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**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Jets (31-37) at Sabres (30-34)

Date: March 26, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

The Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets have little but pride to play for these days, but both clubs are finding some success as the season nears its conclusion.

With playoff eliminations imminent over the next few days, the Sabres seek their fourth win in six games on Saturday as the visiting Jets try for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Signs pointed to Buffalo (30-34-10) suffering its second straight loss on Tuesday, when it trailed 2-1 at Carolina with less than four minutes left. Instead, the Sabres scored twice in a minute to rally for a 3-2 win, their third in five games.

Evander Kane, who will play his former team for the second time since an ugly breakup in February 2015, scored his first goal in seven games with 3:49 remaining and Johan Larsson added his first in six contests exactly one minute later to complete the rally.

Buffalo is riding a 3-1-1 stretch, and half its wins have come from a 15-12-6 stretch since Jan. 10.

'We want to take pride in these next eight games that we have here and kind of have a good feeling going into next year and finish off the season strong,' Kane said. '(Tuesday night) was a good comeback win for us and it's something we're going to have to be able to do in the future.'

The Sabres will take a look in that direction with the NHL debuts of defenseman Casey Nelson and forward Hudson Fasching. They were signed to entry-level contracts this week after finishing up their junior seasons at Minnesota State and Minnesota, respectively.

Carlo Colaiacovo, who scored his first goal on Tuesday, and Cal O'Reilly will sit to make room for the rookies.

Chad Johnson will start after making 25 saves against the Hurricanes. He has won six of his last seven starts and has a .927 save percentage over his last six.

Johnson has faced the Jets franchise twice in his career, holding them to two goals on 69 shots while suffering a pair of shutout losses.

Buffalo won the first meeting 4-2 on Jan. 10 behind Sam Reinhart's hat trick. Kane tallied an assist in his first visit with the franchise he called home for the first six seasons of his career. The Jets traded him after several reports of disagreements with teammates and offseason trade requests.

Winnipeg (31-37-6) had won the three previous games in this series and nine of 11. The Jets have taken four of the last five games in Buffalo.

Winnipeg already has its longest point streak of the season at three games and seeks its first winning streak of the same length since last April.

Ondrej Pavelec made 33 saves in Thursday's 4-1 win over Los Angeles, while Adam Lowry, Dustin Byfuglien, Paul Postma and Drew Stafford scored to help the Jets close a homestand 2-1-1.

'It's all about building for next year at this point for us,' Stafford said. 'It's habits."

Pavelec has allowed just one goal while making 61 saves his last two starts. He holds a .951 save percentage while winning eight of his last nine against the Sabres.

While Winnipeg is riding a 2-5-1 slump away from home, Buffalo is on a 5-2-3 stretch at First Niagara Center.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Penguins (40-25) at Red Wings (37-26)

Date: March 26, 2016 2:00 PM EDT

Teams are flipping spots seemingly on a nightly basis in a muddled Eastern Conference playoff race that appears to be going down to the season's final day.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings aren't immune to the confusion, as each club has just as realistic of a chance for home-ice advantage in the first round as it does of missing the postseason altogether.

They will try to bolster their chances of securing one of their division's automatic playoff berths when they meet Saturday in Detroit.

Pittsburgh's six-game winning streak helped it pull within two points of the second-place Rangers in the Metropolitan earlier in the week, but New York's lead doubled with a victory Wednesday and the Penguins' 3-0 loss to New Jersey the following night.

Pittsburgh (40-25-8) also missed a chance to provide some separation from the Islanders and Philadelphia in the division as Sidney Crosby had his 12-game point streak snapped.

"We have to focus on making sure we're better," Crosby said. "We were well rested. We understand how important the games are at this point, but we didn't play well enough. So, we didn't deserve to win that one. I think we know we have to bounce back here next game.'

Detroit (37-26-11) is tied with the Flyers for the second wild-card spot as it seeks a 25th consecutive playoff appearance, but it also has a game in hand while sitting one point behind Boston for third in the Atlantic. It has won three of four to close the gap with help from the Bruins dropping five in a row.

Riley Sheahan scored twice and Anthony Mantha scored his first NHL goal in Thursday's 4-3 win over Montreal.

"It's definitely a nice feeling. We just have to keep that going to Saturday," Sheahan said. "Everything is so close. You win one game and another team loses and you're right back in it with them. It's a race. We're just going to keep track of what those other teams are doing, but worry about us first."

The Red Wings made things interesting, though, by surrendering each goal in the third period after jumping out to a big lead. That didn't sit well with coach Jeff Blashill, and he knows they'll have to be much better against a Pittsburgh team that has won three straight on the road and earned at least one point in its last five visits to Joe Louis Arena (3-0-2).

Detroit is 8-2-1 in its last 11 at home and won't have to face Evgeni Malkin, who has six goals and eight assists in 10 regular-season games against the Red Wings but is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

"(The Penguins are) playing great hockey and they're a real good hockey team," Blashill said. "I know when we're playing the right way, we're a real good hockey team, too."

Detroit gave up the first goal in nine of its previous 10 before Sheahan put it ahead against Montreal. Justin Abdelkader and Brendan Smith scored in the first period against visiting Pittsburgh on Dec. 31, but that early lead didn't help as Crosby scored and Kris Letang had two goals and an assist to help the Penguins rally for a 5-2 win.

Crosby had a goal and an assist and Phil Kessel scored twice in a 6-3 home victory in the last meeting Feb. 18. Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a 1.99 goals-against average over his last six starts, made 35 saves in that one and could be in net again.

Petr Mrazek has a 4.12 GAA in four career outings against the Penguins.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Wild (36-28) at Avalanche (38-32)

Date: March 26, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Wild have made a habit of dealing the Colorado Avalanche heartbreaking defeats.

First came the Wild's overtime goal in Game 7 of a first-round playoff series in 2014. Then, in one of seven victories over the nine meetings since, they overcame a pair of three-goal deficits to beat the Avalanche in this season's opener.

A Minnesota win in regulation Saturday would extend its wild-card lead to five points and significantly damage the Avs' playoff hopes as they await the return of their top two scorers.

The Wild (36-28-11) spoiled Colorado coach Patrick Roy's first season behind the bench in 2013-14 and eliminated the Central Division champions by winning four of the series' last five games. A rivalry is brewing now that the clubs are battling for the Western Conference's final playoff spot, although it's been pretty one-sided.

Zach Parise's hat trick, capped by scoring the first and last of Minnesota's four third-period goals, gave the Wild a 5-4 road win over the Avalanche (38-22-4) on Oct. 8 on their way to winning three of the season's first four meetings. Parise has four goals and three assists against Colorado in 2015-16 and 25 points in his last 17 matchups, including the postseason.

He registered his third hat trick of the season Thursday and became the first in franchise history to score three in one period during a 6-2 win over Calgary. It gave the Wild their third four-game winning streak since firing Mike Yeo on Feb. 14 and replacing him with interim coach John Torchetti.

"We know the importance of (the Colorado game)," said Parise, who had two goals in his previous 25 while reportedly battling an undisclosed injury. "We didn't want to overlook (Calgary) and we did a good job of not doing that. Now we can start getting ready for that big one."

It's become a two-team race for the second wild-card spot. The Avalanche had won three in a row before Thursday's 4-2 home loss to Philadelphia, but closing to within one point with a regulation victory would put the heat on the Wild.

"This might come down to the last period of the last game of the year, so that's what we're focused on,' Torchetti said. 'We're (taking it) game by game."

Colorado escaped Calgary with a 4-3 shootout win March 18 without Matt Duchene, then played without him and fellow center Nathan MacKinnon in Sunday's 3-2 victory over Edmonton. Both are battling knee injuries and aren't expected to play in this contest.

Duchene's 56 points lead the Avs, with MacKinnon's 52 closely behind.

"I think we all knew that (facing Minnesota) was a huge game regardless what happened (Thursday)," defenseman Erik Johnson said. "Obviously, we would be much happier going into that game only back a point.

"There are a handful of games left in the season, and we're going to make the most of them, and it starts Saturday."

The Avalanche allowed the game's final three goals in the last six minutes against the Flyers and were outshot by 10 as Semyon Varlamov made 41 saves.

"That was a key game for us, but the good thing is we get a chance to play Minny on Saturday afternoon," Roy said. "That's the good thing."

Varlamov will be in net again for this one. He's started all of the previous meetings, including being pulled after giving up three goals on 12 shots in a 6-3 loss in the last matchup March 1.

Devan Dubnyk has a 1.68 goals-against average during the Wild's winning streak and is 7-3-0 with a 1.81 GAA in Colorado during his career.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:42 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Stars (44-22) at Sharks (41-27)

Date: March 26, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

Over the course of three days, the Dallas Stars went from dominating one of the league's elite clubs to looking far from postseason-ready in a loss to a team that won't be participating in the playoffs.

During that defeat, the San Jose Sharks simultaneously were blowing a two-goal lead and suffering a home loss to one of the Western Conference's worst teams.

Saturday's matchup in northern California provides an opportunity for one club to regain some confidence, while the other will have to answer more questions about how it's going to bounce back before the games become much more important.

The Stars (44-22-9) secured a postseason spot by scoring four times in the first period and routing Chicago 6-2 on the road Tuesday while 10 different players registered at least a point in their third straight victory.

Thursday's 3-1 loss at Arizona tempered that excitement as Dallas failed to pad its lead atop the conference. The league's highest-scoring team hadn't finished with fewer than two goals since a Feb. 16 loss to St. Louis, which is threatening to overtake Dallas atop the West.

The Stars also don't have Tyler Seguin, who suffered a cut to his Achilles' tendon March 17 and will be out for at least the rest of the regular season.

"I think our concern should be ourselves, our locker room and our team game and fine tune some things going into the playoffs," said forward Patrick Sharp, who has one goal in his last 28 games. "It's going to be a good test here these next seven or eight games. We've got some tough teams coming in. We know we're going to the playoffs and we want to make sure we are playing our best hockey these next few weeks."

The Sharks (41-27-6) have squandered their last two chances to secure a playoff spot, dropping to 16-17-3 at SAP Center in the process for one of the worst home records among postseason contenders in either conference.

After falling 1-0 to the Blues on Tuesday, the Sharks scored twice in the first before allowing four second-period goals in a 6-3 loss to Edmonton on Thursday. They also missed out on an opportunity to close in on Los Angeles and Anaheim in the Pacific after both lost that night.

San Jose sits five points behind the first-place Kings and two back of the Ducks.

'If the game had ended after 20 minutes I would have been pretty happy," coach Peter DeBoer said. "Unfortunately, you can't play 20 minutes in this league and expect to win. For whatever reason, from that point on we stopped playing.'

The Sharks have won eight of the last 10 home meetings with Dallas, including a 4-3 victory Jan. 16 on Tomas Hertl's overtime goal. Martin Jones was in net for that contest and could get the nod again after James Reimer allowed five goals against the Oilers.

Former Shark Antti Niemi made 26 saves in the Stars' 5-3 victory in the first matchup Oct. 31 before taking the loss in the most recent meeting. He hasn't started since March 12, though, as Kari Lehtonen has been in net for the last five.

It's unclear if Dallas will have defenseman Kris Russell, who sat out the last two with a lower-body injury.

San Jose hopes to have forward Joonas Donskoi after he left in the second period Thursday with an undisclosed injury and didn't return.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Ducks (40-23) at Senators (34-33)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Despite their worst penalty killing effort of the season, the Anaheim Ducks are heading back into the playoffs. They'll try to get themselves straightened out Saturday night at Ottawa, where the Senators are closer to elimination than they are the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.

Anaheim (40-23-10) got the point it needed to be one of the best eight teams in the West, rallying from 4-1 third-period deficit in an eventual 6-5 loss at Toronto on Thursday night. The Ducks yielded three power-play goals in five penalty kills after killing off all 21 such chances the previous eight games.

"It's the first time out penalty killing has failed us all year," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "The first 38 minutes we didn't compete. It's simple. They were getting the pucks deep and beating us to the punch. ... To the team's credit in the third period, or even at the end of the second, they never quit. Then in the third period I thought we played pretty well for the most part."

Jamie McGinn scored two goals - both on the power play - to give him a career-high 21. The left wing has scored seven goals in 12 games since being acquired from Buffalo and has seamlessly fit in on the power play as Anaheim leads the NHL with a 23.7 percent conversion rate.

"They've fought through some adversity this year with their start, they stuck with it and now they're fighting for first place," Senators coach Dave Cameron said of the Ducks. "They're going to play fast, and like the top teams in the West, they can play heavy."

The Ducks are three points behind Los Angeles for the Pacific Division lead and two points ahead of San Jose for second while owning a game in hand on both teams. Anaheim, though, may be thin at some positions as its five-game Canadian trip continues.

Center Ryan Kesler - who has four goals and seven assists in his last 10 games - missed Thursday's loss due to a family emergency and his status for this game is unknown. Defenseman Simon Despres likely will miss both games after being sent back to the West Coast for further evaluation after being shaken up by a hit Monday night in Montreal.

Despres, who averages nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game, missed 42 games earlier this season due to a concussion.

Kevin Bieksa, another minutes-eating blue liner at just over 21 minutes per game, is questionable after leaving Thursday's game in the first period with an upper-body injury.

While the Ducks know their playoff-bound, the Senators (34-33-8) don't appear to have another late playoff charge in them to avoid missing the postseason for the second time in three seasons. Ottawa has dropped three of four games after a 3-1 defeat to the New York Islanders on Wednesday and is nine points behind Philadelphia and Detroit for the eighth spot in the East with seven games remaining.

"That definitely didn't go the way we wanted and I thought we deserved better," center Zach Smith said. "It'll be a chance to regroup."

It was another struggle on the power play for the Senators, whose drought with the man advantage has now spanned 28 chances over a franchise-record 11 games. It's the longest single-season streak in the league since the Florida Panthers went 13 games from Dec. 29, 2013, to Jan. 26, 2014.

Anaheim is going for a season sweep after using a three-goal third period to win 4-1 at home Jan. 13.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Rangers (42-24) at Canadiens (34-35)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens have dominated the New York Rangers over the past six years, shutting their offense down completely more often than not.

That trend has stretched into this season, but the Rangers are facing a prime opportunity to put an end to the lopsided nature of the series.

New York has lost the last three matchups while totaling one goal, but Montreal is a much different team coming into Saturday night's meeting at the Bell Centre than it was the last time the clubs faced off.

The Canadiens (34-35-6) are 16-5-0 against the Rangers in the regular season since Jan. 23, 2010. They've posted nine shutouts in that span and limited New York to one goal seven times.

The numbers are even worse for the Rangers at Montreal in that time, as the Canadiens have gone 10-1-0 with seven shutouts. New York has been outscored 32-5 in those games.

Montreal posted its second straight shutout in the series in the first meeting of the season Oct. 15 at home, then routed New York 5-1 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 25.

Those games, however, were part of the Canadiens' 19-4-3 start that's a distant memory. Montreal's stunning collapse and fall from playoff contention has shown no signs of abating, as it lost for the fifth time in seven games and ninth in 13 on Thursday, 4-3 at Detroit.

The team that's made blanking the Rangers look easy in recent years has given up 3.20 goals per game since Dec. 2, easily the worst mark in the league.

Montreal has allowed 34.9 shots on goal in 17 games since Feb. 19, also highest in the league in that span, and it's been particularly bad lately. The Canadiens have given up 40 or more three times in the past five contests.

Ben Scrivens started all of those, and he'll get a break after facing 40 shots against the Red Wings with rookie Mike Condon getting the nod Saturday. Condon and Scrivens have struggled to fill the void in what should be the Rangers' biggest advantage in this matchup - the absence of reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price, out four months with a lower-body injury.

"Obviously we don't give up on each other," Scrivens told the team's official website Thursday. "We had a tough second period as a group, but we showed some backbone in the third. We came up a bit short in the end, but I think we can all look at the guy next to us and know that he battled. No one packed it in, and that's an important thing for this group."

Montreal All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban, who missed his seventh straight game with a neck injury, said he probably won't play Saturday.

That should be more good news for New York (42-24-8), which has put together impressive efforts in its last two games, beating Florida and Boston by a combined 9-4. The Rangers, in second place in the Metropolitan Division, are four points up on Pittsburgh and also trying to hold off the Islanders.

Henrik Lundqvist made 39 saves as the Rangers topped the Bruins on Wednesday, bouncing back after dropping the last two games of their three-game California swing.

"Great to see how we responded after the long trip, coming home from out West is not always easy," Lundqvist told the team's website. "I think we all understood the seriousness of the situation right now and we need the points."

With New York opening a back-to-back that includes a home matchup against the Penguins on Sunday, Antti Raanta will start this game with Lundqvist expected to face Pittsburgh.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:43 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Islanders (39-25) at Hurricanes (32-28)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Less than three weeks ago, the New York Islanders were on the verge of surging into second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Now even making the playoffs is far from assured.

Saddled with a six-game road losing streak and a freefall in the standings, the Islanders look to regain some much-needed momentum Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

After completing a 6-1-0 road trip with a 6-4 victory over the rival Rangers on March 6 and following two days later with a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh, the Islanders (39-25-9) were within one point of second in the division with games in hand.

However, No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak was injured against the Penguins and the team has dropped into a 2-5-2 tailspin without him while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have gotten red hot. The Islanders now hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference with only a two-point lead over the Flyers and Detroit.

Unable to build on Wednesday's home win over Ottawa, New York allowed two goals in 23 seconds midway through the third period of Friday's 7-4 loss at Tampa Bay.

With their season potentially hanging in the balance, the Islanders surrendered a season high in goals and gave up more than 40 shots for the first time since Feb. 2.

'It's embarrassing to give up seven goals at this time of year,' center Frans Nielsen said. 'It's not a good feeling right now.'

Thomas Greiss, the league's save percentage leader a short time ago, has an .895 mark during a four-start losing streak. He'll almost certainly be rested in favor of rookie Jean-Francois Berube in the second of this back to back. Berube has performed well in his last two starts, going 1-0-1 and allowing one goal in each.

New York's power play has gone cold lately, converting 1 of 16 during the 2-5-2 stretch. Improving that won't be easy against a Carolina team that has killed 28 of 29 short-handed situations over its last 12 games.

The Hurricanes (32-28-14) face an uphill climb in the playoff race, sitting seven points behind the final spot with two other teams ahead of them and eight games remaining.

Losing five straight may have signaled the end of those postseason chances, but the Hurricanes snapped that slide Thursday at Columbus. Victor Rask, Chris Terry and Elias Lindholm each scored in a 98-second span early in the third period, and Eddie Lack made 42 saves in the 3-2 victory.

It was far from a perfect performance for Carolina, which was outshot 28-14 over the first two periods and 44-24 overall.

"Some nights you play great you don't have too much to do and some nights you play good when you have a lot to do," Lack said of the amount of shots he saw. "I don't have any preference, but obviously it was a good two points for us."

Lack has been extremely busy in splitting his past two starts, stopping 86 of 92 shots. He's 3-0-0 with a .963 save percentage and a shutout in his last three at home.

Cam Ward, though, could get the start in this one. He's 5-1-0 despite a 3.86 goals-against average in his last seven starts against New York.

This has been a very favorable matchup for Hurricanes center Jordan Staal, who has five goals and 16 points in the last 12 meetings.

Carolina scored five second-period goals in a 6-3 home victory on Feb. 13, its third straight win in the series.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Bruins (39-28) at Maple Leafs (27-35)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Toronto can certainly sympathize with Boston's five-game losing streak. If it continues to grow, Boston will soon sympathize with Toronto's postseason plans.

The Bruins head to Toronto on Saturday night, and it's the Maple Leafs looking like a playoff team with a four-game winning streak in mind.

Thursday's 4-1 home loss to Florida handed Boston (39-28-8) its longest losing streak of the season and matched its longest regulation skid since ending 2006-07 with six straight. The Bruins now head out on a four-game trip that'll also take them to New Jersey, St. Louis and Chicago before returning home for their last three.

Boston currently owns the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division, but it's only a point ahead of Detroit for that spot and also one ahead of Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference wild card.

It's quite a turn from the preceding seven-game point streak, and the Bruins' stellar road record (23-11-3) has also taken a hit with a season-worst four-game skid.

"You worry about the next game," coach Claude Julien told the team's official website. "That's what you do. Right now we're not worrying about anything else. Panicking will certainly not help the situation.

"We're still in that playoff position. I keep saying we're in control of our own destiny, so, you know, if you panic, you're not going to gain what you want to gain, and if you stay in the moment and try and fix things and try and get better, then you've got a chance."

The Bruins have scored six goals on the skid, but it's difficult to simply blame scoring. They've given up 18 and three of the defeats have come by at least three goals.

Ryan Spooner at least gave them a lead against the Panthers - their first since entering the second period of a 3-2 loss in San Jose on March 15 that started the mess.

As for their top scorers, points leader Patrice Bergeron has been limited to an assist in his last six games, while leading goal scorer Brad Marchand has been limited to an assist in his last seven.

"I think you have to be a professional and realize that you've got to be at your best," said Bergeron, who has 10 goals and 10 assists in his last 15 games against the Maple Leafs. "Right now, (that's) all we can really control, and we're not playing well, so we've got to be better."

Boston is 16-3-3 in the series dating to the start of 2011-12 and 3-0-1 this season, though its coming off a 4-3 home overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 2.

That ended a four-game skid for Toronto (27-35-11) and began to foreshadow the offense that would come. The Maple Leafs are seeking their first four-game win streak since a six-game run Dec. 6-16, 2014, and the three wins have come with 15 goals scored.

Thursday's 6-5 overtime win against Anaheim has the Maple Leafs at 4-1-0 heading into the finale of a six-game homestand.

Nazem Kadri had two goals and two assists, including the overtime winner, though it followed a six-game point drought. Even so, his evolution has been evident in the dressing room.

"It's been fun to watch him grow and become better," said Tyler Bozak, who also scored twice and has four points in his last three games. "And I know he's still got a lot of room to get better, too."

He'll most likely try to continue it against Tuukka Rask, who is 0-3-0 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .889 save percentage over his last four games.

Likely counterpart Jonathan Bernier has a 1.27 GAA and .958 save percentage over a 3-1-0 span, but he's 3-4-0 with 3.57 and .896 marks in eight career games against the Bruins.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Panthers (41-24) at Lightning (43-26)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost last year's Stanley Cup Finals, so vying for their first division title in 12 years was among their minimum expectations for 2015-16.

Tied atop the Atlantic Division with the Lightning has the Florida Panthers far exceeding theirs.

The Panthers and Lightning meet for the final time this season Saturday night in a matchup with major implications on the division race.

Tampa Bay (43-26-5) won its only Stanley Cup in 2003-04, and that was the last time they also claimed a division title. The reigning Eastern Conference champion finished second in the Atlantic in each of the last two seasons.

With eight games left in the regular season, Tampa Bay is tied for first with Florida on points but has the edge on tiebreakers.

The Panthers (41-24-9), the NHL's biggest surprise, are poised to at least reach the playoffs for just the second time in 15 seasons.

"We're battling right now for the division lead and it's a lot of fun late in the season," coach Gerard Gallant said. "It's crunch time, we're getting close to playoff time so everybody is battling for points and you want to make sure you get in. It should be a great game and it's going to be a great battle."

Florida has won three of the four meetings with the Lightning this season. However, the Panthers are 1-4-1 in their last six visits to Tampa Bay, including a 3-1 loss most recently on Jan. 17.

"It's a big one. This could set ourselves up nice down the stretch to get a little bit of a cushion on them," left wing Garrett Wilson said. "Every team amps it up trying to get peaking going into the playoffs, playing their best hockey going into the playoffs. Everyone is playing a little more physical."

That includes the Panthers, who have won three of their last four on the road after beating Boston 4-1 on Thursday.

Vincent Trocheck had one goal and one assist, finding the net for a third straight game. The center has five goals and seven assists over the past nine contests, giving him career highs of 24 and 28 on the season.

Trochek scored the finale in a four-goal second period Jan. 23 when Florida beat Tampa Bay 5-2 at home.

Reilly Smith also had a goal in that period, his first in 12 games against the Lightning. He has 11 points over the last 12 games after scoring against the Bruins.

The Lightning have won three straight after beating the New York Islanders 7-4 on Friday.

Tampa Bay, though, was dealt a major blow when Anton Stralman left in the first period with a broken leg after the tip of his skate got stuck in the ice as he fell. He's out indefinitely, leaving the Lightning without one of their top two defensemen for at least the remainder of the regular season.

"Naturally, if anybody gets hurt, especially someone like Anton, it's a stinger," coach John Cooper said. "But I'm not going to sit here and say, one of our defensemen got hurt that's it, we're mailing it in. No way. Stral would be the first one to tell you, 'boys, let's go extend the season so I can comeback.' That will be our goal."

Steven Stamkos has six goals and three assists over the past six games after scoring his 35th of the season Friday. The star center, however, hasn't scored against Florida this season and doesn't have a point in the last three matchups.

Stamkos' 45 points in 39 career meetings are his highest total against any opponent.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:44 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Blues (44-22) at Capitals (53-15)

Date: March 26, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Excellent goaltending has already helped the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues secure playoff berths.

The Blues, though, are expected to give Brian Elliott the day off.

While Braden Holtby's status unknown, the Capitals won't have to deal with the NHL's hottest goaltender Saturday night when it attempts to win the Presidents' Trophy.

The favorite for this season's Vezina Trophy and a potential Hart Trophy finalist, Holtby is 45-9-4 with a 2.21 goals-against average after making 22 saves in Friday's 1-0 overtime win at New Jersey. He's been even better at home, going 24-3-1 with a 2.07 GAA.

Holtby is a big reason why the Capitals (53-15-5) only need one point against St. Louis to secure their first Presidents' Trophy since 2009-10 and the top overall seed in the playoffs. However, they would also clinch it if Dallas loses at San Jose earlier in the day.

With nine games remaining, coach Barry Trotz isn't worried about Washington transitioning to the playoffs.

"The blessing is where we are so we can work on things and try things. The curse is where we are," he said. "I trust the group understands how important it is to ramp our game up so there are no surprises (when the playoffs start)."

The Capitals' position in the standings affords them the luxury of resting Holtby in favor of backup Philipp Grubauer, who is 8-6-1 with a 2.19 GAA in 19 games. Holtby, though, has stopped 74 of 76 shots while winning both of his meetings with the Blues.

St. Louis, tied with the Stars for first place in the West, will reportedly rest Elliott after his 15 saves in Friday's 4-0 win over Vancouver assured the club its fifth straight playoff appearance. He's made 71 saves while posting three straight shutouts, and he's got a 1.58 GAA and .944 save percentage while winning all eight decisions in his last nine starts.

"I think the guys are feeling it," Elliott said. "I'm kind of the beneficiary on the back end with how they're playing.

"We still have work to do and it's just the first step in the mountain climb here."

Jake Allen is hoping to benefit from that since he's got a 5.15 GAA while splitting two decisions over his last three starts - getting pulled once. This would be his first matchup with the Capitals, who are second in the NHL with 3.12 goals per game.

The Blues, though, are averaging 3.64 during a 9-2-0 stretch, with Robby Fabbri totaling 11 points after finding the net in each of the last two games. His 18 goals are the most by a St. Louis rookie since Patrik Berglund had 21 in 2008-09.

Vladimir Tarasenko leads the Blues with 34 goals, but he's scored only once over the past six games. He had a goal and assist in a 4-3 win at Washington on Feb. 1, 2015.

Alex Ovechkin had two goals and one assist in that meeting, giving him seven and 10 in 11 all-time. He leads the league with 43 goals but has been held to three over the past 13 games.

It's unclear if T.J. Oshie will be back after missing one game with the flu. The right wing spent his first seven seasons with the Blues before being traded to Washington last summer.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him. I haven't talked to him. We'll see where he is (Saturday)," Trotz said of Oshie's availability.

These teams conclude the regular season in St. Louis on April 9.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Blue Jackets (30-36) at Predators (38-23)

Date: March 26, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Ryan Johansen admits it's going to be strange facing the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first time, though he likely wouldn't trade places.

With his former team now eliminated from the playoffs, Johansen prepares to help the Nashville Predators close in on a postseason spot in Saturday night's matchup with the Blue Jackets.

Both the Predators and Blue Jackets were seeking a spark when Johansen was swapped for 21-year-old defenseman Seth Jones on Jan. 6 in a rare blockbuster midseason trade of emerging stars. Though each has fit in well with his new club, Nashville (38-23-13) has reaped the early rewards in terms of team success.

The Predators, 19-14-7 at the time of the deal, have gone 19-9-6 since with Johansen ably filling a need for a top-line center. They own a six-point lead on Minnesota for the Western Conference's first wild card and sit just two back of slumping Chicago for third in the Central Division.

Nashville gained further ground on the Blackhawks by rallying for a 3-2 shootout win over Vancouver on Thursday, extending its home point streak to nine games (6-0-3). The Predators overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit when James Neal and Filip Forsberg scored 72 seconds apart in the third.

Johansen, who's posted seven goals and 18 assists in 34 games following the trade, contributed as well by recording the first of Nashville's two shootout scores.

"You know, that trade gave us a real weapon in the shootout," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's really patient as you saw (Thursday).'

Columbus (30-36-8) has also improved following the trade, going 15-13-5 with Jones - taken fourth overall by Nashville in the 2013 draft - leading his new team in average time on ice.

That progress hasn't been evident of late, however, as the Blue Jackets begin a four-game trip having lost five of seven and were officially eliminated from the postseason with Thursday's 3-2 defeat to Carolina.

Two days after scoring twice in the final 1:04 to earn a 3-2 shootout win over Philadelphia, Columbus allowed three goals in the first 2:30 of the third period to erase a 1-0 lead.

'We had some opportunities,' coach John Tortorella said. "The other night, we win a crazy one. (Thursday), we lose a crazy one.'

Sergei Bobrovsky attempts to rebound from Thursday's rough finish and extend his career success against Nashville. The 2013 Vezina Trophy recipient improved to 7-3-0 versus the Predators by making 39 saves in a 4-0 home win on Nov. 20.

Johansen had a goal and an assist that night for Columbus, where the 2012 No. 4 overall pick spent four-plus seasons and led the Jackets in points in 2013-14.

"This one would feel good to win for sure," he told the Predators' official website. "It'll be interesting seeing all those guys and being on the same ice playing against them. I'm looking forward to it now; it should be a fun night."

The 23-year-old has six points over his last five games, with Neal recording six goals over that stretch. Forsberg, who's scored 11 over his last 14, has a goal in three straight.

Columbus has lost four straight on the road but has won in two of its past three visits to Nashville.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Oilers (30-40) at Kings (44-25)

Date: March 26, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Losing three straight in regulation to open the season didn't sting the Los Angeles Kings too badly, but doing it down the stretch is a far different story.

With the Pacific Division and Western Conference crowns still up for grabs, the Kings return home from a fruitless trip looking to turn things around Saturday night against an Edmonton Oilers team they have dominated this season.

After its 0-3-0 start, Los Angeles (44-25-5) had skated through five months without three consecutive regulation losses prior to this week. The club did drop three in a row Feb. 14-18 but salvaged a point with an overtime loss.

The division-leading Kings need all the points they can get right now to secure the Pacific, but a point-starved swing through Nashville, Minnesota and Winnipeg on which they were outscored 11-4 has kept Anaheim nipping at their heels.

The Ducks are three points back in the division but have lost two in a row to keep from overtaking Los Angeles, which has fallen four points back of the West lead after Dallas surged in front by winning three of four.

"You can't be losing three games in a row at any time throughout the season," said defenseman Drew Doughty, who assisted on Anze Kopitar's goal in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Jets. "It's really frustrating that we did this, and we need to fix things, like I said. And we need to get winning hockey games, because right now we're blowing our spot at the top of the division and near the top of the conference."

The only bright spot on the trip was that Kopitar's goal came on the power play, ending an 0-for-19 stretch with the man advantage. The Kings went seven straight games without a power-play goal for the first time since an eight-game drought Nov. 21-Dec. 7, 2013.

The 11 goals surrendered on the trip were certainly surprising for Los Angeles, which still leads the NHL with 2.28 allowed per game. The Kings had given up only 24 during the 11-2-1 stretch that preceded the slide - an average of 1.71.

"You can't give up three or four goals a game if you're not scoring," said center Jeff Carter, who had an assist Thursday but has no goals in eight straight games. "So we've got a lot of work to do. It starts from the top and trickles down and we've got to get going."

Except for the third period of Monday's 5-2 loss to the Predators, Jonathan Quick was in net the entire trip and posted a 3.01 goals-against average and .882 save percentage, but he should get the nod considering his play against Edmonton.

The Oilers (30-40-7), tied for last in the West, have lost all four meetings with the Kings this season and Quick has been between the pipes for each with a 2.00 GAA and .935 save percentage. He's 13-0-2 with a 1.51 GAA in his last 15 games against them.

Edmonton helped keep the Pacific race from becoming even tighter Thursday by preventing San Jose from tying Anaheim with a 6-3 road win over the Sharks. San Jose held an early 2-0 lead before the Oilers rallied with four goals in the second.

"I challenged them and they came out in the second and responded well," said coach Todd McLellan, who was spared from watching his former club clinch a playoff berth.

Edmonton has lost eight straight in Los Angeles, getting outscored 30-9.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:45 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Blackhawks (42-25) at Flames (31-37)

Date: March 26, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

It hasn't taken long for the top seed in the Western Conference to just about become an afterthought for Chicago, and the idea of a wild-card slot has to be creeping in.

The sliding Blackhawks have had a few days to ponder it and are somewhere between those two postseason extremes entering a four-game trip that begins Saturday night in Calgary, but goal-scoring concerns tend to work themselves out against the Flames.

After Tuesday's 6-2 home loss to conference-leading Dallas, the Blackhawks (42-25-7) have fallen six points off the pace thanks to a 1-4-2 span on which they've scored more than two goals once. More relevant is they're two points ahead of Nashville for third place in the Central Division.

"I don't know if it's confidence or whatever," said coach Joel Quenneville, whose team has given up at least five goals three times on the slide. "We've got to find a way to rectify the way we play. We've got to play with more urgency. It's hard to measure confidence to me. If you play hard, you find your way through it."

The club's biggest stars again failed to take it upon themselves to turn things around. NHL points leader Patrick Kane (92) has a goal and two assists in these seven games as his first 100-point season has all of a sudden fallen into question, and 25-goal scorers Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews have combined for one in the last six. Two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith had his first minus-3 rating in 71 games.

"At the end of the day, we just have to have that unshakable confidence that good teams go through moments like this when it doesn't matter what you do," Toews said. "Things don't go your way. We'll have to work through it. That's the only way we're going to get better."

But then there's the comfort of Calgary. The Blackhawks haven't dropped a regulation game in the series since Feb. 3, 2012, going 7-0-4 over the past four seasons. Kane has five goals and four assists on a six-game point streak there.

While a road trip might not be the traditional way to halt such a skid, Chicago's is coming against beatable opponents, also taking it to Vancouver, Minnesota and Winnipeg with only the Wild in the playoff picture.

The Flames (31-37-6) aren't in the discussion almost entirely because of a leaky defensive zone with a league-high 234 goals allowed, which continued in Thursday's 6-2 loss in Minnesota.

The Calgary penalty kill, which hadn't been a problem recently, regressed and went 2 for 5. Chicago's power play, however, is 0 for 20 in its last six games.

"A tough start cost us, and then their power play went to work," said coach Bob Hartley, whose team has given up 11 goals in consecutive losses.

It's nothing new for the Flames, who only ever keep themselves balanced by piling more weight on their opponents' scale than vice versa.

They haven't won a game with fewer than three goals since Dec. 15, but they might have to snap that to beat Chicago. Their three points leaders - Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Mark Giordano - have a combined 13 in 40 games against Chicago.

Calgary will at least be firing on a backup goaltender with Chicago starter Corey Crawford missing a fifth straight game due to an upper-body injury. Scott Darling has gone 1-3-1 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in his last seven games but is 1-0-1 with 1.48 and .952 marks against the Flames.

The Flames figure to go back to Joni Ortio after starting Niklas Backstrom against his former team.

Chicago activated forward Marcus Kruger on Friday after he had surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist Dec. 18.

**TheGame** · 03-26-2016, 07:46 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 3/26

Preview: Flyers (36-24) at Coyotes (33-34)

Date: March 26, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Claude Giroux has kept the Philadelphia Flyers afloat all season, but it might be Radko Gudas who lifts them into the playoffs.

With both contributing offensively of late, the Flyers look to continue a hot stretch with a season sweep of the host Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.

Philadelphia (36-24-13) has been on a roll offensively during a 12-3-3 run, averaging 3.39 goals - much higher than its season average of 2.6.

Giroux has led the charge with goals in three straight games to give him 21 to go with 41 assists on the season. It's been an unexpected source of offense, though, that's helped the Flyers take possession of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

Gudas scored seven combined goals in his first three NHL seasons with Tampa Bay and didn't have any through his first 57 games with the Flyers. However, he has five to go with three assists in the last 10 as Philadelphia has picked up 16 of a possible 20 points.

The defenseman scored the tying goal with 5:43 left at Colorado on Thursday and Giroux netted the go-ahead tally 19 seconds later. Ryan White sealed the 4-2 victory with an empty netter, moving the Flyers to 2-0-1 on their four-game road trip.

'It's awesome being a part of it and contributing for the team,' Gudas said. 'Especially for these important games at this crucial time of the season.'

Philadelphia's 85 points match ninth-place Detroit's total, though the Flyers have a game in hand. Their unsettled situation could result in them climbing into a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division or missing the playoffs altogether.

Finishing a sweep of Arizona would help before they play five of their final eight games at home. The Flyers have gone 4-0-2 in their last six on the road.

Giroux was among four Philadelphia players to score in a 4-2 home win over the Coyotes on Feb. 27, the Flyers' second straight victory in the series.

Arizona (33-34-7) has won four of its last five at home, holding opponents to seven goals in that span.

After surrendering 15 goals over the final three of a season-high seven-game skid, the Coyotes haven't allowed more than three in a game during a 6-3-1 stretch - though they sit 10 points back of Minnesota for the West's final playoff spot with the Avalanche in between.

Martin Hanzal scored the 100th and 101st goals of his career in Thursday's 3-1 win over East-leading Dallas. He also had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Edmonton, which followed the Coyotes being shut out in back-to-back games.

Tobias Rieder has also scored the last two contests.

"Everybody has to play for something, so we can't just pack it in," Rieder told the team's official website. "It's a privilege to play in this league and you want to do your best."

Mike Smith has been hot in net with a 1.25 goals-against average while winning three of his last four starts, including one of his two shutouts.

Smith, though, has gone 0-6-1 with a 4.90 GAA in his last seven starts against Philadelphia for Tampa Bay and Arizona.

The Flyers' Steve Mason is 5-8 with a 2.95 GAA against the Coyotes in his career.

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NHL Betting Info. 3/26

NHL Betting Info. 3/26

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