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

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NHL

Thursday, December 10

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
MONTREAL vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Montreal's last 9 games on the road
Montreal is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home

7:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Ottawa is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Ottawa
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. FLORIDA
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 7 games when playing Washington
Florida is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 10 games on the road
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nashville's last 8 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago

8:00 PM
COLUMBUS vs. WINNIPEG
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Columbus's last 9 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games at home

8:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. ST. LOUIS
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 8 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis's last 8 games when playing Philadelphia
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

9:00 PM
BUFFALO vs. CALGARY
Buffalo is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Calgary's last 16 games at home
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

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NHL

Thursday, December 10


NHL roundup: Oilers pull out OT win

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Todd McLellan is the winningest coach in San Jose Sharks' team history. On Wednesday, the new Edmonton Oilers coach learned out what it was like to beat the Sharks.

Left winger Taylor Hall converted a picture-perfect pass from center Leon Draisaitl to give the Oilers the overtime winner, a 4-3 decision over the Sharks.

It was the first time the Oilers had faced the Sharks in the regular season since McLellan took over as Edmonton's coach. He spent seven seasons with the Sharks, but he and the organization agreed to part ways after the 2014-15 season.

The overtime came after a wild third period. The Oilers entered the third nursing a 1-0 lead thanks to a marker from Draisaitl, but then the two teams exploded to combine for five goals in the third and sent the game to overtime, tied 3-3.

Bruins 3, Canadiens 1

MONTREAL -- Three unanswered third-period goals lifted Boston to a win over Montreal at the Bell Centre.

Tuukka Rask stopped 31 shots for the Bruins, who snapped a seven-game losing streak versus the Canadiens. Mike Condon made 20 saves for Montreal.

Loui Eriksson, Landon Ferraro and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston.

Paul Byron replied for the Canadiens, who lost three straight for the first time this season.

Byron's fourth of the season opened the scoring at 8:49 of the first period. After center Tomas

Penguins 4, Avalanche 2

DENVER -- Beau Bennett scored twice during a three-goal flurry in the third period, and Pittsburgh beat Colorado.

Olli Maatta got the game winner when the Penguins scored three times in a span of 3:24 to beat the Avalanche. Matt Cullen also scored and Patric Hornqvist had two assists for the Penguins.

Matt Duchene and Erik Johnson scored for Colorado.

Canucks 2, Rangers 1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Daniel Sedin scored midway through the third period to break a tie and give Vancouver a win over the New York Rangers.

Alex Edler scored on a power play and added an assist for the Canucks. Center Henrik Sedin had two assists for Vancouver.

Dan Boyle scored for the Rangers on a penalty shot.

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NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 10

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OTTAWA (15-8-0-5, 35 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (13-12-0-3, 29 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 26-16 ATS (+9.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 0-5 ATS (-7.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 4-5 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 5-4-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

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MONTREAL (19-7-0-3, 41 pts.) at DETROIT (15-8-0-5, 35 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 75-48 ATS (+14.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 43-23 ATS (+12.8 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 12-5 ATS (+17.3 Units) in road games when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 17-8 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 86-63 ATS (+150.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
MONTREAL is 35-23 ATS (+11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 20-10 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 22-27 ATS (-10.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 28-34 ATS (-29.5 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 20-29 ATS (-17.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 7-2 (+5.2 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-2-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

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WASHINGTON (19-5-0-2, 40 pts.) at FLORIDA (13-11-0-4, 30 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 25-22 ATS (+50.8 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 100-146 ATS (+266.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
FLORIDA is 146-177 ATS (-54.0 Units) in home games first half of the season since 1996.
FLORIDA is 186-251 ATS (+478.2 Units) after a division game since 1996.
FLORIDA is 8-19 ATS (-12.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 2-11 ATS (+14.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-2 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 5-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)

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CHICAGO (15-9-0-4, 34 pts.) at NASHVILLE (14-9-0-5, 33 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 196-154 ATS (+34.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 178-157 ATS (+351.7 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 7-9 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-7-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.5 Units)

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PHILADELPHIA (11-11-0-6, 28 pts.) at ST LOUIS (16-8-0-4, 36 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 44-66 ATS (+111.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 13-26 ATS (-13.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 74-52 ATS (+19.2 Units) in road games in December games since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-0 ATS (+4.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-0 ATS (+4.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 2-2-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.2 Units)

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COLUMBUS (11-16-0-2, 24 pts.) at WINNIPEG (13-13-0-2, 28 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 4-1 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 4-1-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.5 Units)

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BUFFALO (11-14-0-3, 25 pts.) at CALGARY (11-14-0-2, 24 pts.) - 12/10/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 0-14 ATS (+26.9 Units) in road games in December games over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 61-59 ATS (+147.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 18-6 ATS (+11.5 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 3-1 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 3-1-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.1 Units)

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NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, December 10


Montreal @ Detroit

Game 53-54
December 10, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
13.088
Detroit
11.117
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
-160
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(+140); Over

Washington @ Florida

Game 55-56
December 10, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
12.830
Florida
11.414
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-145); Under

Chicago @ Nashville

Game 57-58
December 10, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
9.796
Nashville
12.205
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-120); Over

Philadelphia @ St. Louis

Game 59-60
December 10, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
12.050
St. Louis
11.124
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-200
5
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+170); Over

Columbus @ Winnipeg

Game 61-62
December 10, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.016
Winnipeg
9.896
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
N/A

Buffalo @ Calgary

Game 63-64
December 10, 2015 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Buffalo
8.552
Calgary
9.984
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Calgary
by 1 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
-170
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Calgary
(-170); Over

Ottawa @ Tampa Bay

Game 51-52
December 10, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
10.969
Tampa Bay
10.016
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(+135); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, December 10

Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 7:35 PM ET
Ottawa: 26-16 SU after a division game
Tampa Bay: 1-8 SU after playing 2 consecutive road games

Montreal at Detroit, 7:35 PM ET
Montreal: 12-5 SU in road games when playing on back-to-back days
Detroit: 20-29 SU vs. division opponents

Washington at Florida, 7:35 PM ET
Washington: 12-2 SU after playing a home game
Florida: 1-7 SU in home games after playing a home game

Chicago at Nashville, 8:05 PM ET
Chicago: 12-25 SU off 2 consecutive home wins by 2 goals or more
Nashville: 15-5 SU revenging a loss where team scored 1 or less goals

Philadelphia at St Louis, 8:05 PM ET
Philadelphia: 13-26 SU after a division game
St Louis: 5-1 SU after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game

Columbus at Winnipeg, 8:05 PM ET
Columbus: N/A
Winnipeg: N/A

Buffalo at Calgary, 9:05 PM ET
Buffalo: 5-32 SU in road games after having lost 2 of their last 3
Calgary: 10-3 SU at home after scoring 4 goals or more in 2 straight game

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Capitals (17-5) at Panthers (10-11)
Date: December 10, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals continue to earn points during the early stages of a road-heavy stretch and appear to have a promising chance to extend two impressive streaks Thursday night

The surging Capitals carry a 14-game point streak against the Florida Panthers and seven-game road run in the series into this matchup.

Washington (19-5-2) defeated Detroit 3-2 in a shootout at home Tuesday to give it a 7-0-1 mark in its last eight games, avoiding its first consecutive losses of the season in the process. Alex Ovechkin ended a three-game goal drought by tying it with 9:09 left in regulation and T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored in the tiebreaker.

"You talk about trying to learn killer instinct. I think we've learned that. It shows in our record when down after two periods," coach Barry Trotz said. "I don't think there's a better team that has come back in as many games as we have to get wins. There's some growth in the group for sure."

That matchup with the Red Wings was among just five home games Washington will play in a 19-game span Nov. 28-Jan. 9. Detroit, which played three straight on the road before Tuesday, is opening another three-game trip.

The Capitals, 4-0-1 in their last five on the road, have gone 5-0-2 in the past seven at Sunrise and 12-0-2 in the last 14 overall matchups.

Those games haven't been nearly as lopsided as the final results would indicate, however. Each of the last eight meetings have been decided by one goal, and four of them went to a shootout.

The clubs played beyond regulation for the fifth time in that span in Washington's 2-1 overtime road victory Oct. 31. Jay Beagle scored the tying goal in the third period and Kuznetsov had the winner.

Capitals backup Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots in that contest, but workhorse No. 1 Braden Holtby is expected to make his ninth straight start Thursday. Holtby, 9-0-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average in his last 10 starts and 11-1-1 with a 1.74 mark in the past 13, is 7-0-1 with a 2.48 GAA in eight all-time matchups with Florida.

In contrast, the Panthers' Roberto Luongo has struggled to keep the puck out of the net in his past two starts after a strong stretch that preceded it. He went 4-1-0 with a 1.42 GAA in five starts before giving up seven goals in back-to-back losses.

Luongo yielded two of Ottawa's three third-period goals in a 4-2 loss Tuesday.

The Panthers also allowed the Senators score twice on the power play after killing off all 20 penalties in their previous seven games. Washington has gone 8 for 21 with the man advantage in its last six.

"It was just little breakdowns. I thought we worked hard for most of the game but it was little things, especially on special teams," forward Logan Shaw said. "We've know we've got to be better."

Luongo was also on the bench for the season's first matchup with Washington. He's 15-1-0 with a 2.22 GAA in his last 17 meetings.

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

The Tampa Bay Lightning were pleased with their effort despite failing to sweep a three-game trip that began a stretch of six of eight away from home.

They get two chances to build on that performance in California before heading out on the road again, starting with Thursday night's matchup against an Ottawa Senators team that hasn't won in regulation at Amalie Arena in nearly four years.

Tampa Bay (13-12-3) won 2-1 in Anaheim to avoid a third straight loss last Wednesday before holding off San Jose 4-3 on Saturday, scoring its most goals in five games. The Lightning, though, allowed Los Angeles to score twice in a 3:08 span of the second period the next day to conclude their trip with a 3-1 loss.

'I thought we actually played pretty well,' said Ben Bishop, who replaced backup Andrei Vasilevskiy after he allowed two goals on 10 shots. ' ... It stinks losing the last one and flying home, but it's a good road trip anytime you get four points out there.'

Despite Bishop's positive demeanor, the Lightning had another poor offensive showing in the finale. They went 0 for 6 with the man advantage and rank near the bottom of the NHL with a 16.5 power-play percentage.

Tampa Bay is also among the lowest-scoring teams in the league with 2.32 goals per game after leading the NHL with a 3.16 mark last season.

Help could be on the way against Ottawa (15-8-5) after forward Ondrej Palat practiced for the second time Wednesday since suffering a lower-body injury Nov. 7 at Minnesota. Palat has two goals and five assists in 16 games.

"Anytime you miss a few guys, it hurts special teams. It hurts five on five," center Steven Stamkos told the Lightning's official website. "When you're struggling to score goals, anytime you can get some offensive guys back in the lineup, with the way things have been going, obviously we'll take it."

Stamkos leads Tampa Bay with 11 goals but has none in six straight games. He's scored four times and added four assists in his last six at home in this series.

Tampa Bay has done a good job of picking up points recently against Ottawa, going 3-0-3 in the last six matchups and 6-1-3 in 10. The Lightning are 5-0-2 in the past seven meetings at home.

The Senators enter this one with three wins in four games following Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Florida in the second stop on a four-game trip. Ottawa trailed 2-1 heading into the third period before scoring three times, including Mike Hoffman's go-ahead goal with 5:37 left.

"We needed that one," center Zack Smith told the Senators' official website after scoring his seventh goal. "These road trips are important. We play a lot of games this month and we want to make sure we're ready to go every night."

Hoffman has 11 goals in his last 11 games and leads Ottawa with 15 after scoring a team-best 27 times last season.

'I don't know, the puck just seems to sometimes get to you and when you're streaking it seems a lot easier,' said Hoffman, who has been held to one assist in seven games against Tampa Bay.

Bishop is 6-0-3 with a 2.25 goals-against average versus Ottawa, while Craig Anderson - who has started the last 12 games for the Senators - is 7-2-3 with a 1.68 GAA against the Lightning.

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Preview: Canadiens (18-7) at Red Wings (14-8)
Date: December 10, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

What goes up, must come down. Vice versa, too.

The once-cold Detroit Red Wings are riding their longest point streak in almost six years and could send the suddenly slumping Montreal Canadiens to their lengthiest drought in nearly two.

If the Red Wings can continue their surge Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena, they could avoid recording their worst losing streak in 89 years of this Original Six rivalry.

After an inconsistent first six weeks of the season which included a 1-5-1 slump in October, Detroit has rattled off an 11-game point streak over the last three weeks. The Red Wings (15-8-5) are 7-0-4 during that span for their longest point streak since a 10-0-2 spurt March 11-April 3, 2010.

Detroit ranked toward the bottom of the NHL with 2.18 goals per game through Nov. 15 but has since averaged 3.18. The offense exploded with 14 goals on a three-game winning streak, which looked as if it might extend to four Tuesday at Washington.

Instead, the Capitals rallied to hand the Red Wings a 3-2 shootout loss, only their fourth game with fewer than three goals in the last 11.

The point streak remains thanks in large part to Jimmy Howard. Granted, he was beaten midway through the third period to force overtime and allowed goals on both shootout attempts, but Howard finished with a season-high 38 saves.

'I think when you get to overtime, when you get to shootout you're leaving it to chance a little bit,' coach Jeff Blashill said. 'That's the reality of life sometimes.'

The Canadiens (19-7-3) were the highest-scoring team in the league with 3.54 goals per game through Nov. 27, but they have totaled just nine in their last five games.

The last three contests were regulation losses, and Montreal hasn't gone longer without recording a point since a four-game slide Jan. 18-25, 2014.

The Canadiens held a one-goal lead well into the third period Wednesday against Boston but came away with a 3-1 home loss.

"I'm not worried," defenseman P.K. Subban told the Canadiens' official website. "There's a lot of hockey left to be played. The good thing is that we turn around and have a game (Thursday) against a good team. ... That's all I'm looking forward to now, the next game."

That next one comes against a team Montreal has beaten seven straight times. The only other time the Canadiens won that many in a row over the Red Wings was a seven-game streak spanning 1943 and '44.

Tomas Plekanec has keyed the Canadiens' current run in the series with at least point in all seven games, totaling six goals and four assists, but he hasn't scored in 13 straight games.

Montreal won 4-1 at home Oct. 17 in the only meeting this season for the sixth of nine consecutive regulation wins to open the season.

Petr Mrazek allowed three goals on 40 shots that day, and it's unclear if he will make his second career start against the Canadiens. Howard has lost his last five starts against them, posting a 3.25 goals-against average.

Dustin Tokarski will make his first start in net this season for Montreal, which remains without injured star goalie Carey Price. Tokarski relieved Mike Condon in a 6-1 loss to Colorado on Nov. 14 in his only appearance, finishing with 11 saves while allowing two goals.

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Preview: Flyers (10-11) at Blues (15-8)
Date: December 10, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The St. Louis Blues snapped a season-high three-game losing streak their last time out. They're now looking to win a second straight for the first time in a month by sending the Philadelphia Flyers to a third straight loss.

The Blues hit the midway point of a five-game homestand trying to break a stunning streak of recent offensive futility against the Flyers on Thursday night.

Alexander Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the second period to help the Blues (16-8-4) rally for a 4-1 win over Arizona on Tuesday. Kevin Shattenkirk and David Backes also scored and Jake Allen made 22 saves for St. Louis, which scored one goal in each game of the three-game skid.

'We have a solid hockey club, a very mentally strong (group). We take care of stuff in here,' Steen said.

'There's going to be lulls and times where for whatever reason things aren't in sync like they usually are. We had a couple games, but we just regrouped. We've been better in practice and kind of grabbed it. Today was good."

The Blues had been 2-2-3 over the past seven and 4-5-3 in 12. They're looking for their first back-to-back victories since a three-game run Nov. 4-10.

'We needed to get back on the right track, and we needed our best players to be our best players and if you look at who scored the goals, you look at who played well, it's all the guys that have been through this before,' said coach Ken Hitchcock, whose team improved to 8-0-1 when leading after two periods.

Hitchcock's club continued to struggle on the power play, though. St. Louis went 0 for 3 to leave it at 0 for 10 in the past four games and 2 for 17 in eight. It's converted 16.5 percent of its chances this season, near the bottom of the NHL.

The penalty killing has helped make up for it. The Blues have killed off 12 straight short-handed situations and are among the league leaders at 86.9 percent.

Philadelphia (11-11-6) had been rolling along until its last two games, carrying a four-game winning streak into matchups with struggling Columbus on Saturday and the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Flyers are now left trying to avoid an extended skid, having lost 4-1 to the Blue Jackets and 4-3 in a shootout to the Islanders.

Philadelphia fell Tuesday despite a 46-26 shot advantage, including 17-5 in the second period when it scored only once.

'We deserved better tonight,' coach Dave Hakstol said. 'Everybody was moving, jumping, playing with tenacity. It's a good formula.'

Hakstol pulled Steve Mason early in the second period after he gave up three goals on 10 shots, and Michal Neuvirth provided a spark by stopping all 16 he faced. Despite that effort, Mason is expected to return to the net Thursday.

He'll try to extend the Blues' recent offensive struggles in the series. St. Louis has gone 2-2-0 in the past four meetings despite totaling two non-shootout goals. The last two matchups at Scottrade Center have been decided by 1-0 scores in a shootout.

Brian Elliott, who gets the nod in goal Thursday, earned the win in the most recent of those March 12 with 28 saves. He bested Mason, who stopped 35 shots and has gone 3-0-1 with a 0.62 goals-against average in his last five games against the Blues.

St. Louis has won four in a row at home over the Flyers.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blackhawks (15-9) at Predators (12-9)
Date: December 10, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Playing one of his best games of the season, Corey Crawford heard Chicago Blackhawks fans cheer his name in the opener of a home-and-home series with the Nashville Predators.

Crawford also heard his name called by the hometown fans the last time these teams met in Nashville, albeit in a taunting manner.

While Patrick Kane looks to extend his point streak to 24 games, expected starter Crawford tries to lead the Blackhawks to a sweep of this set Thursday night in the first meeting in Nashville since the postseason.

Two days after stopping 30 shots in a 3-1 win over Winnipeg, Crawford made 36 saves in Tuesday's 4-1 home victory over the Predators. Crawford, who has yielded two goals or less in five of his last six starts, made a couple of key saves on breakaways and rebounds from close range.

Coach Joel Quenneville called Crawford's performance "spectacular," and Kane echoed that sentiment.

"You come to expect it from Crow," Kane said. "He's a big part of our team and keeps us in a lot of games when we give up some things. Nothing we're not used to seeing."

Kane again waited until the final moments to extend his streak, tallying an empty-net goal with 1:36 left. He broke Bobby Hull's franchise record of 22 consecutive games with a point Sunday with a legal hand pass on Artemi Panarin's empty-netter with 46 seconds remaining.

"If it ends it ends," said Kane, whose 17th goal of the season was his 600th NHL point. "Obviously you want to keep producing and keep creating for your team, but if it's over now I think it's been a pretty good run."

The Blackhawks (15-9-4) pushed their run against the Predators (14-9-5) in the regular season to three games and have won seven of nine meetings, which includes April's first-round playoff series.

This will be Crawford's first appearance in Nashville since giving up six goals in a Game 2 loss. That came two days after he surrendered three goals on 12 shots and was pulled after the first period in the opener.

He has a 6.75 goals-against average and .797 save percentage in his last three games in Nashville.

Predators counterpart Pekka Rinne is in the midst of his own rough patch, going 1-5-2 with a 3.14 GAA in his last eight games.

Rinne gave up a power-play goal to Andrew Shaw on Tuesday as Nashville's struggles while short-handed continued. Losers of eight of 11, the Predators have killed just 11 of 20 penalties in the last seven games and are in danger of allowing a man-advantage goal in eight straight for the first time since December 2009.

"We're going through a bit of a tough stretch right now," Nashville defenseman Seth Jones told the Blackhawks' official website. "It's not due to lack of effort, I think, or guys not giving it their all. It's just kind of the way it's going right now."

There's no lack of intensity in the offensive zone, as the Predators are averaging 35.2 shots in the last five games. Their average of 31.5 shots is one of the league's best marks, but they have one of the worst shooting percentages at 8.1.

"You can sit here and say we're getting chances, but who cares, we're not winning games, we're not scoring goals," captain Shea Weber told the Predators' official website. "That's the bottom line - it's not good enough."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jackets (11-16) at Jets (13-13)
Date: December 10, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Winnipeg Jets are spending most of a two-week stretch at home and they look forward to putting the time there to good use.

The Jets will begin a back-to-back set Thursday night when they host a Columbus Blue Jackets club that could be without starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Winnipeg (13-13-2) has three days off before this game before facing Chicago on Friday. The Blackhawks' game is the only road one for the Jets between Dec. 7-20, and the club feels rested and ready.

"I think our game is getting a lot stronger with that time, get a little practice time, sleep in the same bed for a few nights in a row, those things are sometimes overlooked but I think November was a grueling month for a lot of reasons so I think we're coming out on the other side of it," said Blake Wheeler, who has a team-high 27 points.

Jets coach Paul Maurice figures to give Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson one start apiece in the next two, though he did not indicate who will get the nod Thursday. The rookie Hellebuyck is 3-0-0 with a 0.97 goals-against average in three starts while Hutchinson has posted a 3.59 GAA in losing his last four.

Maurice indicated that Hutchinson faced more quality chances in stopping 29 of 31 shots in Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Chicago than Hellebuyck did in his 37-save performance in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over Washington.

"The last two games are played against really skilled teams," Maurice said. "We actually gave up probably more in the Washington game than the Chicago game so the numbers don't say we play differently in front of the two."

Columbus (11-16-2) may not have Bobrovsky, who has started a league-high 25 games. He exited Tuesday's 3-2 overtime defeat to Los Angeles in the third period with an undisclosed injury after stopping 33 of 34 shots.

Backup Curtis McElhinney fell to 0-4-1 after blowing a one-goal lead by allowing two goals on seven shots.

'I'll tell you what impact Bob had on the game,' coach John Tortorella said. 'We don't have a chance. I mean we're not even close if it isn't for Bob. We're down four or five goals going into that third period if we don't have Bob.'

McElhinney hasn't won a start in regulation since Feb. 19. He is 2-9-1 with a 3.15 GAA in his next 12, winning a pair of shootouts.

The Blue Jackets were outshot 41-23, leaving Tortorella incensed.

"We should be embarrassed," he told the club's official website. "I am totally embarrassed by the way we played."

Scott Hartnell has two goals and two assists in his last two games for the Blue Jackets, who will try to avenge a 3-2 home loss to Winnipeg on Oct. 31. Wheeler and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist in a three-goal first period in the Jets' third straight win in the series.

Wheeler will try to start a new streak after his six-game run with at least one point ended Sunday. He has five points in the three-game run over Columbus.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sabres (10-14) at Flames (10-14)
Date: December 10, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Continued success at home has propelled the Calgary Flames to a modest winning streak that also happens to be their longest of the season.

The Flames can record a fourth straight victory by extending their run at home to eight Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres, whom they've dominated at the Saddledome in recent years.

Though still among the NHL's bottom dwellers, Calgary (11-14-2) has gone 8-5-1 since a slow start, defeating San Jose 4-2 at home Tuesday to continue its improved play.

While its win streak is short in length, it's huge for the psyche of a club that had high expectations after snapping a five-year playoff drought last season.

"It's like a boxer that takes a real good one on the jaw in the first second of a fight," coach Bob Hartley told the Flames' official website. "Right now, we're pulling out of the hole that we created for ourselves ... I like the way we're progressing as a team."

That progression has yielded the seven-game run at home - the club's longest since winning eight straight Feb. 23-March 27, 2013. Mikael Backlund had a goal and an assist Tuesday while Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman each added two assists in the Flames' first regulation victory in seven games.

'Winning seven in a row at home gives you a nice confidence boost,' said Backlund, who has half of his four goals in the last three games. "We've been playing some good hockey."

Calgary has 12 non-shootout goals in the first three games of this five-game homestand. It scored 19 in dropping six of the previous nine overall.

"We knew we had a good team," Backlund said. "What we did last year was really good and we wanted to build on that. Having this streak at home is huge for us. We always hoped we'd have a good season and always believed in ourselves."

The Flames' league-worst power play, however, has gone 2 for 35 in the last 10 games after scoring once on seven chances against the Sharks.

Buffalo (11-14-3) has allowed one power-play goal in four of the last five contests.

The Sabres fell to Edmonton and Vancouver in the first two of their three-game trip, and they've been outscored 21-7 during a five-game skid at Calgary. Buffalo has lost seven of eight there, scoring two or fewer goals in each game.

The Sabres opened the scoring in the last two games but failed to take further advantage.

'We want better within this room,' said veteran forward Brian Gionta, who scored Buffalo's first goal in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Canucks. "We know we're capable of that, so that's why it's so disappointing.'

The Sabres also need to improve defensively, having allowed 15 non-shootout goals in the past four games.

Rookie Linus Ullmark made 26 saves Monday and has a 3.23 goals-against average while losing his last six starts. Teammate Chad Johnson posted a 1.33 GAA during a three-game winning streak that ended with Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers, and he's expected to start this game.

Gionta has two goals and two assists in the last six contests.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (63) BUFFALO@ (64) CALGARY | 2015-12-10 21:05:00 - 2015-12-10 21:05:00
Play AGAINST BUFFALO using money line in Road games in December games
The record is 0 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (-14.05 units)

NHL > (51) OTTAWA@ (52) TAMPA BAY | 2015-12-10 19:35:00 - 2015-12-10 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TAMPA BAY using money line in All games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 0 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (-7.8 units)

NHL > (61) COLUMBUS@ (62) WINNIPEG | 2015-12-10 20:05:00 - 2015-12-10 20:05:00
Play ON COLUMBUS using money line in All games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 19 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+15.55 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (63) BUFFALO@ (64) CALGARY | 2015-12-10 21:05:00 - 2015-12-10 21:05:00
Play AGAINST BUFFALO in Road games in December games
The record is 0 Wins and 14 Losses for the last three seasons (-14.05 units)

NHL > (51) OTTAWA@ (52) TAMPA BAY | 2015-12-10 19:35:00 - 2015-12-10 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TAMPA BAY in All games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 0 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (-7.8 units)

NHL > (61) COLUMBUS@ (62) WINNIPEG | 2015-12-10 20:05:00 - 2015-12-10 20:05:00
Play ON COLUMBUS in All games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 19 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+15.55 units)

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

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (63) BUFFALO@ (64) CALGARY | 2015-12-10 21:05:00 - 2015-12-10 21:05:00
Play OVER BUFFALO on the totalin All games in December games
The record is 14 Overs and 2 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.45 units)

NHL > (57) CHICAGO@ (58) NASHVILLE | 2015-12-10 20:05:00 - 2015-12-10 20:05:00
Play OVER NASHVILLE on the totalin Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Overs and 4 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.65 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Recapping last nights action:

NBA............... 4 - 1

CBB................4 - 2 - 0

NHL................1 - 4

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

OTT at TB 07:30 PM

OTT +166 TRIPLE PLAY

O 5.5


MON at DET 07:30 PM

DET -130 TRIPLE PLAY

O 5.5


WAS at FLA 07:30 PM

WAS -145 TRIPLE PLAY

U 5.0 TRIPLE PLAY


CHI at NAS 08:00 PM

CHI +111

O 5.0


PHI at STL 08:00 PM

PHI +149

U 5.0 TRIPLE PLAY


CLB at WIN 08:00 PM

WIN -158 TRIPLE PLAY

U 5.5


BUF at CAL 09:00 PM

CAL -163 TRIPLE PLAY

U 5.5