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

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Preview: Oilers (11-15) at Bruins (15-9)
Date: December 14, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers haven't lost since their latest meeting with the Boston Bruins and can match their longest win streak in the past 14 seasons in the next one.

To accomplish that feat by winning their sixth in a row, the Oilers will have to end a lengthy skid in Boston while earning just their second win in eight road games Monday night.

Edmonton refocused after Zdeno Chara's tying goal with 3:21 left in regulation Dec. 2 and came away with a 3-2 shootout victory. The Oilers (13-15-2) now head to Boston after sweeping a five-game homestand with a 7-5 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday.

Taylor Hall allowed his team to win after it blew a pair of two-goal leads by scoring with 1:34 to go, 12 seconds after the Rangers tied the game.

"We were used to giving up a lot of goals last year so maybe we're finally growing from it," forward Teddy Purcell said. "(Coach Todd McLellan) has come in and preached an even-keel attitude, not to get too high when you're scoring and not to change your plan when you get down.

"Tonight was another good example of us showing resiliency."

Hall had two goals and two assists, giving him nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last four games. Lauri Korpikoski finished off the scoring by completing his first career hat trick to give Edmonton 15 goals in its last three contests.

The Oilers, though, have totaled 10 non-shootout goals while going 1-5-1 in their past seven on the road. They went to a shootout with Pittsburgh to earn that lone win Nov. 28.

Edmonton has fared even worse in Boston dating to the start of the 1997-98 season, going 0-8-1 with one tie. The Oilers have been outscored 20-5 in their past five games there and lost 5-2 in the latest Nov. 6, 2014.

However, they've won the past two matchups in the series in shootouts following 13 consecutive losses. Another victory would give Edmonton its first six-game winning streak since Oct. 22-Nov. 3, 2011.

The Bruins (16-9-3) have earned back-to-back 3-1 wins after opening a three-game homestand by beating Florida on Saturday. Ryan Spooner scored a pair of goals and Tuukka Rask came within 6:04 of a shutout while making 26 saves.

Rask has posted a 0.67 goals-against average in three consecutive wins.

"Tuukka's been like we're used to seeing," coach Claude Julien said. "He had a rough start to the season, but he's regained his game and he's been confident and certainly given us a chance to win every time he's been in the net."

Anders Nilsson stopped 38 shots and all three Boston shootout attempts while outdueling Rask in his only start against the Bruins. He has made seven straight starts but McLellan has indicated that Cam Talbot would see some action during a four-game trip, possibly Monday.

Mark Letestu and Matt Hendricks each had a goal and an assist in the latest meeting with the Bruins, but the third-line players have combined for two assists in four subsequent games. Hall has one assist in five career matchups.

Edmonton earned its last win in Boston on Nov. 7, 1996.

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Preview: Lightning (13-13) at Blue Jackets (11-17)
Date: December 14, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Steven Stamkos is on the verge of his longest goal drought since he was a rookie, though the Tampa Bay Lightning star may face a favorable situation to end it Monday night.

The lowly Columbus Blue Jackets have yet to win a game with a backup goaltender and will be forced to start one while hosting the Lightning.

Stamkos' eight-game drought has matched his longest since Nov. 30-Dec 13, 2009. His last longer one was an 11-game slide from Dec. 2-26, 2008, as a rookie.

The superstar only managed two shots in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Washington in which Tampa Bay (14-13-3) held a 36-20 edge in that category - 15-1 in a third period in which Nikita Kucherov had the club's lone tally.

The Lightning have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last eight games.

"Guys are putting themselves in good spots," coach Jon Cooper said. "Stammer had some decent looks tonight."

Columbus (11-17-3) is without Sergei Bobrovsky, who is out at least three weeks with a lower-body injury. The Blue Jackets are 0-5-1 when backup Curtis McElhinney starts, and he finally picked up a point for his club in Saturday's 3-2 overtime home loss to the New York Islanders.

McElhinney has not posted a regulation win as a starter since Feb. 19. He is 2-10-2 with a 3.27 goals-against average in his last 14 starts with two shootout victories.

The current backup goalie is Joonas Korpisalo, who has never played an NHL game. McElhinney has allowed 10 goals in losing his last three starts against the Lightning.

Stamkos has not scored in his last five games against the Blue Jackets, though Tampa Bay has other issues.

The Lightning will likely play a second straight game without Tyler Johnson, who is out with an undisclosed injury and tied Stamkos for the team lead with 72 points a season ago. Left wing Ondrej Palat exited Saturday after playing five shifts in the first period in his second game back after missing 12 straight with an ankle injury.

"I'm speechless as to how this is going," Cooper said. "We can't find a way to get guys back."

This is the start of a three-game trip and a back-to-back set for Tampa Bay, which plays Toronto on Tuesday. Ben Bishop will start one game and the other will likely go to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was recalled from the minors Sunday.

Playing two straight against the Eastern Conference's last-place clubs should boost Tampa Bay, although Columbus played well Saturday and held a 30-19 edge in shots. Cam Atkinson and Brandon Saad scored.

"We're not gonna get down," coach John Tortorella said. "I know our record is what it is. I suggest that we shouldn't even look at it, we just have to try to keep on getting better each day."

The Blue Jackets' last four home games have gone to overtime, with only one going to a shootout.

"This is much better than the shootout," Tortorella said. "This at least has some sort of team dynamic in it."

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Preview: Kings (17-8) at Senators (12-10)
Date: December 14, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

A major reason for the Los Angeles Kings' slip from the NHL's elite last season was their inability to win on the road.

That hasn't been much of an issue during their resurgence.

Los Angeles continues its road-heavy stretch looking to push its point streak to 10 on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators.

The Kings' 15-18-8 mark away from home in 2014-15 contributed to them becoming the first defending Stanley Cup champion since Carolina in 2006-07 to miss the playoffs.

Los Angeles (19-8-2), though, has surged to a comfortable lead atop the Pacific Division this season, in part because of an 8-3-2 record on the road. It earned at least a point in a fifth consecutive road game with a 2-1 overtime loss to Buffalo on Saturday, its fourth stop on a six-game trip.

That also snapped a six-game overall winning streak for the Kings, who are in the midst of playing 10 of 11 on the road. They'll next play at Staples Center against San Jose on Dec. 22, then embark on a four-game trip following the holiday break.

Los Angeles couldn't get much going offensively one night after a 3-2 shootout win over Pittsburgh. Marian Gaborik scored on the club's first shot nearly five minutes into the first period, and the Kings wound up with just 21 on net after having at least 40 in each of the previous two.

Jhonas Enroth made 28 saves as Jonathan Quick got the night off for the Kings, 7-0-2 in their last nine overall.

'We had opportunities to finish to win it,' coach Darryl Sutter said. "Other than that, that's what a backup's job is - come in and get your points. Nothing around it. Backup goalie, your fifth, sixth, seventh defenseman, fourth line - they've got to win you these games (in back-to-backs)."

Mike Hoffman scored to give the Senators a 1-0 victory Feb. 26, ending the Kings' four-game winning streak in the series. Ottawa (15-10-5) enters this matchup following Saturday's 3-1 loss to Montreal that concluded a 1-3-0 road trip.

The Senators scored one goal in each defeat, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau getting his second goal of the trip against the Canadiens. They spent most of the first period on the defensive, though, as Montreal put 27 shots on net and scored twice.

Craig Anderson was pulled early in the second after allowing three goals on 31 shots. Chris Driedger stopped all 11 he faced, then was sent down to the AHL on Sunday to make room for Andrew Hammond after he completed an conditioning assignment.

"Considering the situation and the body language that I was giving off and the frame of mind we all were in, I think it was the right play to get a jump start by changing the goalie," Anderson said.

Anderson has started 14 straight, going 1-5-2 with a 2.59 goals-against average in that stretch. He's 1-7-4 with a 3.82 GAA in his career against the Kings, and it's uncertain if he'll get the nod in this contest.

Quick likely will be back in goal Monday. He's 7-0-1 with a 1.57 GAA in his last eight and has posted a 2.01 GAA while winning five of seven career starts against the Senators.

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Preview: Sabres (11-15) at Red Wings (15-8)
Date: December 14, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Detroit Red Wings have earned at least one point in 13 straight games. More than six years have passed since they failed to pick one up against their next opponent.

The Red Wings won in a shootout over Buffalo two weeks ago as part of their streak, and they'll once again host a Sabres team that's struggled on the road of late Monday night.

Detroit (16-8-6) is 8-0-5 in its last 13 after a 3-2 overtime loss at New Jersey on Friday. The Red Wings led 2-0 after two periods.

"Even though we still got the point, it's tough, being on the road and having a two-goal lead and not coming out on top," goaltender Jimmy Howard told the league's official website. "It's tough to swallow, but on the bright side we did get a point. When we continue to keep getting points, it's a good thing."

The Red Wings haven't earned a point in 14 consecutive games since doing so in 20 in a row March 9-April 17, 2006.

They appear to have an encouraging chance to extend their run against Buffalo (12-15-3). Detroit is 12-0-1 in the last 13 meetings after earning a 5-4 shootout win Dec. 1.

The Red Wings, though, also blew a two-goal lead in that game and let the Sabres take command in the third period. Justin Abdelkader got Detroit to overtime with a power-play goal with 6:29 remaining, and Brad Richards had the lone goal in the tiebreaker.

That defeat was the first of four straight on the road for Buffalo, and it suffered three consecutive regulation losses during the trip that ended Thursday with a 4-3 loss to Calgary.

The Sabres stopped that skid with a 2-1 overtime win over Los Angeles on Saturday, and the return to Detroit marks their only road contest in a five-game stretch.

Ryan O'Reilly scored the winner against the Kings and has three goals and seven assists in a seven-game point streak.

"It's being put on his shoulders right now and he's doing the job," forward Jamie McGinn told the team's official website. "I've been watching him for four or five years now and I've seen it every day now."

O'Reilly has just three assists in his last eight games against Detroit with one in the shootout loss. Evander Kane scored two goals in that contest to give him a five-game point streak versus the Red Wings, but he doesn't have a point in his last four games.

Abdelkader recorded two goals and an assist Dec. 1 and has five and one in six contests this month. He has two goals and five assists in a five-game point streak against Buffalo.

Tomas Tatar has six goals and one assist in his last five matchups with Detroit, while Gustav Nyquist has recorded two goals and six assists in his past four.

The Red Wings are 16-0-1 in their last 17 at home in this series, winning eight in a row.

The Sabres have converted at a 34.8-percent clip on the power play in their last seven games and went 2 for 5 against the Wings. Detroit has given up seven goals in its last 21 short-handed situations, but it's also 6 for 21 with the man advantage in the past six.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (55) WASHINGTON@ (56) PITTSBURGH | 2015-12-14 19:05:00 - 2015-12-14 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH using money line in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 11 Wins and 28 Losses for the last two seasons (-29.3 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (55) WASHINGTON@ (56) PITTSBURGH | 2015-12-14 19:05:00 - 2015-12-14 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 11 Wins and 28 Losses for the last two seasons (-29.3 units)

NHL > (57) BUFFALO@ (58) DETROIT | 2015-12-14 19:35:00 - 2015-12-14 19:35:00
Play AGAINST BUFFALO in Road games in December games
The record is 0 Wins and 15 Losses for the last three seasons (-15.05 units)

NHL > (59) LOS ANGELES@ (60) OTTAWA | 2015-12-14 19:35:00 - 2015-12-14 19:35:00
Play AGAINST LOS ANGELES in Road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game
The record is 3 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (-12.95 units)

NHL > (55) WASHINGTON@ (56) PITTSBURGH | 2015-12-14 19:05:00 - 2015-12-14 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in Home games vs. division opponents
The record is 6 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.1 units)

NHL > (53) TAMPA BAY@ (54) COLUMBUS | 2015-12-14 19:05:00 - 2015-12-14 19:05:00
Play AGAINST COLUMBUS in Home games after 3 or more consecutive losses
The record is 2 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (-11.1 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (57) BUFFALO@ (58) DETROIT | 2015-12-14 19:35:00 - 2015-12-14 19:35:00
Play OVER BUFFALO on the totalin All games in December games
The record is 15 Overs and 3 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.2 units)

NHL > (51) EDMONTON@ (52) BOSTON | 2015-12-14 19:05:00 - 2015-12-14 19:05:00
Play OVER EDMONTON on the totalin All games after allowing 4 goals or more
The record is 9 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+8.6 units)

NHL > (57) BUFFALO@ (58) DETROIT | 2015-12-14 19:35:00 - 2015-12-14 19:35:00
Play OVER BUFFALO on the totalin Road games in December games
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the last two seasons (+8.15 units)

NHL > (59) LOS ANGELES@ (60) OTTAWA | 2015-12-14 19:35:00 - 2015-12-14 19:35:00
Play OVER OTTAWA on the totalin All games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game
The record is 28 Overs and 11 Unders for the last three seasons (+18.05 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Recapping Yesterday's Action:

CFB......................... 0 - 0

CBB..........................6 - 5 - 0

NBA..........................4 - 5

NHL..........................2 - 1

NFL...........................13 - 8

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at PIT 07:00 PM

PIT -105 DOUBLE PLAY

U 5.0


EDM at BOS 07:00 PM

BOS -170 TRIPLE PLAY

O 5.5


TB at CLB 07:00 PM

TB -125

U 5.0


LA at OTT 07:30 PM

LA -140 TRIPLE PLAY

U 5.5


BUF at DET 07:30 PM

DET -180 TRIPLE PLAY

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY'S NHL PREVIEWS

Preview: Hurricanes (12-14) at Flyers (11-12)
Date: December 15, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes' power play is clicking and goals are coming in bunches. Wins are starting to pile up, too.

The Hurricanes look to win three in a row for the first time in nearly seven weeks Tuesday night when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers.

Andrej Nestrasil and Justin Faulk scored power-play goals and Carolina withstood a furious third-period rally from Arizona on Saturday to win 5-4 on Victor Rask's goal in overtime. The Hurricanes (12-14-4) have gone 7 for 17 with the extra skater in the last five games, winning four.

'The power play is what's changed things,' coach Bill Peters said. 'Now those guys playing on the power play are starting to get some extra goals and points and it's spilled over into their 5-on-5 play and we're playing with a lead.'

Carolina also has 16 even-strength goals in the last five contests and five goals in each of the past four. It's the first time the franchise has scored at least five goals in four consecutive games since March 1987, when the club was in Hartford. It hasn't scored at least five in five straight since March 1986.

Jeff Skinner has six goals in the last five games while Faulk continues to be the driving force on the power play, tallying four scores with the extra skater in the last four. Faulk's 12 power-play goals lead the league and account for all of his scoring for Carolina, which hasn't won three in a row since Oct. 27-30.

'We're kind of starting to see the results," Faulk said. "If we put in the work and work hard every night, good things happen."

The Flyers (12-12-6) stopped all six of Dallas' power-play chances Friday, but the high-powered Stars found other ways to score and handed Philadelphia a 3-1 loss.

Shayne Gostisbehere scored his fifth goal as the Flyers wasted another strong performance by Michal Neuvirth, who stopped 41 of 43 shots a night after making 35 saves in a 4-2 win at St. Louis.

Coach Dave Hakstol had typically alternated between Neuvirth and Steve Mason, but he gave Neuvirth a start on back-to-back nights after Mason yielded three goals on 10 shots last Tuesday and was pulled early in the second period. Mason has two wins in his last eight starts and an .841 save percentage in his past two.

Neuvirth is 4-1-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average in his last six games, but Hakstol isn't ready to name him the No. 1 goaltender quite yet.

"(Neuvirth) has played extremely well for us," Hakstol said. "He played really well last night so he earned that start tonight. We'll look forward now to the next game and make a decision as we get toward game day. But nothing changes in terms of No. 1, No. 2 and that stuff. Mason is our guy still."

Neuvirth and Mason each made a start against the Hurricanes in November, as the Flyers won both by 3-2 scores in overtime. Jakub Voracek scored 37 seconds into overtime in the first meeting in Raleigh on Nov. 14, and Gostisbehere had the winner 24 seconds into the extra session at Philadelphia nine days later.

The Hurricanes had won eight of the previous nine matchups.

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Preview: Panthers (11-12) at Islanders (15-8)
Date: December 15, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Florida Panthers weren't up to the challenge in the opener of their road trip. A more difficult one appears to be forthcoming.

The New York Islanders are riding a 10-game point streak and seek a sixth consecutive home win when the teams face off Tuesday night.

New York (18-8-5) has gone on a 7-0-1 tear to vault into second place in the Metropolitan Division. Having ground out close wins for much of the surge, the Islanders had a less stressful result to move to 8-0-2 over their last 10 with Sunday's 4-0 victory over New Jersey.

After having five straight games decided by overtime or shootout, the Islanders cruised to a third consecutive win behind Thomas Greiss' 27 saves and Marek Zidlicky's two goals.

"We seemed to be sharper (Sunday)," said captain John Tavares, who added a goal after four straight pointless games. "For whatever reason, we had our legs right off the get-go and we were able to sustain it. That was the good part. We didn't just come out hard, but we were able to keep that going for a full 60."

Good defense and sharp goaltending have been the constants during the successful stretch. The Islanders have killed off 25 straight penalties and received consistent play from both Jaroslav Halak and Greiss, who's posted a 1.47 goals-against average while winning four straight starts.

Halak, expected to start Tuesday, has a 1.89 GAA over his last six. He followed a season-best 43-save performance in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win at Philadelphia with 28 in Saturday's 3-2 overtime victory at Columbus.

Halak is 9-2-1 with a 1.89 GAA in 12 starts against Florida (14-12-4) but has lost two straight, the most recent a 3-2 shootout defeat Nov. 27 that began a Panthers' five-game winning streak.

Florida has lost three of four since and struggled again offensively in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston to start its four-game trip.

'There wasn't much out there,' said forward Reilly Smith, who scored the Panthers' goal in his first visit to Boston since his offseason trade to Florida. 'I felt like we didn't play our game right from the get-go. I felt like they controlled the pace and we let them off the hook.'

The Panthers have produced two or fewer goals in five of their last six games and are 2 for 23 on the power play over the past nine.

Jaromir Jagr has scored once over a 10-game stretch. Tied with Marcel Dionne for fourth place on the career goals list with 731, he has two in 17 meetings with New York since returning to the league in 2011-12.

Roberto Luongo is in a mild slump as well, having recorded a 3.06 GAA while losing three straight starts. The veteran had a 1.22 GAA in four consecutive wins prior to the skid.

Luongo has gone 4-0-1 with a 2.46 GAA in his last five starts against New York and stopped 23 shots Nov. 27.

Florida has gone 5-1-1 in the last seven games in the series but faces a tough atmosphere at Barclays Center, where the Islanders are 11-4-2 and haven't lost since Nov. 20. The Panthers also will be without two of their top centers with Derek MacKenzie suffering a lower-body injury against Boston and Nick Bjugstad sidelined by an upper-body issue.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Oilers (11-15) at Rangers (17-9)
Date: December 15, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers can record their longest winning streak in almost 15 years while adding to the woes of the New York Rangers - again.

They go for their seventh straight victory and second in five days over the reeling Rangers when they visit Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Edmonton (14-15-2) is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league with six consecutive wins, a mark it has reached just two other times since rattling off nine in a row from Feb. 20-March 13, 2001.

The Oilers won all five games on their recent homestand and opened a four-game road trip with Monday's 3-2 overtime victory at Boston. The offense that had struggled without injured phenom Connor McDavid has scored 18 goals in the last four games.

A huge chunk of that production came from Friday's 7-5 win over the Rangers. Lauri Korpikoski notched his first career hat trick against his former team, and Taylor Hall finished with two goals and two assists - upping his totals to five and four during the winning streak.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and two assists, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a goal and an assist against the Bruins.

"We're playing with some confidence," Eberle told the team's official website. "But we've got a quick turnaround (Tuesday) against a really good hockey team in their own rink. We've got to find a way to play better and help our goalies out."

Edmonton has won four of the last six meetings in this series and is 4-1-1 in the past six games in New York dating back to Nov. 10, 2003.

Anders Nilsson earned Friday's win over the Rangers despite surrendering five goals on 34 shots. He figures to get another shot against them to follow Cam Talbot's career-high 47-save effort on Monday.

New York (18-9-4) opened the season as one of the league's top teams with a 16-3-2 record but has gone 2-6-2 since.

The Rangers have had problems scoring during that 10-game stretch, finishing with one or no goals five times, but a bigger issue might be the 12 goals they surrendered in the final two games of an 0-2-1 road trip.

Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 33 shots against Edmonton and was replaced early in the third period by Antti Raanta, who is 0-3-1 with a 3.12 goals-against average in his last four appearances.

"We're playing better than our record indicates," coach Alain Vigneault said. "Whereas prior, we weren't playing that well but our record was real good. So, I do believe we're on the right track."

New York needs more offense from forwards Rick Nash and Kevin Hayes. Nash has one goal in eight games after scoring in four straight, while Hayes has none in his last 10.

Jarrett Stoll had contributed virtually no offense this season and the team placed the veteran center on waivers Monday. Stoll, who has one goal and two assists in 29 games, would likely move to AHL Hartford if unclaimed.

Another veteran Dan Girardi will sit out Tuesday due to swelling in his knee. The defenseman played the last two games after injuring his knee while blocking a shot in Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Vancouver. Vigneault says he is day-to-day.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (13-14) at Canadiens (19-8)
Date: December 15, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Losing four in a row stung Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien enough to reunite Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec on the top line in hopes of providing an early spark.

The San Jose Sharks' line shuffling hasn't solved their woes quite yet.

After a much-needed victory, Montreal looks to hand the visiting Sharks a seventh consecutive defeat Tuesday night.

The Canadiens (20-8-3) hadn't scored more than two goals in six straight, the last four being defeats in regulation with three coming by one goal. Therrien split up Pacioretty and Plekanec, who usually play on a line with the injured Brendan Gallagher, for the past five.

That changed Saturday, as Plekanec assisted on Pacioretty's first-period goal in a 3-1 win over Ottawa. The Canadiens tied a franchise record for shots in a period with 27 in the first, six coming from Pacioretty.

"You need your best players to be the difference makers. This is what it takes for any team to be successful," Therrien said. "Some of the guys had good opportunities, even if they were not able to score. But Pacioretty and Plekanec definitely set a great example for their teammates."

The victory comes as a major boost of confidence for a club that has been playing without Gallagher, former Shark Torrey Mitchell and star goaltender Carey Price. Gallagher has been out since breaking multiple fingers Nov. 22 but began skating again Monday.

Although Price will be out at least a couple more weeks with a lower-body injury, Mitchell was a full participant in Monday's practice and could return for this one.

'The young guys were playing with energy, but it seemed that the older guys like myself weren't pulling their weight,' said Pacioretty, who didn't have a point during the losing streak. "We learned a lot from the last four games. (Saturday) wasn't perfect, but we came out on top.'

Plekanec scored March 21 as Montreal beat San Jose 2-0 to snap a four-game skid against the Sharks (14-14-1), who can't seem to solve their problems no matter what coach Peter DeBoer tries.

They've been outscored 20-9 during an 0-5-1 stretch to start the month, with only four of those goals coming at even strength. DeBoer separated Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton for the first time this season Saturday, but it didn't yield anything positive during a 2-0 loss to Minnesota.

Pavelski has one goal over his last eight and Thornton has two in 11.

"Drop six in a row, it gets frustrating," Pavelski said. "We've got to calm down a little bit and realize where we're at. A few teams have caught us when we had a chance to pull ahead a little bit. We have to go back to work, back to the drawing board and work out a few things.

"We've played hard at times, there hasn't been any quit in games so it's about getting over that hump and breaking this little funk we're in."

Martin Jones stopped 28 of 29 shots Saturday, but his last start against the Canadiens was a disaster. He allowed the highest goal total of his career in a 6-2 loss with Los Angeles on Dec. 12, 2014.

Dustin Tokarski made 25 saves against the Senators and is expected to start Tuesday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Flames (12-14) at Predators (13-10)
Date: December 15, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Johnny Gaudreau's scoring binge has made the Calgary Flames unbeatable at home for more than six weeks.

Duplicating that success on the road has been an issue all season, however.

The red-hot Flames begin a challenging four-game trip by visiting one of the NHL's notoriously tough venues on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators.

Mired near the bottom of the Western Conference through the season's first two months, Calgary (13-14-2) has risen back into contention by amassing 21 goals over a perfect five-game homestand. The Flames won their ninth straight at Scotiabank Saddledome with Saturday's 5-4 overtime decision over the New York Rangers, during which Gaudreau scored twice and assisted on T.J. Brodie's game-winner.

The Flames, aiming for their first six-game win streak since Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2011, haven't been nearly as formidable on the road, where they've lost four straight and seven of eight and are 3-9-2 this season.

'We're moving in the right direction," said Brodie, who's recorded seven points over a six-game streak. "I think now we have to find a way to win on the road. We have to start finding ways to win in regulation."

Gaudreau has seven goals and three assists during the surge but like his team, hasn't been the same in enemy arenas. The dynamic young forward has just two goals and seven points in 14 road games, compared to 10 goals and 24 points in 15 at home.

Sean Monahan has posted similar splits. The third-year center, who contributed three goals and three assists on the homestand, has compiled 16 of his 23 points at the Saddledome.

With visits to NHL points leader Dallas, St. Louis and Detroit also on this trip, the Flames will get a good indication as to whether they've indeed turned a corner.

"We will need to be at our best," coach Bob Hartley told the Flames' official website. "If we want to be a playoff team, we have to win those games. We're on a good roll right now. Guys are feeling good. It's important we keep playing the same brand of hockey."

Nashville (15-10-5) hasn't been in top form of late, having lost four of six, but owns a 9-4-2 record at Bridgestone Arena after going a West-leading 28-9-4 on home ice last season. Calgary did win twice in Nashville, however, while sweeping the three-game season series in 2014-15.

The Predators have produced mixed results on their present three-game residency, following a 5-1 rout of Chicago on Thursday with Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Colorado.

Pekka Rinne stopped just 22 shots against the Avalanche after making 35 saves versus the Blackhawks. He's surrendered three or more goals in seven of 10 starts after going 10-2-3 with a 2.10 goals-against average over his first 15.

Rinne does possess a 1.99 GAA at home, while Calgary has scored 11 goals over its last six road tests.

Karri Ramo returns to the Calgary net after missing two games due to a flu bug that also affected several other players. He won a third straight start with a 31-save effort in a 4-2 home decision over San Jose last Tuesday.

The Flames are last in the NHL with a 3.52 team GAA.

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Preview: Blues (16-10) at Jets (14-14)
Date: December 15, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Divisional play took on more importance when the NHL trimmed from six groups to four and restructured its postseason format to again be based heavily on divisional standings.

The Winnipeg Jets made a run to the playoffs last season in part because of a solid record against the Central, but that hasn't been the case this year.

A chance to pick up a rare divisional win presents itself Tuesday night when the Jets host the slumping St. Louis Blues.

Winnipeg (14-14-2) earned the Western Conference's second wild card and was the last of five Central teams to qualify for the 2014-15 postseason while posting a 16-8-5 mark against its division rivals. The Jets haven't had that type of success this year, though, going 3-9-0 against the Central, including three straight defeats.

The last two have come at the hands of defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago, which beat the Jets 2-0 on Friday. It marked the first time Winnipeg had been shut out since losing 7-0 to Nashville on Nov. 14.

"You want to have a good record in your own division, but there's not much we can do about the start (now)," captain Andrew Ladd told the team's official website. "We need to put a stretch of wins together and get back above the line, that's our biggest focus.

"Lately our game is back to where it needs to be, so I'm not too worried about it."

The Jets have lost both meetings this season and nine of the last 11 against St. Louis (17-10-4), which is having trouble finding consistency. It dropped to 2-4-1 this month with Sunday's 3-1 loss to Colorado.

The Blues outshot the Avalanche 43-18 and set a season high for shots, but managed only Vladimir Tarasenko's power-play goal with just over seven minutes remaining.

"I think it's one of those games when you're down 2-0 and you just start pouring it on and they sat back a little bit and we took it to them," center Paul Stastny said. "For us, it's more about the way we started that game. We almost had to try and find a way to get that first one and then play our game the way we wanted to, but we got behind early."

The biggest positive for the Blues lately has been their penalty kill, which has snuffed out all 19 power plays over the last eight. That unit ranks first in the league with an 87.7 percent kill rate.

Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice might give St. Louis' offensive attack a different look in this matchup. He shuffled his defensive pairings during Monday's practice by moving Jacob Trouba alongside Dustin Byfuglien, a duo that saw a small amount of time together against Chicago.

"It's an interesting dynamic to have a one-time shot with a guy that can move the puck as well as Buff does," Maurice said. "We know that Jake's had that ability. It has more to do with who they'll match up (against) and who they'll play behind."

Rookie Connor Hellebuyck could be in net again with Ondrej Pavelec out for at least the rest of the month with a knee sprain. Hellebuyck is 4-1-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average after making 29 saves against the Blackhawks.

Jake Allen has started four of the last five for the Blues. He has a 1.68 GAA while winning two of his three career starts against the Jets, including a 3-2 win Nov. 16.

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Preview: Canucks (10-12) at Wild (15-7)
Date: December 15, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Wild have never posted three straight home shutouts and they'll be turning to a different goaltender than the one who started their last two games at the Xcel Energy Center.

Darcy Kuemper enters off a road shutout and will get the start Tuesday night against a Vancouver Canucks team experiencing some road woes.

Minnesota (15-7-6) returns home after a three-game trip that consisted of two overtime losses before Kuemper made 25 saves in Saturday's 2-0 win over San Jose for his first shutout and the sixth of his career.

Kuemper will make his fourth straight start since entering Dec. 5 in relief of Devan Dubnyk, who was hurt in that night's 3-0 home win over Colorado.

"(He) looks very comfortable in there, looks very confident in there and obviously has a lot of the right habits from a lot of the things he's been doing in practice," said coach Mike Yeo about Kuemper.

Dubnyk, who is nearing a return, started the last home game against the Avalanche as well as a 1-0 win over Toronto two days earlier. Kuemper stopped all nine shots to get credit for beating Colorado.

The Wild, who have an NHL-best six shutouts, are 4-0-3 in their last seven games heading into a stretch of six of seven at home.

"I think that we should be coming home with a little bit of momentum but now we really have to put our foot on the gas," Yeo said.

Vancouver (11-12-8) started a six-game trip with Sunday's 4-0 defeat to Chicago. The Canucks are 0-2-2 in their last four road games and 1-5-3 in their last nine.

Coach Willie Desjardins insisted that the road play isn't that bad, pointing to earlier wins at Anaheim and Los Angeles.

"Winning on the road is hard," he said. "We've won some big games on the road, there are some tough buildings to win in and we've won in them."

The Canucks' lone road victory in their last nine was a 3-2 win at Minnesota on Nov. 25. Radim Vrbata scored twice and Daniel Sedin had two assists.

That defeat was part of a 1-4-2 stretch to close November for the Wild, who haven't forgotten about it.

"As far as we're concerned, we didn't play a very strong game against these guys last time so we have to be ready to pick it up," Yeo said.

The coach opted to tinker with his lines at Monday's practice, most notably moving Jason Zucker onto a unit with Thomas Vanek - who has a team-high 10 goals - and Mikko Koivu - who leads all Wild forwards with 16 assists. Zucker is mired in a 10-game pointless drought.

"The best part for Mikko and myself is his speed," Vanek said. "I think he's gonna create a lot of space for us and then obviously he's a great finisher so we're going to look to find him."

The Sedin brothers combined for seven points in consecutive wins before Sunday - a result that Vancouver believes is a minor setback.

"We did everything we could to win and we just came out on the wrong end of it,' Desjardins said.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Avalanche (14-16) at Blackhawks (17-10)
Date: December 15, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

Anyone who shares even a little of Patrick Kane's competitive spirit knows he was just being diplomatic on the occasions he downplayed the importance of his franchise-record point streak.

Not only has Kane relented on that stance a bit, but his run is helping the Chicago Blackhawks win more lately.

The NHL's scoring leader looks to extend his streak to 27 and help the Blackhawks win a third consecutive game when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Kane said more than once that he didn't care if his point streak ended, so long as Chicago (17-10-4) continues to succeed. However, he seemed more than happy to keep the run going with a secondary assist on Duncan Keith's power-play goal in Sunday's 4-0 win over Vancouver.

The winger has 16 goals and 40 of his league-high 46 points during the 26-game streak that is the NHL's longest since Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux opened the 1995-96 season on a 28-game run.

'I think I passed it and it went in 10 or 15 seconds later,' Kane said. 'I didn't know I had an assist until they announced it. I was hoping they didn't get it wrong and they've got to call it back.'

What remains most important, though, is that the Blackhawks have won four of five following a three-game skid. Kane's production also has helped make up for the fact that Jonathan Toews has yet to find his scoring touch.

The Chicago captain has one goal and one assist over his last nine. Bottom-six players Dennis Rasmussen, Andrew Shaw and Brandon Mashinter scored the other goals Sunday.

"It's not a question of if (Kane's) going to score, it's kind of when he's going to get on the board somehow," Toews said. "He's just got that knack. I think when he's feeling it, and he's feeling confident, there's not much he can't do with the puck, and eventually something's going to happen for him."

Kane has gone without a point in each of his last two against Colorado (14-16-1), which enters this matchup seeking to tie a season high with a third consecutive victory after beating St. Louis 3-1 on Sunday.

Semyon Varlamov stopped a season-best 42 shots and improved to 4-1-0 with a 1.39 goals-against average this month. He had a 3.28 GAA through his previous 14 starts.

"(I was) struggling in October and November," Varlamov said. "I've been working a lot. I never (thought) I couldn't (succeed).

"Winning back-to-back, it's not easy. We did a great job battling, those last two games."

Varlamov has won his last seven starts against Chicago while posting a 1.41 GAA, a run that includes four victories and a 1.23 GAA at the United Center.

Corey Crawford has been even better lately for the Blackhawks, who look to avoid a fourth straight loss to the Avalanche. He was named the NHL's first star of the week after winning all four starts with a 0.50 GAA and stopping 55 shots in back-to-back shutouts against Winnipeg and the Canucks.

Special teams has contributed, with the penalty kill being successful on 12 of 13 power plays over the last five.

'He's been awesome,' Keith said. 'He's made huge saves when we've needed him, and when he's going like that, it allows us to make more mistakes and play with a little more confidence.'

Crawford, though, is 2-6-2 with a 3.57 GAA in his last 10 against Colorado.

The Blackhawks acquired Rob Scuderi from the Penguins for fellow defenseman Trevor Daley on Monday.