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

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (53) PHILADELPHIA@ (54) CAROLINA | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 6 Wins and 28 Losses for the last two seasons (-22.35 units)

NHL > (63) NY ISLANDERS@ (64) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-23 20:05:00 - 2016-02-23 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 1 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (-11.5 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play ON COLUMBUS using money line in Road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 14 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.15 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in All games second half of the season
The record is 15 Wins and 50 Losses for the last two seasons (-33.25 units)

NHL > (53) PHILADELPHIA@ (54) CAROLINA | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 20 Wins and 43 Losses for the last two seasons (-30.55 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play ON COLUMBUS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 5 Losses for the last three seasons (+14.1 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 25 Wins and 35 Losses for the last three seasons (-32.4 units)

NHL > (65) OTTAWA@ (66) EDMONTON | 2016-02-23 21:05:00 - 2016-02-23 21:05:00
Play ON OTTAWA using money line in All games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 24 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.3 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in All games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 35 Losses for the last three seasons (-23.8 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (53) PHILADELPHIA@ (54) CAROLINA | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 6 Wins and 28 Losses for the last two seasons (-22.35 units)

NHL > (63) NY ISLANDERS@ (64) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-23 20:05:00 - 2016-02-23 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in Home games second half of the season
The record is 1 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (-11.5 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play ON COLUMBUS in Road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 14 Wins and 7 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.15 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in All games second half of the season
The record is 15 Wins and 50 Losses for the last two seasons (-33.25 units)

NHL > (53) PHILADELPHIA@ (54) CAROLINA | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play AGAINST PHILADELPHIA in All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 20 Wins and 43 Losses for the last two seasons (-30.55 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play ON COLUMBUS in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 5 Losses for the last three seasons (+14.1 units)

NHL > (55) COLUMBUS@ (56) DETROIT | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 25 Wins and 35 Losses for the last three seasons (-32.4 units)

NHL > (65) OTTAWA@ (66) EDMONTON | 2016-02-23 21:05:00 - 2016-02-23 21:05:00
Play ON OTTAWA in All games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 24 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.3 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in All games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 35 Losses for the last three seasons (-23.8 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (63) NY ISLANDERS@ (64) MINNESOTA | 2016-02-23 20:05:00 - 2016-02-23 20:05:00
Play OVER MINNESOTA on the totalin All games in February games
The record is 9 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+9.3 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play OVER TORONTO on the totalin All games in February games
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+8.4 units)

NHL > (57) NASHVILLE@ (58) TORONTO | 2016-02-23 19:35:00 - 2016-02-23 19:35:00
Play UNDER NASHVILLE on the totalin Road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 1 Overs and 11 Unders for the last two seasons (+10.3 units)

NHL > (51) NY RANGERS@ (52) NEW JERSEY | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play UNDER NEW JERSEY on the totalin Home games after 3 or more consecutive losses
The record is 0 Overs and 9 Unders for the last two seasons (+9.25 units)

NHL > (51) NY RANGERS@ (52) NEW JERSEY | 2016-02-23 19:05:00 - 2016-02-23 19:05:00
Play UNDER NEW JERSEY on the totalin All games after 3 or more consecutive losses
The record is 3 Overs and 17 Unders for the last two seasons (+13.65 units)

NHL > (65) OTTAWA@ (66) EDMONTON | 2016-02-23 21:05:00 - 2016-02-23 21:05:00
Play OVER OTTAWA on the totalin Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 11 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+9.25 units)

NHL > (65) OTTAWA@ (66) EDMONTON | 2016-02-23 21:05:00 - 2016-02-23 21:05:00
Play OVER EDMONTON on the totalin All games on Tuesday nights
The record is 9 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+7.75 units)

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


PHI at CAR 07:00 PM

PHI +123 BEST BET


NYR at NJ 07:00 PM

NYR -131


ARI at TB 07:30 PM

TB -201


NAS at TOR 07:30 PM

NAS -148


CLB at DET 07:30 PM

CLB +165 BEST BET


DAL at WIN 08:00 PM

WIN +120 BEST BET


NYI at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN -133


OTT at EDM 09:00 PM

EDM -116


CAL at LA 10:30 PM

CAL +180 BEST BET

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (30-20) at Bruins (32-22)
Date: February 24, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Mike Sullivan's tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins got off to a bad start in December, and the Boston Bruins played a significant part.

Pittsburgh has fared much better lately even with Evgeni Malkin missing for much of this month, and he'll remain out at least one more game as the Penguins attempt to claim a rare win over the Bruins on Wednesday night.

Sullivan lost his first four games after taking over for the fired Mike Johnston on Dec. 12, including a home-and-home sweep to Boston in which the Penguins were outscored 9-2. Pittsburgh (30-20-8) is 15-6-5 since that skid and has gone 9-3-1 in its past 13.

"We're a very different team today than we were then," Sullivan told the team's official website. "Our mindset has changed. We've evolved."

The Penguins improved to 3-0-1 in their last four on the road with a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Sunday, their ninth consecutive game without Malkin. Rookie Scott Wilson scored for the third straight game after failing to do so in his first 12.

Malkin went through his first practice Tuesday since suffering a lower-body injury Feb. 2, but the team's second-leading scorer was ruled out of Wednesday's game. So was center Nick Bonino (hand), but he also returned to practice Tuesday after being sidelined since Jan. 12.

"It's a big step for them to join the team," Sullivan said.

Defenseman Ben Lovejoy, though, is expected to remain out "long term" because of an upper-body injury suffered in a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Pittsburgh will try to overcome that short-handed lineup to earn just its third win in 13 games against Boston, a stretch that began with a sweep in the 2013 Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins (32-22-6) are 5-0-1 in the past six home meetings, including the playoffs, and won 3-0 on Dec. 16 with Tuukka Rask stopping 34 shots.

Rask has started each of Boston's last 12 games against Pittsburgh, going 10-1-1 with a 1.35 goals-against average.

Boston has found it far more difficult keeping opponents off the scoreboard during a 1-3-1 slump at home, giving up 26 goals. Backup netminder Jonas Gustavsson allowed five in a 6-4 defeat to Columbus on Monday.

It was the Bruins' first home game since a 9-2 loss to Los Angeles on Feb. 9, the most goals they've allowed in eight seasons. Boston is 12-15-3 at home and 20-7-3 on the road.

"Whatever curse we have at home, we can't seem to find our energy or get the tempo of our game up," defenseman Joe Morrow said. "It has to change sooner than later. We don't have that much time left in the season to be able to turn it around. It's pretty unacceptable."

Patrice Bergeron doesn't have a point in five straight home games despite leading the team with 50. He scored twice in a 6-2 victory in Pittsburgh on Dec. 18.

Brad Marchand has only one goal in his past 17 regular-season matchups with Pittsburgh but has scored 15 in his last 16 contests overall. Loui Eriksson scored two Monday to give him seven goals in the past seven games.

Ryan Spooner has six of his career-high 40 points in this season's two meetings.

Pittsburgh's Kris Letang had no points in those matchups and only three in his last 10 games against the Bruins, including the playoffs. Former Bruin Phil Kessel doesn't have a point in three straight against Boston but has four goals in Pittsburgh's last five games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (32-21) at Avalanche (31-27)
Date: February 24, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Both the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche recently looked to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs to help provide depth to their rosters.

While the visiting Sharks should have their two new additions available Wednesday night, the Avs might still be without their recent acquisition for the teams' final regular-season meeting.

Hours before San Jose (32-21-5) improved to 3-1-0 on a five-game trip with Monday's 6-3 win at St. Louis, it acquired veteran defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling from Toronto for second-round picks in 2017 and 2018 and forward Raffi Torres. Third in the Pacific Division, the Sharks are one point behind Anaheim and very much in striking distance of first-place Los Angeles.

'We've put ourselves in a really good position and you make the determination on this team now with these added ingredients," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said.

Polak remains a physical presence in his 10th season. He recorded one goal, 12 assists and was a career-high plus-8 in 55 games for the Maple Leafs.

On his fourth team in seven seasons, Spaling had only seven points in 35 games but should see plenty of time on the penalty kill.

"Roman and Nick are both quality, character players that will complement and enhance our current roster," Wilson said. "Our existing group of players has battled hard and they have earned the right to have every chance to succeed this season."

Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl each had two goals Monday as the Sharks improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games and 21-9-2 on the road. San Jose went 0 for 7 on the power play in the first three games of the trip but scored twice on a two-man advantage in the first period at St. Louis.

Thornton, who also had two assists, has 10 goals and 29 assists in his last 29 games. Three of those assists came while San Jose split its two home meetings with Colorado (31-27-4).

The Sharks have scored at least four goals in four of six contests, and totaled 13 in winning two of three from the Avs in 2015-16.

Hoping to bolster its group of forwards, Colorado acquired ninth-year center Shawn Matthias from Toronto on Sunday for rookie Colin Smith and a fourth-round pick.

In his return from missing five games with whiplash, Matthias scored his sixth of the season for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. However, he might not have a U.S. visa in time to make his Avalanche debut. When Matthias is ready, coach Patrick Roy appears set to line him up along side Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau.

"He's a big man and he's a good skater," Roy said of Matthias, who had a career-high 18 goals for Vancouver last season. "He's capable of playing on the penalty (kill). He's going to help."

The Avs recorded 38 shots but only Matt Duchene's 26th goal in the final minute of Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Canucks. They are 1 for 17 on the power play in the last five contests but 7 for 15 against the Sharks this season.

Three of Nathan MacKinnon's four goals in the last two games against San Jose came with the man-advantage. He registered a hat trick in the 6-3 victory over the Sharks on Dec. 28, but has gone five straight games without a point.

Couture has five goals and seven assists in 12 contests.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sabres (24-29) at Ducks (31-19)
Date: February 24, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks of today hardly resemble the offensively challenged group that was blanked by the Buffalo Sabres a little more than two months ago.

One of the league's hottest clubs, the Ducks can avenge that defeat by matching a season high with their sixth consecutive victory Wednesday night against the visiting Sabres.

Following a 3-0 loss at Buffalo on Dec. 17, Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau called out his team, particularly his top players for their effort in that contest and pretty much overall up to that point. The defeat opened a 1-2-1 trip for the Ducks, who were a Western Conference-worst 12-15-6 and averaging a league-low 1.9 goals when it ended.

Following a four-day break, Anaheim (31-19-8) beat Philadelphia 4-2 to begin its current 19-4-2 run. The Ducks have averaged 4.0 goals while winning 14 of the last 17 and have scored at least five in four straight games for the first time in club history. They're amid a 12-1-1 stretch while continuing to put heat on Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles.

'It's been fun,' forward Ryan Kesler said. 'Every night, we go into the game thinking - not thinking, but knowing - we're going to win, and going out there with that attitude.'

Kesler had two goals with an assist as Anaheim returned from a 5-1-1 trip to defeat Calgary 5-2 on Sunday.

"We're playing good hockey and we're on a roll right now," defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. 'We don't want to see it slide. We want to play the right way."

Bieksa had one of two power-play goals for the Ducks, who are 8 for 18 in the last five.

'They're one of the best teams in the league right now, there's no doubt about it,' Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said. "Confidence is going a long way for them now."

Buffalo (24-29-7) resides near the bottom of the East but has blanked the Ducks seven times in 31 meetings, including Chad Johnson's 44-save effort in December, for its highest shutout-to-games ratio against any opponent. However, sweeping this season series could be tough without leading scorer Ryan O'Reilly.

The Sabres' 3-0-1 stretch ended with Sunday's 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh in their first game minus O'Reilly, who will miss three to four weeks with a lower body injury. Besides his team-high 49 points, O'Reilly leads the league in faceoffs won (848) and average ice time (21:51) among forwards.

"It's tough to replace him because you can't replace him," teammate Sam Reinhart told the Sabres' official website. "It's not going to be one or two guys; it's got to be everyone."

That now includes O'Reilly's brother, Cal, who was called up from Rochester of the AHL. Cal O'Reilly was third on that team with 28 points.

Buffalo, though, will be without defenseman Mike Weber after he was traded to Washington on Tuesday for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. Weber had a goal and four assists and averaged almost 16 minutes a game for the Sabres.

Evander Kane scored against the Ducks in December and has two goals with two assists in his last three at Anaheim.

Ryan Getzlaf has six points in the Sabres' last two visits. He enters this matchup on an eight-game point streak during which he has four goals and nine assists.

Teammate Frederik Andersen has a 1.75 goals-against average during his four-game home winning streak. He is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA against the Sabres but hasn't faced them since October 2014.

Johnson, who posted his only shutout of the season against Anaheim, is rumored to be on the trading block and has not played since Feb. 12. Robin Lehner has started the past four games, giving up a combined two goals in the first three before allowing four Sunday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Canadiens (28-27) at Capitals (44-10)
Date: February 24, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals' sizable lead atop the NHL affords them the luxury of already preparing for a playoff run, something they clearly had in mind with their first in-season acquisition.

With Mike Weber potentially making his team debut, the Capitals go for a six-game home winning streak Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Washington (44-10-4) has a comfy 10-point edge on Western Conference-leading Dallas in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. It's also 17 points ahead of Florida for the top seed in the East.

The Capitals will ultimately be judged by what happens in the playoffs, and the pressure will be on after being ousted before the conference finals in seven of the past eight seasons despite winning five division titles and one Presidents' Trophy. They're also trying to shake the reputation of a finesse team that's unprepared for more rugged play in the postseason.

Weber, a tough defenseman, was acquired from Buffalo on Tuesday in the hopes that he can help prevent that from happening again.

"Mike is a stay-at-home defenseman, who plays a physical game and is respected by his teammates," general manager Brian MacLellan said. "We felt it was important to add depth to our blue line by adding another quality veteran defenseman."

The Capitals allow just 2.28 goals per game to rank behind only New Jersey's league-low 2.25.

They also lead the league with an average of 3.29 goals scored thanks in large part to Alex Ovechkin's NHL-leading 39.

Ovechkin is on a tear, scoring 11 goals during Washington's 9-1-0 run. He has two points in three straight games, netting a goal with an assist in a 3-2 win over Arizona on Monday.

"For us it doesn't matter how many points we're going to have," Ovechkin said of the Caps' chances at breaking the team-record 121 from 2009-10. "We just have to be in first place to make sure we're going to have home advantage. That's the most important thing."

He has just one assist in two games against Montreal (28-27-5) this season, but Washington has won both after taking the last meeting in 2014-15.

Braden Holtby is 8-0-2 with a 1.36 goals-against average in 10 career starts against the Canadiens, starting each of the last three matchups. He's 17-0-1 with a 2.03 GAA in 19 home starts since his most recent regulation loss on Oct. 28 against Pittsburgh.

Montreal, which is seven points back of the East's second wild-card spot, is 3-14-1 in its last 18 road games. The club has dropped five in a row while surrendering an average of 4.8 goals.

A 2-1 home loss to Nashville on Monday was the Canadiens' fourth in five overall, and bouncing back in Washington seems unlikely.

"We've got to go in there with the mindset that it's going to take a full 60 minutes, if not more, to beat a team like that," left wing Max Pacioretty told the team's official website. "We have to have that mindset that we're willing to do whatever it takes every shift."

Pacioretty leads the Canadiens with 21 goals, but he only has two in the last 14 and none in the past three versus the Capitals.

P.K. Subban doesn't have a point in the two matchups this season despite leading Montreal with 46.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (1) MONTREAL@ (2) WASHINGTON | 2016-02-24 19:05:00 - 2016-02-24 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in All games
The record is 41 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (+22.5 units)

NHL > (1) MONTREAL@ (2) WASHINGTON | 2016-02-24 19:05:00 - 2016-02-24 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in all games
The record is 44 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (+23.5 units) '

NHL > (5) SAN JOSE@ (6) COLORADO | 2016-02-24 22:05:00 - 2016-02-24 22:05:00
Play ON COLORADO using money line in All games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 25 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (+18.55 units)

NHL > (5) SAN JOSE@ (6) COLORADO | 2016-02-24 22:05:00 - 2016-02-24 22:05:00
Play ON COLORADO using money line in All games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game
The record is 21 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (+16 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (1) MONTREAL@ (2) WASHINGTON | 2016-02-24 19:05:00 - 2016-02-24 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in all games
The record is 44 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (+23.5 units)

NHL > (5) SAN JOSE@ (6) COLORADO | 2016-02-24 22:05:00 - 2016-02-24 22:05:00
Play ON COLORADO in All games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 25 Wins and 12 Losses for the last two seasons (+18.55 units)

NHL > (5) SAN JOSE@ (6) COLORADO | 2016-02-24 22:05:00 - 2016-02-24 22:05:00
Play ON COLORADO in All games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game
The record is 21 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (+16 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (7) BUFFALO@ (8) ANAHEIM | 2016-02-24 22:35:00 - 2016-02-24 22:35:00
Play OVER ANAHEIM on the totalin All games in February games
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+8.65 units)

NHL > (3) PITTSBURGH@ (4) BOSTON | 2016-02-24 19:35:00 - 2016-02-24 19:35:00
Play UNDER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Road games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 4 Overs and 16 Unders for the last two seasons (+13.15 units)

NHL > (3) PITTSBURGH@ (4) BOSTON | 2016-02-24 19:35:00 - 2016-02-24 19:35:00
Play UNDER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 7 Overs and 21 Unders for the last two seasons (+14.6 units)

NHL > (7) BUFFALO@ (8) ANAHEIM | 2016-02-24 22:35:00 - 2016-02-24 22:35:00
Play OVER ANAHEIM on the totalin All games after 3 or more consecutive overs
The record is 7 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+7.55 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Kansas 66, Baylor 60-- Jayhawks outscored Baylor 13-5 over last 4:00.

-- Arkansas 85, LSU 65-- ESPN will be happy; they can broadcast Ben Simmons' games in the NIT next month.

-- All six home teams won/covered in MAC last night;

-- Michigan State 81, Ohio State 62-- Buckeyes' best player is out for the year.

-- Dayton 52, Saint Louis 49 OT-- Flyers avoided a bad loss in an ugly game.

-- Tulsa 74, Temple 55-- Owls tied with SMU for AAC lead but Mustangs can't play in postseason. Tulsa/Cincinnati are a game behind.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Looking ahead to conference tourneys

Championship Week starts next week; here is a look at the history of some of these post-season events......
13) ACC-- #1 or #2 seed won this event eight of last ten years; #3 won the other two. Maryland (7-9) in 2004 was last real underdog to win this event.

12) Atlantic 14-- First place team in regular season has won this event only twice in last twelve years. In 2006, Xavier (8-8) pulled a big upset.

11) Big 14-- First place team won this tourney six of last eight years. Over last 12 years, no one who finished lower than 2nd place won this tournament.

10) Big X-- Kansas is probably going to win regular season for 12th year in a row; they've only won postseason tourney once in last four years. Iowa State won it the last two years. Worst teams to win this in last 12 years? Oklahoma State (11-5, '05), Iowa State (11-7, two years ago).

9) Big East-- 10 of last 13 conference tourney winners are no longer in this league. Three of last five years, a team that went 9-9 or 10-8 during the regular season won the conference tourney. #1 seed won only four of last 12 Big East tourneys. In the last ten years, Louisville won this tourney three times; seven other teams won it once.

8) Big Sky-- They wised up this year and moved tourney to Reno, a neutral site that is a good tourist destination. #1 seed had won it the last five years, but #1 seed also hosted the tournament, so they had that advantage. Sacramento State almost won the regular season LY and their gym is too small to host the conference tourney, so maybe that spurred them to move things to Reno.

7) Big West-- #1 seed won only once in last five years. 6-10 Cal Poly pulled an upset in 2014, 8-8 UCSB won it the next year. Northridge is ineligible this year, so it'll be a striaght 8-team tournament, with Hawai'i, Irvine, Long Beach the favorites.

6) CAA-- #1 or #2 seed won this tourney 11 of last 12 years; #3 seed won it the other year. tourney is in Baltimore this year, moves to Charleston next year. League is very balanced; the last five years, the #1 seed in conference had at least three losses during regular season.

5) Conference USA-- From 2006-09, Memphis was an amazing 73-1 in this league; no wonder their fanbase is so spoiled. In three of last six years since, #3 seed or lower won conference tourney. This league sold out for football and is now #21 basketball league, when as recently as five years ago, it was ranked #8.

4) Horizon-- Much like the Big Sky, this league moved its tournament to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and away from campus sites. #1 seed won this event four of last six years. Anything other than Valparaiso winning this year would be a big upset.

3) MAAC-- From 2008-10, Siena went 55-8 in MAAC games, which is why Iowa hired Fran McCaffery. No #1 seed has won MAAC tourney since then, with last five winners being seeds 2-2-3-4-4. The tournament is in beautiful downtown Albany, not exactly Las Vegas but it is a nice arena.

2) Mountain West-- UNLV won this tourney in 2008; they're 7-7 since and this is played on their home court. San Diego State lost in finals last two years; they better not lose this year, because this is likely a one-bid league for the first time. #1 seed has won this tournament five of last 13 years.

1) Pac-12-- Last year was first time in seven years the #1 seed won, with Arizona winning in its fifth try as the #1 seed. Moving this to MGM Grand was a great idea; having it at Staples Center didn't provide the same atmosphere. Plus, listening to Bill Walton rave about Las Vegas for three days is never a bad thing.




Don't dare let these three spot bet opportunities pass you by

An upcoming game against rival Tennessee has Vanderbilt in a dangerous letdown spot ahead on the schedule.

Letdown spot

On March 3, the Vanderbilt Commodores will host archival Tennessee. It’s always a big game when these instate rivals get together and this game also marks the Commodores' last home game. Off such an emotional game, and having faced Florida and Kentucky before that, it may be easy to suffer a letdown for a road game against Texas A&M.

After this season's earlier meeting against the Vols, Vanderbilt got blown out in its next game. On the other side of the court, the Aggies should be fired up as they'll be playing their final home game while looking to avenge their worst loss of the season. Take a look at the Aggies in their final game.

Lookahead spot

On Sunday afternoon, the Wizards will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've played the Cavs tough this season (1-1 SU/2-0 ATS) and will be looking to do so again. First, however, they've got a date with the lowly 76ers in Philadelphia Friday night.

Having beaten the Sixers three straight and seven of eight times, including a 12-point win at the beginning of February, they could easily get caught looking ahead to Sunday's big game. The 76ers have been mostly competitive in recent weeks (10-5 ATS in their last 15 entering Tuesday's game vs. Orlando) and are worth a look Friday night.

Schedule spot

Back on January 7, the Siena Saints hammered the Fairfield Stags by 15 points at home. On Wednesday, Fairfield will host Siena, aiming for some payback. Off five straight wins, the Stags (10-4 at home) are playing better now than they were in the previous meeting. This is their final home game of the regular season, so they'll be motivated for a big performance.

The Saints (8-8 on the road) are off an emotional loss versus rival Iona and have their final home game of the season on deck. The Stags may be slight underdogs for this one but with the schedule in their favor, I like their chances of rewarding the faithful with a victory. Consider Fairfield Wednesday.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, February 24

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MONTREAL (28-27-0-5, 61 pts.) at WASHINGTON (44-10-0-4, 92 pts.) - 2/24/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 28-32 ATS (-10.6 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 44-14 ATS (+60.4 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 13-3 ATS (+8.0 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
WASHINGTON is 16-5 ATS (+8.2 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak this season.
WASHINGTON is 23-7 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MONTREAL is 67-55 ATS (+122.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-3 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 5-3-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.0 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (30-20-0-8, 68 pts.) at BOSTON (32-22-0-6, 70 pts.) - 2/24/2016, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 74-71 ATS (-32.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 9-18 ATS (-16.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 33-38 ATS (-22.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 34-45 ATS (-33.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 10-23 ATS (-17.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 89-79 ATS (+176.3 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
BOSTON is 32-45 ATS (-39.4 Units) in home games in February games since 1996.
BOSTON is 236-211 ATS (-84.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 12-20 ATS (-15.7 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-2 (+4.4 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 6-2-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.5 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

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SAN JOSE (32-21-0-5, 69 pts.) at COLORADO (31-27-0-4, 66 pts.) - 2/24/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 125-108 ATS (-32.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 38-31 ATS (+69.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 12-5 ATS (+17.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
COLORADO is 10-4 ATS (+14.6 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
COLORADO is 15-11 ATS (+27.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
COLORADO is 8-13 ATS (+22.4 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
COLORADO is 43-53 ATS (-50.2 Units) in home games in February games since 1996.
COLORADO is 108-113 ATS (-30.7 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 6-3 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 6-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.7 Units)

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BUFFALO (24-29-0-7, 55 pts.) at ANAHEIM (31-19-0-8, 70 pts.) - 2/24/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 154-97 ATS (+383.7 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 29-11 ATS (+13.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 16-6 ATS (+8.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 10-2 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
ANAHEIM is 216-161 ATS (+46.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 62-27 ATS (+23.1 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 21-6 ATS (+11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 200-205 ATS (+438.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 4-1 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 4-1-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, February 24

Hot teams
-- Washington won eight of its last nine games.
-- Penguins won three of their last four road games.
-- San Jose won three of its last four games. Colorado won four of its last six.
-- Anaheim won its last five games, scoring 24 goals.

Cold teams
-- Montreal lost four of its last five games.
-- Boston lost three of its last five games.
-- Sabres lost six of their last nine games.

Series records
-- Washington won five of last seven games with Montreal.
-- Bruins won six of last seven games with Pittsburgh.
-- Sharks won five of last six games with Colorado.
-- Ducks won four of last five games with Buffalo.

Totals
-- Under is 6-1-1 in last eight Montreal-Washington games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Pittsburgh-Boston games.
-- Seven of last nine San Jose-Colorado games went over.
-- Over is 8-0-2 in last ten Anaheim games.

Back-to-backs
-- None




NHL

Wednesday, February 24

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Washington is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games when playing Montreal

7:30 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. BOSTON
Pittsburgh is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston's last 15 games when playing Pittsburgh

10:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing San Jose

10:30 PM
BUFFALO vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Buffalo is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Anaheim is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Buffalo

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, February 24


Montreal @ Washington

Game 1-2
February 24, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
12.760
Washington
11.688
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 1
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-230
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(+190); Under

Pittsburgh @ Boston

Game 3-4
February 24, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.790
Boston
11.219
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(+100); Over

San Jose @ Colorado

Game 5-6
February 24, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.579
Colorado
7.916
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 2 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-140); Under

Buffalo @ Anaheim

Game 7-8
February 24, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Buffalo
10.040
Anaheim
11.937
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-260
5
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-260); Over

[StarDust Bum]

NHL Capsules
February 24, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Steven Stamkos scored a goal in his fourth consecutive game, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning won their fourth straight by beating the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay also got a goal from Cedric Paquette on a short-handed penalty shot. The Lightning, second in the Atlantic Division, are three points behind first-place Florida.

Jordan Martinook had a goal and Louis Domingue stopped 34 shots for the Coyotes, who were coming off a 3-2 loss Monday night at Washington. Arizona, 10th in the Western Conference, is six points back in the race for the second wild card.

DEVILS 5, RANGERS 2

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Lee Stempniak scored late in the second period to snap a tie and New Jersey ended a three-game losing streak with a win over short-handed New York.

Kyle Palmieri, Sergey Kalinin, Adam Larsson and Tyler Kennedy also scored, and rookie Joseph Blandisi assisted on the tying and go-ahead goals in the second period. Cory Schneider made 17 saves as New Jersey beat the Rangers for the third time in four games this season.

Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore scored for the Rangers, who lost for only the third time in 10 games (7-2-1). Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in making 31 saves.

The Rangers played without defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal and forward Rick Nash. They also played the third period without J.T. Miller, who received a match penalty late in the second for fighting against Kalinin with his hand taped.

KINGS 2, FLAMES 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Anze Kopitar got the go-ahead goal on a power play late in the second period and defenseman Luke Schenn also scored for Los Angeles in a victory over Calgary.

Jonathan Quick made 22 saves, helping the Kings increase their Pacific Division lead to four points over idle Anaheim. The only puck that got past him was a power-play goal by Sean Monahan.

Joni Ortio stopped 35 shots for the Flames in his first NHL start since Oct. 30.

Kopitar, who sat out Saturday's 2-1 overtime win at Nashville because of a lower-body injury, got his team-high 18th goal and fifth game-winner at 17:27 of the second from short range while Flames captain Mark Giordano was serving a holding penalty.

RED WINGS 2, BLUE JACKETS 1, SO

DETROIT (AP) - Riley Sheahan scored in a shootout and had the tying goal in the second period, helping Detroit beat Columbus to snap a four-game losing streak.

Andreas Athanasiou sealed the victory by scoring in the shootout after Petr Mrazek stopped two shots in the tiebreaker.

Columbus' Boone Jenner broke a scoreless tie late in the first period. Sheahan tied it with Detroit's first short-handed goal this season.

Mrazek made 28 saves for the Red Wings. Curtis McElhinney stopped 27 shots for the Blue Jackets.

HURRICANES 3, FLYERS 1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Jordan Staal put Carolina ahead and Eric Staal added an insurance score late to lift the Hurricanes over Philadelphia.

Cam Ward made 36 saves for Carolina. Jordan Staal got his 16th goal and Eric Staal his 10th to end a 16-game scoreless streak.

Philadelphia had won the three previous meetings with Carolina this season in overtime.

Joakim Nordstrom had the other goal for Carolina and has 10 points in his last 12 games.

Scott Laughton scored for the Flyers, and goalie Michal Neuvirth stopped 15 shots.

PREDATORS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2

TORONTO (AP) - Filip Forsberg became the youngest player in franchise history to get a hat trick as Nashville beat Toronto.

The 21-year-old Forsberg also became the fifth Predators player to post a natural hat trick, Elias Sports told the NHL. His outburst helped Nashville improve to 11-1-3 in its last 15 games against Canadian teams, and the Predators also got points on the road for the ninth straight game - the franchise's longest such streak.

Carter Hutton stopped 25 shots for the Predators. James Reimer made 23 saves for the Maple Leafs.

Josh Leivo and Morgan Rielly scored for Toronto.

The Predators won without captain Shea Weber, who is day to day with a lower-body injury.

ISLANDERS 4, WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Frans Nielsen scored twice, John Tavares had a goal and an assist, and New York topped Minnesota in a matchup of surging teams.

Matt Martin also scored for New York, which has won six of eight. Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves as the Islanders improved to 2-0 on a seven-game road trip - their longest of the season.

Nielsen deflected Tavares' pass on the power play to make it 2-0 in the first period and added a short-handed, empty-net goal late in the third.

Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves as the Wild lost for the first time in five games under interim coach John Torchetti. Chris Porter had his fourth goal of the season for Minnesota, which had scored at least five goals in the four previous games with Torchetti behind the bench.

STARS 5, JETS 3

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - Jamie Benn scored twice in the third period and Dallas defeated Winnipeg to end a three-game skid.

Dallas scored three times in the final period, including the 31st and 32nd goals for Benn this season. Colton Sceviour put the Stars up 3-2 at 12:29 of the third on a goal awarded after a video review showed the puck bounced off the in-net camera before ricocheting out.

Dallas also got goals from Jason Spezza and Valeri Nichushkin. John Klingberg had three assists, and Antti Niemi made 22 saves.

Mark Scheifele, Alexander Burmistrov and Andrew Ladd scored for the Jets, who lost their fourth straight.

SENATORS 4, OILERS 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - Zack Smith had a goal and an assist as Ottawa ran its winning streak to four games by defeating Edmonton.

Nick Paul, Alex Chiasson and Mark Stone also scored for the Senators, hoping for a late surge into the Eastern Conference playoffs similar to the one they managed last season.

Jordan Eberle had the goal for the Oilers, who have lost five in a row and are once again in last place in the NHL.

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MON at WAS 07:00 PM

WAS -214


PIT at BOS 07:30 PM

PIT +102 BEST BET


SJ at COL 10:00 PM

COL +130 BEST BET


BUF at ANA 10:30 PM

BUF +230 BEST BET

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Wild (27-23) at Flyers (26-22)
Date: February 25, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

John Torchetti's winning streak to start his tenure with Minnesota is over, and stopping it from flipping immediately into a losing streak will require the Wild to extend their season-best road run.

They head to Philadelphia, where the Flyers begin a six-game stretch hoping to regain the home form they had a month and a half ago.

The Wild are 4-1-0 under Torchetti, and while they're embarking on a back-to-back road set concluding Friday against Washington having won three straight on the road under their new coach, they're also concerned with getting it right on home ice after Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders.

"Right now, we have to focus on the road, heading down there, and getting those games," said center Charlie Coyle, who has scored in six of the last eight away games, including the past three. "We have to get back to playing our game, and our style of hockey here, and take care of business in our building."

The Wild (27-23-10) scored 21 times in Torchetti's first four games with those wins coming by at least two goals each, and he said the departure from that was caused by the team being out of sync.

"It seemed like every time the puck was going, we were coming, and every time the puck was coming, we were going," Torchetti said. "We have to do a better job with our puck possession."

The power play has improved some under Torchetti, going 5 for 21, and the Wild have scored at least one power-play goal in their last eight away games while converting at a rate of 31.0 percent.

The Flyers (26-22-11) opened the season series with a 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota on Jan. 7 for their fifth victory in the last seven meetings.

Philadelphia is returning home from a 2-2-1 trip that ended with Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Carolina, despite putting 37 shots on net. The Flyers have outshot their last three opponents by 9.7 per game.

"We played a good hockey game, a real good hockey game, really in almost every area," coach Dave Hakstol told the team's official website. "Their goaltender was the difference. You walk away from this one and we didn't get the two points, and that's all that really matters at this time of year. But we did play a hell of a hockey game. So we've got to carry that play and that mentality into a home game in two days, and we'll do that."

The Flyers, however, have gone 2-3-3 at home since a six-game winning streak there ended in mid-January.

Shayne Gostisbehere's 15-game point streak was one of the casualties of Tuesday's loss, something the rookie defenseman isn't overly sad to see go.

"It was a special streak," Gostisbehere said. "I really can't thank my teammates and coaches (enough). They helped me along the way, not letting me think about it too much, and the biggest thing, not getting a big head about it. It was a fun thing. I'm personally happy it's over and we don't have to talk about it anymore."

Steve Mason figures to be back in net after Michal Neuvirth faced the Hurricanes and replaced Mason in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win in Toronto. Mason has posted a 1.98 goals-against average and .934 save percentage over a 3-1-0 span against Minnesota, whereas likely counterpart Devan Dubnyk has lost both his career games in Philadelphia with a 3.57 GAA and .883 save percentage.

The Wild placed forward Jason Zucker on injured reserve Wednesday because of a concussion suffered in Sunday's 6-1 win over Chicago. Zucker is tied for fourth on the team with 12 goals.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Devils (30-24) at Blue Jackets (24-29)
Date: February 25, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New Jersey Devils avoided matching their longest losing streak of the season by beating an arch-rival.

Now they can't afford another slip-up against a Metropolitan Division foe that has been a thorn in their side.

The Devils have dropped four straight to the Columbus Blue Jackets heading into Thursday night's matchup at Nationwide Arena.

New Jersey (30-24-7) ended a three-game slide with Tuesday's 5-2 home win over the New York Rangers. The Devils posted their highest goal total in 13 games by rallying from a goal down after one period as five different players scored.

"It's a huge rivalry game, you always want to beat those teams," said winger Lee Stempniak, who ended a personal nine-game goal drought.

The losing streak has seen the Devils drop outside the playoff picture, and they know they must improve down the stretch.

'It's a big win,' Stempniak said. 'You can see where we are in the standings. Losing three games, it's tough to keep pace with teams. To not get points in three straight, you are going to fall behind.'

New Jersey could use two points Thursday against the division's worst team, although Columbus (24-29-8) likely poses a bigger threat than its place in the standings suggests.

The Blue Jackets are 7-2-3 in their last 12 games and, more pertinent to this matchup, have taken the last four between the teams. That includes a pair of low-scoring road contests this season, 3-1 on Oct. 27 and 2-1 on Nov. 25.

Columbus returns home after winning 6-4 at Boston on Monday and losing 2-1 in a shootout in Detroit the next night. Boone Jenner scored three goals in those games to give him 22 to match Brandon Saad for the team lead.

The Blue Jackets outshot both opponents, and coach John Tortorella was happy with the trip.

"That's where I think our biggest improvement is, is when there are surges and there is momentum coming at you, we just stay with it, we don't break away and open up, we don't try to do too much, we just settle ourselves down and play," Tortorella said. "And for the most part with this trip here, we have done a really good job with that."

It may be difficult to translate that solid play over at home, where Columbus has scored one goal in back-to-back defeats.

Curtis McElhinney made his first start since Jan. 2 on Tuesday after being out with an ankle injury. Joonas Korpisalo, who started the previous 12 games, has never faced the Devils.

The Devils will have to figure out how to use their goalies in the start of a back-to-back set capped by Friday's home game against Tampa Bay. Cory Schneider is 0-3-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average in his last four starts against the Blue Jackets while backup Keith Kinkaid is the other option.

New Jersey's goalies have had to endure playing in front of an offense that is the league's worst in goals (2.2) and shots on goal (24.6) per game.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Coyotes (27-27) at Panthers (34-18)
Date: February 25, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Jaromir Jagr's march up the NHL's all-time scoring list at age 44 is a remarkable feat, something his much younger teammates appreciate even more as it helps keep Florida atop the Atlantic Division despite being short-handed recently.

The Panthers will get Aleksander Barkov and Erik Gudbranson back Thursday night, but the bad news is that Jonathan Huberdeau now is nursing his own injury.

Huberdeau will be out at least against the visiting Arizona Coyotes, whose playoff hopes are fading during a rough start to their road trip.

Barkov scored in four consecutive games and had at least a point in six straight before he was hit in the head illegally by Detroit's Justin Abdelkader in a loss Feb. 8. Gudbranson hasn't played since Feb. 4 because of an upper-body injury, and the Panthers (34-18-7) have gone just 3-3-2 since he went down.

They're both ready to return against the Coyotes (27-27-6) with Florida holding a three-point lead on Tampa Bay for the division lead thanks in part to Jagr. Jagr helped the Panthers pick up a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to San Jose last Thursday by scoring in the third period, then scored twice in Saturday's 3-1 win over Winnipeg.

Jagr moved ahead of Brett Hull for third on the NHL's scoring list with 742 goals, trailing only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe.

'I don't really think about it. I wanted to make sure I played a little bit better (Saturday),' Jagr said. "There's a million people who wanted to be in my position. If I can play in the NHL, why not keep going?'

Jagr's 20 goals and 43 points lead the Panthers, and Huberdeau and Jussi Jokinen have a team-high 29 assists apiece. Huberdeau, though, suffered an upper-body injury after going into the boards awkwardly against the Jets, and he'll have to sit out at least one game.

Not having the 22-year-old standout could be a blow, but Roberto Luongo hopes Florida won't have to score much anyway. He made 29 saves to beat Winnipeg after allowing at least three goals in each of his previous five starts, and he wasn't given the start in two straight before being back in net Saturday.

Luongo made 32 saves in Florida's 2-1 win over Arizona in the last matchup Oct. 30, 2014, to help the Panthers end a four-game losing streak in the series, and he'll be in goal again for this one.

'I wasn't happy obviously with my last few starts,' Luongo said. 'Put in a good week of work. Usually it gets you over the hump and I felt good in the game. I felt sharp.'

The Coyotes will try to solve Luongo and snap a three-game skid. This will be their third contest in four nights after falling 3-2 to Washington on Monday and 2-1 to Tampa Bay on Tuesday to start their five-game trip.

Arizona sits in 10th place in the Western Conference and is chasing Colorado for the last wild-card spot, but it has three games in hand on the Avalanche.

"We're running out of games here," said rookie Jordan Martinook, who had an assist against the Capitals and scored against the Lightning. "The teams that we're chasing are winning. Sometimes you can work hard but you're not getting the results. We need to come out against Florida and play as desperate as we can."

Louis Domingue was in net for both games to begin the trip. It's unclear if he'll get the start in this one.