NHL Betting Info. 3/19

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NHL notebook: Dallas ink D Johns to two-year extension
By The Sports Xchange


The Dallas Stars signed defenseman Stephen Johns to a two-year contract extension on Friday.
Johns was set to become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of this season.
Johns, 23, has appeared in four games for Dallas this season, recording one goal and two penalty minutes. He made his NHL debut on March 11 against the Chicago Blackhawks, registering three hits and three blocked shots in 17:27. On Thursday night, Johns scored his first career NHL goal to tie the game in the third period in the Stars' 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Johns was originally selected by Chicago in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NHL draft and was acquired by Dallas via trade on July 10, 2015.


---The Chicago Blackhawks assigned defenseman David Rundblad to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.
Rundblad, 25, was on loan by the Blackhawks to the ZSC Lions of Switzerland's National League A.
Rundblad has notched two assists in nine games with the Blackhawks this season. The native of Lycksele, Sweden registered 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 63 regular-season games over three seasons with Chicago (2013-15). He also appeared in five Stanley Cup playoff games last season.
Over his five-year NHL career, Rundblad has scored 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 113 career games with Ottawa (2011-12), Phoenix (2011-2014) and Chicago (2014-16).


---The Buffalo Sabres recalled defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and goaltender Nathan Lieuwen from the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Ruhwedel, 25, has totaled 22 points in 46 AHL games this season, leading all Rochester defensemen with eight goals. He has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last 12 games. The San Diego native has appeared in 32 career games with the Sabres since making his NHL debut in the 2012-13 season and will join the team on his first recall this season.
The 6-4, 200-pound Lieuwen, 24, joins the Sabres on his second recall of the season after serving as the team's backup goalie for five games in October. In 26 AHL games this season, he has compiled a 14-10-1 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average. A native of Abbotsford, British Columbia and the Sabres' sixth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Lieuwen played in seven games for the Sabres during the 2013-14 season, posting a 1-4-0 record with a .906 save percentage and 2.98 goals-against average.


---The New Jersey Devils recalled forward Brian O'Neill on an emergency basis from Albany of the AHL.
O'Neill, 27, has two assists and eight penalty minutes in 22 games with the Devils this season. He has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and four penalty minutes in 31 games with Albany.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/19

Preview: Penguins (38-24) at Flyers (34-23)


Date: March 19, 2016 1:00 PM EDT


The Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry increases in intensity during late-season matchups when both teams are involved in the playoff race.


Saturday's meeting is the first of three crucial ones down the stretch.


The Flyers have caught fire and are expected to have Jakub Voracek back as they look to beat the visiting Penguins for the ninth time in the last 10 matchups.


Philadelphia's 3-2 win at Chicago on Wednesday briefly put it in the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot, but it will head into this contest sitting one point back of Detroit. The Flyers (34-23-12) have gone on an 8-1-1 tear that includes three consecutive home victories to make up ground.


Brayden Schenn scored the tying goal against the Blackhawks in the second period before Radko Gudas' deflected shot found the net in the middle of the third.


"You can see all the guys buying in and pulling together," Gudas said. "It's a great feeling to be around this team right now. Even if you get down one goal, we're coming back. You've got that feeling inside that we're working hard to come back."


The most impressive aspect of the surge is that Voracek has been sidelined for the last nine with a left foot injury. He has been cleared to play and was a full participant in practice Friday, but coach Dave Hakstol said Voracek will be a game-time decision.


Voracek, who has four goals and eight assists during a seven-game point streak against the Penguins, made it sound as if he'll be in the lineup.


"I pushed it really hard," Voracek said. "It felt pretty good. Now I just have to find a way to help the team win a game."


The Flyers had won eight in a row against Pittsburgh (38-24-8) before Phil Kessel scored twice and Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist in the Penguins' 4-3 victory Jan. 21.


Pittsburgh is four points ahead of the Flyers in the wild-card standings. They'll also face each other April 3 and in the Penguins' regular-season finale April 9.


"You've got to be intense, and in a game like that the intensity is higher. The emotion is higher," Crosby told the team's official website. "You've got to raise your level as well, but at the same time just be disciplined and focus on playing the game. You've got to focus on playing the game and getting two points."


Pittsburgh is on a roll as well after beating Carolina 4-2 on Thursday for its fourth straight win. The streak started when Evgeni Malkin suffered an upper-body injury against Columbus on March 11. He'll be out at least another five weeks as the Penguins try to pass the New York Islanders, who hold a one-point lead for the Metropolitan Division's last automatic playoff berth.


The Penguins rallied from a two-goal deficit Thursday, just as they did in the last meeting with the Flyers.


"It should be a good game," forward Carl Hagelin said. "We're right there with each other and both teams are looking to get two points, and hopefully we get them."


Marc-Andre Fleury has a 1.75 goals-against average in his last eight starts and should be in net for this one, although he has a 4.20 GAA in his last six against the Flyers.


It's unclear if Steve Mason or Michal Neuvirth will get the nod for Philadelphia.


The Flyers will be without forward Chris VandeVelde after he was suspended two games for elbowing Chicago's Jonathan Toews in the head.

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Preview: Hurricanes (31-27) at Wild (32-28)


Date: March 19, 2016 2:00 PM EDT


Frustrated and embarrassed, the Minnesota Wild must find a way to move on from a rough finish to their latest road trip.


A visit from the Carolina Hurricanes might help.


Looking to avoid a third consecutive loss overall and at home, the Wild try to continue their success against the Hurricanes on Saturday.


Minnesota (32-28-11) opened a three-game trip with a 4-1 victory over Montreal last Saturday, but things got worse from there. The Wild allowed the tying goal with 7.1 seconds left in regulation of a 3-2 overtime defeat to Ottawa on Tuesday and on Thursday, they yielded their highest goal total of the season in a 7-4 loss to New Jersey.


"We're right in the race for a playoff spot, and games like that, they can't happen," forward Nino Niederreiter told the Wild's official website.


Just behind Colorado for the second wild-card spot, Minnesota has gone 1-3-1 in its last five and threw up a major red flag with Thursday's performance.


"It's hard to say anything after a game like that," forward Erik Haula said. "It wasn't anything at all what we wanted. I thought we got better in the end but it wasn't even close to what we want to bring."


The Wild certainly weren't focused in the first period as the Devils chased Devan Dubnyk with three goals on eight shots.


"You start with the first goal, and the second and third, we just weren't good enough in front of the net," said Niederreiter, who has scored in three consecutive games to equal his career high of 37 points. "It's game (71) ... have to make sure we battle those."


Minnesota hasn't had much trouble containing Carolina, giving up nine goals during a five-game winning streak. Dubnyk is 1-1-1 with a 3.50 goals-against average in his last four starts, but beat the Hurricanes (31-27-13) for a fourth straight time by making 37 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory Nov. 12.


Carolina has totaled five goals in going 0-1-2 since opening its five-game trip with a 3-2 overtime victory over Boston last Thursday. The Hurricanes scored the first two goals against Pittsburgh on Thursday, but went on to a 4-2 loss that ended their six-game point streak.


"We were just trying to get pucks to the net," rookie forward Phillip Di Giuseppe said. "We had a good start, and we should have fed better off that."


Carolina is six points behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot with multiple teams to pass.


"Next game is huge for us," Di Giuseppe said. "This is our first (regulation) loss since the (trade) deadline. It wasn't the result we wanted, but we'll come back stronger in the next game."


Di Giuseppe has three of his seven career goals on this trip, and six points in six games.


Eddie Lack made 44 saves in his second straight start Thursday. He's faced at least 30 shots each time while going 1-1-2 with a 2.70 GAA this month.


Though the Hurricanes are 0 for 7 on the power play in two games, they've killed 19 of 20 penalties over the last nine.


Minnesota went 2 for 3 with the man advantage against the Devils but is 0 for 11 in three March home contests.

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Preview: Rangers (40-23) at Sharks (39-25)


Date: March 19, 2016 4:00 PM EDT


Fuming following a loss reminiscent of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers must refocus on their current battle for playoff positioning.


The star goaltender can put the rough night behind him by beating a team he has dominated in the past.


Lundqvist looks to end his March struggles and help the Rangers solidify their hold on second place in the Metropolitan Division when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.


New York (40-23-8) was denied a second straight win on its three-game California trip and had to settle for one point Thursday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Los Angeles.


The Rangers extended their road point streak to five games and have gone 8-2-2 in their last 12 away from home, but they blew a 3-1 third-period lead and a controversial non-call contributed to the disheartening defeat.


Lundqvist felt he was interfered with by the Kings' Tyler Toffoli on Anze Kopitar's tying goal with 4:10 to play, though coach Alain Vigneault's challenge was denied. Kopitar then scored in overtime to drop New York to 3-3-2 this month.


'I'm so frustrated right now, I don't even know where to begin,' Lundqvist said.


Lundqvist made 33 saves but suffered his fourth consecutive loss - this one similar to Game 2 of the 2014 final at Los Angeles, in which a controversial goal scored after Lundqvist might have been interfered with led to a 5-4 double-overtime defeat. That put the Kings up 2-0 in the series, which they won in five games.


"We got three points out of four in two of the toughest buildings in the league (also Anaheim on Wednesday)," Vigneault told the team's official website. "We battled real hard. I thought we did what we had to do to come out of here with two points. I'm real proud of how we competed. That's a real good team over there."


Lundqvist is 0-2-2 with a 3.76 goals-against average in March. He didn't play in a 4-0 win over the Sharks on Oct. 19, New York's third straight in the series, but has gone 2-1-0 with a 0.67 GAA in his last three starts against them. The most recent was a 30-save effort in a 3-1 victory at San Jose on Jan. 10, 2015.


The Rangers are three points up on the Islanders for second place, though the Islanders, who also play Saturday, have two games in hand.


San Jose (39-25-6) has no worries about an automatic playoff spot in the Pacific, holding a 15-point lead over Arizona for third place, but the Sharks are also pushing Anaheim for second.


After beating Washington and Boston in a three-day span at home, the Sharks fell 3-1 to the Coyotes on the road Thursday after having two early goals waved off.


Dainius Zubrus' first-period score was nixed by a reviewed offside call and Chris Tierney's goal in the second was disallowed due to a kicking motion.


'It's a little frustrating when you're happy you scored and two times they cancel it,' said forward Tomas Hertl, who scored his first goal in seven games. 'But it was probably the right call and we should score a couple more goals.'


San Jose has averaged 3.5 goals during a 9-3-3 stretch at home.


Martin Jones made 24 saves but allowed four goals Oct. 19 in his only career appearance against the Rangers.

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Preview: Devils (34-30) at Blue Jackets (28-34)


Date: March 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


A stunning offensive outburst has the New Jersey Devils feeling better about their unlikely postseason chances, but getting there probably means solving an unexpected nemesis.


The last-place Columbus Blue Jackets go for their sixth straight win over the Devils when they open a weekend home-and-home set in Columbus on Saturday night.


New Jersey (34-30-7) followed Monday's 7-1 loss at Anaheim with a season-high goal total in Thursday's 7-4 win over Minnesota.


Devante Smith-Pelly scored his fifth and sixth goals since New Jersey acquired him from Montreal at the trade deadline, and Mike Sislo and Adam Henrique each added two.


Smith-Pelly has provided punch to the league's lowest-scoring team with six goals and three assists in seven games with the Devils. He had six each in 46 with the Canadiens.


He's helped New Jersey to three wins in four games, keeping it within six points of Detroit for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot. The Devils had scored nine goals in five games before Thursday.


'There is no quit in this team,' Henrique said. 'Obviously there is still a shot. We'll just keep finding ways to keep putting points up.'


The Devils' final nine games aren't easy, and that includes the two matchups with Columbus (28-34-8). The Blue Jackets extended their series win streak to five with three regulation victories this season, the latest a 6-1 home rout Feb. 25.


Sergei Bobrovsky has won four straight over New Jersey after making 50 saves and allowing two goals in the first two wins. He's posted a 1.50 goals-against average in those four contests.


However, Bobrovsky has struggled this month since returning from a groin injury, losing all three of his starts with a 3.38 GAA. He hasn't won since Dec. 5 and has posted a 3.82 mark in his last five starts, allowing three goals on 22 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Red Wings.


While the Devils are hitting their stride, the Blue Jackets are skidding with three straight defeats to fall to 1-3-0 on their five-game homestand. They averaged 3.5 goals during a 5-2-1 stretch but have followed with three total during their losing streak.


Coach John Tortorella mixed up his lines against Detroit, moving Boone Jenner to center on the top line between Brandon Saad and Cam Atkinson. Brandon Dubinsky rotated from center to wing on the second line with Alexander Wennberg and rookie Oliver Bjorkstrand.


Wennberg scored with one minute left Thursday as the Blue Jackets narrowly averted being shut out for the second straight time. They lost 4-0 to Tampa Bay on Sunday.


'I didn't think we played poorly, and I don't think we were lazy,' Tortorella said. 'On the other hand, I don't think we played that well. And I don't think we played that hard. We were kind of caught in between.'


Columbus will look for an offensive jolt against a struggling goaltender. New Jersey's Keith Kinkaid has allowed 10 goals in the last two games, getting pulled against the Ducks before benefiting from the Devils' offensive outburst against the Wild.


The Blue Jackets beat Kinkaid three times on 13 shots in February after he replaced No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider, who is sidelined with a sprained right knee.

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Preview: Canadiens (33-32) at Senators (33-31)


Date: March 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


The amount of games to make the playoffs are dwindling for both the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, and the Atlantic Division rivals have failed to generate any consistent momentum for a push ahead of Saturday night's critical game in Ontario's capital.


The Senators (33-30-8) were denied a third straight win after losing 3-1 at Buffalo on Friday. They conceded a pair of goals around Alex Chiasson's tally in the first 8:17 of the contest and failed to help themselves by playing short-handed for more than half of the final 7:03.


"We need more pride; need to battle a little hard," Chiasson told the team's official website. "We're fighting for our life, our playoff hope. Not the effort that's demanded of us. We should expect more from ourselves."


Ottawa's power play again sputtered, going 0 for 4 to extend its man-advantage drought to 21 chances over the last eight games. The Senators had killed all 11 penalties over the previous four games before yielding a power-play goal 2:07 into Friday night's defeat.


'Not good enough,' said goaltender Craig Anderson, echoing Chiasson's sentiments. 'Bottom line is we didn't get two points and that's what we needed.'


The Senators are seven points behind Detroit for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 10 games remaining.


While Ottawa was unable to extend its winning streak, Montreal (33-32-6) avoided a third straight loss by defeating Buffalo 3-2 in overtime Wednesday. Paul Byron's winning goal deflected off the stick of a Sabres defenseman to make sure Ben Scrivens' season-high 41 saves didn't go for naught.


"We played with a lot of emotion last game, which is an encouraging sign," forward Lars Eller said after practice Friday. "It's nice to see everyone not backing off."


Coach Michel Therrien rewarded Scrivens with another start, which will be his first against Ottawa since a 4-3 overtime loss Nov. 13, 2014, playing for Edmonton. Scrivens is 2-2-1 with a 2.39 goals-against average in five lifetime starts versus the Senators.


Montreal's postseason situation is as dire as Ottawa's, entering this game nine points behind Detroit. The Canadiens will be without P.K. Subban - second on the team with 51 points - for both their games this weekend as Therrien ruled his top defenseman out as he continues to recover from a neck injury suffered March 10.


The Habs' defense corps took another hit Friday when Mark Barberio was ruled out due to concussion-like symptoms.


Montreal has taken five of six possible points this season between the teams after a 3-1 victory in the most recent meeting Dec. 12. The Canadiens tied a franchise record with 27 first-period shots before chasing Anderson in the second.


Jean-Gabriel Pageau has scored three of Ottawa's four goals in the season series, one in each game, and the Senators are 0 for 7 on the power play versus the Habs.

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Preview: Sabres (29-33) at Maple Leafs (24-35)


Date: March 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


The Buffalo Sabres finally snapped their losing streak in Toronto earlier this month with help from star rookies Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel.


Reinhart also got the Sabres going in their latest victory and will try to deliver another in Saturday night's rematch with the Maple Leafs.


Buffalo (29-33-10) snapped a six-game skid at the Air Canada Centre by rallying for a 4-3 shootout victory March 7. Eichel started the comeback by scoring one of the Sabres' two goals in the third period and Reinhart had the only score of the shootout.


Reinhart scored his 20th goal in a 3-1 win against visiting Ottawa on Friday and registered an assist. He had one goal in his previous 12 games.


Reinhart and Eichel are the third Sabres rookie duo with 20-plus goals and first since Danny Gare and Peter McNab in 1974-75.


"They're going to be a huge part of our team moving forward and we're lucky to have both of them," defenseman Zach Bogosian said.


Buffalo, which hasn't won back-to-back games since Feb. 12 and 14, will try to send Toronto to a fourth consecutive defeat in the series. The Sabres have won each of this season's two meetings in shootouts.


The Maple Leafs (24-35-11) were denied a third straight victory and their third in a row at home Thursday with a 4-1 defeat to Florida. After allowing one goal in its previous two games, Toronto was bitten by a pair of unlucky bounces.


The Panthers' Jussi Jokinen was credited with goals when two passing attempts off Maple Leafs sticks got past Jonathan Bernier.


"Two goals that are pretty lucky," said defenseman Morgan Rielly, who scored his team's goal. "I don't think that they would argue that. But that's just the way the game goes. They played well. They played with speed and they generated those chances."


Garret Sparks is expected to end Bernier's run of three consecutive starts. He was in net earlier this month against the Sabres, one of 10 career starts.


Buffalo goaltender Robin Lehner is dealing with a nagging right ankle injury, an ailment that caused him to miss 39 games earlier this season. Nathan Lieuwen was called up in his absence and could get his sixth career start - and first since 2013-14 - on Saturday with Chad Johnson having played Friday.


Lieuwen has never faced Toronto while Johnson has been in net for both matchups this season.


Evander Kane will try to provide support for whichever netminder starts by adding to his three goals and two assists in his last five games against Toronto.


Maple Leafs forward Brad Boyes had three goals and four assists in his past six games against his former team but is among a number of Maple Leafs who are dealing with injuries. Boyes has an ailing shoulder that's kept him out since March 7 against Buffalo, and leading goal scorer Leo Komarov has a lower-body injury.

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Preview: Red Wings (35-25) at Panthers (40-22)


Date: March 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


The Florida Panthers' final seven games are against foes currently out of playoff position, an upcoming stretch that will seemingly give them a prime opportunity to clinch their first division title in four years.


They'll get a better idea of how they measure up against playoff competition over the next week.


Florida looks to win three straight for the first time in six weeks Saturday night when it hosts a Detroit Red Wings team looking to improve its postseason chances.


The Panthers (40-22-9) have regained the Atlantic lead by winning four of their last five following a 1-3-2 stretch, and they're four victories away from surpassing the franchise record set in 1999-2000. They won the last two of a three-game trip with 4-1 victories over Montreal on Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday.


Florida faces the Canadiens and Maple Leafs twice more each with matchups against New Jersey, Ottawa and Carolina sprinkled in over the season's final 10 days. Winning a division title for the first time since 2011-12 could depend on how it navigates this upcoming stretch, though.


After hosting Detroit (35-25-11), the Panthers embark on another three-game trip against the New York Rangers, Boston and Tampa Bay. The Bruins and Lightning aren't far back of Florida in the Atlantic.


'We've got some big games ahead of us, so we didn't want to overlook (the NHL-worst Maple Leafs) and look ahead,' said Roberto Luongo, made 32 saves Thursday. "They made us earn it.'


Jussi Jokinen sat out against Montreal with a lower-body injury but returned with two goals, both of which were intended passes that deflected into the net. He had two assists in each of the first two meetings with the Red Wings, a 2-1 overtime win Nov. 29 and 6-3 victory Feb. 4.


The latter capped a five-game winning streak for the Panthers, who haven't won three straight since. Luongo looks to help change that and has a 1.65 goals-against average while winning his last three starts against Detroit.


Petr Mrazek made 23 saves to blank Florida 3-0 in the most recent matchup Feb. 8, but he fell ill and sat out Detroit's 3-1 win over Columbus on Thursday. Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots, and he could be in net for this one if Mrazek isn't ready to go.


"We can enjoy the flight down to Florida and then we've got to forget about it and get ready for the Panthers," Howard said. "They're ahead of us in the standings and we're scratching and clawing for points here and we're going to need to build off of this."


Henrik Zetterberg scored for the Red Wings, who had dropped five of their previous seven. They're clinging to the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot with a one-point edge on Philadelphia and trail the Lightning by four for the Atlantic's last automatic berth.


Detroit held a one-goal lead after the first period against the Blue Jackets, marking the first time it has led heading into the second since a win over Ottawa on Feb. 10.


"I think we just have to realize where we are," Zetterberg said. "We have to play with more urgency."


Dylan Larkin ranks among the rookie scoring leaders with 20 goals and 21 assists, but his assist Thursday was just his third point in 17 games since having an assist in the last meeting with the Panthers. He scored in each of the first two matchups.

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Preview: Islanders (38-22) at Stars (42-21)


Date: March 19, 2016 8:00 PM EDT


Tyler Seguin and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn make up the league's highest-scoring duo for the Dallas Stars.


Only Benn will be able to help keep Dallas atop the Western Conference.


The Stars are forced to play at least the rest of the regular season without the injured Seguin, beginning with Saturday night's visit from the New York Islanders.


Benn ranks behind only Chicago's Patrick Kane with 80 points and is followed closely by Seguin, who has 33 goals and 40 assists. That production has helped the Stars (42-21-9) lead the West by two points over St. Louis and Los Angeles with 10 games to play, although the Kings have two in hand.


Benn scored in the second period Thursday against Tampa Bay, then assisted on Stephen Johns' tying goal in the third before scoring two minutes later in a 4-3 victory as Dallas snapped a 1-1-2 slump. His last goal marked his career-high 36th.


The victory was marred, though, when Seguin suffered a cut to his Achilles tendon during the final shift of the game. General manager Jim Nill addressed the media Friday and said Seguin underwent surgery that morning to stitch a 15 percent cut of the tendon.


Seguin will be out three to four weeks with the hope that he can return for the start of the playoffs.


"It's as good of a case scenario as it could be considering where he got cut," Nill said. "Another eighth of an inch and it could've severed the whole thing. It's really just time to heal now."


The Stars for now plan to move forward without making a call-up from the AHL after Patrick Sharp returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out the previous six. The offense certainly will take a hit with Seguin out, but Benn is more concerned about the Stars' defensive game.


Dallas has allowed 13 goals over its last three games and at least three in 11 of 14.


"We definitely want to get the goals against down," Benn said. "I thought our third period (Thursday) was our strongest, and we found a way to win."


New York (38-22-9) has outscored the Stars 26-18 while winning four of the last five meetings, including a 6-5 victory Jan. 3 when 12 Islanders recorded a point. Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck had two goals apiece.


The Islanders, though, are in the midst of a 1-2-2 stretch and will try to salvage the last of their three-game road trip. Ryan Pulock scored his first NHL goal and Brock Nelson added one in the third of Thursday's 4-2 loss to Nashville.


New York is clinging to a one-point lead over Pittsburgh for the Metropolitan Division's last automatic playoff berth.


'It's been the same theme for us," coach Jack Capuano said. "It's the common denominator that we try to make the sexy play and we don't want to get pucks to the net."


Mikhail Grabovski isn't likely to play after being sent back to New York because of an upper-body injury. He returned for Tuesday's shootout loss to the Penguins after missing the previous 10 but sat out against the Predators.


Thomas Greiss continues to get the work in net with Jaroslav Halak out for at least a few more weeks. He faced 41 shots in the first meeting with the Stars.


Antti Niemi could be in net for Dallas looking to snap out of his slump. He has a 4.72 goals-against average in his last six starts

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Preview: Blues (41-22) at Canucks (27-31)


Date: March 19, 2016 10:00 PM EDT


After conceding 11 goals in consecutive defeats, the St. Louis Blues are more than ready to welcome Brian Elliott back.


Elliott will return from a 10-game absence from a lower-body injury Saturday night when the visiting Blues seek to hand the Vancouver Canucks a fourth straight defeat.


The goaltender was on a roll with a 1.99 goals-against average in winning five straight starts before leaving in the first period of a 6-3 defeat to San Jose on Feb. 22. St. Louis (41-22-9) went 6-4-0 in the games he missed with Jake Allen starting in his place.


"It's good to get the opportunity to get back in there," Elliott said. "I've been practicing well here for almost two weeks now, so it's good to get back in game action."


Allen won six straight starts between Feb. 28-March 12 before allowing nine of the team's 11 goals in losses by 7-4 to Calgary on Monday and 6-4 to Edmonton two days later. The Blues feel he may be getting fatigued by the heavy ice time.


"At the end of the day when you're traveling like this and you're playing this many games, you're gonna get worn down," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It's funny, we've reached the edge on both guys when we were close to getting worn down with 'em and then the other guy came back in and helped us. Our timing has been perfect on it and it's time for Brian to start sharing some of the load for us here."


St. Louis, which has scored at least four goals in its last six road games, is two points behind Dallas for the Western Conference lead.


It looks like the Blues will see a face from their past in goal for the Canucks in Ryan Miller, who played 19 games for St. Louis in 2013-14. Miller has faced the Blues twice since he played for them, going 1-1-0 with a 2.55 GAA.


He figures to get the start since Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves in Friday's 2-0 loss at Edmonton. Vancouver (27-31-12) has totaled three goals in this losing streak, falling to the Oilers despite a 40-25 advantage in shots.


'I thought we had some really good chances to score, but with 40 shots, we should have created some more grade-A chances,' captain Henrik Sedin said.


Winger Radim Vrbata's status is uncertain after he left Friday with a lower-body injury.


Vancouver is 0 for 20 on the power play in its last six games and that figures to be welcome news for St. Louis. The Blues have allowed a power-play goal in a season-high five straight games, including four in six chances Wednesday.


"Well I can start with saying that we're just taking too many penalties," center Patrik Berglund said. "It's hard to kill off that many penalties. But also we're obviously in a slump, we're not doing the job we should do out there."


The Blues ended an 0-4-2 streak in this series by winning 4-3 on the road Oct. 16 in the season's lone matchup.


"They're a heavy team, they're waiting for us so that's gonna be a challenge for us coming home," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said.

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Preview: Lightning (40-26) at Coyotes (31-32)


Date: March 19, 2016 10:00 PM EDT


The Tampa Bay Lightning have had little success since their team-record winning streak ended two weeks ago.


Things might not get any easier Saturday night considering how well the Arizona Coyotes have played of late.


The Lightning can salvage a split of their four-game trip by avoiding a third straight loss and preventing the Coyotes from matching a season high with their fourth consecutive win.


Tampa Bay (40-26-5) held a two-point lead in the Atlantic Division after winning its ninth in a row March 5, but have dropped to third by going 1-4-1 since. The Lightning are four points behind first-place Florida and four up on Detroit.


"We understand where we're at and how things are going," goaltender Ben Bishop said. "It's about manning up now."


Bishop made 37 saves as the Lightning opened the trip with a 4-0 win over Columbus on Sunday, but fell 4-1 to lowly Toronto two days later. They led three times Thursday against Dallas, but failed to hold a 3-2 advantage and were outshot 17-4 in the third of a 4-3 loss.


"The guys in the room, they're going to hold themselves accountable," coach Jon Cooper told the NHL's official website. "We were doing everything right for two periods and then to come out and completely change the way they played, we got to do better.


"We got to be better, it's the bottom line."


Steven Stamkos, who recorded his second two-goal game of the trip, thinks the Lightning might be too eager for the postseason to begin.


"We played like a fragile team that was scared to lose and not hungry to close out a game," he said. "We can't let that fear of losing creep in at this time of the year. There's almost that feeling like we want the playoffs to get here, but there's still a lot of hockey left.


"We'll address that, nip that, and stay focused for these last 11 games of the season."


Stamkos opened the scoring as the Lightning won their third straight over Arizona, 2-1 on Feb. 23. Tampa Bay has won 13 of 17 in the series.


The Coyotes (31-32-7), though, have outscored opponents 11-2 during their three-game winning streak. Arizona won four in a row Jan. 4-12.


After missing 40 games with a lower body injury, Mike Smith delivered a stellar 44-save performance in last Saturday's 4-0 victory at Edmonton, then stopped 27 shots in a 3-1 victory over San Jose on Thursday.


"I knew what to expect more going into (Thursday's) game, but there were still some times where it was a little uncomfortable," the ex-Tampa Bay netminder said. "I definitely felt better than I did in Edmonton. It's a good sign ... It's a process. I know what to expect now."


Smith is 2-3-0 with a 3.90 goals-against average against his former club.


Shane Doan has a goal and three assists in three games for the Coyotes, who have gone 4 for 9 on the power play in the last four. They've killed all 12 penalties over the same stretch.


Stamkos converted on Tampa Bay's only power-play chance Thursday after it went 0 for 19 in the previous eight games.


It's uncertain if Arizona points leader Oliver Ekman-Larsson (upper body) will miss a fifth straight game.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/19

Preview: Bruins (39-25) at Kings (43-22)


Date: March 19, 2016 10:30 PM EDT


The sting of last month's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Kings and former teammate Milan Lucic likely hasn't worn off for the Boston Bruins.


Their chances of avenging that defeat Saturday night don't appear too promising since the Kings' scoring attack has been on a roll of late.


Los Angeles (43-22-5) registered its finest scoring performance in eight seasons in Lucic's return to Boston, a 9-2 victory Feb. 9 in which he contributed a goal and two assists. That was also the Bruins' worst defensive effort since a 10-2 loss in Washington on March 3, 2008.


Lucic has three goals and seven assists in an eight-game point streak that matches a career high and ties the longest by a Kings player this season. Los Angeles has totaled 14 goals in its current three-game win streak and rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory against the visiting New York Rangers on Thursday.


Anze Kopitar scored the tying goal with 4:10 remaining in regulation, then tallied the winner 1:34 into the extra period. He has six goals and five assists in eight games this month.


"I thought we played a pretty good game from start to finish, especially the first couple periods we really were all over them. A couple of miscues in our own zone, pucks ended up in our net and we had to battle back," said captain Dustin Brown, who scored in his third straight game. "When we throw that many pucks at the net with guys around, good things happen. It was a good win for us."


The Kings have outscored opponents 24-11 while going 5-0-1 in their last six and are 7-1-1 in their past nine home games. They will seek their fifth win in six visits from Boston while trying to pad a four-point lead over Anaheim in the Pacific Division.


The Bruins (39-25-8) remained three points behind Florida in the Atlantic and one ahead of Tampa Bay after a 4-0 loss to Anaheim on Friday night.


"We didn't play a bad game,' Boston forward Brad Marchand said. "They got a couple of early ones, and their goalie made a few really big saves at the right time."


Boston is 0-2-0 on its four-game road stretch after going 5-0-2 to open this month.


"We didn't come (out on the road) to go home empty-handed so we've got to find a way to get some points," coach Claude Julien said. "We're going to play another good team, and right now, we just need to dig a little deeper."


With Jonas Gustavsson starting Friday, the Bruins will likely give Tuukka Rask a chance to atone for his latest effort against the Kings. He was pulled in the second period in February after giving up five goals on 32 shots.


Rask was 2-1-0 with a 1.69 goals-against average in his previous three starts versus Los Angeles.


Kings netminder Jonathan Quick is 2-1-0 with a 1.34 GAA in his last three matchups with Boston and 4-1-0 with a 1.58 GAA in five lifetime home starts versus the Bruins.


Marchand has eight goals and an assist in his last seven games against the Kings.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/19

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 43.5 51 OVER
3/18 6 32 26 UNDER
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. 3/19

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


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. 3/19

NHL


Hot teams
-- Penguins, Flyers both won five of their last six games.
-- San Jose won seven of its last ten games.
-- Devils won three of their last four games.
-- Toronto won three of its last five games.
-- Florida won four of its last five games.
-- Arizona won its last three games, allowing two goals.
-- Los Angeles won five of its last six games.


Cold teams
-- Carolina lost its last three games (five of last six went OT/SO). Minnesota lost four of its last five games.
-- Rangers lost three of their last four games.
-- Columbus lost four of its last five games.
-- Senators, Canadiens both lost six of their last nine games.
-- Sabres are 4-6 in their last ten games.
-- Red Wings lost five of their last eight games.
-- Dallas Stars lost three of their last five games. Islanders lost four of last five.
-- Canucks lost last three games, outscored 10-3. St Louis lost its last two games, allowing 13 goals.
-- Lightning lost five of their last six games.
-- Boston lost three of its last four games.


Series records
-- Flyers won eight of last nine games with Pittsburgh.
-- Hurricanes lost their last five games with Minnesota.
-- Rangers won their last three games with San Jose.
-- Devils lost their last five games with Columbus.
-- Canadiens won three of last four games with Ottawa.
-- Sabres won four of last five games with Toronto.
-- Panthers won five of last seven games with Detroit.
-- Islanders won four of last five games with Dallas.
-- Canucks won six of last seven games with St Louis.
-- Lightning won six of last eight games with Arizona.
-- Boston-LA split last six games; Kings won last one, 9-2.


Totals
-- Over is 4-1-1 in Philly's last six games.
-- Over is 3-1 in Carolina's last four visits to Minnesota.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Ranger games.
-- Five of last seven New Jersey games went over.
-- Six of last seven Montreal-Ottawa ganes stayed under.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in last ten Buffalo-Toronto games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Detroit games.
-- Seven of last eight Dallas Stars games went over.
-- Over is 7-0-1 in last eight St Louis games.
-- Six of last seven Tampa Bay-Arizona games went over.
-- Under is 4-0-1 in last five Boston games.


Back-to-backs
-- Ottawa is 2-8 if it played the night before.
-- Buffalo lost six of last nine if it played night before.
-- Vancouver is 5-7 if it played the night before.
-- Boston is 5-4 in it played the night before.