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

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Preview: Wild (31-27) at Canadiens (32-30)
Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With their best defenseman now added to an extensive injury list, the Montreal Canadiens will have to rely even more on the NHL's hottest scorer.

Alex Galchenyuk aims to keep his offensive tear going when the Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night without P.K. Subban's services.

Montreal (32-30-6) continued its recent success at Bell Centre with Thursday's 3-2 victory over Buffalo, though the postgame mood was anything but celebratory after Subban was taken off the ice on a stretcher following a collision with teammate Alexei Emelin in the final minutes.

"It was really hard to watch," said captain Max Pacioretty, who suffered a fractured vertebrae in a similar incident in a March 2011 game against Boston. "It was impossible to concentrate after that. All we can do is be supportive. Any time you get an injury to that area, it's very, very scary."

Subban did avoid a major scare, sustaining what the team termed a "non-serious neck injury," and was released from a local hospital late Thursday night.

"Feeling good, and feeling the love. Thanks for all the support!!," he wrote on his Twitter account Friday.

Coach Michel Therrien told the Canadiens' website that Subban will sit out Saturday's contest, ending his streak of 273 consecutive games played. The popular defenseman, who is day to day, last missed a game Jan. 30, 2013.

"Under the circumstances P.K. came out of the situation really well," said Therrien, who added that he's unsure when Subban will return.

Subban joins Jeff Petry, Tom Gilbert and Nathan Beaulieu as Montreal defensemen presently injured, and the Canadiens also remain without star goaltender Carey Price and forward Brendan Gallagher.

They will have a healthy Galchenyuk, who recorded his third consecutive two-goal game Thursday and has amassed 11 of his career-high 25 goals over a torrid eight-game stretch.

Galchenyuk has scored all but three of Montreal's nine goals in the past three games, and the last two were victories. The Canadiens have won three straight only once since the start of December.

Whether Minnesota (31-27-10) can capitalize on the Canadiens' depleted back line remains to be seen. The Wild have just seven goals over their last four games and struggled again offensively in Thursday's 2-1 home loss to Edmonton.

The Wild have lost two straight to fall two points behind Colorado for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot but have played one fewer game.

"We're still in a good spot with games in hand, but we've got to take advantage of that," goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. "The games just keep ticking away, so you don't want to let points slip away.'

Zach Parise did end a nine-game goal drought Thursday but has only three over his last 24 games. Thomas Vanek has no goals and one assist over his past seven.

Jason Pominville has five goals in his last five meetings with Montreal but missed Thursday's loss with a lower-body injury, ending a streak of 231 consecutive games played.

Minnesota should have Devan Dubnyk available after he was scratched against Edmonton with an illness. He had won four straight starts before allowing three goals on 16 shots in just 30:17 in Sunday's 4-2 loss to St. Louis.

Kuemper had 25 saves in Dubnyk's place and registered 24 in a 2-1 home victory over the Canadiens on Dec. 22.

However, the Wild have lost three straight at Bell Centre, where Montreal has won three in a row overall and is 7-0-1 over its last eight.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Maple Leafs (22-33) at Senators (31-30)
Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Milan Michalek always found it disconcerting to see the vast number of Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys when he was with the Ottawa Senators in home matchups between the Atlantic Division rivals.

Now he'll get to enjoy the view as he takes part in the rivalry for the first time on the other side with the visiting Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Michalek was part of the blockbuster nine-player deal between these clubs Feb. 9 in which Dion Phaneuf joined the Senators (31-30-8). These teams met for the first time since that trade last Saturday when Ottawa won 3-2 on the road.

Michalek was still out with a fractured finger on his right hand at the time, but he's returned to play two games for his first action with Toronto. He's looking forward to being in a favorable atmosphere at the Canadian Tire Centre for a change in this matchup.

"I always know in Ottawa, it's going to be a lot of Toronto fans when we play there so it felt like we're playing on the road," Michalek said. "So it's going to be fun (Saturday), it's going to be almost like playing at home."

The Senators prevailed last weekend in Phaneuf's return to Toronto by rallying from a goal down with two in the third period, including Zack Smith's winner with 2:15 left. Phaneuf and Colin Greening, one of the players acquired in the deal by the Leafs, dropped their gloves and fought in the first period.

Ottawa improved to 3-0-0 in the season series and can finish with its first perfect record against Toronto (22-33-11) since capturing all five 2000-01 meetings. The Senators have totaled 15 goals in winning three straight at home in the series.

They haven't won since beating the Leafs, going 0-2-1 after falling 6-2 at Florida on Thursday by conceding the game's final four goals.

'I thought we had a real good start then we got stubborn,' coach Dave Cameron said. 'We force things and we try to make something happen when it's low percentage. The puck ends up in the back of your net, the other team gets momentum and you're chasing the game. It's frustrating to watch that stubbornness beat us night after night."

The Senators now try to avoid matching a season-worst four-game home slide. They admit they are feeling the pressure as their postseason hopes dwindle.

"I think we all know that we're going to have to win games to give ourselves a chance and it's going to force us to do things sometimes that you normally don't do," defenseman Erik Karlsson said.

With the league's worst record, the Maple Leafs have turned to younger players and will give 20-year-old defenseman Rinat Valiev his NHL debut Saturday. The Russian is a 2014 third-round pick.

His countryman, winger Nikita Soshnikov, is creating a buzz with two goals and an assist in his first six NHL games.

"He's a fun, young kid, really a fun guy in the locker room although you guys might not see the most of it, really energetic, a lot of fun to play with," teammate Brooks Laich said.

Another rookie who has scored twice in six games is William Nylander, who had his first power-play tally Wednesday as Toronto ended an 0-5-1 slide with a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders.

Smith has scored in a career-high four straight games and has eight points in a seven-game streak, also a career best.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Avalanche (35-30) at Jets (27-35)
Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Looking to remain in playoff position, the Colorado Avalanche must do so without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the time being.

Landeskog begins his three-game suspension as the Avalanche try for a third straight victory Saturday night against the Winnipeg Jets in the opener of a four-city Canadian trip.

Two points up on Minnesota for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, Colorado (35-30-4) made a statement by handing Anaheim its first regulation defeat in a month with Wednesday's 3-0 victory.

"I think we proved that when we are playing our best, we can beat anyone," rookie forward Andreas Martinsen told the Avalanche's official website.

Facing four teams set to miss the playoffs, the Avs appear to have a good opportunity for more success on this trip but won't have Landeskog for almost all of it.

Third on the team with 46 points and among its leaders in average ice time at 18 minutes, 51 seconds, Landeskog was disciplined for his cross-check on the Ducks' Simon Despres.

"I'd like to think it was not that bad," coach Patrick Roy said after the game.

Though no penalty was called, the NHL thought otherwise and considered Landeskog a repeat offender after he was suspended two games earlier this season for a hit on Boston's Brad Marchand.

Looking to avoid a third straight road defeat, the Avs are expected to start Semyon Varlamov, who stopped all but one of 75 shots faced in the last two games. He sat the previous two contests after posting a 4.80 goals-against average in his three prior starts.

"I think (sitting two straight games) helped Varly to regroup," Roy said. "Sometimes it's good to step back, and he's been outstanding since."

Varlamov and backup Calvin Pickard have had a big hand in Colorado killing off 22 straight penalties and 32 of 33 in the last 11 contests.

Varlamov has started all four games against Winnipeg this season, with Colorado going 3-1-0. He stopped 56 of 58 shots to win both at Winnipeg.

The Avs took the first three meetings before falling 4-2 on Feb. 6.

The Jets (27-35-5) won their next game three nights later at St. Louis, but have gone 3-9-2 since and are looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat. They jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead Thursday, then totaled 15 shots over the next two to fall 3-2 at Detroit.

'Just frustrating when you aren't getting the results like we aren't at the moment,' said Michael Hutchinson, who made 32 saves.

The Jets have managed five goals in three contests and are 0 for 13 on the power play in the last four, but young forward Marko Dano has a goal and an assist in the last two games. Those are his first points in seven contests since coming over from Chicago in the Andrew Ladd deal.

"In some ways it takes a little pressure off him," coach Paul Maurice told the NHL's official website. "When you're new to a team, you want to come in, make an impact and show what you can do."

Winnipeg could be without defenseman Dustin Byfuglien after he left Thursday with an upper-body injury.

Colorado's Matt Duchene has three goals and two assists against the Jets this season.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Predators (34-21) at Canucks (26-28)
Date: March 12, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Nashville Predators failed to equal the longest road winning streak in team history last time out, but two other club-record runs remain intact.

They can extend their overall point streak to 15 games by recording one in a 14th consecutive road contest Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Though its six-game road winning streak ended Wednesday at Calgary, Nashville (34-21-13) showed some grit by scoring twice in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit and force overtime before falling 3-2.

'You wish every game was perfect but it's not,' coach Peter Laviolette said. 'The big thing is they found a way to turn it around in the third period. For me that speaks volumes to the guys in the room and their commitment to get a win.'

With a firm grasp on the Western Conference's first wild-card spot, the Predators are 9-0-5 since losing 5-3 to Washington on Feb. 9. They've gone 10-0-3 in road games since dropping three straight in regulation from Jan. 8-12.

"This group has been playing well and it's finding ways to get points and that's important," forward Mike Fisher told the Predators' official website.

Nashville has two more stops remaining on a five-game trip, after which it will play eight of the final 12 at home.

The Predators are looking for a third straight victory at Vancouver (26-28-12) after a 2-1 win there Jan. 26 in the clubs' only meeting this season. James Neal scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and Pekka Rinne made 28 saves.

Rinne, who was rested Wednesday, has a 1.61 goals-against average and .945 save percentage during a 7-0-1 road stretch. He's started the Predators' last four games against the Canucks, going 3-0-1 with a 1.84 GAA.

Rinne has helped Nashville kill 34 of 36 penalties in its last 12 games away from home, including all 10 on this trip.

Vancouver is 0 for 9 with the man advantage in its last two games but ended a three-game home losing streak with Wednesday's 3-2 overtime victory over Arizona. Recently acquired forward Markus Granlund scored his first goal as a Canuck, and backup Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves.

It was the third win in 12 home games for Vancouver, which scored more than two goals for only the third time in that span.

'You come into the room and you notice everyone is happy, everyone is smiling and that's the way you want it to be when you come in after a game, especially at home,' Markstrom said.

'And the fans are happy, you want to play for them too. There's a lot of pride going on right now.'

Still, the Canucks have lost 12 of 18 overall and are 10 points out of a wild-card spot.

It appears a longshot that 21-year-old defenseman Nikita Tryamkin will make his debut Saturday after signing a two-year contract this week. The 6-foot-8 Russian recorded 11 points in 53 games for the Yekaterinburg Automobilis of the KHL this season.

It's also uncertain if star Henrik Sedin (upper body) will miss a third straight contest.

Fisher, who scored his second goal in three games Wednesday following a 10-game drought, has two goals and three assists in his last three against the Canucks.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Devils (32-29) at Kings (40-22)
Date: March 12, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The New Jersey Devils have struggled to keep opponents out of the net since Keith Kinkaid shut out the Los Angeles Kings last month but shined in the opener to their West Coast trip with Kinkaid filling in admirably for an injured Cory Schneider.

The Devils will seek to build on that victory by stifling the Kings again Saturday night, but Los Angeles has broken out of a recent funk with a pair of high-scoring efforts in its past two games.

New Jersey (32-29-7) gave up 40 goals in a 2-8-0 stretch and 18 in its previous four road games before visiting San Jose on Thursday. Kinkaid allowed six goals in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh in his first start since Schneider sprained his right knee, an ailment that's expected to sideline him for at least another week.

Schneider is among the league leaders with a 2.17 goals-against average and Kinkaid looked more like his teammate in a 3-0 win over the Sharks, making 30 saves.

"Definitely night and day," Kinkaid said. 'Just from the start I felt a little better. I was tracking it better, better mentally prepared. I just stuck to my game and the guys did a great job blocking shots and not giving them much."

Kinkaid's only other career shutout came against Los Angeles on Feb. 14, when he stopped 28 shots in a 1-0 win for the Devils' fifth victory in the last seven regular-season meetings.

New Jersey has given up a combined 10 goals in those games and will try to remain stingy while cutting its deficit on the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot with a fourth consecutive regular-season win in Los Angeles.

The Devils, though, will face a Kings team which has totaled nine goals in its past two contests.

"It's just worrying about our game," New Jersey forward Travis Zajac said. "You've seen when we play with structure and with details and play hard we're capable of winning games. That has to be our mindset right now."

Jeff Carter finished off Los Angeles' 4-3 overtime win against league-leading Washington on Wednesday, its sixth in seven home games, but the Kings (40-22-4) weren't content after blowing an early three-goal lead.

"It's a huge two points for us, but we have got to start playing playoff hockey and a full 60 minutes," defenseman Jake Muzzin said. "I think we can take our start as a lesson for us. We need to have that kind of momentum every game."

Carter has three goals in the past two games, matching his output from his previous 24 contests. He doesn't have a point in his three matchups with New Jersey since a two-goal game in the Stanley Cup clincher against the Devils in 2012.

Vincent Lecavalier has two goals and two assists in his past four meetings. He has tallied a goal in each of his last two contests, giving him seven in 27 games for the Kings this season.

Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick is 8-4-1 with a 1.59 GAA in 13 lifetime matchups with New Jersey, including six in the playoffs. That's tied for his third-lowest GAA versus any opponent.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Capitals (49-13) at Sharks (37-24)
Date: March 12, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals are certainly hoping Alex Ovechkin will wake up after matching his longest goal drought of the season.

The last time they faced the San Jose Sharks he was benched for failing to wake up in time.

The Sharks likely won't be as lucky this time as they try to reverse their season-long home woes Saturday night against Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Ovechkin has gone four games without a goal for the third time. His previous longer drought was six in a row from Oct. 18-Nov. 1, 2014.

He sat out Washington's worst performance of the season, a 5-0 loss to San Jose (37-24-6) on Oct. 13, for disciplinary reasons for missing the morning skate. The superstar said he overslept after accidentally setting his alarm for 8:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 a.m.

Perhaps it's the Sharks who need to change their game-day routine at home, where they have gone 12-15-3 for 27 points - the league's lowest total. They began a stretch of nine of 10 in San Jose with Thursday's 3-0 defeat to New Jersey.

'We've been successful on the road, it takes a lot out of us winning those games and finding ways to win,' defenseman Paul Martin said. 'Maybe we take it for granted, that the same thing will happen at home. We need to play (at home) with some desperation.'

Despite holding a 30-16 shot advantage, the Sharks were blanked for the first time in 38 games. Coach Pete DeBoer felt that the schedule played a role in the performance since his team returned home after sweeping games in Calgary on Monday and Edmonton on Tuesday.

"A little bit of a trap game, four in six nights coming back from the West," DeBoer said. "I'm not one to make excuses but it's real when you have not just one or two guys off, that's real."

This contest features six skaters who have reached 60 points. Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov has 68 while Nicklas Backstrom has 62 and Ovechkin 61. The San Jose tandem of Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton have 64 apiece while defenseman Brent Burns has matched a career high with 60.

Burns had nine points in a five-game run that was snapped Thursday.

Washington (49-13-5) tries again to post its first 50-win season in six after Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss at Los Angeles. The Capitals trailed 3-0 entering the third period before rallying to salvage a point.

"This group is resilient, they were down three pucks and looked at it to see if we can come back and we did," coach Barry Trotz said.

The Capitals allowed three first-period goals to continue a disturbing trend in which they've been outscored 7-0 in the first 20 minutes of their last four games.

"We gotta recognize how important the first period is, everybody is trying to jump on us in the first and we're letting them," Trotz said. "And that's something we've got to correct. We won't be able to do that come playoff time."

Sharks winger Joel Ward is in the midst of a season-high eight-game pointless drought heading into his second game against the team he spent his previous four seasons with.

Washington has played 12 straight one-goal games and 17 of the last 19, with empty-netters stretching the margin to two in the other two.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blues (39-20) at Stars (40-20)
Date: March 12, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

One can look at this four-day span as a three-team round-robin tournament between the top teams in the Central Division, and judging by the first two results, the schedule makers saved the best for last.

St. Louis and Dallas have both defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion in that time, and the Blues now visit the Stars Saturday night with the division and Western Conference leads on the line.

While the Stars (41-20-8) were the latest to beat Chicago 5-2 in Dallas on Friday to move to the top of the conference with 90 points, St. Louis (40-20-9) was also in action with a 5-2 home win over Anaheim to remain a point back. It followed Wednesday's 3-2 home shootout win over the Blackhawks, extended the Blues' winning streak to match a season-best five and also moved them a point ahead of Chicago in a season full of adversity.

"With everything we've gone through, we wake up tomorrow morning in a hockey game for first place," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock told the team's official website. "Nobody would have thought of that because everything these guys have been through. That's been a feather in their cap. ... A tough opponent, but pretty impressive that we've been able to maintain a competitive level despite missing key guys all year."

Against the Ducks, Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assist, and Jori Lehtera and Patrik Berglund each scored for the second time in three games. Those four goals all came in the third period with St. Louis totaling six shots.

The Blues have averaged 3.80 goals per game on the winning streak heading into a five-game road trip. They've also gone 7-1-0 in opponents' buildings since the start of February with 3.25 goals per game.

Jake Allen, who is 3-1-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average in the second of back-to-back sets this season, has been in goal for the entire winning streak with a 2.13 GAA. He's confirmed to start against the Stars and has posted shutouts twice on his personal three-game winning streak against them and stopped 76 of 78 shots.

Two of Allen's victories in the series came this season as the Blues have won five of six with Dallas while limiting the high-scoring Stars to 1.83 goals per game. St. Louis' Jaden Schwartz has four goals in his last two games versus the Stars.

The Stars are playing the second of a five-game homestand with a 3-0-1 span beginning to make up for a preceding 1-5-2 stretch. Against Chicago, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky each had a goal and an assist. Spezza has scored in five straight games for the first time in more than six years, Hemsky has two goals and two assists in the last two games, and Seguin ended a season-long five-game point drought.

Two goals came on the power play, and in the last nine games the Stars are 9 of 30 (30.0 percent) and 27 of 30 (90.0) on the penalty kill. They expect a tougher test Saturday.

"St. Louis might be the best team in the league right now (with) the way they're playing, and they're healthier," coach Lindy Ruff told the team's official website. "(Saturday the) task is going to be even a little more daunting than putting things together the way we did (against Chicago), changing lines around and coming up with the effort we did."

Kari Lehtonen faced Chicago, so Antti Niemi figures to take over Saturday. Niemi, however, is 1-2-1 with a 4.68 GAA in his last five games. He's also posted a 4.72 mark over an 0-3-1 span versus the Blues.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Coyotes (28-32) at Oilers (27-36)
Date: March 12, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers most likely would've had a tough time getting into the playoff picture even if Connor McDavid had been healthy for the entire season.

His success during the Oilers' late-season surge is sure making the future look awfully bright, though.

Edmonton looks to win for the sixth time in eight games Saturday night when it hosts an Arizona Coyotes team coming off a rare victory.

The 19-year-old McDavid had lofty expectations and many consider him the best talent to come into the NHL since Sidney Crosby, and he got off to a great start with five goals and seven assists over his first 12 games.

He suffered a broken collarbone in his 13th against Philadelphia on Nov. 3, though, and missed the following 37 games before returning Feb. 2. Despite playing in only 33 contests, McDavid is the fifth-leading point scorer for the Oilers (27-36-7) with 14 goals and 21 assists.

McDavid is averaging a point per game over his last seven and scored the winning goal 12:31 into the third period of Thursday's 2-1 victory at Minnesota. With the playoffs all but out of the question, the Oilers have won five of seven following a seven-game skid.

"The guys played a little more loose and it's showing," McDavid said.

Coach Todd McLellan reunited the line of McDavid, Taylor Hall and Zack Kassian, who assisted on McDavid's goal. McLellan praised his young squad for the push it's had at the tail end of a lost season and continues having fun watching McDavid flourish.

"I'm glad I don't have to defend him because I know I wouldn't catch him," McLellan said. "But it's not as much a surprise anymore. Where it's very deceptive is those last three or four strides. When you think you have him he's still pulling away."

Edmonton has dealt with plenty of injuries and now is challenged with overcoming the loss of Darnell Nurse, who will serve the second of a three-game suspension for instigating a fight with San Jose's Roman Polak on Tuesday.

The good news is that center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who hasn't played since Jan. 18 because of a hand injury, has been activated off of injured reserve and is expected to make his return against the Coyotes (29-32-7).

Nugent-Hopkins has eight goals and 22 assists in 46 games, although only one assist came in the three previous meetings with Arizona, which has won two.

Max Domi had a hat trick and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in overtime to give the Coyotes a 4-3 victory in the last matchup Jan. 12. Ekman-Larsson, though, has missed the last two because of an upper-body injury and is still "a couple of days away" from returning, according to coach Dave Tippett.

Arizona had gone 1-8-1 since Feb. 20 before Brad Richardson scored twice in Friday's 4-1 win over Calgary. Boyd Gordon and Antoine Vermette also scored for the Coyotes, whose playoff hopes look dim as they sit nine points back of Colorado for the final wild-card spot with 14 games remaining.

"We kind of know the situation we're in, but we're trying to push, trying to become a better team," Richardson said. "There's a lot of young guys here that are kind of learning their way. These are big games for all of us."

Louis Domingue made 24 saves against the Flames and has a 2.01 goals-against average over his last four, but it's unclear if he'll start both ends of the back-to-back set.

Cam Talbot has been terrific for the Oilers lately, posting a 1.36 GAA over his last eight.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (59) TORONTO@ (60) OTTAWA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 35 Losses for the last two seasons (-28.05 units)

NHL > (59) TORONTO@ (60) OTTAWA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO 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 4 Wins and 24 Losses for the last three seasons (-19.15 units)

NHL > (71) WASHINGTON@ (72) SAN JOSE | 2016-03-12 22:35:00 - 2016-03-12 22:35:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE using money line in Home games after 3 or more consecutive unders
The record is 1 Wins and 8 Losses for the last three seasons (-12.15 units)

NHL > (63) COLORADO@ (64) WINNIPEG | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST WINNIPEG using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 3 Wins and 13 Losses for the this season (-12.55 units)

NHL > (71) WASHINGTON@ (72) SAN JOSE | 2016-03-12 22:35:00 - 2016-03-12 22:35:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 25 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.95 units)

NHL > (61) MINNESOTA@ (62) MONTREAL | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL using money line in All games in non-conference games
The record is 6 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (-16 units)

NHL > (53) NY ISLANDERS@ (54) BOSTON | 2016-03-12 13:05:00 - 2016-03-12 13:05:00
Play AGAINST NY ISLANDERS using money line in Road games on Saturday games
The record is 6 Wins and 22 Losses for the last three seasons (-19 units)

NHL > (69) ARIZONA@ (70) EDMONTON | 2016-03-12 22:05:00 - 2016-03-12 22:05:00
Play AGAINST EDMONTON using money line in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 10 Wins and 39 Losses for the last two seasons (-24.9 units)

NHL > (73) NEW JERSEY@ (74) LOS ANGELES | 2016-03-12 22:35:00 - 2016-03-12 22:35:00
Play AGAINST LOS ANGELES using money line in Home games after a non-conference game
The record is 66 Wins and 89 Losses for the since 1992 (-65.5 units)

NHL > (57) PHILADELPHIA@ (58) FLORIDA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play ON PHILADELPHIA using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 9 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+8.9 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (59) TORONTO@ (60) OTTAWA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 35 Losses for the last two seasons (-28.05 units)

NHL > (59) TORONTO@ (60) OTTAWA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in Road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season
The record is 4 Wins and 24 Losses for the last three seasons (-19.15 units)

NHL > (71) WASHINGTON@ (72) SAN JOSE | 2016-03-12 22:35:00 - 2016-03-12 22:35:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE in Home games after 3 or more consecutive unders
The record is 1 Wins and 8 Losses for the last three seasons (-12.15 units)

NHL > (63) COLORADO@ (64) WINNIPEG | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST WINNIPEG in Home games second half of the season
The record is 3 Wins and 13 Losses for the this season (-12.55 units)

NHL > (71) WASHINGTON@ (72) SAN JOSE | 2016-03-12 22:35:00 - 2016-03-12 22:35:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 25 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (+16.95 units)

NHL > (61) MINNESOTA@ (62) MONTREAL | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL in All games in non-conference games
The record is 6 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (-16 units)

NHL > (53) NY ISLANDERS@ (54) BOSTON | 2016-03-12 13:05:00 - 2016-03-12 13:05:00
Play AGAINST NY ISLANDERS in Road games on Saturday games
The record is 6 Wins and 22 Losses for the last three seasons (-19 units)

NHL > (69) ARIZONA@ (70) EDMONTON | 2016-03-12 22:05:00 - 2016-03-12 22:05:00
Play AGAINST EDMONTON in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 10 Wins and 39 Losses for the last two seasons (-24.9 units)

NHL > (57) PHILADELPHIA@ (58) FLORIDA | 2016-03-12 19:05:00 - 2016-03-12 19:05:00
Play ON PHILADELPHIA in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 9 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+8.9 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (67) NASHVILLE@ (68) VANCOUVER | 2016-03-12 22:05:00 - 2016-03-12 22:05:00
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 2 Overs and 12 Unders for the last two seasons (+10 units)

NHL > (65) ST LOUIS@ (66) DALLAS | 2016-03-12 21:05:00 - 2016-03-12 21:05:00
Play UNDER ST LOUIS on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 8 Overs and 20 Unders for the this season (+11.6 units)

NHL > (67) NASHVILLE@ (68) VANCOUVER | 2016-03-12 22:05:00 - 2016-03-12 22:05:00
Play UNDER NASHVILLE on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 17 Overs and 37 Unders for the last two seasons (+18.75 units)

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 12

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NYR at DET 02:00 PM

NYR +100

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 12

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


COL at WIN 07:00 PM

COL +109


PHI at FLA 07:00 PM

PHI +140


TOR at OTT 07:00 PM

OTT -157


MIN at MON 07:00 PM

MIN -139


STL at DAL 09:00 PM

STL +111


ARI at EDM 10:00 PM

ARI +152

O 5.5


NAS at VAN 10:00 PM

VAN +152

WAS at SJ 10:30 PM

WAS +102


NJ at LA 10:30 PM

NJ +217

[StarDust Bum]

Yesterday's Results: 2 - 1 + 1.72
YTD: 19 - 23.....+ 3.18

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Preview: Penguins (35-24) at Rangers (39-22)
Date: March 13, 2016 12:30 PM EDT

While the New York Rangers just got a couple key pieces back for their postseason push, the Pittsburgh Penguins will likely be without one of theirs until the second round of the playoffs - if they make it there at all.

With Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash back, the Rangers hope to solidify their solid standing Sunday when they host the Penguins, who will try to pad their lead for the Eastern Conference's final spot without Evgeni Malkin.

Pittsburgh (35-24-8) has traded wins and losses in its last six games but may have suffered its biggest loss when Malkin left Friday's 3-2 win in Columbus with an upper-body injury he suffered in a collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout.

It was announced Saturday that Malkin will miss six to eight weeks, a timeline that would keep the star center sidelined until the second round at the earliest.

Malkin, who has 27 goals and 31 assists in 57 games, missed 10 games earlier this season with an undisclosed injury.

His production early this season guarded against a Penguins collapse, and it seemed the club had a shot to kick it into gear while he and Sidney Crosby adapted to new coach Mike Sullivan's system in January.

However, things slowed with a 5-4-1 record and Malkin on the sideline from Feb. 5-24. He returned with four goals and five assists in eight games before exiting Friday's win, which for the time being has the Penguins in the East's No. 8 spot with 78 points.

It appears center Nick Bonino will bump up to Pittsburgh's second line with Malkin out, playing between Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel.

"The focus for me is playing well in our end, getting the puck up to them and let them skate with it and make some plays," Bonino told the team's official website. "For me, my game won't change. I'll still create chances. Hopefully they'll go in."

The Penguins have averaged 3.42 goals over their last 12 games. However, things may be tougher to come by against New York (39-22-7), which just returned its top goaltender eight days after he left a 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh with neck spasms.

Lundqvist made 19 saves and allowed three goals before exiting that loss between the second and third periods, and he missed three more games before returning with 40 saves in Saturday's 3-2 overtime defeat at Detroit.

"It had only been a week, but for some reason it feels like it's been longer," Lundqvist told the team's official website. "I felt like I played my game, but it's just tough to come up short like this when we're that close."

Coach Alain Vigneault confirmed Lundqvist will start again Sunday as the Rangers look to break a tie with Florida for the East's No. 3 seed and bypass Boston for the second spot following a mediocre 2-2-1 stretch. They own the NHL's second-best home record at 23-7-3 - behind only East-leading Washington's 26-6-2.

Nash also returned Saturday from a 20-game absence due to a bone bruise with two shots in 17:12. He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 46 games.

Lundqvist recorded one of his four shutouts this season by making 34 saves in a 3-0 win in Pittsburgh on Feb. 10. That was New York's third straight victory in this series and sixth straight with a point before the Penguins' victory about three weeks later.

Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has 46 saves and a .939 save percentage against the Rangers this season. He became the 20th goaltender in NHL history with 350 wins by making 25 saves in Friday's victory over the Blue Jackets.

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Preview: Lightning (39-24) at Blue Jackets (28-32)
Date: March 13, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

A week ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning were alone atop the Atlantic Division and amidst the longest winning streak in club history. Now, they're in danger of equaling their worst slide of the season while just trying to keep pace in a tight division race.

The Lightning can avoid a fourth consecutive defeat by sweeping the season series from the Columbus Blue Jackets in Sunday's opener of a four-game trip.

Since holding a two-point division advantage after a team-record ninth straight win last Saturday over Carolina, Tampa Bay (39-24-5) has gone 0-2-1 and fallen out of the Atlantic lead.

The Lightning, in a battle with Boston and Florida for first place, last dropped four straight to conclude October.

'We're playing like we're a comfortable team in the playoffs,' coach Jon Cooper said after Friday's 3-1 loss to Philadelphia. 'And if we're going to play like that, we won't make it.'

Though missing the playoffs isn't an immediate concern, finding some offense is.

The Lightning averaged 3.7 goals during the winning streak but have totaled three in the last three contests. They hadn't been shut out since mid-November until Tuesday's 1-0 overtime loss to the Bruins, and they only avoided being blanked again Friday because of Brian Boyle's goal with 2:42 to play.

With 19 shots in that defeat and 18 in a 4-2 loss to the Flyers on Monday, the Lightning matched what had been their previous two lowest shot totals of the season.

"We have to look in the mirror here," goalie Ben Bishop told the Lightning's official website. "Obviously it's not a good enough effort to score one goal in two games. We have to be better."

The Lightning need to see improvement from a power-play unit that has not produced a goal in six games and is 4 for 52 in the last 17.

"We have to play more north-south and get those dirty goals," Bishop said. "I think we are trying to be a little too cute here, and hopefully we can watch the video and figure it out."

Steven Stamkos is in danger of going without a point in five straight games for the first time since March 2011. After being blanked in a 2-1 win at Columbus (28-32-6) on Dec. 14, he had two goals with an assist in a 5-2 home victory over the Blue Jackets 12 days later.

Though the Lightning's six-game road winning streak ended Monday, they could get back on track with the first two stops of this trip coming against last-place teams - Columbus and Toronto.

"We have a chance to get better," Boyle said.

Bishop has a 1.20 goals-against average during a five-game road winning streak. He's posted a 1.33 GAA to win three straight against the Blue Jackets, including both meetings this season.

Columbus had a four-game home winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday.

"We'll learn from it and get ready for a big game on Sunday," captain Nick Foligno said.

Despite the outcome, the Blue Jackets were generally pleased with the 28-save performance from Sergei Bobrovsky in his return from missing 19 games with a groin injury.

'I felt good,' Bobrovsky said. 'I felt better as the game went on.'

Bobrovsky has a 1.10 GAA during his three-game winning streak against the Lightning but last faced them in December 2014.

Cam Atkinson has scored five of his career-high 24 goals in the past five games. He doesn't have any in eight career contests against Tampa Bay.

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Preview: Maple Leafs (22-34) at Red Wings (34-23)
Date: March 13, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Home hockey has been more enjoyable for Detroit over the past five weeks, and one more win will send the Red Wings off on a four-game road trip with their first perfect homestand all season.

It comes Sunday night with a soft opponent in the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have one win in 13 games without a day of rest.

With Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers, the Red Wings (34-23-11) are 7-1-1 at home since the All-Star break with 3.11 goals per game. Prior to that, they'd been 11-10-5 with 2.46 per game and a five-game home losing streak heading into the break.

The latest win followed Thursday's 3-2 victory over Winnipeg, and Darren Helm scored twice against the Rangers and notched an assist versus the Jets after managing two points in his previous 10 games. Justin Abdelkader has four points in his last three games after managing one in his previous seven.

"This is kind of the time that the leaders need to step up and I think they've been doing that," Helm told the team's official website. "Obviously, (Tuesday's 5-3 loss in) Columbus was a disappointment, the first period (against) Winnipeg was a little scary but, that was kind of a moment that we looked at each other and knew we had to dig in and find a way to win some games and put some points up, and make a final push."

Detroit had dropped three in a row overall prior to the win over the Jets, and it responded by outshooting the Rangers and Jets 78-50.

"I think a better effort to make sure we get the pucks and pucks to the net create chaos and I think we've done a good job of creating chaos in the last number of games, just getting them to the net and making sure we have bodies to the net," coach Jeff Blashill said.

The winning streak has also featured a turnaround from Petr Mrazek, who managed consecutive 23-save efforts on 25 shots after posting a 4.75 goals-against average and .846 save percentage in his previous three starts. He's 1-1-0 with a .945 save percentage in two career starts against the Maple Leafs, both of which came in Toronto.

The Red Wings have won both meetings this season by a 6-1 total with Abdelkader scoring half of Detroit's goals and contributing an assist. Henrik Zetterberg has the inverse of that with a goal and three assists.

Toronto (22-34-11) is trying to bounce back from Saturday's 4-0 loss in Ottawa, which has the Maple Leafs at 3-12-2 since last winning consecutive games Feb. 2 and 4. They've allowed 3.59 goals per game in that time and 4.37 on a 1-7-0 away stretch.

"I didn't think we were competitive enough," said coach Mike Babcock, whose team is 1-10-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets. "I thought they were ready to go in the first period and obviously the first two shifts of the second and the third we gave up goals. I don't think we made it very hard on (Senators goaltender Craig) Anderson at all."

Even so, the Maple Leafs haven't been outshot by their last seven opponents with a 32.0-25.0 advantage.

Garret Sparks faced the Senators, so Jonathan Bernier figures to be in goal in Detroit. Bernier is 1-8-0 with a 3.49 GAA and .887 save percentage in his last 11 games, though he's posted 1.94 and .938 marks over a 4-2-2 span against the Red Wings.

Niklas Kronwall's status is in doubt after the Detroit defenseman left Saturday's game with a lower-body injury.