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

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Islanders (33-19) at Oilers (22-34)
Date: February 28, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

Paced by the play of Jaroslav Halak, the New York Islanders couldn't ask for a better start to their longest road trip of the season.

Halak and the Islanders can improve to 4-0-0 on the trek and end their struggles at Edmonton by handing the Oilers an eighth consecutive defeat Sunday night.

The 10-year veteran had a 4.26 goals-against average while going 1-4-0 from Jan. 25-Feb. 13, then was benched for the next two games in favor of Thomas Greiss. Halak returned to the starting role for this seven-game trip and has led New York (33-19-7) to wins in the first three, allowing a combined two goals and posting a .978 save percentage.

'Your goalie has to fight for his space,' coach Jack Capuano said. 'I'm not a goalie coach but I do know if you sit back, you're in trouble. You've got to get out, you have to challenge, you have to hack and whack at certain times in front to protect your area and he's done that.'

The Islanders will try for an eighth win in 10 games while looking to extend their point streak to six games after Halak made 31 saves and Josh Bailey scored late in overtime of Thursday's 2-1 victory at Calgary.

"This is how a lot of these games go down the stretch," Bailey told the NHL's official website. "They are battles to the bitter end. You want to find a way to come out on top and I'm glad we did."

The unit that's killed an NHL-best 87.4 percent of its penalties has helped Halak by taking care of all eight on the trip.

Halak has a 1.86 GAA while winning six of seven starts against the Oilers (22-34-7), but he watched as Greiss made 30 saves in an 8-1 rout of Edmonton on Feb. 7 that began the Islanders' current 7-1-1 stretch. Kyle Okposo had a hat trick but has failed to score since that game.

John Tavares had a goal and two assists, giving him 10 points in seven games against the Oilers. He has eight goals and 11 assists in his last 14 overall.

New York has managed seven goals during an 0-4-1 slide at Edmonton, but the Oilers have dropped five straight at home and allowed 17 goals over the last four.

That's part of a seven-game losing streak overall which is their longest of the season. Edmonton has been held to one goal in three consecutive contests and seven times during a 1-8-2 stretch while going 3 for 33 on the power play.

Coach Todd McLellan, however, was pleased with the overall effort from back-to-back 2-1 road losses this week against the Pacific Division's top teams - Los Angeles and Anaheim.

'I think we have become a pretty scrappy team," said McLellan, whose club recorded a season-low 18 shots in Friday's overtime loss to the Ducks.

"We're stepping into the ring with Muhammad Ali right now with some of these teams and we're able to stay in until the late rounds. That's not good enough. We've got to find ways to win.'

Star rookie Connor McDavid has been held without a point in back-to-back contests for the first time in 13 games since missing almost three months with a broken clavicle. He has four goals with eight assists in seven home games since returning and also scored at New York this month.

With more trades likely to come, Edmonton announced Saturday it dealt backup goalie Anders Nilsson to St. Louis for minor-league netminder Niklas Lundstrom and a draft pick.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (5) FLORIDA@ (6) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-28 15:05:00 - 2016-02-28 15:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 1 Wins and 9 Losses for the this season (-12.85 units)

NHL > (9) SAN JOSE@ (10) VANCOUVER | 2016-02-28 19:05:00 - 2016-02-28 19:05:00
Play ON VANCOUVER using money line in Home games after 3 or more consecutive overs
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+9 units)

NHL > (1) WASHINGTON@ (2) CHICAGO | 2016-02-28 12:35:00 - 2016-02-28 12:35:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in all games
The record is 45 Wins and 15 Losses for the this season (+22.1 units)

NHL > (5) FLORIDA@ (6) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-28 15:05:00 - 2016-02-28 15:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games second half of the season
The record is 7 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (-16.4 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (5) FLORIDA@ (6) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-28 15:05:00 - 2016-02-28 15:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in Home games second half of the season
The record is 1 Wins and 9 Losses for the this season (-12.85 units)

NHL > (9) SAN JOSE@ (10) VANCOUVER | 2016-02-28 19:05:00 - 2016-02-28 19:05:00
Play ON VANCOUVER in Home games after 3 or more consecutive overs
The record is 9 Wins and 0 Losses for the last two seasons (+9 units)

NHL > (1) WASHINGTON@ (2) CHICAGO | 2016-02-28 12:35:00 - 2016-02-28 12:35:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in all games
The record is 45 Wins and 15 Losses for the this season (+22.1 units)

NHL > (5) FLORIDA@ (6) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-28 15:05:00 - 2016-02-28 15:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in All games second half of the season
The record is 7 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (-16.4 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (5) FLORIDA@ (6) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-28 15:05:00 - 2016-02-28 15:05:00
Play OVER MINNESOTA on the totalin All games in February games
The record is 9 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+8.3 units)

NHL > (1) WASHINGTON@ (2) CHICAGO | 2016-02-28 12:35:00 - 2016-02-28 12:35:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 26 Overs and 56 Unders for the last three seasons (+27.25 units)

NHL > (13) NY ISLANDERS@ (14) EDMONTON | 2016-02-28 21:35:00 - 2016-02-28 21:35:00
Play UNDER NY ISLANDERS on the totalin All games in a road game where where the total is 5.5
[B]The record is 3 Overs and 13 Unders for the this season (+9.4 uni

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Kings (37-20) at Ducks (33-19)
Date: February 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Red-hot Anaheim might eventually pass Los Angeles for first place in the Pacific Division, but the Kings aren't exactly throwing their hands up and letting the Ducks blow by.

Another Anaheim win Sunday night at home would match its second-longest winning streak ever and draw it within two points of the Kings, though Los Angeles is quietly on a four-game winning streak of its own.

The Ducks' seven-game run is one short of matching their best since winning a franchise-record 10 straight from Dec. 6-28, 2013. They've gone an NHL-best 21-4-2 since the Christmas break to counter a horrendous start that placed the Ducks (33-19-8) squarely in last in the Western Conference 12 points back of the Kings (37-20-4).

After Friday's 2-1 overtime win over Edmonton extended their home winning streak to six in the third of a five-game homestand, postgame went about as it has for weeks now.

"I'm going to sound like a broken record, but we're just playing right now," said Ryan Getzlaf, who scored for the sixth time in 12 games after managing three goals through his first 44 contests and has a seven-game point streak against the Kings. "We went through so many struggles at the start of the year that it's not worth worrying about who you are chasing or who is chasing you. We're just trying to push forward all that we can and get as many wins as we can before the end of this year."

The last two wins have been the low-scoring variety, but Anaheim has averaged 3.81 goals per game over a 14-1-1 span. On the latest winning streak, that's had plenty to do with a successful power play as the Ducks have posted a 10-for-24 mark (41.7 percent) in their last seven.

Rickard Rakell scored a highlight-reel goal in overtime to keep the streak going, and the 22-year-old has five goals in his last nine contests.

"I think it was a 1-on-3, and for good measure he put it upstairs," coach Bruce Boudreau told the team's official website. "It was a great move by him, but he's capable of doing that."

The first two games of the season series have been split with the road team winning each, but the Ducks are 9-1-2 in regular-season meetings dating to the start of 2013-14.

While Anaheim has mounted its climb with plenty of scoring, the Kings have remained on top with modest offense at best, but they've held their last four opponents to three goals with none of them scoring more than one.

After Saturday's 2-0 home win over Buffalo, Los Angeles has scored two goals in each win and 10 in its last seven games. Tanner Pearson scored both against the Sabres, while Milan Lucic went his seventh game without a point to match his longest single-season drought since his rookie campaign.

"I thought our defense played really well," coach Darryl Sutter said. "I think that our centermen probably as a group had a better game than we've had as a foursome for quite a while."

In goal, Jhonas Enroth faced Buffalo so Jonathan Quick figures to play. Quick hasn't allowed more than two goals over a 4-1-1 span on which he's posted a 1.49 goals-against average. He has a 2.78 GAA in a 2-3-4 span versus Anaheim.

The Ducks started Frederik Andersen the last two games but will go back to John Gibson. Since matching a career high with six goals allowed in Pittsburgh on Feb. 8, the All-Star is 2-0-0 with a 1.88 GAA in three games. He also won in Los Angeles on Feb. 4 to improve to 3-1-0 in the series.

The Kings are an NHL-best 8-0-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Six conferences whose tournaments start this week:.

-- CAA-- UNC-Wilmington, Hofstra tied for first place.

-- MAAC-- Monmouth clinches top seed with win today.

-- OVC-- Young Belmont team is the top seed.

-- WCC-- St Mary's wins tiebreaker, is top seed over Gonzaga.

-- MVC-- Wichita State won this league by four freakin' games.

-- Southern-- Chattanooga clinches top seed by beating VMI Monday.



Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday........

13) Warriors 121, Thunder 118 OT-- Steph Currty nailed a 38-footer with 0:00.6 left in OT for the win. NBA has to be thrilled with Curry as its poster boy- kids are finding out that with hard work, you can become a great, great player at 6-3.

12) Surprising fact: Duke hasn't won the ACC regular season title by itself since 2006; they shared the 2010 title with Maryland-- the last time they were lower than a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament was in '07- they lost to VCU in the first round.

11) Texas 76, Oklahoma 63-- Sooners led 58-51, then Texas went on a 22-0 run, as Oklahoma lost for fourth time in last seven games.

10) Florida State 77, Notre Dame 56-- Irish PG Demetrius Jackson played 34:00, first time in six games he logged less than a full 40:00.

9) James Madison 71, Wm & Mary 65-- Dukes' win sets up a first-round game in the CAA tournament next Saturday against.....Wm & Mary.

8) Gonzaga 71, BYU 68-- HBO people have some happy film to edit as they put together their reality show on Gonzaga's team this week. Now it is on to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas-- Zags may need to win the WCC tourney to make the NCAAs.

7) San Diego 85, Portland 76-- Toreros play home games in Jenny Craig Pavilion, named after the weight loss guru-- kids call it the Slim Gym.

6) Boise State 66, San Diego State 63-- Aztecs might be in same boat as Gonzaga, having to win their conference tournament in Las Vegas to make the NCAAs.

By the way, in the next two weeks, if you like college basketball, Las Vegas is the place to be; WCC, WAC, Pac-12, Mountain West all have tournaments there.

5) Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 62-- Wildcats are 3-5 in SEC road games.

4) Bad Beat of the Day: Ohio U 103, Buffalo (+3.5) 96, OT-- Buffalo didn't score for last 2:49 of regulation- they led 85-80 at that point, then got blown away in OT. Weird thing is that Antonio Campbell scored only six points, and Ohio still won.

3) Utah 70, Arizona 64-- Utes are getting hot at the right time. Should be pointed out that during this game, Bill Walton talked about John Steinbeck, iguanas, Comanche Indians, and 90-year old Utah alum Arne Ferrin, whom he met this week. I'll have to admit that he sounded a little hoarse-- day games are unusual for him.

2) LSU 96, Florida 91-- Gators scored 62 points in second half, and still lost. ESPN had annoying know-it-all Dan Dakich on this game; LSU coaches won't be happy with his blunt critique of the Tigers'play in the second half-- he sounded bored that they sent him outside of the Big 14 this week.

1) Yale 76, Dartmouth 71 OT-- Yale/Princeton are tied for Ivy lead with one week left; actually Princeton has an extra game left against Penn, but they ain't losing to the Quakers. Ivy League doesn't have a tournament, so if Yale-Princeton tie for first, they will have a playoff game, probably at the Palestra.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, February 28


Tampa Bay @ Boston

Game 7-8
February 28, 2016 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
12.600
Boston
11.223
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-105); Under

San Jose @ Vancouver

Game 9-10
February 28, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.711
Vancouver
11.809
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-160
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver
(+140); Under

Los Angeles @ Anaheim

Game 11-12
February 28, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
13.118
Anaheim
11.707
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
N/A

NY Islanders @ Edmonton

Game 13-14
February 28, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
12.677
Edmonton
10.212
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 2 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Islanders
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(-150); Under

Washington @ Chicago

Game 1-2
February 28, 2016 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
11.206
Chicago
12.733
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
-130
5
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-130); Under

St. Louis @ Carolina

Game 3-4
February 28, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
10.404
Carolina
11.313
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 1
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-110
5
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
(-110); Over

Florida @ Minnesota

Game 5-6
February 28, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
12.616
Minnesota
11.202
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
N/A

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, February 28

Hot teams
-- Washington won eight of its last ten games.
-- Florida won three of its last five games.
-- Lightning won last five games, allowing five goals in last four. Boston won three of its last four games.
-- Vancouver won its last two games, 5-3/5-1.
-- Anaheim won its last seven games. Kings won their last four games, allowing three goals.
-- Islanders won seven of their last nine games.

Cold teams
-- Chicago lost five of its last seven games.
-- St Louis lost its last three games, outscored 13-4. Carolina lost three of last four.
-- Minnesota lost last three games, scoring five goals.
-- San Jose lost three of its last four games.
-- Edmonton lost its last seven games.

Series records
-- Blackhawks lost last four games with Washington.
-- Carolina-St Louis split their last ten games.
-- Minnesota won five of last seven games with Florida.
-- Lightning won three of last four games with Boston.
-- Road team won last eight San Jose-Vancouver games.
-- Kings lost four of last five games with Anaheim.
-- Home side won last ten Islander-Edmonton games.

Totals
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Chicago games.
-- Last three Carolina games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Florida games stayed under total.
-- Over is 7-3 in last 10 games for both Tampa Bay/Boston.
-- Last six Vancouver games went over the total.
-- Last seven Los Angeles games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Islander games stayed under the total.

Back-to-backs
-- St Louis is 4-2 on road if it played night before.
-- Florida is 4-2 on road if it played night before.
-- Los Angeles is 7-1 if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Sunday, February 28

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Trend Report
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12:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Chicago
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Chicago is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games

3:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. MINNESOTA
Florida is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
Minnesota is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games

3:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 7 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

6:30 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. BOSTON
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games
Boston is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

7:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. VANCOUVER
San Jose is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Vancouver
Vancouver is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing San Jose

9:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. ANAHEIM
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

9:30 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Edmonton's last 11 games when playing NY Islanders
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, February 28

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WASHINGTON (45-11-0-4, 94 pts.) at CHICAGO (38-20-0-5, 81 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 12:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 155-196 ATS (-69.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 52-30 ATS (+4.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 45-15 ATS (+20.7 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 15-4 ATS (+9.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
WASHINGTON is 56-41 ATS (+99.5 Units) in road games in February games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 14-5 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 4-9 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games in February games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-1 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 4-1-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

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ST LOUIS (35-20-0-9, 79 pts.) at CAROLINA (28-25-0-10, 66 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 11-5 ATS (+16.3 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ST LOUIS is 108-80 ATS (+27.4 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 3-2 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 3-2-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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FLORIDA (35-18-0-8, 78 pts.) at MINNESOTA (27-25-0-10, 64 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 3:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-2 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA 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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TAMPA BAY (35-22-0-4, 74 pts.) at BOSTON (34-22-0-6, 74 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 6:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 9-18 ATS (-11.9 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 12-22 ATS (-12.0 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 17-6 ATS (+8.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 194-203 ATS (+434.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 33-45 ATS (-38.3 Units) in home games in February games since 1996.
BOSTON is 237-211 ATS (-82.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 11-15 ATS (-17.9 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-3 (+4.6 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-3-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)

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SAN JOSE (32-22-0-6, 70 pts.) at VANCOUVER (24-24-0-12, 60 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 9-16 ATS (-13.7 Units) in February games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 32-35 ATS (-27.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 11-15 ATS (-15.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 24-36 ATS (-33.0 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 222-213 ATS (-112.7 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 119-116 ATS (-71.3 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 5-4-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.8 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (37-20-0-4, 78 pts.) at ANAHEIM (33-19-0-8, 74 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 12-7 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 12-7-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.3 Units, Under=-0.0 Units)

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NY ISLANDERS (33-19-0-7, 73 pts.) at EDMONTON (22-34-0-7, 51 pts.) - 2/28/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 39-67 ATS (+106.5 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
EDMONTON is 19-12 ATS (+33.6 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 17-6 ATS (+9.3 Units) in non-conference games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-2 ATS (+9.9 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 22-41 ATS (-35.2 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 31-84 ATS (+150.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 3-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 3-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.8 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


WAS at CHI 12:30 PM

WAS +107 BEST BET


STL at CAR 03:00 PM

STL +102 BEST BET


FLA at MIN 03:00 PM

FLA +128 BEST BET


TB at BOS 06:30 PM

BOS -109


SJ at VAN 07:00 PM

SJ -150


LA at ANA 09:00 PM

LA +120 BEST BET


NYI at EDM 09:30 PM

NYI -145

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Jackets (26-29) at Rangers (36-20)
Date: February 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Rangers already have one of the league's top offenses and now it should be even better.

The club has acquired five-time 30-goal scorer Eric Staal ahead of Monday night's home matchup with the surging Columbus Blue Jackets.

New York (36-20-6) picked up Staal from Carolina on Sunday for center Aleksi Saarela, who is currently playing in his native Finland, and the Rangers' second-round selections in each of the next two drafts. Staal had spent his entire 12-year career with the Hurricanes and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, once the final year of his seven-year, $55.75 million contract expires.

The former Hurricanes captain has 10 goals and 23 assists in 63 games this season. The Rangers, who average 2.8 goals, could use a boost since former Columbus star Rick Nash is out with a knee injury.

Staal leaves behind one brother in Carolina, Jordan Staal, and will be united with another brother, Marc, who plays defense for the Rangers.

'We felt like he was one of the best, if not the best, player available on the market to give us what we're looking for in our top nine,' Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said. 'And that's why we made the move.'

New York will see a familiar face Monday in Columbus coach John Tortorella. Two seasons ago, the Rangers and Vancouver ended up with what amounted to a swap of coaches when Tortorella took over the Canucks and Alain Vigneault became Rangers coach. The combative Tortorella had spent the previous five seasons with New York, leading the club to the brink of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-12 before he was fired after the next season.

He made his return to the Garden on Nov. 30, 2013 in Vancouver's 5-2 loss, with Rangers fans chanting "Tor-tor-ella" as the final minutes ticked down. He also lost to New York 3-1 on April 1, 2014, in his only Canucks season before they fired him.

Now he's back with Columbus, which seeks its second three-game win streak and is enjoying a 9-2-3 run in its last 14 games following Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory over Florida. The Blue Jackets were outshot 13-1 in the first period and 24-11 after two but trailed just 2-1 heading into the third before Seth Jones and Brandon Saad scored.

'We talked about it between the first and second period, about how well we have played for quite awhile,' Tortorella said. 'There was no sense in losing our mind over it. We were bad. But it was still just 1-0 at that point in time.'

The Blue Jackets (26-29-8) now get to measure themselves against an opponent they have lost five straight against. The Rangers won twice in October by an aggregate score of 9-4 before Columbus fired Todd Richards and hired Tortorella.

New York is also surging by going 9-2-1 since Feb. 4 after completing a 2-1-0 trip with Saturday's 3-2 victory over Dallas on Kevin Klein's goal with 2:53 left. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 shots two nights after a 35-save effort in a 2-1 win over St. Louis.

"Last two buildings are really tough buildings that we came into," Vigneault said. "We played real solid tonight when they tied it up, we had a real strong push right after, got the game-winner. There's no doubt that we got some solid goaltending in these two games."

The Rangers have never faced rookie Joonas Korpisalo, who is 9-2-2 with a 2.42 goals-against average in his last 13 starts. Lundqvist has posted a 1.78 GAA in winning his last five starts versus the Blue Jackets.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Wings (31-20) at Stars (38-19)
Date: February 29, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

A veteran forward's late goal in one of the league's showcase games kept the Detroit Red Wings' much-needed point streak going.

They'll try to extend it Monday night by continuing their dominance of the slumping Stars in Dallas.

Brad Richards tallied the tiebreaking score with one minute left in Saturday's Stadium Series matchup against Colorado at Coors Field, his fifth outdoor game. The Red Wings (31-20-11) scored four times in the final period in the 5-3 win and earned a least one point for a fourth consecutive time.

They've won the past two contests and have used those four points to maintain a slim advantage on one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spots. Detroit is seeking a 25th consecutive postseason berth.

"Finding a way to get the two points was huge," coach Jeff Blashill said. "Will it be a big moment? It will if we build off of it and have a great outing in Dallas and continue to move forward. I think as a team we did some good things and have to continue to do so to get better."

The Red Wings will next seek a seventh consecutive win in Dallas and might be catching the Stars (38-19-6) at an advantageous time.

Dallas is 1-4-1 in its last six and has dropped three straight on its own ice, its only home losing streak this season. It seemed the Stars might get at least one point Saturday against the visiting New York Rangers when Valeri Nichushkin scored with 4:01 remaining, but they gave up the tiebreaking goal with 2:53 left in a 3-2 defeat.

That result included some controversy as Dallas had a potential goal waved off midway through the third period, and officials couldn't determine if the puck crossed the line on video review.

The Stars could take some solace from a much improved defensive effort in front of their fans. They allowed 13 goals in their previous two home games, but goaltender Kari Lehtonen still expressed his frustration.

"I think it was a step forward, but the result was the same. Not too happy about that," he told the team's official website.

At the other end of the ice, Dallas is averaging 2.1 goals in its last 10 home games, a far cry from its 3.8 per contest in its 16-4-0 start there. Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza have accounted for 13 of those 21 goals.

The Red Wings have given up seven goals during their point streak after allowing 15 in their previous three games. They've yielded six goals in their past three road contests but had lost six straight until Saturday.

Detroit's six-game road win streak against Dallas is its longest active one versus any opponent as is the Stars' home skid against the Red Wings.

Dallas topped Detroit 4-1 on Nov. 8, ending a three-game losing streak in the series.

Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk, an owner of five consecutive multipoint performances against Dallas, missed that game because he was recovering from ankle surgery. He has four goals and nine assists during that run, including two goals and two assists in a 7-6 overtime win in Dallas last February.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Coyotes (27-29) at Penguins (31-21)
Date: February 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Evgeni Malkin is back in the fold as the Pittsburgh Penguins try to fend off other Eastern Conference wild-card contenders and move into one of the Metropolitan Division's automatic postseason spots.

The Arizona Coyotes have their own playoff hopes, but they're not doing themselves any favors during their worst stretch of the season.

Pittsburgh looks to sweep its brief homestand by sending the fading Coyotes to a sixth straight defeat Monday night.

The Penguins (31-21-8) went a respectable 5-4-1 while Malkin sat out with an upper-body injury and have a three-point edge with a game in hand on Philadelphia for the East's last playoff spot. They also have a shot to catch the third-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan, especially considering their 9-2-3 record in the last 14 games Malkin has played after Saturday's 4-1 win over Winnipeg in his return.

'He's obviously one of the best players in the league, so he's going to open up a lot of room,' said Carl Hagelin, who scored twice. 'When he's on his game, the other team has to pay so much attention to him.'

Malkin still ranks among the league leaders with 23 power-play points and is hoping to help the Penguins snap their funk with the man advantage. They've failed on all 17 power-play chances over their last nine games and went 1 for 24 with Malkin out.

Pittsburgh missed on their only chance Saturday, but coach Mike Sullivan was impressed with how Malkin looked following his layoff even though he didn't have a point. Sullivan kept Malkin out of practice Sunday so he could rest before the end of the two-game homestand.

'(Malkin) I thought was really strong,' Sullivan said. 'I think his conditioning will only get better as he gets his timing back and gets back into game mode.'

Center Nick Bonino also returned after missing the previous 17 for the Penguins, who lost the first meeting with Arizona 2-1 on Oct. 10.

The Coyotes (27-29-6), though, have dropped eight points back of Colorado for the West's last playoff spot while losing five straight in regulation. They're finishing a five-game road trip with this contest after not scoring more than two goals in any of the previous four.

Brad Richardson and Oliver-Ekman-Larsson scored in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Philadelphia, during which it allowed three goals in the first period.

"We put a lot of good work into this game and we played in the offensive zone a ton," coach Dave Tippett said. "... We can't get many breaks right now and we can't capitalize on our chances.

"Games are close and you're not as good a team when you have to chase the game."

The Coyotes claimed forward Jiri Sekac off waivers from Chicago on Saturday as they try to boost their offense and make one final push for the playoffs. He could make his debut in this contest for Arizona, which has gone 1 for 17 on the power play during its skid.

"Instead of finding ways to win hockey games we're finding ways to lose right now," Ekman-Larsson said. "We just have to keep working hard. We need to find points right nowâ?¦ It's frustrating for sure... We have been trying a lot but it's not enough. We have to find ways to win hockey games."

Rookie Louis Domingue has made 10 straight starts in net but has a 3.61 goals-against average during the losing streak.

Marc-Andre Fleury has a 2.12 GAA in nine career starts against the Coyotes, though it's unclear if he'll get the nod with Pittsburgh playing the following night at NHL-leading Washington.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Flames (26-31) at Flyers (28-22)
Date: February 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Philadelphia Flyers are perfect so far on their longest homestand of the season, and that's not likely to change over the next two games.

The Flyers look to make it three wins in a row Monday night when they try to capitalize on the struggling Calgary Flames.

Philadelphia (28-22-11) is three points back of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and it's opened its six-game homestand with consecutive wins after beating Arizona 4-2 on Saturday.

"We have a lot of work in front of us," coach Dave Hakstol said.

Philadelphia, though, is in position to take advantage of a favorable schedule. After facing Calgary (26-31-4), the Flyers meet Edmonton on Thursday, giving them consecutive games against the two teams with the fewest road points in the NHL. Those are followed by a visit from last-place Columbus.

The Flames, 9-17-3 as the visitor, have also dropped seven of their last eight games overall after falling 6-4 to Ottawa at home Saturday.

Philadelphia, though, has lost three straight to Calgary after falling 2-1 in overtime Nov. 5.

Michael Raffl got his first goal of the season in that matchup, but he's only managed seven more after netting 21 last season. That didn't stop the Flyers from signing him to a three-year, $7.05 million contract extension Sunday, seemingly ending any chance he'd be traded prior to Monday's trade deadline.

Claude Giroux assisted on Raffl's tally at Calgary, giving him six points in the past six meetings. The captain scored Saturday after sitting out three games with an upper-body injury.

"To be back on the ice and battle with your teammates (and) to get a win, there's nothing better than that," said Giroux, who became the 14th Flyer to reach 500 points. "It's a good honor to be able to get that many points. It's obviously fun, but the win feels a lot better."

Michal Neuvirth has seemingly taken over the starting goaltender job from Steve Mason with his strong play of late. Neuvirth has allowed four goals on 57 shots over back-to-back wins and is 8-2-2 with a 1.94 goals-against average and two shutouts in 12 home games.

Mason has a 2.82 GAA while losing three of four decisions over his last five starts.

Neuvirth got the nod at Calgary in November and made 28 saves before Mikael Backlund beat him 35 seconds into OT.

The Flames are trying to avoid their first five-game slide since dropping eight straight from Dec. 6-20, 2014. Coach Bob Hartley held an impromptu meeting following Saturday's loss, a performance that prompted one fan to throw his jersey on the ice.

"It's sad to see something like that, but we can't control their actions and as a team we need to be better," left wing Johnny Gaudreau said.

Gaudreau is among the few bright spots for the Flames. With two goals against the Senators, he's matched his total of 24 from his rookie season with 21 games left to play.

He has 11 points during a seven-game streak overall and five in three career meetings with Philadelphia.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lightning (36-22) at Maple Leafs (21-29)
Date: February 29, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The process to make the Toronto Maple Leafs respectable again takes patience and plenty of roster moves to clear up salary cap space before selecting with one of the top picks in the draft.

There's little doubt that Toronto will try to convince Steven Stamkos to join his hometown team with a mammoth contract offer over the summer, and fans might be picturing him wearing a Maple Leafs sweater when the Tampa Bay Lightning star is on the Air Canada Centre ice Monday night.

Stamkos has been on fire since Tampa Bay publicly stated the pending unrestricted free agent won't be moved before the trade deadline, scoring in each contest during the Lightning's six-game winning streak. He scored on a penalty shot and assisted on Ryan Callahan's power-play goal in Sunday's 4-1 win at Boston as Tampa Bay (36-22-4) moved into second place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind Florida.

Stamkos scored twice in 13 games prior to his current run as rumors swirled about whether he would be dealt prior to Monday afternoon's deadline.

"It's a lot easier to feel even better when the team's having success as well," Stamkos said. "I mean six in a row, that's a great feat for us at this time in the year. So it obviously is just icing on the cake to be producing in those wins, and our line is feeling really good about our game right now."

Stamkos led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and he might be in for a tough transition if he decides to return home next season. Toronto (21-29-10) has the fewest points in the Eastern Conference in its first season under coach Mike Babcock as it continues to overhaul its roster.

Dion Phaneuf was traded to Ottawa in a nine-player deal Feb. 9, and James Reimer was dealt to San Jose for fellow goaltender Alex Stalock, forward Ben Smith and a 2018 fourth-round pick on Saturday. Toronto then traded Daniel Winnik and a fifth-round pick to Washington for Brooks Laich, defenseman Connor Carrick and a second-round selection Sunday.

The Maple Leafs reportedly informed P.A. Parenteau that he would be traded, and others like Nazem Kadri reportedly are being shopped as well. They're struggling through what will be the 10th season of the last 11 that they won't make the playoffs, having dropped eight of 10 after falling 4-1 at Montreal on Saturday.

Parenteau left in the first period with what he described as spasms in his neck.

"Our bench wasn't very deep," Babcock said. "We know anyway, night to night, we're going to have a challenge. I thought with all hands on deck we would have had a better opportunity."

They'll likely have a tough time with the Lightning no matter who is in uniform. Vladislav Namestnikov scored in overtime to give Tampa a 5-4 win in the first meeting Dec. 15 before Stamkos' power-play goal handed the Maple Leafs a 1-0 defeat Jan. 27.

The Lightning scored twice with the man advantage Sunday after going 2 for 36 over their previous 10. Callahan assisted on Alex Killorn's power-play goal and scored at even strength as Tampa Bay won for the 14th straight time when scoring at least three times.

"To know you're that close to being in the division lead is exciting, so every game is so important," Killorn said.

Ben Bishop made 32 saves, so coach Jon Cooper could now elect to go with Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was recalled from the AHL on Saturday.

Jonathan Bernier should be in net for Toronto despite a 3.58 goals-against average in his last nine appearances.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Canadiens (30-27) at Sharks (33-22)
Date: February 29, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The last time the Montreal Canadiens faced the San Jose Sharks, they were hoping a recent slide was just a hiccup in their promising start to the season.

This time, they are hopeful a desperate run might save it.

While the visiting Canadiens are holding onto their postseason hopes by a thread in the Eastern Conference, the Sharks look to lengthen the rope between them and the rest of the bubble teams in the West by continuing their defensive dominance in this series on Monday night.

After a 19-4-3 start to the season, Montreal (30-27-5) has drifted to 13th place in the East and trails eighth-place Pittsburgh by five points. The Canadiens have only held onto their slim playoff hopes thanks to three victories on a four-game point streak.

Their last streak of at least that length ended on the first day of December and was followed by regulation losses in 10 of 11 games, the fifth defeat coming on Dec. 15 against San Jose (33-22-6).

While opening the Canadiens' season-high six-game skid, the Sharks' 3-1 win in Montreal also extended a strong defensive streak in this series. San Jose has surrendered only three goals in the last five games as part of a 5-1 record against the Canadiens since December 2011.

Martin Jones made 26 saves in the latest win, and he had 23 while helping the Sharks snap a two-game skid with Sunday's 4-1 victory at Vancouver.

It took San Jose more than 44 minutes to wake up offensively, but Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau and Justin Braun each scored in the third period to help the Sharks move 12 points ahead of the Canucks for the Pacific Division's third guaranteed playoff spot.

'We knew the importance of the game and I thought we were OK for the most part,' said Jones, who became the fifth goalie in Sharks history with 30 wins in a season. 'We just didn't have a lot of jump and we kind of gave away a lot of pucks when we had full control, but in the third, we really stepped it up.'

Jones has a .934 save percentage over his last nine starts. Goaltending has been a topic of discussion over the weekend for the Sharks as they acquired James Reimer from Toronto on Saturday in exchange for struggling backup Alex Stalock.

It is still unclear when Reimer will join the team, so Jones could make his ninth straight start on Monday or it could go to Aaron Dell, who was called up from the AHL to fill the void until Reimer is ready.

Jones' two career starts against the Canadiens prior to this season while with Los Angeles were polar opposites. One of his 12 career shutouts came from a 6-0 win in Montreal on Dec. 10, 2013, but he allowed six goals in a 6-2 loss there on Dec. 12, 2014.

While San Jose strengthens its grip on a playoff spot, Montreal hasn't quite let go yet. The Canadiens snapped a five-game road losing streak with Wednesday's 4-3 victory at league-leading Washington and followed with Saturday's 4-1 home win over Toronto.

Max Pacioretty scored twice in the third period against the Maple Leafs, while Mike Condon made 31 saves.

'We've always had hope in this room,' Pacioretty said. 'I won't look at the standings. I'm taking things one day at a time, one game at a time, and hoping for good results.'