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

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 1

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


CAR at NJ 07:00 PM

NJ -134


CAL at BOS 07:00 PM

BOS -219


STL at OTT 07:30 PM

OTT +105 BEST BET


PIT at WAS 07:30 PM

PIT +133 BEST BET


EDM at BUF 07:30 PM

EDM +113 BEST BET


COL at MIN 08:00 PM

COL +144 BEST BET


FLA at WIN 08:00 PM

FLA -116


DAL at NAS 08:00 PM

NAS -140


NYI at VAN 10:00 PM

NYI -149

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blackhawks (39-20) at Red Wings (32-20)
Date: March 02, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Residing in different conferences, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings don't see much of each other these days.

They'll quickly get reacquainted while completing their entire season series this week.

In the first of two matchups over five days, the Red Wings try for a fourth straight win Wednesday night against the visiting Blackhawks.

Since moving to the Eastern Conference in 2013-14, Detroit (32-20-11) improved to 3-1-0 against its longtime Original Six archrival by taking both matchups last season. Riding a five-game point streak and looking to win four in a row for the second time this season, the Red Wings appear primed for the latest installment before visiting Chicago on Sunday.

"They're a team that's a measuring stick throughout the league with the success they've had in the past several years," goalie Jimmy Howard said. "It's going to be another tall task."

While the Blackhawks (39-20-5) play Boston on Thursday, this is a home-and-home set for Detroit. On Monday, the Red Wings faced the other team currently in the mix for the top spot in the West and pulled out a 3-2 overtime victory at Dallas. Rookie Andreas Athanasiou scored twice and Pavel Datsyuk had the winner to snap Detroit's 0-for-20 power-play drought.

The Red Wings are third in the Atlantic Division but very much within striking distance of the top two spots.

"The points are critical," coach Jeff Blashill said. "We gotta keep doing everything we can to get as many points as we can."

Though Howard made 39 saves Monday to record his first win since Dec. 3, the Red Wings need Petr Mrazek healthy and effective again. Detroit's No. 1 netminder, 3-1-1 in his last five starts despite posting a 3.24 goals-against average, should be ready to start this contest.

"We were precautionary (Monday)," Blashill said. "We wanted to make sure he didn't injure it any more. It would be day to day so we'll know more for sure on Wednesday but we expect him ready to play."

Mrazek has never faced the Blackhawks, who won for the third time in eight games, 3-2 over NHL-leading Washington on Sunday. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews each scored and newly-acquired forward Andrew Ladd had an assist in his return to Chicago.

Tomas Fleischmann, who came over along with Dale Weise from Montreal on Friday, played 13 minutes and did not record a point.

"It can be energizing for sure, some fresh faces," goaltender Corey Crawford said. "With the new guys in the lineup it felt like the chemistry was building throughout the game. ... We just want to build off that."

It's uncertain if Weise will make his Chicago debut in this contest as he continues to deal with visa issues in Canada. In a minor deal Monday, the Blackhawks also acquired light-scoring veteran forward Tim Jackman and a draft pick from Anaheim.

Crawford, who made 28 saves Sunday to match a career high with 33 wins, has yielded seven goals while losing his last two at Detroit.

The Blackhawks have also allowed their last eight opponents to going 10 of 24 on the power play.

Kane recorded 12 of his league-leading 85 points - three shy of his career best - in 11 games last month.

Toews has five points in four road contests and four in his last three at Detroit, including the playoffs.

Tomas Tatar has four goals in five games against Chicago.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Canadiens (30-28) at Ducks (34-19)
Date: March 02, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

With a little more offensive punch added to the mix, the Anaheim Ducks are in position to catch the Pacific Division leader.

The Ducks will do so with a ninth consecutive victory Wednesday night, when recently acquired forward Jamie McGinn is expected to take the ice against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

Riding a 10-game point streak amid a 17-2-1 stretch, Anaheim (34-19-8) moved within two points of first-place Los Angeles after Sunday's 4-2 home win over the Kings.

'We're near the top of the mountain, but we're not at the top of the mountain yet, so we have to keep persevering," said coach Bruce Boudreau, whose team has won 22 of 28 since Christmas.

The Ducks are on their longest winning and point streaks since an 11-0-2 run in 2013-14 which included a franchise-record 10 consecutive victories. That season also marks the last time they won eight straight at home, something they could achieve Wednesday along with taking a piece of the Pacific lead, though Los Angeles currently holds the tiebreaker.

'We've put ourselves in a good spot just to continue and keep pushing forward,' said forward Corey Perry, who ended a four-game point drought with three goals and an assist Sunday. 'It's right there. We can see it in our sights now, and it's getting closer.'

Anaheim has averaged a league-high 3.8 goals in 20 games since Jan. 13, is 13 of 29 on the power play in the last eight and gets deeper with Monday's acquisitions of McGinn and forward Brandon Pirri.

Pirri, who came over from Florida for a sixth-round pick, could miss two weeks with an ankle injury, but McGinn should be ready after being acquired from Buffalo for a conditional third-round selection. McGinn has 27 points in 63 games, and among the current Ducks, only Perry (26) and Rickard Rakell (16) have more than his 14 goals.

"(McGinn) fits with how we play out here right now," general manager Bob Murray said. "It was something we had talked about, and when he became available, it took to the last day to get it done."

The Ducks made two other minor moves shortly before Monday's trade deadline, including sending forward Patrick Maroon to Edmonton for a minor leaguer.

'I just thought we became deeper and more versatile," Murray said. 'I'm comfortable with what we did without (messing) up the chemistry too much.'

Murray didn't need to part with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Frederik Andersen, who is 10-0-2 with a 1.81 goals-against average as a starter in 2016.

Backup John Gibson, who made 27 saves Sunday, has won three in a row and made 37 saves in a 3-1 home victory over Montreal last March when these teams last met.

Anaheim is 3-0-2 in its last five home games against the Canadiens (30-28-5), who have the fourth-fewest points in the Eastern Conference and were sellers prior to the deadline. After trading veteran forwards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to Chicago last week, Montreal sent ex-Duck Devante Smith-Pelly to New Jersey on Monday.

"I'd say that for (rest of the season), our primary objectives are experience and evaluation," general manager Marc Bergevin told the Canadiens' official website.

Montreal's four-game point streak ended with Monday's 6-2 loss at San Jose.

"Nights like these are going to happen," coach Michel Therrien said. "We have a very young team right now. There are nights that are going to be tougher than others."

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has three goals in the last four games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Maple Leafs (21-30) at Capitals (45-12)
Date: March 02, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Comfortably atop the NHL, the Washington Capitals realize their amazing regular season won't mean anything without some playoff success. They made moves to improve those chances, with one sending longtime center Brooks Laich to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Laich faces his former team three days after the deal as the league-worst Maple Leafs try to hand the Capitals a rare home loss Wednesday night.

Washington (46-12-4) leads the race for the Presidents' Trophy by 13 points with 20 games left in the regular season. Knowing that the pressure will mount in the playoffs after failing to reach the conference finals in seven of the past eight seasons, the Capitals made several deals before Monday's trade deadline.

Perhaps the most significant involved Laich going to Toronto in a package that returned rugged forward Daniel Winnik on Sunday. Laich spent 10-plus seasons in Washington, collecting 133 goals and 191 assists in 742 games, which rank eighth in franchise history.

The center makes his return to the nation's capital already after his Maple Leafs debut ended in a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday.

"I don't know if I am looking forward to it, and I don't know if I'm not," Laich said. "Still, the emotions are pretty heavy. Very fortunate for my time there. Really appreciative of the fans and the support that I've received in the last couple days and certainly over the 12 years, and just the friendships.

"There's going to be a lot of mixed emotions. Gonna have to try to control myself a little bit."

Winnik has been through this before, playing for six teams in nine seasons. He could make his Capitals debut after he was scratched for Tuesday's 3-2 win over Pittsburgh in a preview of a possible first-round playoff matchup.

While Washington improved to 19-2-1 in the last 22 at home, coach Barry Trotz wasn't happy with the team having to rally from a 2-0 deficit. It's surrendered the first goal in eight of the past nine games, but the Capitals have been able to win six of them.

"We're going to have to re-adjust our alarm clocks or whatever," Trotz said. "The starts, if we don't get that corrected ... That's gotta come from within. I've tried for awhile to get those starts all year. I'm putting it back in the room. I'm throwing it on them."

Evgeny Kuznetsov has 27 points in his last 20 games, scoring five goals over the past eight with one in each of the last two. The center has only managed three assists in six career meetings with Toronto.

Alex Ovechkin regularly torments the Maple Leafs. He has 31 goals and 25 assists in 38 career matchups, collecting seven points in the past four. He had two before netting the only successful shootout attempt in a 3-2 home win over Toronto on Nov. 7.

The Caps have won five straight and are 10-1-1 in their last 12 home meetings with the Leafs. They've outscored them 16-6 while winning four straight overall.

Toronto (21-30-10) is having major problems defensively on the road, giving up an average of 3.92 goals while dropping 10 of its last 13.

Nazem Kadri ended his nine-game goal drought Monday, but he doesn't have a point in four straight road games after getting 12 in the prior 13.

The center hasn't produced a point in his past six visits to Washington, where the early focus will be on Laich's return.

"The fans will be great to him. He's been great to the Washington area," Trotz said.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 34 Losses for the last two seasons (-27.05 units)

NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 21 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)

NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in All games second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 53 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.85 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL using money line in All games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 16 Losses for the this season (-14.35 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL using money line in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 20 Losses for the last two seasons (-16.5 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 34 Losses for the last two seasons (-27.05 units)

NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 21 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)

NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in All games second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 53 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.85 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL in All games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 16 Losses for the this season (-14.35 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 20 Losses for the last two seasons (-16.5 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 13 Overs and 37 Unders for the last two seasons (+24 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play OVER MONTREAL on the totalin Road games second half of the season
The record is 10 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+9.65 units)

NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play OVER DETROIT on the totalin All games after a 3 game unbeaten streak
The record is 16 Overs and 3 Unders for the last three seasons (+13.35 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Stetson 82, NJIT 67-- #7-seed upsets #2-seed in Atlantic Sun.

-- Lipscomb 92, Jacksonville 89 OT-- #6-seed will face Stetson in next round.

-- Oklahoma 73, Baylor 71-- Sooners led 26-5 early, survived huge comeback.

-- Indiana 81, Iowa 78-- Hawkeyes lost five of their last six games.

-- Dayton 85, Richmond 84-- Flyers were down 11 in second half.

-- Warriors 109, Hawks 105 OT-- Golden State won its last 43 home games.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Happy birthday to Dr Seuss......

Today would've been Dr Seuss' 112th birthday; with that in mind, I'm adding one of his quotes at end of each note today.

13) Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer is a 59-year old, overweight bald man. Druing a timeout Monday night, Mr Ballmer dunked, using a trampoline. Thanks to him, I will never wonder what it would look like if I dunked using a trampoline, seeing as I am a 56-year old, overweight bald man. If you're wondering, it wasn't pretty.

Dr Seuss: "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."

12) Golden State Warriors have now had 159 consecutive home sellouts.

Dr Seuss: "A person's a person, no matter how small."

11) Bernie Sanders raised $6M on Monday alone; he raised over $42M in month of February. He is very good at raising money.

Dr Seuss: "Oh the things you can find, if you don't stand behind."

10) Aroldis Chapman got suspended 30 games for violating the domestic violence policy; based on his $11,325,000 salary, looks like he is being docked a total of just about $2,097,222.22.

Dr Seuss: "Today I shall behave, as if today is the day I will be remembered."

9) Sam Bradford gets $36M for two years from the Eagles; good luck there. He has a 25-37-1 career W-L record, with zero playoff appearances in six years.

Dr Seuss: "From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere."

8) Tampa Bay Rays are playing the Cuban National team in Havana March 22, which is really a breakthrough in international relations.

Dr Seuss: "You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."

7) City of San Francisco raised the smoking age to 21 this week. I personally think smoking should be illegal, since it helps to kill people, but nobody asked me.

Dr Seuss: "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."

6) Spring training logistics must be interesting; so many players have to be given a chance to show themselves; its not like the egular season, when the best guys play the most. Cleveland has 22 pitchers in its big league camp; coaches ahve to script who gets how many innings and when. Takes a lot of planning.

Dr Seuss: "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."

5) Michigan loses its star player Caris LeVert for the season; he had only played one game since New Year's, but now it is offical that his college career is over.

Dr Seuss: "Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened."

4) Dillon Avare is a walk-on basketball player at Louisville who will graduate from Louisville in three years, then transfer and play at Eastern Kentucky on scholarship. Why is he at Louisville? His dad is Rick Pitino's business manager. Why is he going to EKU? EKU's coach Dan McHale used to be a manager for Rick Pitino at Kentucky.

Dr Seuss: "You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."

3) Colorado Rockies are raising fences in right-center field 8 feet and down the left field line 5 feet. They might raise all the fences for the 2017 season.

Dr Seuss: "From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere."

2) Kansas City Royals rewarded catcher Salvador Perez for his leadership and great play with a 5-year, $52.5M contract extension. Much deserved.

Dr Seuss: "Unlike someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. Its not."

1) I like to watch the credits at the end of movies; not sure why. Was watching one of my favorite movies Leap of Faith the other night and noticed this in the credits:

Cons and Frauds Consultant-- Ricky Jay

Leap of Faith is about a travelling preacher who scams people into giving him money by making them think he can heal their illnesses, or fix their problems. Not sure if the credit is a joke or if they really did have a fraud consultant, but it made me laugh.

Dr Seuss: "Step with care and great tact. And remember that life is a great balancing act."

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 2

Hot teams
-- Washington won fove of its last seven games.
-- Detroit won its last three games.
-- Anaheim won its last eight games.

Cold teams
-- Maple Leafs lost six of their last seven games.
-- Chicago lost five of its last eight games.
-- Montreal lost five of its last eight games.

Series records
-- Maple Leafs lost six of last seven games with Washington.
-- Red Wings won three of last four games with Chicago.
-- Ducks won seven of last ten games with Montreal.

Totals
-- Last four Toronto games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Detroit games stayed under total.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Anaheim games.

Back-to-backs
-- Washington is 4-7 if it played the night before.




NHL

Wednesday, March 2

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Chicago is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Detroit is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Chicago

10:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. ANAHEIM
Montreal is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 2

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TORONTO (21-30-0-10, 52 pts.) at WASHINGTON (46-12-0-4, 96 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-2 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-2-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

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CHICAGO (39-20-0-5, 83 pts.) at DETROIT (32-20-0-11, 75 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-1-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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MONTREAL (30-28-0-5, 65 pts.) at ANAHEIM (34-19-0-8, 76 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-13.0 Units) in non-conference games this season.
MONTREAL is 5-13 ATS (-8.8 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ANAHEIM is 96-63 ATS (+165.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 19-6 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 11-2 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
ANAHEIM is 37-19 ATS (+9.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 32-9 ATS (+18.3 Units) in home games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 75-35 ATS (+21.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 23-6 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 68-56 ATS (+125.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 2-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 2-2-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.9 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, March 2


Toronto @ Washington

Game 51-52
March 2, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
9.400
Washington
12.804
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
N/A

Chicago @ Detroit

Game 53-54
March 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
13.013
Detroit
11.596
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A

Montreal @ Anaheim

Game 55-56
March 2, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
10.246
Anaheim
13.332
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 3
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-220
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-220); Under

[StarDust Bum]

March Record: 1 - 3 - 1. 87

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


TOR at WAS 07:00 PM

WAS -280


CHI at DET 08:00 PM

CHI +100 BEST BET


MON at ANA 10:00 PM

ANA -207

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Oilers (24-34) at Flyers (29-22)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

It's uncertain if this season could have gone better for the Edmonton Oilers had Connor McDavid not missed significant time with a broken clavicle suffered at Philadelphia in November.

Four months to the day of that injury, McDavid and the visiting Oilers again face the Flyers while looking for a third consecutive victory Thursday night.

McDavid, the 2015 top overall pick, was hurt when he fell awkwardly and was then ridden hard into the boards late in the second period of Edmonton's 4-2 win over Philadelphia (29-22-11) on Nov. 3. Last in the Western Conference, the Oilers (24-34-7) went 14-18-5 while their young star was sidelined.

That record is actually slightly better than the club's 10-16-2 effort with McDavid, and last-place Edmonton has gone 5-8-2 since he returned Feb. 2, averaging just 1.9 goals in the last 13 contests. However, McDavid has recorded 19 of his 31 points in those 15 games and was named NHL rookie of the month for February.

The center appears poised to carry that success over to March after scoring twice in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory at Buffalo, a much-anticipated matchup with second overall pick Jack Eichel.

"He's so fast and pushes defenders back," teammate Jordan Eberle told the Oilers' official website of McDavid. "He's able to make a lot of plays that maybe a lot of us can't."

The Flyers didn't see much of that in the first meeting, with McDavid taking two shots and posting a minus-1 rating over 11 minutes.

Though it's unknown how McDavid will approach facing the team he was injured against, his primary focus is to help the Oilers win three in a row for the first time since a season-high six-game run Dec. 2-14. The only other time Edmonton won two straight road games this season was Oct. 17-18.

"It's important for us, in this next month, to keep having something to play for," McDavid said.

Ninth in the East and three points out of the final playoff spot, Philadelphia has much more to play for the rest of the way. The Flyers have earned at least one point in six of seven and are undefeated halfway through a season-high six-game homestand.

'We've got a steep hill for us to climb in order to push back into the playoffs,' said coach Dave Hakstol, whose club has twice won four straight this season. "(But) this group is pretty strong in the locker room; they're a pretty tight group."

Brayden Schenn recorded his first career hat trick and Claude Giroux had four assists in Monday's 5-3 win over Calgary. Philadelphia has averaged 3.7 goals in the past seven and is 4 for 8 on the power play in the last three.

"When the whole team is on the same page it just makes everybody's (job) much easier," Giroux told the Flyers' official website. "Right now we're playing some good hockey 'cause we're playing hard. We're playing the right way. We need to keep playing like this."

Schenn, whose final goal Tuesday was his career-high 21st, has six points on the homestand.

"He's got that talent to be able to score goals from everywhere," Giroux said. "He's a smart player and he's getting better and better every day."

Giroux and Schenn were held without a point in the loss at Edmonton.

The Oilers have totaled four goals during a three-game losing streak at Philadelphia.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Flames (26-33) at Sabres (25-31)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Hope for the future for the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames revolves around Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau.

These teams have the second-worst records in their respective conferences, and the visiting Flames have lost a season-high six straight as they look to sweep the Sabres on Thursday night.

Buffalo (25-31-8) and Calgary (26-33-4) won't be going to the postseason. That's something the Sabres likely expected after four straight absences resulted in them selecting second in the draft and choosing Eichel. It's more disappointing for the Flames, who ended a five-season playoff drought in 2014-15 and defeated Vancouver in the first round.

In any case, Thursday's matchup will feature two of the NHL's rising young talents in Eichel and Gaudreau. They each won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country, with Gaudreau claiming that honor in 2014 for Boston College and Eichel the next season for Boston University.

Gaudreau was the star when they first met with the winning goal with 4:50 left in a 4-3 victory Dec. 10, also assisting on Sean Monahan's go-ahead score with 10:35 remaining. Eichel was held without a point.

The Sabres rookie has failed to add to his 41-point total in five straight after Tuesday's 2-1 overtime home loss to Edmonton, in which top overall pick Connor McDavid scored the winner.

'We didn't play well at all,' Eichel said. 'It started with the way we came out. We just didn't do a lot of good things as a team."

Eichel's five-game point drought has coincided with Ryan O'Reilly going down with a lower-body injury Feb. 19. O'Reilly leads the Sabres with 49 points, and Eichel had five points in a four-game run in the last four games they played together.

Buffalo is enduring a 1-3-1 stretch, but that's better than Calgary's recent play. The Flames are 0-5-1 in their skid after falling 2-1 at Boston on Tuesday.

Gaudreau came up empty as his eight-game streak in which he amassed 12 points ended. Rookie defenseman Jakub Nakladal scored the lone goal.

Nakladal won't be the only young player seeing action down the stretch. Garnet Hathaway has played twice as a rookie while Jyrki Jokipakka made his Flames debut Tuesday after being acquired from Dallas.

"We're going to see a lot about the character on this hockey club," coach Bob Hartley told the team's official website. "We have a lot. Guys like Jokipakka and Hathaway and all those guys, they are coming in and they want to make a name for themselves and we have some players that need to put some money in the bank. There is no reason to quit and obviously we're not going to accept anyone quitting."

Four defeats during the slide have been by one or two goals.

"Nobody likes losing and that's what has been happening here lately," Gaudreau said. "We have to change it. I think four or five games could have been the opposite way around."

The Flames acquired goaltender Niklas Backstrom from Minnesota on Monday, but Jonas Hiller is expected to start.

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Preview: Rangers (37-20) at Penguins (32-22)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Rangers' troubles on the road appear to be over, and that turnaround already includes a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Rangers look to continue their recent domination of the Penguins by matching their longest winning streak in the all-time series Thursday night.

New York is second in the NHL with a 23-6-3 home record, but the club was having a tough time carrying that success onto the road until recently. The Rangers (37-20-6) have won five of their last six away from Madison Square Garden following a 4-12-2 stretch that included giving up an average of 3.44 goals.

They've yielded just 12 goals over the last six on the road, including a 3-0 win at Pittsburgh on Feb. 10 that extend their winning streak there to four games.

New York is 11-1-1 in the last 13 overall meetings, including playoffs. The Rangers have a chance to win five straight against the Penguins for the third time in series history and first since 1973-74.

They're still not taking Pittsburgh lightly, and that's likely due to its 9-2-0 record in its last 11 home games.

"They've been playing well of late, but it's always a big challenge, no matter what, playing Pittsburgh," goaltender Henrik Lundqvist told the team's official website.

Lundqvist has a 1.35 goals-against average while starting each of the last 13 matchups with the Penguins, and he stopped all 34 shots he faced last month. He's allowed just three goals on 119 shots over the last four meetings.

Lundqvist should be back in net after being rested Monday in favor of backup Antti Raanta, who had 26 saves in a 2-1 win over Columbus.

The game marked Eric Staal's Rangers debut a day after he was acquired in a trade with Carolina, but he didn't factor in the scoring and only had one shot.

"He's well-prepared, been around the league for a handful of years now, so he'll adjust," captain Ryan McDonagh said. "He's already getting up to speed quick, asking questions and making sure he's on the same page as everybody. It's a great sign. He's coming around fast."

Staal has averaged a point over 46 career regular-season meetings with Pittsburgh, but he's failed to get any in two this season.

While the Rangers are 11 points clear of the postseason cutoff in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins (32-22-8) are just three in front of Philadelphia for the second wild-card position.

They squandered a two-goal lead to fall 3-2 at NHL-leading Washington on Tuesday in a possible first-round playoff preview. Pittsburgh had a tough time adjusting to the Capitals' physical play, which provided postseason-like intensity.

The Penguins should expect a similar atmosphere Thursday.

"I think we put ourselves in positions to get hit," center Sidney Crosby said. "When you're going back for pucks continuously and you don't execute, they have an opportunity to gain speed and get those hits in.

"That's the type of hockey that it is this time of year."

Crosby has four points in the last two games after getting three over the previous eight. That rough stretch started with a pointless effort and a minus-3 rating against the Rangers. He's got six points over the past 13 meetings and just two in nine at home.

Evgeni Malkin missed the last meeting against New York with a lower-body injury, but he's been held off the score sheet in each of his past six matchups. He found the net Tuesday for his first goal in three games since missing 10 with the injury.

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Preview: Lightning (37-22) at Senators (30-27)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Considering how well the Tampa Bay Lightning are playing, it's easy to see why they are so pleased with general manager Steve Yzerman's decision to stand pat at this week's trade deadline.

For the second time in 2016, the visiting Lightning have a chance to match a club record with an eighth consecutive victory Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.

Two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division and riding its second seven-game winning streak since early January, Tampa Bay (37-22-4) is perfectly content to press forward as is.

"We're comfortable with each other," coach Jon Cooper told the Lightning's official website. "There's no reason to blow this up. We've got a great group of guys, and they know the standard how we want to play and we've had some success.

"I know Steve was looking if there was a piece we could have added to us or to help us out. That's why he's the reigning GM of the year because he's good at doing stuff like that, but when there's not something out there, you just don't make a trade to make a trade."

Tyler Johnson scored both goals as the Lightning won for the 18th time in 23 games Monday, 2-1 at Toronto. They won eight straight Feb. 23-March 6, 2004.

"I think you ask anyone in this locker room, we're very confident in the group that we have," said Johnson, who didn't skip a beat after taking a puck to the forehead in Sunday's 4-1 win at Boston. "We've been working hard and everything's coming together at the right moment."

Giving Ben Bishop a breather, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves to win his third consecutive start. Bishop has posted a 1.25 goals-against average during a four-game winning streak, all on the road.

Tampa Bay has yielded six goals while winning five consecutive road contests and killed all 17 penalties in the last six away from home. The Lightning can complete a sweep of their four-game trip by taking six straight road contests for the first time since 2007-08.

They outscored the Senators 9-3 to win the first two meetings at home but lost 5-1 at Ottawa on Feb. 8. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos combined for seven points in the first two games but were blanked in the defeat.

Senators forward Mark Stone had two goals and an assist Feb. 8, part of a 14-game stretch in which he has nine goals and eight assists. He assisted on the first of Jean-Gabriel Pageau's two third-period goals in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to St. Louis that ended in the 11th round of a shootout.

Ottawa (30-27-7) has gone 5-1-1 in its last seven and earned at least a point in four straight home contests, but is five points out of the final wild-card spot in East and will need to pass several teams.

"At this time of the year it's tough to feel good about yourselves after ultimately losing a game," Andrew Hammond, who stopped all 17 shots after replacing an ineffective Craig Anderson, told the NHL's official website. "That's really the position we're in right now."

Anderson has posted a 4.34 goals-against average in his last three starts but made 31 saves against the Lightning at home last month.

Pageau, who recorded a goal and two assists in that victory, has three and five assists during a six-game point streak.

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Preview: Devils (30-27) at Predators (32-21)
Date: March 03, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Nashville Predators are enjoying their longest win streak of the season, one to which their top defenseman has finally contributed.

They'll vie for a sixth straight victory Thursday night as they host a New Jersey Devils team that's lost six of seven and is struggling to score.

Nashville (32-21-11) won 5-3 over Dallas on Tuesday, as Shea Weber returned with a goal and two assists after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Weber, who had gone pointless in four straight, scored his team-best 12th power-play goal.

'The way the guys were playing while I was out, I was a little nervous to come back,' Weber said. 'I didn't want to be the reason we lost the game, so it was a big win. I thought the guys did a good job."

Filip Forsberg was held without a point after posting two hat tricks in his previous three games. He'll try to score for the first time in four games against the Devils.

That didn't mean he failed to make an impact on a line with Craig Smith and Mike Ribeiro. Smith had a goal and an assist to give him five points in two games and Ribeiro's assist gave him four in two games and 13 in his last 13.

"The Ribeiro line for me was just flying," coach Peter Laviolette said. "A lot of confidence, a lot of speed and they're making things happen when they're out there on the ice."

New Jersey (30-27-7) is searching for answers in the opener of a two-game trip after another listless performance in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Carolina. The Devils have scored twice in their three-game slide.

Coach John Hynes doesn't have a solution at the moment.

"I think that's a good question, what's missing," Hynes said. "What's missing is we haven't been good enough to get the end results as of late. It's something that we'll continue to work at."

The Devils average a league-worst 2.2 goals along with the fewest shots per game at 24.6.

"I think one of the things we gotta do a better job of is shoot the puck more," Hynes said.

Kyle Palmieri, with a team-high 23 goals, has none in the last three games. Adam Henrique ended a seven-game goal drought with his 20th Tuesday.

New Jersey could receive an offensive boost Thursday with Devante Smith-Pelly expected to make his club debut after being acquired from Montreal on Monday. Smith-Pelly has six goals and six assists in 46 games this season.

Defenseman David Warsofsky, claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Monday, might also make his New Jersey debut.

Cory Schneider has started the Devils' last seven games with a 3.35 goals-against average. He and Keith Kinkaid will likely split the starts on this trip that includes Friday's matchup with the Stars.

"We gotta get on the road trip and see if we can find a way to be better against Nashville," Hynes said.

Pekka Rinne has won his last four starts for Nashville and made 22 saves in a 3-1 victory at New Jersey on Oct. 13, with defenseman Roman Josi scoring twice.