The Bum's National Hockey League October Rated Plays - Trends - News - Etc. !!

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, October 31

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Trend Report
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1:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. NEW JERSEY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders

3:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 11 of San Jose's last 14 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

4:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. LOS ANGELES
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nashville's last 8 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home

7:00 PM
BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Boston

7:00 PM
DETROIT vs. OTTAWA
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Ottawa is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. TORONTO
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. FLORIDA
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Washington's last 18 games
Florida is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Florida is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing Washington

7:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. COLUMBUS
Winnipeg is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Columbus
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games at home
Columbus is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. ST. LOUIS
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games on the road
St. Louis is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games

10:00 PM
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
Calgary is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Calgary is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Edmonton's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games when playing Calgary

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, October 31

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NY ISLANDERS (6-2-0-2, 14 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (5-4-0-1, 11 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 18-32 ATS (-19.8 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 31-16 ATS (+14.7 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 6-15 ATS (-11.3 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 7-2 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 7-2-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.0 Units)

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SAN JOSE (5-4-0-0, 10 pts.) at DALLAS (8-2-0-0, 16 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 8-2 ATS (+5.7 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 187-198 ATS (+422.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 175-130 ATS (+30.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season since 1996.
DALLAS is 13-20 ATS (-14.7 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 4-2 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 4-2-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.1 Units)

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NASHVILLE (7-1-0-1, 15 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (6-3-0-0, 12 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 4:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 31-14 ATS (+15.5 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 191-136 ATS (+33.6 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 46-45 ATS (+97.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 5-1 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 5-1-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (6-4-0-0, 12 pts.) at TORONTO (1-6-0-2, 4 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 50-47 ATS (-23.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 26-35 ATS (-28.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 9-13 ATS (-11.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 31-60 ATS (-79.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 9-25 ATS (+41.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 8-25 ATS (+38.1 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-1 (+4.6 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 6-1-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.7 Units)

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BOSTON (5-3-0-1, 11 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (5-4-0-2, 12 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-3 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 6-3-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)

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DETROIT (4-5-0-1, 9 pts.) at OTTAWA (5-3-0-2, 12 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 15-26 ATS (-16.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 5-10 ATS (-6.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 23-15 ATS (+6.4 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 5-4 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 5-4-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.4 Units)

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WASHINGTON (7-2-0-0, 14 pts.) at FLORIDA (5-4-0-1, 11 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-2 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 4-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

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WINNIPEG (6-3-0-1, 13 pts.) at COLUMBUS (2-9-0-0, 4 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 125-118 ATS (+284.5 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 30-26 ATS (+65.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 14-9 ATS (+25.8 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 7-2 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 3-1 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-1-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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MINNESOTA (7-2-0-1, 15 pts.) at ST LOUIS (7-2-0-1, 15 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 8-8 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 8-8-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.4 Units)

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CALGARY (2-8-0-1, 5 pts.) at EDMONTON (4-7-0-0, 8 pts.) - 10/31/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 28-15 ATS (+46.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 95-95 ATS (+212.7 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
EDMONTON is 12-37 ATS (+55.7 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 6-24 ATS (+38.5 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 6-26 ATS (+41.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 11-34 ATS (+66.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 156-156 ATS (-43.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
EDMONTON is 69-80 ATS (-60.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 8-3 (+5.0 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 8-3-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Islanders (6-2) at Devils (4-4)
Date: October 31, 2015 1:00 PM EDT

Though the New Jersey Devils have enjoyed some early success on the road, they need to start winning at home.

With five of their next seven at the Prudential Center, the Devils can begin Saturday by halting their recent struggles against the New York Islanders.

Two nights after its four-game winning streak ended with a 3-1 home loss to lowly Columbus, New Jersey (5-4-1) bounced back to win 4-1 at Philadelphia on Thursday. Travis Zajac scored twice and Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists as the Devils improved to 4-1-0 on the road.

"Tribute to the guys, they've found ways to win," coach John Hynes said.

Despite their embrace of the challenges of the road, the Devils' 1-3-1 mark at home is disconcerting. They've totaled seven goals - compared to 18 away from home - and been held to one in four home contests.

"Very disappointing," defenseman Andy Greene said.

The good news for New Jersey is that it has the opportunity to improve quickly at the Prudential Center. Following this game, the Devils head to Brooklyn for Tuesday's rematch with the Islanders (6-2-2), then play the next three at home before visiting Chicago on Nov. 12 and returning to host Pittsburgh two days later.

The next two games, however, will likely be anything but easy.

New York looks to continue its strong start with a seventh consecutive victory over the Devils, who have managed to earn a point in four of the previous six meetings. The Islanders have also won six straight in Newark.

New York salvaged a point in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina, but blowing a 2-1 third-period lead didn't sit well with some of its players.

"You're not going to win every night but we have to bring a better effort,' said center Frans Nielsen, who has three goals in the last two games. 'Every point is huge.

"We were beating ourselves with turnovers. The good thing about hockey is when you lose a game, there's a new one two days later. We have to forget about this one quickly."

The Islanders killed off both penalties Thursday to make them 23 for 23 in the last seven games. New York has killed a league-leading 91.7 percent of its short-handed situations after ranking 26th at 78 percent last season.

New Jersey has gone 1 for 12 on the power play in the last six against the Islanders and 0 for 11 during its six-game home skid in the series.

Jaroslav Halak has won four straight against the Devils and owns a 1.14 goals-against average with two shutouts in his last six matchups.

Teammate John Tavares has been held without a point in two games after posting at least one in the previous six. He has six goals and four assists in his last seven games - all victories - against New Jersey.

After spending parts of the past four seasons with New Jersey, Marek Zidlicky returns in his first with the Islanders.

All of Zajac's four goals and three assists have come in his last five games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (4-4) at Stars (8-2)
Date: October 31, 2015 3:00 PM EDT

After failing to help bring a Stanley Cup to San Jose in five seasons with the Sharks, Antti Niemi has landed with a club that hopes to be a serious contender throughout this one.

Dealt to Dallas over the summer, Niemi is likely to face the visiting Sharks for the first time since that trade when the Western Conference-leading Stars try to continue their early success Saturday.

Niemi won a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, then signed with San Jose following that season. The Sharks reached the conference finals with him in 2011, but won one playoff series over the next three years and missed the postseason for the first time in 11 last season.

After Niemi suffered a career-high 23 losses in 2014-15, the Sharks never made a serious offer to bring him back and traded his rights to Dallas on June 27 for a seventh-round pick. Two days later, he signed a three-year deal with the Stars (8-2-0) worth $13.5 million.

"It's a great time to be able to play with one of the up-and-coming teams who has lots of talent," Niemi, who posted 163 wins and had a 2.40 goals-against average for the Sharks, told the NHL's official website this summer.

Teamed with fellow Finn Kari Lehtonen, Niemi is 5-1-0 with a 2.32 GAA as a starter and came off the bench in another game this month. He's set to make a third straight start for the first time this season as the Stars look to keep surging following back-to-back 4-3 victories.

Niemi made 29 saves, Patrick Sharp had two goals and Jamie Benn scored in overtime as Dallas rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat Vancouver on Thursday. The Stars overcame a 3-0 hole to top Anaheim on Tuesday.

"We're learning to battle through some tough situations and come up with some big wins," coach Lindy Ruff told the Stars' official website.

Benn is among the NHL leaders with nine goals and eight assists, while Tyler Seguin has four assists in the last three games. Sharp has recorded all three of his goals in the past two.

"One thing we are learning is that we are never out of a game," said Sharp, Niemi's teammate in Chicago. "We've got some firepower in there, we've got some speed and we are well-conditioned. So, we are going to play great right to the end."

Though the Stars dropped both home meetings with San Jose (5-4-0) last season, they snapped a four-game series skid with a 5-1 victory April 6. Benn had two goals and an assist in that contest.

San Jose allowed two goals in the first four games this season but has since yielded 18 in dropping four of five. Brought in to replace Niemi, ex-Los Angeles Kings backup Martin Jones stopped 108 of 110 shots in the first four but has posted a 3.02 GAA in losing three of his last four starts.

He allowed the go-ahead score in the third period of Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Nashville.

"I give up a couple of soft goals and that's the difference in the game," Jones said.

Teammate Joe Pavelski has two goals in as many games, and four assists in his last three at Dallas.

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Preview: Predators (5-1) at Kings (6-3)
Date: October 31, 2015 4:00 PM EDT

The Los Angeles Kings have rediscovered their dominant defensive form during their winning streak. The Nashville Predators' performance at that end of the ice has keyed their best start in 10 years.

Goals could be difficult to come by at Staples Center on Saturday when the Kings try for their seventh consecutive victory by snapping a five-game skid against the Predators.

Since giving up 12 goals in the first three games, Los Angeles (6-3-0) has tightened things up and allowed six over the past six. Milan Lucic had the late go-ahead score and Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots in a 4-1 win at Winnipeg on Tuesday.

"I think the main thing is that we're having fun and we just have to keep having fun, working hard and that's going to (help) continue our success," Lucic said.

Quick has posted an 0.99 goals-against average in winning his last five starts, though he's struggled against Nashville with a 2-7-2 record and 2.93 GAA in 12 career starts.

Los Angeles, among the top defensive teams in the NHL over the past several seasons, is second-best in the league this season with 18 goals allowed. It will face the No. 1 team in that category in the Predators (7-1-1), who have given up 17 and are off to their best nine-game start since they were 8-0-1 in 2005-06.

Following last Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to Pittsburgh, Nashville bounced back by limiting San Jose to a season low-tying 21 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win to open a four-game trip. Eric Nystrom opened the scoring before Calle Jarnkrok put the Predators ahead in the third period.

"You want to have success on the road and that first game is usually an indication of how you're going to come out of the gates and how you're going to play the rest of the trip," defenseman Barret Jackman told the team's official website. "When you win the first game it's great for momentum and great for a blueprint of how you have to play the entire time."

Pekka Rinne, with a 1.74 GAA in his eight starts, made 20 saves against the Sharks. He had been 4-3-0 with a 3.88 GAA at Staples before stopping 23 shots in a 2-1 win in the most recent meeting there March 14.

Nashville has gone 5-0-1 against Los Angeles over the past two seasons, including five straight wins. Mike Fisher has three goals and four assists in his last four in the series, while defenseman Seth Jones has five assists in the past five matchups and three in his last three games overall.

Tyler Toffoli has stepped up offensively during the Kings' win streak with six goals in the six games. Jeff Carter, with a team-high nine points, has three goals and four assists in his last four overall and six goals over his last six against Nashville.

Los Angeles, which has scored 14 times in the past four games, has gone 4 for its last 9 with the man advantage after a 1-for-21 start. The Predators, though, rank among NHL leaders with an 88.5 penalty killing percentage.

Nashville has yet to allow a first-period goal but the Kings have five over their last five games

[StarDust Bum]

Team Open Line Movements Current Puck Line Scores

1:05 PM EDT

1 NEW YORK ISLANDERS -140 -140 -1.5(+210)
2 NEW JERSEY DEVILS 5o20 5 / 5o15 / 5o20 5o15 +1.5(-260)

NJD-G-Cory Schneider-Probable | TV: MSG, DTV: 634

3:05 PM EDT

3 SAN JOSE SHARKS 5.5u15 5.5u15 +1.5(-240)
4 DALLAS STARS -145 -145 -140 -1.5(+200)

TV: FS-Southwest, DTV: 676

4:05 PM EDT

5 NASHVILLE PREDATORS 5u15 5u15 +1.5(-260)
6 LOS ANGELES KINGS -135 -135 -1.5(+210)

TV: FS-Tennessee, FS-West, DTV: 646, 692

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

Game Score Status Pick Amount

NY Islanders - 1:00 PM ET NY Islanders -140 500 OCTOPLAY

New Jersey - Under 5 500


San Jose - 3:00 PM ET San Jose +117 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Dallas - Over 5.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY


Nashville - 4:00 PM ET Nashville +115 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Los Angeles - Over 5 500


I'll be back later with the evening games....good luck !!

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Capitals (7-2) at Panthers (5-4)
Date: October 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

As the Washington Capitals continue to succeed since one of their top players returned, the Florida Panthers struggled in their first game without one of theirs.

The surging Capitals vie to maintain their recent dominance in this series Saturday night in Florida.

Washington (7-2-0) scored 24 goals while winning five straight from Oct. 15-23, with Nicklas Backstrom returning from hip surgery to play in the final four. Though the offense has cooled off some since, the Capitals got just enough to support Braden Holtby's 29 saves in Friday's 2-1 victory over Columbus that followed a 3-1 loss Wednesday to Pittsburgh.

'You're not going to score six, seven goals every game," said Backstrom, who set up T.J. Oshie's game-winning goal in the third period and has four goals and four assists since coming back. "This is the way the game's going to be in the future.'

Backstrom has 14 points in helping the Capitals go 11-0-2 in their last 13 meetings with Florida (5-4-1), while Alex Ovechkin has 12 goals and eight assists. The Panthers posted their last regulation win in the series on Feb. 1, 2012 at home.

Holtby is 7-0-1 in eight career games against Florida and has yielded two goals or less in each of his last six overall outings, though it's unclear whether he or Philipp Grubauer will play Saturday in the second of a back-to-back.

Either will be taking on a banged-up Panthers team that may be without two members of its top line. Young center Aleksander Barkov is out 2 to 4 weeks after breaking a bone in his hand on Oct. 22 and Jaromir Jagr is uncertain to return from a lower-body injury that kept him out of Friday's 3-1 home loss to Boston.

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is questionable as well after breaking his nose on an illegal boarding hit from the Bruins' Brad Marchand late in the third period.

Jagr had scored in consecutive games prior to exiting Tuesday's 4-1 win over Colorado that opened this three-game homestand. Though the Panthers had 32 shots in his absence on Friday, they finished 1 for 6 on the power play and allowed two goals on Boston's three chances.

"We had the momentum and had our chances; we just needed to get them in the net," Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck told the NHL's official website.

Florida has allowed seven goals when short handed over the last five games, though the Capitals' usually potent power play is just 2 for 14 over its past five.

Roberto Luongo made 27 saves against Boston in his sixth start in seven games, opening the possibility of Al Montoya drawing the assignment Saturday. Montoya has won each of his two starts and been sharp in both, most recently recording 33 saves in a 6-2 decision at Dallas last Saturday.

Montoya is 0-2-1 in four appearances versus Washington but stopped 27 of 28 shots in his last start against them, a 2-1 shootout loss on Oct. 18, 2014.

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Preview: Bruins (5-3) at Lightning (5-4)
Date: October 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Scoring wasn't at all a problem last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and that potent offense continued into the first two weeks this season.

Lately, though, goals have been extremely difficult to find.

Tampa Bay aims to avoid a fourth straight loss Saturday night when it welcomes the surging Boston Bruins to Amalie Arena.

A deep Lightning team scored a league-high 262 goals in 2014-15 and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. They maintained that level of production in the early stages this season, scoring 27 times during a 5-2-1 start.

However, the offense dried up completely in back-to-back 1-0 losses at Chicago and St. Louis before the Lightning returned home Thursday and lost 2-1 to Colorado.

After getting shut out just once all last season - in the 76th game - Tampa Bay was blanked twice in its first 10.

"If we were like the NFL with a 16-game season, I would be worried," coach Jon Cooper told the team's official website. "But it's an 82-game season. I'm not worried."

Alex Killorn scored for the Lightning (5-4-2), who have totaled one goal in three consecutive games for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

"There are ups and downs in the season, and it's too bad that a goal drought like this is happening early on," Killorn said. "But we've been through this before, and guys will get over it for sure."

There is plenty of blame to go around, just not for the goaltending tandem of Ben Bishop and Kristers Gudlevskis, who have held opponents to two goals or fewer six times and combined for a 2.43 goals-against average.

Captain Steven Stamkos has a team-best five goals but none in four games, while Tyler Johnson - who finished tied for second on the Lightning with a career-high 29 in 2014-15 - has yet to score. Johnson didn't practice Friday and is questionable for this game with an undisclosed injury.

Forwards Jonathan Drouin (lower body) and Cedric Paquette (ankle) also were absent from practice and are doubtful.

Tampa Bay had no problem scoring in its first meeting with the Bruins, a 6-3 road victory Oct. 12. That was the Lightning's third straight win in the series after 10 consecutive losses.

This promises to be a more difficult challenge with Boston having won three straight as part of a 5-0-1 run.

The Bruins (5-3-1) won for the fourth time in as many road games, beating Florida 3-1 on Friday as Brad Marchand scored twice in support of Tuukka Rask's 31-save effort.

'It's the same as every game. You just want to work hard and sometimes it comes together and sometimes it doesn't. Luckily tonight got a couple of bounces,' Marchand said.

Marchand has four goals and three assists during a five-game point streak, while David Krejci continued his fast start with an assist. He has at least a point in every game, collecting seven goals and eight assists.

Krejci's season-opening nine-game streak is the longest by a Boston player since 1992-93 when Joe Juneau and Dmitri Kvartalnov opened with 14-game runs.

Rask could give way to Jonas Gustavsson on the second of this back-to-back. Gustavsson has won both of his starts, making 23 saves in a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders in his latest Oct. 23.

Bishop is 3-0-0 with a 2.59 GAA in his last three against Boston.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Wings (4-5) at Senators (3-3)
Date: October 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Ottawa Senators are getting back on track after a sluggish stretch. The Detroit Red Wings still have work to do to shake out of their funk.

The Senators try to capitalize on another meeting with the struggling Red Wings as they go for a sweep of this home-and-home series Saturday night.

Ottawa followed a season-opening 3-1-0 stretch by losing four in a row. The Senators, though, have put that slide behind them, ending a four-game home losing streak by beating Calgary 5-4 in a shootout Wednesday before edging Detroit 3-1 on the road Friday.

"We needed it," right wing Bobby Ryan said. "We've got to start to get on a roll. It's two points in a division road game, a four-point game."

Ryan and Kyle Turris are keying Ottawa's turnaround. Ryan has two goals and two assists in the last three games, while Turris set up one of those goals while scoring two of his own in the past two.

The duo combined for two goals and one assist against the Red Wings.

Unlike Ottawa (5-3-2), Detroit isn't having much luck in front of the net. The team has been held to 12 goals during a 1-5-1 stretch after scoring 11 while winning its first three games.

Coach Jeff Blashill wants to see the Red Wings (4-5-1) get closer to the net while also preventing opponents from crowding their goaltender.

"We talk about owning each crease and we didn't own each crease," Blashill said Friday. "They score two net-front goals and we couldn't get there."

Henrik Zetterberg leads Detroit with 12 points after scoring Friday. The center has five points in five road games and 11 in eight visits to Canada's capital, including two goals and one assist in the past two.

Zetterberg got one of each before Gustav Nyquist scored with 48 seconds left in overtime of a 3-2 win at Ottawa on Dec. 27, giving the Wings a fifth win in six games there.

Nyquist has six points in his last six meetings with the Senators, including one in each of the last four.

The right wing's four goals are tied for the team lead with Justin Abdelkader and Teemu Pulkkinen. However, Abdelkader got all of his in the first two games.

The left wing doesn't even have a point in eight straight, and he hasn't dealt with a longer drought since a 13-game stretch Feb. 9-March 5, 2013.

The Red Wings will likely turn to Petr Mrazek after Jimmy Howard made 32 saves Friday. Mrazek is 2-3-0 with a 2.61 goals-against average in five appearances, with three of them coming in the back end of games on consecutive days.

He had 33 saves before giving up three shootout goals - one to Turris - in a 2-1 home loss in his only career meeting with Ottawa on March 31.

The Senators are also expected to make a switch in net, going back to Craig Anderson after Andrew Hammond's 29-save effort against the Red Wings. Anderson is 4-2-1 with a 2.78 GAA, and he's lost his last two matchups with Detroit by giving up seven goals on 70 shots, including Nyquist's winner in December.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (6-4) at Maple Leafs (1-6)
Date: October 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

While Phil Kessel is contributing well to the Pittsburgh Penguins' current winning run, the Toronto Maple Leafs have kept on losing since he's been gone.

Kessel returns to Toronto Saturday night looking to be part of a fourth consecutive Penguins' victory, a feeling he rarely experienced during six mostly unsuccessful and at-times turbulent seasons with the Maple Leafs that ended with the enigmatic forward's July trade to Pittsburgh.

The three-time All-Star's 181 goals during his Toronto tenure were the fifth-most in the NHL, but the Maple Leafs reached the playoffs only once over those six seasons and Kessel's relationship with fans and media was often contentious. With the team entering another rebuilding phase, he was shipped to Pittsburgh (6-4-0) for forward Nick Spaling, prospects Scott Harrington and Kasperi Kapanen and two conditional draft choices.

Kessel has begun to settle in nicely with his new team, scoring three goals in five games as part of a 6-1-0 stretch that included a 2-1 home win over Toronto on Oct. 17.

'It's different, but it's part of the game,' Kessel said following that victory. 'You just get used to it.'

Pittsburgh's other established stars are beginning to hit their stride as well. Evgeni Malkin has four goals and six assists over his last eight games after recording one of each in Thursday's 4-3 win over Buffalo. Sidney Crosby had two assists after notching only three points through the first nine.

'We know we have the guys that can score, but you're not going to win just on talent,' said forward Pascal Dupuis, who notched his first goal since returning from an 11-month absence caused by career-threatening blood clots. 'You have to grind games and win them the hard way. It's what we're learning to do early in the year.'

Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a 1.50 goals-against average while starting the first six games of the surge, and will be back in action after Jeff Zatkoff amassed a career-high 50 saves against the Sabres.

Fleury has won four straight meetings with Toronto (1-6-2) and stopped 26 shots in the most recent one, which began a five-game losing streak the Leafs extended with Friday's 3-1 loss at the New York Rangers.

Toronto has just nine goals during its skid and owns the NHL's second-worst power-play at 8.7 percent (2 for 23). The Penguins have been only slightly better at 9.4 percent (3 for 32) and had an 0 for 11 stretch snapped by Malkin's goal on Thursday.

Malkin has five goals and five assists while playing in five of Pittsburgh's six consecutive wins over Toronto, which last defeated the Penguins Oct. 26, 2013 at Air Canada Centre. He and defenseman Olli Maata scored 39 seconds apart during the first period in this month's matchup, spoiling an otherwise solid 31-save outing from Jonathan Bernier.

Bernier fell to 0-4-2 in six career starts against the Penguins and is 0-5-1 this season despite stopping 23 of 25 shots in Friday's defeat.

"I thought we had some opportunities and thought Bernier had his best night of the year," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock told the NHL's official website. "We did some good things, but we have to find a way to win games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Jets (6-3) at Blue Jackets (2-9)
Date: October 31, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Winnipeg Jets keep falling behind early, though they've been able to overcome those deficits more often than not.

They'll look for a better start Saturday night when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets, who continue to struggle.

The Jets (6-3-1) ended a six-game homestand with Thursday's 3-1 win against Chicago. They gave up a goal at the 1:26 mark, but improved to 5-2-1 when conceding the first goal. They were 11-16-6 when doing so in 2014-15.

Winnipeg has been outscored 7-6 in the first period but holds a 26-18 edge over the final 40 minutes.

"We came out in the second with a style of game that we can be good at," coach Paul Maurice told the team's official website. "We couldn't contain it for the whole 20, but I thought after the first period, anyway, the compete was right and the battle was right."

Columbus is 1-7-0 when allowing the first goal.

Blake Wheeler scored his fifth goal and leads Winnipeg with 12 points, recording at least one in all but one contest. Bryan Little had two assists and has recorded all nine of his points in the last seven games. Little has three goals and three assists in his last four meetings with Columbus.

After going 3-2-1 at home, the Jets open a four-game trip and play eight of their next nine on the road, where they opened the season by winning three of four while outscoring opponents 15-8. Winnipeg scored four power-play goals on 12 chances in those contests.

Columbus (2-9-0) was unable to build on two consecutive victories, losing 2-1 at Washington on Friday. Matt Calvert scored his first but the Blue Jackets were held to fewer than three goals for already the seventh time after showing some offensive life in 4-3 and 3-1 wins at Colorado and New Jersey.

They haven't necessarily had trouble generating shots, averaging 30.3 per game, but cashing in on opportunities has been an issue. Their 6.9 shooting percentage matches the league low by Arizona last season and is a drop-off from Columbus' own 9.6 mark.

"We've got to get our offense going," coach John Tortorella told the team's official website after his fourth game with the club. "We defended well. There were a lot of good things in it, but we didn't find a way to win this game. We're not looking for moral victories here, but we're going to move by it and learn from it."

A second start in 24 hours might not be out of the question for Sergei Bobrovsky after he stopped 26 shots. He started Columbus' first two games of the season on back-to-back nights, though he surrendered eight goals on a combined 47 shots. He's also struggled historically against the Jets, going 1-4-1 with a 4.10 goals-against average in seven career starts.

The Jets figure to have Ondrej Pavelec back in net after backup Michael Hutchinson made a career-high 45 saves against the Blackhawks. Pavelec gave up six goals on 26 shots in his last matchup with the Blue Jackets, a 6-3 home loss Jan. 11, 2014.

Winnipeg has won three of the last four meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wild (7-2) at Blues (7-2)
Date: October 31, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Despite missing players, the St. Louis Blues have nearly earned the maximum number of points more than halfway through one of their longest homestands of the season.

The Blues will try to add two more points to their ledger Saturday night while extending the Minnesota Wild's recent road woes.

St. Louis (7-2-1) has claimed five out of six points on a five-game homestand with a 2-1 victory against Anaheim on Thursday. Colton Parayko was credited with the tiebreaking goal in the third period thanks to a lucky bounce.

Parayko's shot with 9:29 left ricocheted off the boards and was redirected into the net by Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen's left skate. The defenseman, though, was reportedly seen in a walking boot Friday and is a game-time decision.

The Blues' 2-0-1 mark on their homestand has come with Patrik Berglund (shoulder), Jaden Schwartz (ankle) and Paul Stastny (foot) on injured reserve. Kevin Shattenkirk (lower body) and Scottie Upshall (undisclosed) have been dealing with day-to-day ailments.

"They're tough to replace, but guys are stepping up," goaltender Jake Allen said. "Guys are getting a chance to show what they're made of, score some goals. Everyone is chipping in somehow and we're getting it done."

Veterans Martin Havlat and Dainius Zubrus have practiced with the team this week on professional tryout contracts, and the Blues will have around a week to decide whether to sign either permanently.

Until then, St. Louis will try for a seventh win in nine games by sending Minnesota (7-2-1) to a fourth consecutive road loss.

Minnesota is 0-2-1 in its last three away from home but has made up for it by winning all five home games. The Wild earned a pair of one-goal wins on their latest stint at home.

Nino Niederreiter scored the tiebreaking goal 32 seconds into the third period of Friday's 5-4 win over Chicago, and Mikko Koivu extended his point streak to eight games with three assists. Jason Zucker now has a five-game point streak after scoring just 18 seconds into Friday's win and assisting on Niederreiter's winner.

"Division wins are huge. There's no question," coach Mike Yeo said. "We get to have another fun one (Saturday). ... When you're going head to head, there's only so many points they can give out. Making sure you're getting them and making sure someone else isn't is real important."

Koivu's point streak began after a 3-2 home win over St. Louis on Oct. 10. Charlie Coyle scored a pair of goals in Minnesota's rematch with the team it eliminated from the 2015 postseason.

The Wild won two of their three games in St. Louis during that series but are 1-4-2 in their last seven regular-season visits.

With Devan Dubnyk starting Friday, Minnesota could turn to Darcy Kuemper, but the Wild's backup goaltender gave up four goals in 20:51 in his most recent start Sunday in Winnipeg.

Kuemper is 0-1-0 with a 3.54 goals-against average in three appearances versus St. Louis including the postseason. Dubnyk is 7-3-0 with a 2.37 GAA in his last 10 regular-season and playoff matchups.

Allen is slated to make his third straight start and has allowed one goal on 49 shots in his last two. However, he faced 19 shots in losing to Minnesota three weeks ago.

Zach Parise scored on him in that game, giving him six goals and four assists in his past nine matchups including the playoffs.

St. Louis' Vladimir Tarasenko has 10 goals and four assists in his last 11 regular-season and postseason meetings with Minnesota. He registered a goal and an assist in the latest one.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Flames (2-8) at Oilers (4-7)
Date: October 31, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Connor McDavid made his first major impact for the Edmonton Oilers in his first meeting with the Calgary Flames two weeks ago.

He hasn't let up since.

McDavid tries to extend his point streak to eight games and help the Oilers end their six-game home slide against the Flames on Saturday night.

McDavid mustered one goal and was a minus-5 through his first four games in the NHL after being drafted first overall last summer. The center followed that slow start by scoring two goals and assisting on another in a 5-2 win at Calgary on Oct. 17, ending Edmonton's seven-game losing streak to the rival Flames.

That kicked off McDavid's seven-game streak, during which he has four goals and seven assists. He ranks among the league leaders with 12 points.

He's the first Oilers rookie to put together a streak that long since Sam Gagner's nine-game run in September 2008.

McDavid had assists on two of Edmonton's three third-period goals in Thursday's 4-3 come-from-behind win over league-leading Montreal. Leon Draisaitl upstaged him with a pair of goals, including one with 62 seconds left in regulation, hours after being called up from Bakersfield of the AHL to make his season debut.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse has also made an immediate impact with one goal and one assist in his first two games of 2015-16.

Draisaitl and Nurse - first round picks in 2014 and '13 - are trying to prove they're worthy of staying with the Oilers. Draisaitl struggled last season, tallying just two goals and nine points with a minus-17 rating in 37 games.

"It would be weird if we would (want to go back), right?" Draisaitl said. "I think both of us want to stay here. We want to be here and we want to eventually play here and win championships here. I think this is a good time for us to show what we can do to improve."

There is plenty of room for improvement for the Flames (2-8-1), who have yet to win in regulation and have dropped four straight for the second time this season.

They're also surrendering a league-worst 4.09 goals per game after Friday's 6-2 loss to the Canadiens.

"We're giving up too many goals, way too many," defenseman Kris Russell said. "It comes down to individual efforts, I've got to be better, I don't look past that. I'm on for way too many goals and I'm not helping my team."

It's unclear if Joni Ortio will be back in net after making 25 saves Friday. Calgary could opt for Karri Ramo, who was recalled from Stockton of the AHL to back up Ortio since starter Jonas Hiller is out with a lower-body injury.

Ramo has lost all three of his starts this season behind a 4.38 goals-against average. He's 2-1-0 with a 2.34 GAA in four career meetings with the Oilers - all in Edmonton - injuring his leg after 58 seconds in a 4-0 victory April 4.

Johnny Gaudreau has collected seven of his team-leading 12 points in the past six games, but has gone nine straight since scoring his only goal Oct. 10.

He has no points in four straight meetings with Edmonton.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL Consensus Picks

SIDES (ATS)

Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds

10:00 PM Calgary +125 334 33.00% Edmonton -138 678 67.00% View View

8:00 PM Minnesota +121 242 34.47% St. Louis -134 460 65.53% View View

3:00 PM San Jose +140 380 35.12% Dallas -155 702 64.88% View View

7:00 PM Boston +140 294 40.33% Tampa Bay -155 435 59.67% View View

7:00 PM Detroit +120 440 43.61% Ottawa -133 569 56.39% View View

4:00 PM Nashville +122 484 45.23% Los Angeles -135 586 54.77% View View

7:00 PM Washington -115 407 61.30% Florida +104 257 38.70% View View

1:00 PM NY Islanders -129 656 64.76% New Jersey +117 357 35.24% View View

7:00 PM Winnipeg -129 702 65.73% Columbus +117 366 34.27% View View

7:00 PM Pittsburgh -152 778 71.57% Toronto +137 309 28.43% View View

TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)

Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds

7:00 PM Detroit 5.5 269 38.10% Ottawa 5.5 437 61.90% View View

4:00 PM Nashville 5 295 39.49% Los Angeles 5 452 60.51% View View

8:00 PM Minnesota 5 232 47.93% St. Louis 5 252 52.07% View View

1:00 PM NY Islanders 5 343 50.29% New Jersey 5 339 49.71% View View

7:00 PM Washington 5.5 245 50.94% Florida 5.5 236 49.06% View View

7:00 PM Winnipeg 5.5 341 51.12% Columbus 5.5 326 48.88% View View

7:00 PM Boston 5.5 251 52.40% Tampa Bay 5.5 228 47.60% View View

3:00 PM San Jose 5.5 412 56.91% Dallas 5.5 312 43.09% View View

10:00 PM Calgary 5.5 448 60.13% Edmonton 5.5 297 39.87% View View

7:00 PM Pittsburgh 5 556 73.54% Toronto 5 200 26.46% View View

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31

Game Score Status Pick Amount


Pittsburgh - 7:00 PM ET Pittsburgh -152 500 OCTOPLAY
Toronto - Under 5 500

Detroit - 7:00 PM ET Detroit +120 500
Ottawa - Over 5.5 500

Boston - 7:00 PM ET Tampa Bay -155 500
Tampa Bay - Under 5.5 500

Washington - 7:00 PM ET Washington -115 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Florida - Over 5.5 500

Winnipeg - 7:00 PM ET Winnipeg -129 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Columbus - Over 5.5 500

Minnesota - 8:00 PM ET Minnesota +121 500 DOUBLE PLAY
St. Louis - Over 5 500

Calgary - 10:00 PM ET Calgary +125 500 *****
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500