ozolinsh's team records for a defenseman in 1993-94. His 38 assists are five short of matching his career best after recording one on Joonas Donskoi's winning goal in the third period of Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Boston.


His goal in the second tied it and is one of six to go along with seven assists over his last eight. Burns is closing in on becoming the first defenseman to finish with at least 30 goals since Mike Green netted 31 for Washington in 2008-09.


'I'm not going to lie, it's a pretty cool honor,' Burns said. 'I just think it means I'm playing with a lot of great players. You're the recipient of a lot of great plays by guys.'


Joe Thornton helped set up Burns' goal Tuesday and has four goals and 12 assists over his last 12. His and Burns' production have helped the Sharks (39-24-6) win seven of nine with their sights set on catching Los Angeles, which they trail by five points for the Pacific Division lead.


'The guy's unbelievable,' Thornton said of Burns. 'He plays in all situations. When he's out there you feel like something can happen every shift. What a year he's having. Right now he's playing great hockey.'


San Jose could earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs by finishing first or second in the Pacific, but it might actually be better off staying where it is. Its 25 road wins are the most in the league while posting a 14-15-3 mark at home.


The Sharks have plenty of opportunities to improve that home record, as this matchup with the Coyotes (30-32-7) is their only one on the road in a 10-game stretch that began last Thursday.


San Jose won the first meeting 3-1 on the road Jan. 21 before Burns had two assists in a 4-1 victory Feb. 13, its fifth in the last six matchups. The Coyotes visit the Sharks on Sunday, and they'll complete the season series in both teams' finale April 9 in San Jose.


Arizona didn't have Mike Smith in either of the previous meetings after he missed 40 games following surgery to repair a core muscle injury, but it's likely he'll be in net for this one. Smith returned Saturday and made 44 saves to beat Edmonton 4-0.


"I didn't feel good," Smith said. "The goal wasn't to come in and feel unbelievable. It's part of the process. But saying that, it's definitely a confidence builder."


Antoine Vermette scored twice and had an assist to give him four goals and five assists over his last five. The Coyotes have won back-to-back games following a 1-8-1 stretch.


"We want to establish a good culture around here and create good habits, regardless of where we are in the standings," Vermette said.


Martin Jones stopped 45 of 47 shots to help the Sharks win the first two meetings and could be back in goal Thursday.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Preview: Rangers (40-23) at Kings (42-22)


Date: March 17, 2016 10:30 PM EDT


The Los Angeles Kings can thank the New York Rangers for some breathing room atop the Pacific Division, but they're aiming for the top spot in the Western Conference.


The Kings look to extend their recent surge Thursday night and continue their success against the Rangers.


Los Angeles (42-22-5) leads the Pacific by four points over second-place Anaheim with 13 games remaining. The Kings maintained that edge after the Rangers beat the Ducks 2-1 on Wednesday.


Los Angeles overtook Anaheim during a 9-2-1 stretch that also put it two points behind Dallas and St. Louis for first in the West. The Kings have two games in hand on the Stars and three on the Blues.


They may be able to at least pull level with idle St. Louis since Dallas hosts Tampa Bay.


Coach Darryl Sutter is expecting both the division and conference races to go down to the wire.


"The league has changed a lot in terms of the way the game's played in the last couple months of the season, and as you're going down the stretch, it's not for the faint of heart," Sutter said. "Now, everybody's the same going down the stretch. It's the big difference in the game. There's no nights off."


Los Angeles, though, is coming off two of its most impressive performances of the season, winning 5-0 at Chicago on Monday and 5-2 at Dallas the following day.


"We play the same way every night, and we've done it all year," Sutter said. "It doesn't matter who it's against. Sometimes we don't score enough, and sometimes there's little things that make a difference, but our team shows up."


That's certainly true for Tyler Toffoli, who scored in each victory to match his production from the previous 23. Despite the slump, he's still the team leader with a career-high 26 tallies and needs one more point to match his personal-best 49 set last season.


Toffoli hasn't scored in the last eight meetings with New York, including the 2014 Stanley Cup Final won by the Kings in five games.


Jonathan Quick should be back in net after Jhonas Enroth made 24 saves Tuesday. Quick has a 1.45 goals-against average while going 3-0-1 over his last four starts, including a 32-save shutout of the Blackhawks.


He's 7-3-0 with a 1.97 GAA in 10 career meetings with the Rangers, including the Cup Final.


New York (40-23-7) is second in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the third-place New York Islanders.


Kevin Klein provided the difference in the standings Wednesday with his first two-goal game in his 11-season career. The goals also came after he was stripped of the puck in the defensive zone leading to the Ducks' tally in the first period.


"It's nice, but the two points is the big thing," Klein said. "Just to chip in, I'm happy about that."


The Rangers should have Henrik Lundqvist back in net after Antti Raanta stopped 22 shots Wednesday. Lundqvist, though, has lost his last three starts with a 3.71 GAA after posting a 1.69 GAA while winning eight of the previous 10.


He hasn't faced the Kings since making 48 saves before allowing a goal by Alec Martinez in overtime of a 3-2 loss at Staples Center in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.


The Rangers avoided a major scare Wednesday when Ryan McDonagh was hit in side of the face by an Anaheim shot as time expired. He collapsed to the ice in pain but skated off on his own after trainers tended to him.


Coach Alain Vigneault said the Rangers captain is "OK, as far as I know."

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

Grand Salami - March


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
3/1 8 48.5 49 OVER
3/2 3 16.5 17 OVER
3/3 12 65.5 69 OVER
3/4 3 15.5 20 OVER
3/5 11 58 62 OVER
3/6 6 30.5 34 OVER
3/7 7 36 38 OVER
3/8 8 44.5 41 UNDER
3/9 6 32.5 32 UNDER
3/10 6 32.5 29 UNDER
3/11 5 26.5 28 OVER
3/12 12 63.5 66 OVER
3/13 3 16 13 UNDER
3/14 6 30 41 OVER
3/15 8 43.5 40 UNDER
3/16 6 32.5 32 UNDER
3/17 8 - - -
3/18 6 - - -
3/19 11 - - -
3/20 7 - - -
3/21 4 - - -
3/22 10 - - -
3/23 2 - - -
3/24 11 - - -
3/25 3 - - -
3/26 14 - - -
3/27 3 - - -
3/28 8 - - -
3/29 9 - - -
3/30 3 - - -
3/31 10 - - -

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

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


One could make the argument that home-ice advantage is more important in the NHL than in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball (they don't have ice, but you get the drift). That's because home NHL teams actually have a schematic advantage in that they get the last line change off a stoppage of play. Thus the coach can manipulate matchups if need be.


That brings me to the perplexing San Jose Sharks, who entered Monday third in the Pacific Division but just three points behind first-place Los Angeles. Are the Sharks good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time? Maybe. Goaltender Martin Jones has been a brilliant offseason trade acquisition. He was formerly Jonathan Quick's backup in Los Angeles, and the Kings thought so highly of Jones that they purposefully traded him to the Boston Bruins this summer to keep him out of the Western Conference. Except the Bruins then turned around and traded Jones days later to the Sharks. Jones is 34-18-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He has gone seven games in a row without giving up more than two goals.


San Jose certainly is a good enough road team to win the Cup. It is 25-9-3 away from home, the most road wins in the NHL. But what's up with that 13-15-3 record at home? The Sharks haven't had a losing home record since 1997-98. Over the past 25 years, the Stanley Cup winner with the fewest home victories (not including shortened seasons) was the 1997 Red Wings with 20. The swept the Flyers in the Cup Finals. The Stanley Cup finalist over that period with the fewest regular-season home wins was the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes, who were 15-13-11-2 at home. Ties and OT losses were separate categories then.


The Sharks start a stretch of seven of their next eight at home against Boston on Tuesday, an NBC Sports Network national TV game. San Jose is +700 to win the Western Conference.


Big Loss For Penguins


Pittsburgh's chances at winning the Cup took a big hit Saturday when star winger Evgeni Malkin was ruled out 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury (they never tell you what the true injury is in the NHL). Malkin left Friday's win in Columbus following a collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout in the second period. Malkin has 27 goals and 31 assists this season. Since making his first postseason appearance in 2007, Malkin has averaged 1.10 points per playoff game. The only player with a higher number since then is teammate Sidney Crosby at 1.18.


Malkin missed 10 consecutive games last month, during which time the Penguins went 5-4-1. Their all-time record when he has been injured is 71-45-9 following Sunday's win at the New York Rangers.


This Week's Games To Watch


Chicago at Winnipeg, Friday: First meeting between these teams since the Blackhawks acquired forward Andrew Ladd from the Jets around the Feb. 29 trade deadline. Winnipeg got 21-year-old forward Marko Dano, who is considered a pretty good prospect, a first-round draft pick this June and another conditional pick. Solid return for Winnipeg after Ladd turned down a six-year extension earlier in the season and will hit unrestricted free agency. Ladd has two goals and two assists in six games with the Hawks. The Blackhawks lead the season series 2-1 but both wins were in Chicago. This starts a four-game homestand for the Jets.


NY Islanders at Dallas, Saturday: If you like offensive hockey, this matchup is for you as both are among the Top 5 scoring teams in the NHL. That showed in the first meeting, a 6-5 Islanders home win on Jan. 3. Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck each had two goals for the Isles, who trailed 2-1 in the first period before scoring the next four goals and holding on. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals for Dallas. There aren't many NHL games where I'd recommend the over total, but this would be one of them. The Islanders have lost No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak for 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury, meaning he likely misses the start of the playoffs. Thomas Greiss has played pretty well in net this year for the Isles but has less than one full game of playoff experience. Halak has 30 games of postseason play under his belt.


Boston at Los Angeles, Saturday: Could see this matchup replayed come June in the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be a chance for some major payback for Boston as it was totally embarrassed on home ice by the Kings on Feb. 9, 9-2. Nine different players scored for the Kings, including Milan Lucic, who was traded from Boston last summer (in the Jones deal). That was not a popular deal among Bruins fans. It remains an NHL high in goals scored by any team and Los Angeles also had a season-best 57 shots on net. That was the most shots against Boston since Detroit had 57 on March 18, 1965. Tuukka Rask gave up five goals on 32 shots before being pulled. It was the most goals the Bruins allowed at home in nine years.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/17

NHL


Hot teams
-- Pittsburgh won its last three games, allowing six goals.
-- Florida, Toronto both won three of their last four games.
-- Nashville won seven of its last ten games.
-- San Jose won seven of its last nine games. Arizona won its last two games, 4-0/4-1.
-- Los Angeles won five of last seven games. Rangers won three of their last four road games.


Cold teams
-- Devils lost last three home games, outscored 13-2. Minnesota lost three of last four games.
-- Carolina lost six of its last nine games; their last five games all went OT/SO.
-- Red Wings lost five of their last seven games. Columbus lost three of its last four.
-- Islanders lost three of their last four games.
-- Tampa Bay lost four of its last five games. Dallas Stars lost three of their last four.


Series records
-- Devils won three of last four games with Minnesota.
-- Carolina won three of its last five visits to Pittsburgh.
-- Columbus won five of last seven games with Detroit.
-- Florida won six of its last seven games with Toronto.
-- Islanders won their last four games with Nashville.
-- Dallas Stars lost five of last seven games with Tampa Bay.
-- Sharks won five of their last six games with Arizona.
-- Rangers lost seven of last nine games with Los Angeles.


Totals
-- Four of last six New Jersey games went over total.
-- Three of last four Penguin games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Detroit-Columbus games.
-- Over is 4-0-2 in last six Florida games.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Nashville games.
-- Eight of last nine Tampa Bay-Dallas games went over.
-- Four of last five San Jose games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Ranger games.


Back-to-backs
-- Rangers are 8-5 if they played the night before.