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

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NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, December 4

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PHILADELPHIA (10-10-0-5, 25 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (13-10-0-2, 28 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 6-3 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 6-3-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA 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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FLORIDA (12-9-0-4, 28 pts.) at COLUMBUS (10-16-0-0, 20 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 5-1 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 5-1-0 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=+2.0 Units)




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ARIZONA (13-11-0-1, 27 pts.) at BUFFALO (10-12-0-3, 23 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 3-1 (+3.8 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
BUFFALO is 3-1-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.2 Units)




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ST LOUIS (15-7-0-3, 33 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (14-8-0-4, 32 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.


Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-1 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 4-1-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.1 Units)




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BOSTON (13-8-0-2, 28 pts.) at CALGARY (9-14-0-2, 20 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 15-22 ATS (-15.3 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 20-9 ATS (+9.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 8-3 ATS (+11.4 Units) in road games first half of the season this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 2-2 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 2-2-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)




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DALLAS (20-5-0-1, 41 pts.) at EDMONTON (9-15-0-2, 20 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 20-6 ATS (+11.7 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 11-3 ATS (+7.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
DALLAS is 20-6 ATS (+11.7 Units) first half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 38-27 ATS (+66.7 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
DALLAS is 12-4 ATS (+16.6 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 17-7 ATS (+25.6 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 62-128 ATS (-121.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 47-64 ATS (-32.9 Units) in home games in December games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 17-47 ATS (+81.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 26-72 ATS (+140.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 14-42 ATS (+85.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 5-2 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 5-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.9 Units)




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SAN JOSE (14-10-0-0, 28 pts.) at ANAHEIM (9-12-0-5, 23 pts.) - 12/4/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 40-40 ATS (-31.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 21-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 21-7 ATS (+9.1 Units) in December games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 196-157 ATS (+26.8 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 10-3 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games first half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 41-24 ATS (+15.9 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 9-3 ATS (+5.6 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 9-17 ATS (-16.4 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 9-17 ATS (-12.3 Units) first half of the season this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 8-4 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 8-4-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)

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NHL

Friday, December 4


NHL roundup: Hoffman heroics help Sens win on OT

OTTAWA -- There was less than a second left in regulation time Thursday night when the Ottawa Senators' Mike Hoffman took a pass from Erik Karlsson and wired a shot off the goal post.

Thirty seconds into overtime on an identical play, Hoffman made no mistake.

Hoffman's heroics upstaged the Blackhawks Patrick Kane, who had a goal and two assists to stretch his consecutive games point scoring streak to 21 games, tying a franchise record set by Bobby Hull.

Kane's linemates, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, had the other Chicago goals.

Along with the pair by Hoffman that gives him nine goals in his last eight games, Bobby Ryan had a goal and two assists for the Senators, while Mark Stone had the other Ottawa goal. Karlsson had three assists.

The Senators' Craig Anderson was a busy man, stopping 35 shots. The Blackhawks' Corey Crawford made 23 saves.

Wild 1, Maple Leafs 0

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Matt Dumba scored the game's lone goal, and Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves to win a goaltending battle in Minnesota's victory over Toronto at Xcel Energy Center.

Toronto's James Reimer shook off the rust from a four-game layoff due to injury and displayed the form which earned him a 2.07 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in 15 prior appearances. Reimer, who made 27 saves in his return, withstood a barrage of Minnesota scoring chances in the opening period to keep his team in it.

Avalanche 2, Rangers 1

NEW YORK -- Matt Duchene scored his 14th goal and Semyon Varlamov turned aside 24 shots as Colorado defeated the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Chris Wagner also scored for the Avalanche, who won three of four.

Goaltender Antti Raanta made 16 saves for the Rangers, who lost five of six, and Oscar Lindberg scored his 10th of the season.

Devils 5, Hurricanes 1

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jeff Cammalleri scored twice and two of his New Jersey teammates scored for the first time this season in ringing up victory against Carolina at PNC Arena.

Adam Henrique, Stephen Gionta and Jacob Josefson also scored for the Devils, who had matched their season high for goals. Keith Kincaid, playing in only his fifth game of the season, stopped 30 shots for the victory.

Brad Malone scored for Carolina, which lost its third game in a row, and Eddie Lack made 22 saves.

Capitals 3, Canadiens 2

MONTREAL -- T.J. Oshie scored twice to lift Washington over Montreal at the Bell Centre.

Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Lars Eller and Brian Flynn connected for the Canadiens.

Braden Holtby stopped 33 shots for the Capitals and remained unbeaten in regulation in nine career games against Montreal. Mike Condon made 16 saves for the Habs.

Red Wings 5, Coyotes 1

DETROIT -- Darren Helm had a goal and an assist in Detroit's win against Arizona at Joe Louis Arena.

Justin Abdelkader, Niklas Kronwall, Gustav Nyquist and Dan DeKeyser also scored for the Red Wings, who have points in its past nine games. Pavel Datsyuk had two assists and Jimmy Howard made 26 saves.

Jordan Martinook scored for the Coyotes and Mike Smith stopped 13 of 16 shots before being replaced by Anders Lindback to start the second period. Linback made 26 saves.

Panthers 2, Predators 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Roberto Luongo made 32 saves as Florida captured its fourth straight victory with a decision over Nashville in Bridgestone Arena.

Pekka Rinne made 14 saves for Nashville

Quinton Howden and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for the Panthers and Roman Josi scored the Predators' lone goal.

Stars 4, Canucks 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Patrick Sharp scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:59 remaining in the third period and Dallas continued its dominance over Vancouver with a victory.

Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and a pretty assist for Dallas, who defeated the Canucks for the 10th consecutive time. Tyler Seguin also scored for the Stars, Alex Goligoski had two assists and Jason Spezza added an empty-net goal

Alex Edler and Jannik Hansen scored for Vancouver, which lost its fourth consecutive game. Henrik Sedin had two assists and Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots for the Canucks, who are 3-8-4 in their last 15 games.

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Preview: Flyers (9-10) at Devils (11-10)
Date: December 04, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Philadelphia's last meeting against New Jersey was the very beginning of a prolonged slump, but the Flyers hope the next will help them continue their resurgence.

While the Flyers seek a fourth straight win Friday night, the Devils try to avoid a fourth consecutive home defeat.

Philadelphia (10-10-5) has won three in a row and four of five to offset a miserable three-week stretch. The Flyers went 2-7-3 from Oct. 29-Nov. 21, starting with a 4-1 home loss to the Devils, but they have a chance to sweep their three-game road trip.

They opened it with wins of 3-0 over the New York Rangers on Saturday and 4-2 over Ottawa on Tuesday, the latter sealing Philadelphia's first three-game winning streak.

"The last little bit we've been playing good hockey,' right winger Wayne Simmonds said. 'I think we're spending a lot more attention to detail and we're getting it done.'

Simmonds tallied a goal and an assist against the Senators, giving him three goals and two assists in the past two games after he went six contests without a point.

Steve Mason also has been a key contributor lately after opening the season 2-5-2 with a 3.55 goals-against average in his first nine games. He has a 1.82 GAA for a 3-2-2 record with one shutout in his last seven.

Mason has been the constant for a defense that allowed at least four goals eight times in its opening 16 games but has done so just once in the last nine.

He did suffer the late-October loss against New Jersey, though, after surrendering three goals on 32 shots, and he has lost all seven of his starts against the Devils with a 3.77 GAA.

The Flyers' defense will also be without Radko Gudas for three games after he was suspended without pay by the NHL on Wednesday for an illegal check to Ottawa's Mika Zibanejad's head. He was not penalized on the play but will sit out after it was reviewed by the league.

The first matchup in this series started Philadelphia's decline, but it was the middle of a 10-3-0 stretch for New Jersey.

The Devils (13-10-2) have been inconsistent at 3-4-1 since, and they will try and win back-to-back games for the first time since the tail end of their hot stretch.

New Jersey has scored just four goals during a three-game losing streak at the Prudential Center, and ranks 29th in the league with 1.92 goals at home. Only Philadelphia (1.75) is worse.

But the Devils, who have won three in a row and five of six in this series, had no problem offensively in Thursday's 5-1 victory at Carolina. Mike Cammalleri scored twice and added an assist while Adam Henrique, Stephen Gionta and Jacob Josefson each found the back of the net.

'We feel like we accomplished something as a team (Thursday),' Cammalleri said. 'The result followed.'

Center Travis Zajac left the game during the first period with an upper-body injury. Zajac, who has six goals and nine assists, won't be available against the Flyers but his status moving forward is unclear.

Backup Keith Kinkaid earned the win, but Cory Schneider will be back in net Friday. Schneider earned the victory in the first matchup, and he is 3-2-0 with a 2.37 GAA lifetime against the Flyers.

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Preview: Coyotes (13-11) at Sabres (9-12)
Date: December 04, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Offense is coming as easily as it has in a year for Buffalo, and Arizona has been terrible defensively for not just the last two games but much of the season.

The teams meet Friday night in Buffalo, where the Sabres have a shot at a scoring plateau they haven't reached in nine seasons, while the Coyotes play the third of a five-game trip trying to hold an opponent under five goals.

Buffalo (10-12-3) last scored four goals in three straight from Dec. 11-15 as part of a four-game winning streak and hasn't done it in four straight since it had 30 over five consecutive contests in 2006-07 - also the last season the club won a playoff series.

The Sabres, however, didn't fully capitalize on the latest effort, falling 5-4 in a shootout at Detroit on Tuesday following 4-1 wins over Carolina and Nashville. To coach Dan Bylsma, it showed his team has the firepower to recover after falling behind 2-0 and 3-1 before forcing overtime.

"We got down, with their first shot, and they get another on a faceoff play that caroms in off their player and over our goalie," Bylsma told the team's official website. "When you're down 2-0, you have to go after it, and I think you saw that in how the game was played up and down the ice. We had to fight back."

Evander Kane scored twice and has four points in the last two games - equaling his total in the first 13 - and Rasmus Ristolainen's three assists gave him 12 points in his last 12 games after totaling five in his first 13.

"We did fight, but we didn't get it done," said Kane, who scored once on the power play to help the Sabres to a 4-for-9 mark in the last two games.

Linus Ullmark was in goal, so the streaking Chad Johnson figures to face the Coyotes. Johnson faced the Hurricanes and Predators to improve to 3-1-1 with a 1.28 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in his last seven games. He beat Arizona on Feb. 24, making 27 saves in a 5-1 win while with the New York Islanders.

That fits right in with the Sabres' success against the Coyotes. Johnson's current team has averaged 3.20 goals during an 8-1-1 span in the series, and Ristolainen scored in both meetings last season.

After Thursday's 5-1 loss in Detroit, the Coyotes (13-11-1) are now one of five teams surrendering at least three goals per game. It was their second straight allowing five and fourth in their last nine to bump their season average to 3.00.

They fell behind 3-0 in the first period two nights after the Predators piled on four in the third, so Arizona allowed seven goals in a 40-minute span.

Mike Smith gave up the three first-period goals before being replaced, dropping him to 7-7-1 with a 3.49 GAA and .887 save percentage over his last 17 games.

Coyotes captain Shane Doan has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, but coach Dave Tippett said there was a chance he could return Friday.

They got Steve Downie back after he missed 10 games with an upper-body injury, and the forward assisted on Jordan Martinook's goal.

"He made a good play on our goal," coach Dave Tippett told the team's official website. "He hadn't played in 10 games so it was good to get him back in there."

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Preview: Panthers (10-9) at Blue Jackets (10-16)
Date: December 04, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Florida Panthers haven't done much offensively during their best stretch of the season. Roberto Luongo has done his best to make that a moot point.

With a chance to match their longest road win streak in seven years, the Panthers would be hard pressed not to start Luongo in the second of this back to back Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Since losing three straight appearances that included a season high-tying five goals allowed in an overtime loss to the New York Rangers, Luongo has picked up his play considerably. He's led Florida (12-9-4) to four consecutive wins, including a 32-save performance in Thursday's 2-1 victory at Nashville.

The Panthers, who have won the first three on this five-game trip, seek five consecutive victories away from home for the first time since Nov. 30-Dec. 12, 2008.

"You want to get on a bit of a roll and get some points," Luongo told the team's official website. "I think, especially this road trip, we've had some tough tests and we've played some good hockey as a team. We've won some gritty road games. That's the type of hockey when we play here, and that's the way we win."

The 16-year veteran has a .957 save percentage during his four-game run. If that wasn't motivation enough to start him on back-to-back days, he's also 6-1-2 with a 1.92 goals-against average in his last nine starts against the Blue Jackets.

Whether Luongo or Al Montoya gets the nod in net, they likely won't have much margin for error.

The Panthers have scored nine non-shootout goals during their win streak, but did end a three-game stretch without a power-play tally Thursday when Jonathan Huberdeau connected in the second period. It was a rare road man-advantage goal for Florida, which is 4 for 37 (10.8 percent) in those situations.

Still trying to dig out from a season-opening eight-game losing streak, Columbus (10-16-0) has been much better since with a 10-8-0 record. The Blue Jackets were really making strides with wins in six of eight games before losses at St. Louis and Montreal this week.

They scored a combined two goals in those defeats, were outshot 58-47, allowed two power-play goals and failed to convert on either of their opportunities.

A punchless power play has been a concern all season, and that unit is 0 for 19 over the past eight games after a 5-for-11 stretch last month.

"Our power play has gone dry, and we spent a number of minutes today working on that," coach John Tortorella told the team's official website after practice Thursday. "We need to get into a more shooting mentality on our power play."

Tortorella's team has turned around its fortunes at home, winning four of five after six consecutive losses there.

Sergei Bobrovsky has been in net for each of those games, posting a 1.59 GAA and one shutout. He's been just as good lately against the Panthers with wins in seven consecutive starts while compiling a 1.95 GAA.

Although Columbus plays at Philadelphia on Saturday, Bobrovsky has started on back-to-back days several times this season and is expected to get the nod.

The Blue Jackets had won 10 straight in this series before a 3-2 road loss Jan. 29. Bobrovsky got that night off as Florida notched its first win over Columbus since Nov. 21, 2007.

Panthers leading scorer Jaromir Jagr's next goal will be the 731st of his career, tying him with Marcel Dionne for fourth all-time.

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Preview: Blues (14-7) at Islanders (13-8)
Date: December 04, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The New York Islanders likely won't have the same intense atmosphere from their latest game to spur them on in their next.

The Islanders, though, have proved adept at winning lately regardless of the environment and seek a season high-tying fourth consecutive victory Friday night against the St. Louis Blues.

A visit from the New York Rangers on Wednesday gave the Islanders their second capacity crowd in their first 15 games at the Barclays Center, and they rewarded those fans with a 2-1 shootout victory over their rivals.

The other sellout was in their first game in Brooklyn on Oct. 9 against Chicago.

"It's a big win. ... I'm glad we were able to get the two points and certainly have our fans waking up strutting their step," captain John Tavares said. "We want to build on it. It's important not to have any letdown after this. We obviously have a tough weekend coming up."

The Islanders (14-8-4) are 4-0-1 in their last five, and their current win streak began with a 3-2 victory in Tampa Bay on Saturday. They opened a three-game homestand Monday with a 5-3 win over Colorado in front of 11,585 fans, 4,000 fewer than Wednesday night.

They could have a similar difference in crowd size during the visit from the inconsistent Blues (15-7-3).

St. Louis certainly has hardly wowed anyone recently by going 4-4-2 in its last 10 games. The Blues have alternated wins and losses in their past eight contests and fell 3-1 to visiting Florida on Tuesday.

"We wanted to play a slow east-west game and we couldn't. Until we switched all the lines up in the third period, we didn't dig in and play the way we needed to play," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Hopefully, we can get our game back in order for the weekend."

The Blues have totaled one goal in the opening period of their last four games and the Islanders took advantage of their slow start Oct. 24 in St. Louis to build a 2-0 lead after two periods.

The Blues rallied with Colton Parayko and Alexander Steen scoring in the third, but Mikhail Grabovski gave New York a 3-2 overtime win, ending the Islanders' five-game skid in the series.

They fell 6-4 on Dec. 6 in the Blues' lone visit last season, with Paul Stastny's second goal breaking a third-period tie. The veteran forward has five in his last five matchups.

Vladimir Tarasenko finished off the scoring in that win, but St. Louis' leading scorer is reportedly fighting an illness.

Should Tarasenko have to sit out, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will try to pick up the slack by adding to his two goals and seven assists in a five-game point streak against the Islanders. He had two goals and eight assists in an eight-game streak that ended Tuesday.

Kyle Okposo has three goals and five assists in a five-game point streak versus St. Louis. Tavares, who has scored a goal in each of his last three matchups with Blues, has seven goals and four assists in his last 11 overall contests.

St. Louis has won six of its final eight games at the Islanders' old Nassau Coliseum.

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Preview: Bruins (12-8) at Flames (8-14)
Date: December 04, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Although they had some more late heroics, the Boston Bruins couldn't extend their season-high winning streak when they faced one of the NHL's worst teams.

They'll see another one of the league's bottom feeders Friday night, but the Calgary Flames are in pursuit of their longest home win streak in three seasons.

Boston had won five in a row until a 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton on Wednesday in the opener of a three-game trip through Western Canada. Zdeno Chara scored the tying goal with 3:21 left in regulation, but the Bruins went 0 for 3 in the shootout.

"It's disappointing but we still have a chance to get five out of six points on the road," forward David Krejci said. "We've just got to be ready for the next game."

Boston's win streak nearly ended in each of the previous three games, beginning with a 4-3 shootout victory in Toronto on Nov. 23. Colin Miller had the tying score with 1:44 to go in regulation in a 3-2 overtime win at Detroit two days later, and the Bruins (13-8-2) scored two goals in the final four minutes of a 4-3 victory against the New York Rangers last Friday.

"I don't think you want to make that a habit. You're down one goal, and then all of a sudden, you just start playing like you should have been right off the bat," goaltender Tuukka Rask told the team's official website. "That's been the case a few times, here, and I think we have to fix that."

Boston owns one of the Eastern Conference's best road records at 8-2-1 but will have to snap Calgary's five-game home win streak to add to that.

The Flames (9-14-2) rallied for a 4-3 shootout win against Dallas to open a five-game homestand Tuesday and snap a string of three consecutive defeats. Calgary scored three times in the third period, and former Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton had the tying goal with 2:18 left in regulation.

"It's about the momentum," coach Bob Hartley said Wednesday. "You win, you need to keep building and keep working. Last night we played and got two points and now our focus is on Boston."

Calgary will seek its first six-game home win streak since taking eight in a row Feb. 23-March 27, 2013. The Flames swept last season's two matchups with Boston and avoided a third consecutive home loss in the series with a 4-3 overtime victory Feb. 16.

They also rallied from a 3-0 deficit in that game with Jiri Hudler scoring twice in the third period and T.J. Brodie netting the winning goal. It was among Calgary's franchise-record 10 third-period comebacks in 2014-15 that helped it reach the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

The Flames are currently tied for last place in the West with Edmonton.

"I still think there's that winning attitude in here and that sense we know what we have in this room and we can have the same kind of success and even more so than we had last year," forward Brandon Bollig told the team's official website.

Hamilton will face his former team for the first time since a draft-day trade that netted Boston a first-round pick and two second rounders. He paced all Bruins blueliners with 42 points last season and tied for the team lead with 32 assists.

Hudler had three goals and one assist in last season's series, but has one assist in his last five games. Chara has four goals and four assists in his past seven matchups with Calgary.

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Preview: Stars (19-5) at Oilers (7-15)
Date: December 04, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

The only teams that have been able to slip by the Dallas Stars this season are the ones who can score in bunches. The issue for the Edmonton Oilers is that a chunk of their offensive punch currently resides on the injury report.

The Stars look to continue improving on their already franchise-best start Friday night when they visit the Oilers, who are hoping not to sink without some of their biggest playmakers.

Dallas (20-5-1) picked up its 20th victory at the earliest point in franchise history Thursday with a 4-2 win at Vancouver. Patrick Sharp netted the game-winning goal with 5:59 left, while Valeri Nichushkin,Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza also scored.

The Stars avoided their first losing streak of the season and improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and 11-2-1 away from home.

"We're finding ourselves playing in these one-goal games late in the third period quite a bit lately, and we're coming out on the right side," Sharp said. "That's a good sign for our team going forward."

Dallas is 16-3-1 versus the Oilers since Jan. 22, 2010, and the Stars have won six of the last seven matchups in Edmonton - though the Oilers did win the last 4-0 on March 27.

The Stars took the first matchup this season 4-2 in Dallas on Oct. 13 behind a hat trick from Spezza, who has six goals in his last nine games.

Edmonton (9-15-2) might need a similar offensive boost to have a chance on Friday. Dallas has surrendered just 38 goals in its 20 wins, but has given up 29 in its six losses.

But the Oilers won't have Connor McDavid (collarbone), Nail Yakupov (ankle), Benoit Pouliot (lower body) and Rob Klinkhammer (leg), who hold murky timelines for their returns to take away a combined 37 points. Edmonton has averaged just 1.3 goals in its last six games and its power play is 0 for 8 in the last two.

A return home was just what Edmonton needed, though, after a 1-3-1 road trip. The Oilers opened a five-game homestand with Wednesday's 3-2 shootout victory over Boston, just their third win in the last 10 games.

Edmonton was shut out at Washington and Toronto to open and close its road trip, respectively, and the Oilers' lone win was a 3-2 shootout victory in Pittsburgh after they coughed up a 2-0 lead in regulation.

'We weren't at all pleased with how our road trip ended in Toronto,' coach Todd McLellan said. 'To come back and play and engage in a game against a big, physical team was something we needed.'

Anders Nilsson has been great in net and continued his push for the No. 1 job against the Bruins. He had 38 saves through overtime and then stopped all three shootout attempts to improve to 3-3-0 since Nov. 20 with a 1.80 goals-against average.

Dallas' Kari Lehtonen improved to 10-1-0 with Thursday's win in Vancouver, but it is unclear if he or Antti Niemi will start against the Oilers. Niemi is 11-1-2 with a 2.45 GAA in his career against Edmonton while with Chicago and San Jose, and Lehtonen holds a 13-4-1 record with a 2.32 GAA and while with Atlanta and Dallas.

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Preview: Sharks (13-10) at Ducks (8-12)
Date: December 04, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

After another subpar homestand, the San Jose Sharks appear to be in good position as they begin a road-heavy stretch in the schedule.

That's because the Sharks have won seven in a row away from home heading into Friday night's matchup with the struggling Anaheim Ducks.

San Jose swept a six-game trip before returning to the SAP Center and dropping two of three, including Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh. The Sharks are 10-3-0 on the road and 4-7-0 at home.

They outshot the Penguins 34-29 and scored a power-play goal for the fourth straight game, but trailed 2-0 after a pass deflected off defenseman Paul Martin's skate and went past Martin Jones before Matt Cullen banked a rebound from behind the net off Jones' pad and in.

'It's frustrating when you think you play well and you don't think it's a 5-1 game,' Martin said. 'There were some rebounds, some second-chance opportunities but it seemed like they were always there to slap it into the corner and make us start all over again.'

The seven-game road win streak is the Sharks' longest since a nine-game run in 2009-10, and they went 2-0-1 in three visits to Anaheim last season. Friday begins a stretch of eight road games in the next 10 for San Jose.

The Ducks (9-12-5) have dropped three of four following Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat to Tampa Bay. The result was especially disappointing after Anaheim had its most complete effort of the season in a 4-0 win over visiting Vancouver on Monday.

The Lightning handed Anaheim just its second regulation loss in the last 11 at home, even with the Ducks holding a 28-14 shot advantage over the final two periods.

'If you're looking for territorial edge or any of that, I thought we outplayed them,' coach Bruce Boudreau said. 'But in the end, we've got to come up with the win, and it seems to be eluding us on a regular basis. I mean, we can talk about how well we're playing against good teams and doing the right things, but the two points is most necessary at this point.'

Like the Sharks, Anaheim got a bad bounce when defenseman Cam Fowler's shot hit the post with 14 seconds left.

'There's a lot of good things that happened in that game, but when you give up two goals in the second period, it's tough,' said right wing Corey Perry, who scored his ninth goal. 'We were right there with them. If not for one bounce at the end of the game, it would have been a different story.'

These teams have met twice in San Jose this season. Patrick Marleau scored two goals to give the Sharks a 2-0 victory Oct. 10 and Perry scored in Anaheim's 1-0 win Nov. 7.

Jones started both games for San Jose and stopped 43 of 44 shots, while Frederik Andersen was in net for the Ducks' loss.

Andersen has missed the last five games while dealing with the flu and John Gibson has started the past four, going 1-2-1 with a 2.00 goals-against average.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (61) DALLAS@ (62) EDMONTON | 2015-12-04 21:05:00 - 2015-12-04 21:05:00
Play ON DALLAS using money line in All games in a road game where where the total is 5.5
The record is 33 Wins and 16 Losses for the last two seasons (+20.15 units)

NHL > (51) PHILADELPHIA@ (52) NEW JERSEY | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA using money line in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 5 Wins and 24 Losses for the last two seasons (-17.1 units)

NHL > (53) FLORIDA@ (54) COLUMBUS | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play ON COLUMBUS using money line in All games in December games
The record is 10 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.75 units)

-------------------------------

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (61) DALLAS@ (62) EDMONTON | 2015-12-04 21:05:00 - 2015-12-04 21:05:00
Play ON DALLAS in All games in a road game where where the total is 5.5
The record is 33 Wins and 16 Losses for the last two seasons (+20.15 units)

NHL > (51) PHILADELPHIA@ (52) NEW JERSEY | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 5 Wins and 24 Losses for the last two seasons (-17.1 units)

NHL > (53) FLORIDA@ (54) COLUMBUS | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play ON COLUMBUS in All games in December games
The record is 10 Wins and 3 Losses for the last two seasons (+10.75 units)

-------------------------------

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (55) ARIZONA@ (56) BUFFALO | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play OVER ARIZONA on the totalin Road games in December games
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the last three seasons (+8.8 units)

NHL > (51) PHILADELPHIA@ (52) NEW JERSEY | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play UNDER NEW JERSEY on the totalin Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 8 Overs and 27 Unders for the last three seasons (+18.3 units)

NHL > (53) FLORIDA@ (54) COLUMBUS | 2015-12-04 19:05:00 - 2015-12-04 19:05:00
Play OVER FLORIDA on the totalin All games when playing on back-to-back days
The record is 20 Overs and 6 Unders for the last three seasons (+14.5 units)

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

FLA at CLB 07:00 PM

FLA +147 DOUBLE PLAY


ARI at BUF 07:00 PM

BUF -149 OCTOPLAY


PHI at NJ 07:00 PM

PHI +117 *****


STL at NYI 07:30 PM

NYI -110 *****


BOS at CAL 09:00 PM

BOS -119 TRIPLE PLAY


DAL at EDM 09:00 PM

DAL -135 TRIPLE PLAY


SJ at ANA 10:00 PM

SJ +113 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Arizona gave Zack Greinke $206M for six years; more on this next week.

-- UNLV 80, Oregon 69-- Rebels are headed to the top 25.

-- BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall bolts for Virginia- interesting career change.

-- Browns are on fifth coach in eight years; Steelers have had three since 1969.

-- Canisius 96, Monmouth 86-- Bubble bursts for Hawks as MAAC play starts.

-- Get well soon, Sandy Alderson-- Mets' GM starts chemo next week after he was diagnosed with cancer.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Things I'm looking for this weekend.......

13) Seattle has led in 4th quarter of every game this year; they're on road for first time in five weeks. Minnesota has to win to stay atop NFC North after the Miracle in Motown Thursday night. QBs have similar style; this'll be a very good game.

12) Southern Mississippi won its last six games, scoring 48.2 ppg to get to C-USA title game with 9-3 record after being 4-32 SU the last three years; Western Kentucky won its last four games, scoring 50.5 ppg. USM is 9-2 vs spread this year, 4-1 as an underdog.

11) Houston won last four games, allowing 8.8 ppg; they're tied for first in division, would be Wild Card if playoffs started today. Buffalo just played three straight on road; they're not out of Wild Card race with win here.

10) Temple is 5-0 as an underdog this year, winning four, with only loss 24-20 to Notre Dame- their coach hasn't been mentioned for any of the openings yet. Houston managed to keep coach Herman away frm the SEC; this should be a fun game. .

9) Chiefs were + in turnovers seven games in row- they're +14 in turnovers their last five games. winning/covering all five, but defensive star Houston is out here and OL is banged up. Oakland is still in contention; they're 5-2 vs spread as underdogs.

8) Stanford won five of its last seven games with USC; they beat the Trojans 41-31 (+9.5) in LA Sept 19. USC changed coaches since then, has played better since Helton has been in charge. Stanford played Oregon/Cal/Notre Dame last three weeks, not the easiest stretch of games for a college team.

7) Arizona visits Gonzaga with big man Tarczewski (foot) out; good chance for the Zags to get some revenge for an OT loss in Tucson last year.

6) San Diego State lost at home to South Alabama Sept 19; they're won eight games in row since its 1-3 start, with all eight wins by 14+ points. Air Force won five of its last six games- they're 3-1 as an underdog.

5) Jets are +14 in turnovers in their six wins, -13 in five losses; they're 4-2 in Swamp this year- they covered one of last five games overall. Both teams call this stadium its home- jets are lucky it is a "Giant home game" giving them nine home games this year, plus a neutral field game in London that was a Miami home game originally.

4) Iowa is an underdog despite its 12-0 record; Michigan State won its two biggest games of the year without leading either one until the final play. Hawkeyes haven't won a bowl game since 2010; winner here probably makes the national playoff.

3) Indy is 4-0 when 40-year old backup Hasselbeck starts; they won last three games, covered last four- they're 5-0 vs spread as an underdog this year, but are 3-16 in last 19 games vs Steelers, losing 13 of last 15 visits to Steel City.

2) Alabama won SEC title game in '12/'14; they won last three games with Florida by average score of 37-12. Lot of dominos in coaching carousel are going to fall when this game ends. If Bama wins national title, will Saban go back to NFL?

1) Broncos won seven of last eight games with San Diego, is 2-0 with Osweiler as the starting QB; they've won last four visits to Qualcomm. Chargers snapped its skid last week after six losses in row- they're 0-8 if they score less than 30 points.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, December 5

Hot teams
-- Washington won last six games, four by 2+ goals.
-- Kings won three of last four games; their last three all went OT/SO.
-- Islanders won last four games, last two in SOs. Senators won five of their last seven games.
-- Canadiens won five of their last seven games.
-- Detroit won five of last seven games; seven of its last nine games went OT/SO.
-- Flyers won last four games, allowing seven goals.
-- Minnesota won last two games, allowing one goal. Avalanche won three of last four games.
-- Lightning won four of their last six games.

Cold teams
-- Winnipeg lost three of its last five games.
-- Penguins lost three of their last five games.
-- Toronto lost five of its last six games. Blues lost three of their last four.
-- Carolina lost four of its last five games.
-- Predators lost six of their last eight games.
-- Columbus lost last three games, scoring one goal in each.
-- Vancouver lost last four games, scoring five goals. Boston lost last two games; their last four on road went OT/SO.
-- Tampa Bay lost three of its last four games.

Series records
-- Jets lost eight of last nine games with Washington.
-- Kings lost five of last six games with Pittsburgh.
-- Maple Leafs lost their last four games with St Louis.
-- Islanders won four of last six games with Ottawa.
-- Canadiens won eight of last nine games with Carolina.
-- Red Wings won five of last seven games with Nashville.
-- Blue Jackets won seven of last eight games with Philly.
-- Avalanche lost seven of last eight games with Minnesota.
-- Canucks won four of last five games with Boston.
-- Sharks won five of last seven games with Tampa Bay.

Totals
-- Five of last six Winnipeg home games stayed under.
-- Under is 8-2-1 in Pittsburgh's road games.
-- Seven of last ten Toronto road games stayed under.
-- Last five Ottawa games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-2 in last ten Montreal-Carolina games.
-- Over is 4-0-2 in last six Detroit games.
-- Last five Columbus road games stayed under.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Minnesota home games.
-- Over is 5-1-3 in last nine Boston games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Tampa Bay road games.

Back-to-backs
-- St Louis is 2-1 when it played the night before.
-- Islanders are 3-2 if they played night before.
-- Columbus are 2-4 if they played night before.
-- Bruins are 2-0 if they played the night before.
-- San Jose are 2-1 if they played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, December 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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3:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. WINNIPEG
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games when playing Washington

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 4:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. LOS ANGELES
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Los Angeles is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. CAROLINA
Montreal is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Carolina
Montreal is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Carolina is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 7:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing Detroit
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Nashville
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 7:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 5 games when playing Ottawa
NY Islanders are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing NY Islanders

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 7:00 PM
TORONTO vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 7:30 PM
COLUMBUS vs. PHILADELPHIA
Columbus is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Philadelphia
Columbus is 3-6-1 SU in its last 10 games ,when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 8:00 PM
COLORADO vs. MINNESOTA
Colorado is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 10:00 PM
BOSTON vs. VANCOUVER
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
Vancouver is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games at home

See more trends!
DECEMBER 5, 10:30 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
San Jose is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
San Jose is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, December 5


Kris Letang, Pittsburgh - Doub Sat

Letang is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is not expected to play Saturday against the Kings.



NHL roundup: Isles edge Blues in shootout

NEW YORK -- Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo scored in the shootout on Friday night as the New York Islanders edged the St. Louis Blues 2-1 at the Barclays Center.

Nielsen and Okposo scored on the Islanders' only shots in the shootout as New York completed a perfect three-game homestand by winning its fourth straight game.

Mikhail Grabovski scored in the second period for the Islanders and Thomas Greiss finished with 31 saves.

Kevin Shattenkirk scored for the Blues, who have lost two in a row and seven of 11. Brian Elliott had 24 saves.

Panthers 2, Blue Jackets 1 (SO)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Aleksander Barkov scored off his backhand in the fourth round of a shootout, leading Florida over Columbus before 14,062 in Nationwide Arena.

The Panthers have won five straight for the first time since Dec. 10-19, 2013. The Blue Jackets lost three straight for the first time since coach John Tortorella took over on Oct. 21.

Vincent Trocheck scored his eighth goal of the season for Florida, while Al Montoya -- giving starter Roberto Luongo a breather -- finished with 22 saves. Michael Chaput scored for the Blue Jackets, while Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 30 saves.

Flyers 4, Devils 3 (OT)

NEWARK, N.J. -- Matt Read's goal with 1:36 left in overtime lifted Philadelphia over New Jersey at the Prudential Center.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux also scored for Philadelphia, which won a season-high four in a row. Jakub Voracek finished with two assists and Michal Neuvirth made 15 saves.

Stefan Matteau, Kyle Palmieri and Mike Cammalleri scored for the Devils and Cory Schneider stopped 21 of 25 shots.

Sabres 5, Coyotes 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. Evander Kane scored two goals to lead Buffalo over Arizona.

Sam Reinhart, Jamie McGinn and Marcus Foligno also scored for the Sabres, while Chad Johnson made 18 saves.

Max Domi scored twice for the Coyotes and Mike Smith made 23 saves.

Oilers 2, Stars 1 (OT)

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Jordan Eberle scored 45 seconds into overtime and Edmonton topped Dallas.

The Oilers, having just beaten the Boston Bruins, posted their second upset in three days and won back-to-back games for only the second time this season. The win came in large part to the efforts of goaltender Anders Nilsson, who made 42 saves.

Taylor Hall scored in regulation for the Oilers and Mattias Jankmark scored for the Stars.

Flames 5, Bruins 4 (OT)

CALGARY, Alberta -- Johnny Gaudreau scored his third goal of the night with 1:40 remaining in overtime to give Calgary a win over Boston at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jiri Hudler had tied the game during a scramble with 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation time while Mark Giordano also scored for Calgary.

Brad Marchand scored two goals and Matt Beleskey, Zdeno Chara scored one each for Boston.

Ducks 1, Sharks 0

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Santorelli scored early in the third period to give Anaheim a victory over San Jose at the Honda Center.

John Gibson made 23 saves for his second shutout in three games as the Ducks gave the Sharks their third loss in four games.

Santorelli scored his fourth goal of the season 2:49 into the final period. Nate Thompson secured the puck behind the net and passed to Santorelli, who dragged a wrist shot from the right circle inside the right post.