Tweet
NHL
Saturday, April 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What bettors need to know: Saturday's NHL playoff action
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings (-160, 5.5)
Detroit leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Phoenix Coyotes can pin some of the blame for their loss in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series on missed opportunities. They're hoping for a few more opportunities to redeem themselves Saturday afternoon when they take on the Central Division-champion Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena. Phoenix took an early lead in Wednesday's Game 1 and received four power plays later in the first period, including a lengthy two-man advantage, but was unable to cash in. The lack of success came back to haunt the Coyotes as Detroit struck for three goals in the second period en route to a 4-2 triumph.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBC, NBC, RDS
ABOUT THE RED WINGS: With regular-season scoring leader Henrik Zetterberg out with a knee injury, Johan Franzen picked up the slack. "The Mule" recorded a goal and an assist during Detroit's second-period assault, giving him 36 tallies and 71 points in 76 career playoff games. The Red Wings used a pair of long shots to beat Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and take control of the contest. Franzen gave Detroit a 2-1 lead midway through the second with a wrister from above the slot and defenseman Brian Rafalski put a one-timer from the blue line past the screened netminder and inside the left post during a power play. Jimmy Howard made 26 saves to raise his career postseason record to 6-7.
ABOUT THE COYOTES: Things got off to a great start for Phoenix as Kyle Turris scored 2:16 into his first career playoff game and the team received a 5-on-3 power play for 91 seconds less than halfway through the first period. But the Coyotes were unable to cash in and failed on two more man advantages later in the session, wasting the chance to put Detroit down for the count. It came back to haunt them as the Red Wings scored three times in the second period and never looked back. Bryzgalov made 32 saves but should have stopped Franzen's long-range wrister that snapped a 1-1 tie. Defenseman Derek Morris missed the contest with an upper body injury and is doubtful for Game 2.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Radim Vrbata registered a team-high six shots on goal and scored once for the Coyotes while Vernon Fiddler won 9-of-11 faceoffs. Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk led all players with eight shots, converting one. Valtteri Filppula lost eight of his nine draws taken.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Phoenix was 0-for-6 overall on the power play while the Red Wings converted one of their three opportunities.
TRENDS:
* Over is 8-3-4 in the last 15 meetings.
* Over is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings in Detroit.
* Coyotes are 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Detroit.
* Coyotes are 12-31-6 in the last 49 meetings.
LAST WORD: "I think that gave us the momentum swing we needed when we killed, especially, that 5-on-3 off. And that gave us some confidence and we took it from there." - Franzen on Detroit's success on the penalty kill in the first period.
Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers (-158, 5)
Buffalo leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: Patrick Kaleta picked a fine time to find his scoring touch. Kaleta scored his first goal since Dec. 27 by cleaning up a rebound early in the third period on Thursday as the visiting Buffalo Sabres upended the Philadelphia Flyers, 1-0, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller did the rest by stopping all 35 shots he faced to secure his second career playoff shutout. Miller's previous blanking also came against Philadelphia in 2006. The seventh-seeded Sabres will look to put the Atlantic Division champions in a decided hole when they meet again on Saturday for Game 2 at the Wells Fargo Center.
TV: 5 ET, TSN, MSG
ABOUT THE SABRES: Mike Grier provided a physical presence for Buffalo on Thursday. The veteran logged over 11 1/2 minutes of ice time and had a team-high five hits. The Sabres may have lost defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, who suffered an upper-body injury after being hit by blue-liner Braydon Coburn on Thursday. The Sabres have won their last five contests and 10 of their last 13 (10-1-2). Playing on the road is also no deterrent for Lindy Ruff's club, which has won 14 of its last 20 away from HSBC Arena and is 22-13-6 on the season. With Thursday's win, Miller (35-22-8, 2.55 goals-against average) improved to 5-2 in the postseason against the Flyers. All told, Miller has posted a 13-8-1 career mark against Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE FLYERS: Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky (28-14-8, 2.56 goals-against average) fared well in his first postseason start. The Russian turned away 24 of 25 shots he faced, but Kaleta made him pay for kicking out a rebound 5:56 into the third period. Veteran defenseman Chris Pronger is still nursing a hand injury and was ruled out hours before Thursday's contest, marking the 17th straight game he has missed. The Flyers are 16-9-7 without the blue-liner this season, and just 3-4-5 in their last 12 games that he has been a spectator. James van Riemsdyk collected a team-high six shots and drew two penalties during Thursday's loss.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: All-Star Claude Giroux hasn't fared well in his short career against the Sabres. The 22nd overall pick of the 2006 draft, Giroux only has one goal in 12 meetings. Buffalo's Thomas Vanek has collected nine goals and 12 assists in his last 18 games. Vanek finished the season as the team leader in goals (32), assists (41) and points (73).
SPECIAL TEAMS: Philadelphia showed some positives on its power play, but failed on all five of its chances - including a 5-on-3 effort - on Thursday. The Flyers have scored on 16.6 percent of their opportunities with the man-advantage this season, while killing off 82.7 percent of its shorthanded situations. For its part, Buffalo has converted 19.4 percent of its power plays, while extinguishing 83.0 percent of its opponents' chances.
TRENDS:
* Over is 12-3-1 in the last 16 meetings in Philadelphia.
* Sabres are 4-1 in the last five meetings in Philadelphia.
* Over is 19-6-1 in the last 26 meetings.
* Sabres are 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
LAST WORD: The following has held true for all eight of the completed Flyers-Sabres postseason meetings. The team which has won Game 1 went on to win the series.
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins (-195, 5)
Montreal leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Montreal Canadiens fired the first salvo in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Boston Bruins on Thursday by rendering the home club silent. Carey Price and captain Brian Gionta were primarily responsible for that. Price turned aside all 31 shots he faced to snap a personal eight-game losing skid in the playoffs and record his third postseason shutout - all against the Bruins. Gionta, who is a former Boston College star, tallied twice to continue his hot streak. The seventh-seeded Canadiens will look to put the Northeast Division champions in a decided hole when the Original Six rivals meet again in Game 2 on Saturday.
TV: 7 ET, VERSUS, NESN, CBC
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Tim Thomas (35-12-9, 2.00 goals-against average) permitted an early goal to Gionta but settled down to stop 18 of 20 shots on Thursday. Thomas wasn't the problem, however, as the Bruins saw their offense dry up once again. Boston has scored 22 goals in its last 10 games. Veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle had a game he'd like to forget. The veteran blue-liner failed with a clearing attempt in the early going which directly led to Gionta's first goal of the contest. Rookie Brad Marchand could not convert on a semi-breakaway in the first period, which ultimately stood as Boston's best chance to score.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: After an admittedly difficult regular season, Scott Gomez finally made a positive statement for Montreal. Under much scrutiny by both the team and its rabid fan base, Gomez collected a pair of assists on Thursday to secure his first multi-point effort since Jan. 21. The offensive effort enabled Price (39-28-6, 2.32 goals-against average) to improve to 13-4-2 career mark against the Bruins. Despite all of the bad blood circulating following the Max Pacioretty incident, Thursday's contest was a relatively clean affair.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Gionta has collected five goals in his last three games and now has seven tallies in as many contests against the Bruins this season. Boston centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are having trouble lighting the lamp. Krejci has one goal in his last 13 games, while Bergeron has tallied once in his last 20 contests. Milan Lucic, who had a career-high 30 goals this season, has one tally in his last 11 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Bruins will need to ignite their lackluster power play, which has converted just five of its last 36 opportunities - including an 0-for-3 effort on Thursday. During the season, Boston converted 16.2 percent of its power plays during the season, while extinguishing 82.6 percent of its opponents' chances. For its part, Montreal has scored on 19.7 percent of its opportunities with the man-advantage, while killing off 84.4 percent of its shorthanded situations.
TRENDS:
* Home team is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Canadiens are 7-2 in the last nine meetings.
* Over is 3-1-2 in the last six meetings.
* Canadiens are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Boston.
* Underdog is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings.
LAST WORD: "It's no secret that the Bell Centre is not an easy building for us to win in, especially this year, and, yeah, it's definitely a must-win to try to get a split." - Lucic, on whether Game 2 at TD Garden is a must-win for the Bruins.
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (-193, 5)
San Jose leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Kings proved they can play with the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately for Terry Murray's club, the Sharks were able to seal the deal on Thursday when Joe Pavelski capped an odd-man break at 14:44 of overtime for a 3-2 triumph in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series. The seventh-seeded Kings will level their series and take away home-ice advantage when they invade the Shark Tank for Game 2 on Saturday.
TV: 10 ET, VERSUS, TSN
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Dany Heatley scored 28 seconds into the contest and rookie Logan Couture atoned for an early miscue with a tally of his own. Ryane Clowe returned after a three-game absence with a lower-body injury to notch three assists in a game for the first time since February 2009. Last year's Stanley Cup-winning netminder, Antti Niemi (36-18-6, 2.37 goals-against average) turned aside 33 shots on Thursday to improve to 6-1-2 in his career versus Los Angeles. HP Pavilion certainly has truly been a safe haven for San Jose. The Sharks won their last eight at home and finished the regular season with a 25-11-5 mark.
ABOUT THE KINGS: After being sidelined since March 21 with dislocated shoulder, Justin Williams collected a goal and an assist in his return. That's quite the effort considering Williams was clearly not at 100 percent. To boot, Williams was also wearing a harness to stabilize his injured shoulder. Jonathan Quick (35-22-4, 2.24 goals-against average) was solid by stopping 42 of 45 shots, but Los Angeles still fell for the fifth time in seven games. The Kings may be without center Jarret Stoll, who was awaiting a phone call from the NHL's league office following his brutal hit on Sharks defenseman Ian White on Thursday. Playing in his first career postseason game, White was facing the glass and was hit from behind by Stoll. Stoll has collected 20 goals, 23 assists and 42 penalty minutes this season.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Sharks former captain Patrick Marleau has recorded 10 goals and 12 assists in his last 14 contests. Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll has netted just one goal in his last 10 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Kings scored on one of their three power-play opportunities and denied both shorthanded situations in Game 1. That's quite the statement considering San Jose has converted an NHL third-best 23.5 percent of its power plays this season. For its part, Los Angeles has killed off an NHL fourth-best 85.5 percent of its shorthanded situation
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Home team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings in San Jose.
* Kings are 16-35-1 in the last 52 meetings.
* Kings are 8-20 in the last 28 meetings in San Jose.
LAST WORD: "(San Jose defenseman Ian White) was a little low there. I don't know what he was doing, if he was reaching for a puck or what. He was right against the boards, too, and he was a little low. I just finished my check on him, and it ended up pretty bad for him. I hope he's all right. You hate to see a guy get hurt, regular season or playoffs. I definitely wasn't trying to hurt him." - Stoll, on his hit on White on Thursday.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, April 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What bettors need to know: Saturday's NHL playoff action
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings (-160, 5.5)
Detroit leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Phoenix Coyotes can pin some of the blame for their loss in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series on missed opportunities. They're hoping for a few more opportunities to redeem themselves Saturday afternoon when they take on the Central Division-champion Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena. Phoenix took an early lead in Wednesday's Game 1 and received four power plays later in the first period, including a lengthy two-man advantage, but was unable to cash in. The lack of success came back to haunt the Coyotes as Detroit struck for three goals in the second period en route to a 4-2 triumph.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBC, NBC, RDS
ABOUT THE RED WINGS: With regular-season scoring leader Henrik Zetterberg out with a knee injury, Johan Franzen picked up the slack. "The Mule" recorded a goal and an assist during Detroit's second-period assault, giving him 36 tallies and 71 points in 76 career playoff games. The Red Wings used a pair of long shots to beat Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and take control of the contest. Franzen gave Detroit a 2-1 lead midway through the second with a wrister from above the slot and defenseman Brian Rafalski put a one-timer from the blue line past the screened netminder and inside the left post during a power play. Jimmy Howard made 26 saves to raise his career postseason record to 6-7.
ABOUT THE COYOTES: Things got off to a great start for Phoenix as Kyle Turris scored 2:16 into his first career playoff game and the team received a 5-on-3 power play for 91 seconds less than halfway through the first period. But the Coyotes were unable to cash in and failed on two more man advantages later in the session, wasting the chance to put Detroit down for the count. It came back to haunt them as the Red Wings scored three times in the second period and never looked back. Bryzgalov made 32 saves but should have stopped Franzen's long-range wrister that snapped a 1-1 tie. Defenseman Derek Morris missed the contest with an upper body injury and is doubtful for Game 2.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Radim Vrbata registered a team-high six shots on goal and scored once for the Coyotes while Vernon Fiddler won 9-of-11 faceoffs. Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk led all players with eight shots, converting one. Valtteri Filppula lost eight of his nine draws taken.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Phoenix was 0-for-6 overall on the power play while the Red Wings converted one of their three opportunities.
TRENDS:
* Over is 8-3-4 in the last 15 meetings.
* Over is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings in Detroit.
* Coyotes are 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Detroit.
* Coyotes are 12-31-6 in the last 49 meetings.
LAST WORD: "I think that gave us the momentum swing we needed when we killed, especially, that 5-on-3 off. And that gave us some confidence and we took it from there." - Franzen on Detroit's success on the penalty kill in the first period.
Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers (-158, 5)
Buffalo leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: Patrick Kaleta picked a fine time to find his scoring touch. Kaleta scored his first goal since Dec. 27 by cleaning up a rebound early in the third period on Thursday as the visiting Buffalo Sabres upended the Philadelphia Flyers, 1-0, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller did the rest by stopping all 35 shots he faced to secure his second career playoff shutout. Miller's previous blanking also came against Philadelphia in 2006. The seventh-seeded Sabres will look to put the Atlantic Division champions in a decided hole when they meet again on Saturday for Game 2 at the Wells Fargo Center.
TV: 5 ET, TSN, MSG
ABOUT THE SABRES: Mike Grier provided a physical presence for Buffalo on Thursday. The veteran logged over 11 1/2 minutes of ice time and had a team-high five hits. The Sabres may have lost defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, who suffered an upper-body injury after being hit by blue-liner Braydon Coburn on Thursday. The Sabres have won their last five contests and 10 of their last 13 (10-1-2). Playing on the road is also no deterrent for Lindy Ruff's club, which has won 14 of its last 20 away from HSBC Arena and is 22-13-6 on the season. With Thursday's win, Miller (35-22-8, 2.55 goals-against average) improved to 5-2 in the postseason against the Flyers. All told, Miller has posted a 13-8-1 career mark against Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE FLYERS: Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky (28-14-8, 2.56 goals-against average) fared well in his first postseason start. The Russian turned away 24 of 25 shots he faced, but Kaleta made him pay for kicking out a rebound 5:56 into the third period. Veteran defenseman Chris Pronger is still nursing a hand injury and was ruled out hours before Thursday's contest, marking the 17th straight game he has missed. The Flyers are 16-9-7 without the blue-liner this season, and just 3-4-5 in their last 12 games that he has been a spectator. James van Riemsdyk collected a team-high six shots and drew two penalties during Thursday's loss.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: All-Star Claude Giroux hasn't fared well in his short career against the Sabres. The 22nd overall pick of the 2006 draft, Giroux only has one goal in 12 meetings. Buffalo's Thomas Vanek has collected nine goals and 12 assists in his last 18 games. Vanek finished the season as the team leader in goals (32), assists (41) and points (73).
SPECIAL TEAMS: Philadelphia showed some positives on its power play, but failed on all five of its chances - including a 5-on-3 effort - on Thursday. The Flyers have scored on 16.6 percent of their opportunities with the man-advantage this season, while killing off 82.7 percent of its shorthanded situations. For its part, Buffalo has converted 19.4 percent of its power plays, while extinguishing 83.0 percent of its opponents' chances.
TRENDS:
* Over is 12-3-1 in the last 16 meetings in Philadelphia.
* Sabres are 4-1 in the last five meetings in Philadelphia.
* Over is 19-6-1 in the last 26 meetings.
* Sabres are 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
LAST WORD: The following has held true for all eight of the completed Flyers-Sabres postseason meetings. The team which has won Game 1 went on to win the series.
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins (-195, 5)
Montreal leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Montreal Canadiens fired the first salvo in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Boston Bruins on Thursday by rendering the home club silent. Carey Price and captain Brian Gionta were primarily responsible for that. Price turned aside all 31 shots he faced to snap a personal eight-game losing skid in the playoffs and record his third postseason shutout - all against the Bruins. Gionta, who is a former Boston College star, tallied twice to continue his hot streak. The seventh-seeded Canadiens will look to put the Northeast Division champions in a decided hole when the Original Six rivals meet again in Game 2 on Saturday.
TV: 7 ET, VERSUS, NESN, CBC
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Tim Thomas (35-12-9, 2.00 goals-against average) permitted an early goal to Gionta but settled down to stop 18 of 20 shots on Thursday. Thomas wasn't the problem, however, as the Bruins saw their offense dry up once again. Boston has scored 22 goals in its last 10 games. Veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle had a game he'd like to forget. The veteran blue-liner failed with a clearing attempt in the early going which directly led to Gionta's first goal of the contest. Rookie Brad Marchand could not convert on a semi-breakaway in the first period, which ultimately stood as Boston's best chance to score.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: After an admittedly difficult regular season, Scott Gomez finally made a positive statement for Montreal. Under much scrutiny by both the team and its rabid fan base, Gomez collected a pair of assists on Thursday to secure his first multi-point effort since Jan. 21. The offensive effort enabled Price (39-28-6, 2.32 goals-against average) to improve to 13-4-2 career mark against the Bruins. Despite all of the bad blood circulating following the Max Pacioretty incident, Thursday's contest was a relatively clean affair.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Gionta has collected five goals in his last three games and now has seven tallies in as many contests against the Bruins this season. Boston centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are having trouble lighting the lamp. Krejci has one goal in his last 13 games, while Bergeron has tallied once in his last 20 contests. Milan Lucic, who had a career-high 30 goals this season, has one tally in his last 11 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Bruins will need to ignite their lackluster power play, which has converted just five of its last 36 opportunities - including an 0-for-3 effort on Thursday. During the season, Boston converted 16.2 percent of its power plays during the season, while extinguishing 82.6 percent of its opponents' chances. For its part, Montreal has scored on 19.7 percent of its opportunities with the man-advantage, while killing off 84.4 percent of its shorthanded situations.
TRENDS:
* Home team is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Canadiens are 7-2 in the last nine meetings.
* Over is 3-1-2 in the last six meetings.
* Canadiens are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Boston.
* Underdog is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings.
LAST WORD: "It's no secret that the Bell Centre is not an easy building for us to win in, especially this year, and, yeah, it's definitely a must-win to try to get a split." - Lucic, on whether Game 2 at TD Garden is a must-win for the Bruins.
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (-193, 5)
San Jose leads series 1-0.
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Kings proved they can play with the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately for Terry Murray's club, the Sharks were able to seal the deal on Thursday when Joe Pavelski capped an odd-man break at 14:44 of overtime for a 3-2 triumph in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series. The seventh-seeded Kings will level their series and take away home-ice advantage when they invade the Shark Tank for Game 2 on Saturday.
TV: 10 ET, VERSUS, TSN
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Dany Heatley scored 28 seconds into the contest and rookie Logan Couture atoned for an early miscue with a tally of his own. Ryane Clowe returned after a three-game absence with a lower-body injury to notch three assists in a game for the first time since February 2009. Last year's Stanley Cup-winning netminder, Antti Niemi (36-18-6, 2.37 goals-against average) turned aside 33 shots on Thursday to improve to 6-1-2 in his career versus Los Angeles. HP Pavilion certainly has truly been a safe haven for San Jose. The Sharks won their last eight at home and finished the regular season with a 25-11-5 mark.
ABOUT THE KINGS: After being sidelined since March 21 with dislocated shoulder, Justin Williams collected a goal and an assist in his return. That's quite the effort considering Williams was clearly not at 100 percent. To boot, Williams was also wearing a harness to stabilize his injured shoulder. Jonathan Quick (35-22-4, 2.24 goals-against average) was solid by stopping 42 of 45 shots, but Los Angeles still fell for the fifth time in seven games. The Kings may be without center Jarret Stoll, who was awaiting a phone call from the NHL's league office following his brutal hit on Sharks defenseman Ian White on Thursday. Playing in his first career postseason game, White was facing the glass and was hit from behind by Stoll. Stoll has collected 20 goals, 23 assists and 42 penalty minutes this season.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Sharks former captain Patrick Marleau has recorded 10 goals and 12 assists in his last 14 contests. Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll has netted just one goal in his last 10 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Kings scored on one of their three power-play opportunities and denied both shorthanded situations in Game 1. That's quite the statement considering San Jose has converted an NHL third-best 23.5 percent of its power plays this season. For its part, Los Angeles has killed off an NHL fourth-best 85.5 percent of its shorthanded situation
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Home team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings in San Jose.
* Kings are 16-35-1 in the last 52 meetings.
* Kings are 8-20 in the last 28 meetings in San Jose.
LAST WORD: "(San Jose defenseman Ian White) was a little low there. I don't know what he was doing, if he was reaching for a puck or what. He was right against the boards, too, and he was a little low. I just finished my check on him, and it ended up pretty bad for him. I hope he's all right. You hate to see a guy get hurt, regular season or playoffs. I definitely wasn't trying to hurt him." - Stoll, on his hit on White on Thursday.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment