Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:39 PM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, November 8

Hot teams
-- Buffalo won its last two games, allowing three goals.
-- Toronto is 5-2 at home, but lost last home game 7-0.
-- Dallas Stars won 10 of their frst 13 games. Washington is 6-0 at home, scoring 27 goals.
-- Devils won their last two games, in SO/OT.
-- Edmonton won six of its last seven games. Montreal won four of five.
-- Minnesota won its last four games, allowing three goals. Flames won four of their last six games.
-- Nashville won four of its last five games.

Cold teams
-- Jets lost seven of their ten road games.
-- Panthers lost last three games, all by one goal.
-- Carolina lost its last three road games, outscored 13-6.
-- Avalanche lost five of their last six games. Detroit lost six of seven.
-- Blues lost three of their last four games. Chicago lost its last two games, allowing 11 goals.
-- Los Angeles lost its last five games, scoring eight goals.

Totals
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Winnipeg games.
-- Three of last four Florida road games stayed under total.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Dallas road games.
-- Last four Carolina games went over the total.
-- Four of Oilers' five road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Colorado road games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Chicago games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Calgary games.
-- Under is 4-0-1 in Kings' home games this season.

Series records
-- Sabres won five of last seven games against Winnipeg.
-- Panthers won nine of last 12 games against Toronto.
-- Washington lost 2-1 at Dallas in LY's matchup.
-- Devils won seven of last nine games against Carolina.
-- Oilers beat Montreal twice LY, 4-3/4-1.
-- Red Wings won five of last seven games against Colorado.
-- Blackhawks are 9-4 in last 13 games against St Louis.
-- Minnesota won 10 of last 13 games against the Flames.
-- Kings won four of last five games against Nashville.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:40 PM

NHL

Tuesday, November 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
CAROLINA vs. NEW JERSEY
Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
New Jersey is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home

7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas

7:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. TORONTO
Florida is 8-15-2 SU in its last 25 games ,when playing on the road against Toronto
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Florida
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

7:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. BUFFALO
Winnipeg is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Winnipeg is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games
Buffalo is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:30 PM
COLORADO vs. DETROIT
Colorado is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Colorado is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
Detroit is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home

7:30 PM
EDMONTON vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Edmonton's last 10 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ST. LOUIS
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

9:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CALGARY
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Minnesota is 6-16-1 SU in its last 23 games ,when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Calgary is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

10:30 PM
NASHVILLE vs. LOS ANGELES
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
Los Angeles is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:41 PM

NHL

Tuesday, November 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Tuesday's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals (-165, 5.5)

Forgive us for not falling head-over-heels in love with the Capitals just yet.

So far this season they’ve been hard to read. Some nights you see a solid commitment to defense and an offense that jumps all over its chances while lighting it up on the power play. Then there are the games like Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders, who had lost six straight heading into the contest.

Washington jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the first intermission, but then let the Islanders tie the game in the second before completing the comeback in the third.

“We had them,” coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. “I think if we had of come out in the second period as we had come out in the first, and I think we knew that if we could have got that next goal it probably would have been over, but we didn’t, and once we let them get back in the game. You let a team in, especially a team that’s been losing, and they feel it and you’re in trouble.”

Sounds like the same old story to us. With the way Jamie Benn (points in five straight) and the Stars are going right now, they’ll give the Caps everything they can handle. Dallas has won four of its last five and just dropped Carolina 5-2 on the road.

Pick: Stars

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames (-140, 5)

Outside of Minnesota, there hasn’t been a lot of buzz over the Wild. Not yet, anyway.

Minnesota is hot on Edmonton’s heels for top spot in the Northwest division and has won four straight heading into Tuesday’s game. And it’s not just a four-game winning streak, it’s two wins over Detroit, a 5-1 pasting of the Canucks and a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Blues.

"Guys are buying in, believing that,” rookie defenseman Justin Falk told reporters. “We're battling out there, competing for each other to push each other to be better. You can see we're playing great-looking hockey, that's for sure."

No kidding. The Wild have allowed just three goals over the winning streak and goaltender Josh Harding was just named the league’s first start of last week after he won three games with a .968 save percentage.

With Minnesota winning 10 of its last 13 against Calgary, we see a live dog here.

Pick: Wild

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:42 PM

NHL

Tuesday, November 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pucking the trends: This week's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every week, we update you on who's hot, who's not and situational betting spots in the National Hockey League.

HOT TEAM: Nashville Predators

When you have good goaltending and defense, and your forwards begin to play with confidence, teams can be capable of anything in this league, and the Predators are a good example.

Nashville’s offense isn’t going to strike fear in opponents, but with Pekka Rinne in net, and Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on the back line, the forwards just have to make the most of their opportunities. And so far, so good.

David Legwand scored two goals Saturday, as the Predators outlasted San Jose, 4-3. It was Nashville’s fourth win in the last five games, and the Predators captured at least a point in all five.

The key to anything with Nashville, though, is Rinne, and that’s a good thing. Armed with a new contract, he made 19 saves in the second period alone vs. San Jose, and already has three shutouts on the season.

The West will be tough, moving forward, but Nashville seems to have enough players to continue to make some sweet music for bettors.

COLD TEAM: Columbus Blue Jackets

We gave them a one-week reprieve from this label, but when you only have two wins through one month of the season, we can’t help but point you out again.

Saturday was a microcosm of Columbus’ season. An early deficit, a goaltender change, and overall lackluster play ended in a dreadful, video-game-like 9-2 defeat in Philadelphia. The loss dropped the Blue Jackets to 0-7 on the road this season.

Clearly, they are missing Jeff Carter, the high-scoring, injured forward who they snagged from the Flyers over the summer. But when you haven’t scored more than two goals in four of the last five games, clearly, there’s more fault to be handed out than just one player being out.

Columbus does have a little break this week, so they won’t lose again until -- at the least -- Thursday vs. Chicago.

OVER PLAY: Washington Capitals

Kudos still must go out to Washington for snaring goaltender Tomas Vokoun at a bargain-basement, summer price. Vokoun has been good -- he made 30 saves Saturday vs. the Islanders -- but it hasn’t stopped the Capitals from running, gunning and cashing in overs.

Their 5-3 loss to the Islanders was Washington’s fourth straight over, and sixth in the last seven games.

As such, the numbers are starting to pile up for the Capitals. They are in first place in the Southeast and seem to have more depth than usual. Alex Ovechkin has six goals. Joel Ward has four. And Nicklas Backstrom has 12 assists.

All that said, though, their offense will be tested in the next four games. Beginning Tuesday, Washington will play Dallas, New Jersey twice and Nashville in an eight-day span.

UNDER PLAY: Anaheim Ducks

You would think, even with solid goaltending in the form of Jonas Hiller, that Anaheim would be on the flip side of this equation. After all, the Ducks do have reigning MVP Corey Perry, timeless goal-scoring guru Teemu Selanne, and young gun Bobby Ryan up front.

But unders are their specialty so far. On Saturday, Anaheim fell to Detroit, 5-0. Keep in mind, the Red Wings had lost six straight headed into the game.

That under was Anaheim’s fourth in the last five games, and overall, with a break before playing Nashville on Wednesday, the Ducks were an impressive 10-3-1 under.

Now, keep in mind, there is a potential loophole here. The Ducks just finished a seven-game, 13-day road trip. With some fresher legs, perhaps will come more goals. For now, though, you can do worse than Anaheim as a consistent under play.

SURVEYING THE SCHEDULE:

** If the Bruins are going to shake the Stanley Cup Hangover once and for all -- and Saturday’s 7-0 win over Toronto was a great move toward that -- they have a golden chance to do so at home. Beginning with Monday’s game vs. the Islanders, the Bruins will play five straight games at TD Garden over an 11-day span. Only one of those five opponents -- Buffalo -- made the playoffs last season.

** Speaking of some time at home, the St. Louis Blues are in the same boat. St. Louis will play five home games in a 10-day span, beginning on Tuesday vs. Chicago. St. Louis, quickly falling behind the pack in the Central Division, is 3-1 on home ice so far.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:43 PM

NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, November 8

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

WINNIPEG (5-7-0-2, 12 pts.) at BUFFALO (8-5-0-0, 16 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 17-23 ATS (-11.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 9-15 ATS (-14.1 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 22-32 ATS (-22.2 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 5-3 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
BUFFALO is 5-3-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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

FLORIDA (6-4-0-3, 15 pts.) at TORONTO (9-4-0-1, 19 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 135-134 ATS (-67.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
TORONTO is 8-18 ATS (-14.9 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 4-4 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 4-4-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.6 Units)

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

DALLAS (10-3-0-0, 20 pts.) at WASHINGTON (9-3-0-0, 18 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 10-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 155-153 ATS (+328.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
DALLAS is 71-59 ATS (+136.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season since 1996.
DALLAS is 10-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) first half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 5-9 ATS (-14.7 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 110-153 ATS (-59.8 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 25-35 ATS (-29.4 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 2-0 (+3.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 2-0-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.0 Units)

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

CAROLINA (5-6-0-3, 13 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (6-5-0-1, 13 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 31-59 ATS (+99.4 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 16-32 ATS (-19.7 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 7-2 (+4.7 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 7-2-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.1 Units)

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

EDMONTON (8-3-0-2, 18 pts.) at MONTREAL (5-6-0-2, 12 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 20-56 ATS (+104.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 7-28 ATS (+48.3 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 10-26 ATS (+44.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 6-26 ATS (+45.7 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 80-96 ATS (-38.0 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-1 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-1-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

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

COLORADO (7-6-0-1, 15 pts.) at DETROIT (6-5-0-1, 13 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 19-38 ATS (+61.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 28-24 ATS (+60.3 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 81-86 ATS (-86.9 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-5 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-4-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

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

CHICAGO (8-3-0-3, 19 pts.) at ST LOUIS (6-7-0-0, 12 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 231-264 ATS (-106.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 116-140 ATS (-59.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-4 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.2 Units)

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

MINNESOTA (7-3-0-3, 17 pts.) at CALGARY (6-6-0-1, 13 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 14-8 ATS (+25.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 89-73 ATS (+164.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
MINNESOTA is 19-9 ATS (+10.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 6-13 ATS (-8.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 9-3 (+7.6 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 9-3-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.4 Units)

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

NASHVILLE (7-4-0-2, 16 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (6-5-0-3, 15 pts.) - 11/8/2011, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 5-12 ATS (-9.5 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 27-58 ATS (+97.5 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 104-89 ATS (+13.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 18-13 ATS (+35.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 26-22 ATS (+55.2 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 3-8 ATS (-8.6 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 4-4 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 4-4-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:44 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Tuesday, November 8

WINNIPEG at BUFFALO, 7:00 PM ET
WINNIPEG: 3-7 SU as an underdog
BUFFALO: 4-12 SU off a road win by 1 goal

FLORIDA at TORONTO, 7:00 PM ET
FLORIDA: 7-20 SU after OT loss
TORONTO: 7-1 SU off division loss by 3+ goals

DALLAS at WASHINGTON, 7:00 PM ET
DALLAS: 10-2 SU in all games
WASHINGTON: 5-9 SU in home games after a loss by 2+ goals

CAROLINA at NEW JERSEY, 7:30 PM ET VERSUS
CAROLINA: 8-21 SU after allowing 5+ goals
NEW JERSEY: 17-6 SU off a close home win by 1 goal

EDMONTON at MONTREAL, 7:30 PM ET
EDMONTON: 14-47 SU off a road loss
MONTREAL: 15-23 SU in non-conference games

COLORADO at DETROIT, 7:30 PM ET
COLORADO: 4-0 SU after playing a game where 4 or fewer total goals were scored
DETROIT: 150-103 SU after scoring 5+ goals

CHICAGO at ST LOUIS, 8:00 PM ET
CHICAGO: 10-1 SU Away after a blowout loss by 3+ goals
ST LOUIS: 18-32 SU when playing their 3rd game in 5 days

MINNESOTA at CALGARY, 9:00 PM ET
MINNESOTA: 7-2 SU off a close home win by 1 goal
CALGARY: 0-5 SU in home games after allowing 2 goals or less in 3 straight games

NASHVILLE at LOS ANGELES, 10:30 PM ET
NASHVILLE: 17-10 SU in road games after playing a road game
LOS ANGELES: 5-12 SU in home games off a road loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:48 PM

Tuesday, November 8

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Winnipeg - 7:00 PM ET Winnipeg +179 500
Buffalo - Over 5.5 500

Florida - 7:00 PM ET Toronto -125 500
Toronto - Under 5.5 500

Dallas - 7:00 PM ET Washington -155 500
Washington - Under 5.5 500

Carolina - 7:30 PM ET New Jersey -134 500
New Jersey - Over 5.5 500

Edmonton - 7:30 PM ET Edmonton +111 500
Montreal - Over 5 500

Colorado - 7:30 PM ET Colorado +150 500
Detroit - Over 5.5 500

Chicago - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -104 500
St. Louis - Under 5.5 500

Minnesota - 9:30 PM ET Minnesota +120 500
Calgary - Over 5 500

Nashville - 10:30 PM ET Nashville +104 500
Los Angeles - Over 5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 11-08-2011, 07:50 PM

Devils try to extend win streak hosting Canes

CAROLINA HURRICANES (5-6-3, 13 points)

at NEW JERSEY DEVILS (6-5-1, 13 points)

Puck drops: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Line: New Jersey -125, Carolina +105, Total: 5.5

The New Jersey Devils look to win their third game in a row while the Carolina Hurricanes hope to snap a two-game losing skid in this inter-divisional tilt on Tuesday night. The Devils won the first meeting between these clubs 4-2 in New Jersey on October 10.

Carolina has not won a regular season game in New Jersey since March 28, 2009, despite beating the Devils in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in seven games the following month. The Canes’ offense has struggled mightily this past week, and when they lose, they lose badly—with their last three losses coming by a combined score of 15-4. G Cam Ward (5-4-2, 2.85 GAA, .912 SV Pct.) should get the start for Carolina, but Ward has struggled against the Devils in his career (6-10-2 all-time). Future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur (1-2-0, 3.30 GAA, .872 SV Pct.) is back between the pipes for New Jersey, after missing a few weeks with a shoulder injury. The 39-year-old netminder helped the Devils pick up the win—his first of the year—in a 3-2 overtime win over Winnipeg on Saturday. And despite Brodeur’s stellar career numbers against Carolina, (35-14-5, 2.07 GAA, .918 SV Pct, 8 SO), the absence of sniper Ilya Kovalchuk (2 G, 7 A) to a lower-body injury will have a big impact on a New Jersey offense that averages only 2.3 goals per game (24th in NHL). Expect a more desperate CAROLINA team to pick up the win on the road.

This pair of FoxSheets trends also favor the Canes:

CAROLINA is 7-1 ATS (87.5%, +8.3 Units) off 2 or more consecutive home losses over the last 3 seasons. The average score was CAROLINA 4.3, OPPONENT 2.5 - (Rating = 2*).

NEW JERSEY is 3-11 ATS (21.4%, -15.7 Units) against poor offensive teams - scoring <=2.55 goals/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was NEW JERSEY 1.7, OPPONENT 3.1 - (Rating = 2*).

Luckily for the Hurricanes, there has been no sophomore slump for 19-year-old dynamo Jeff Skinner (6 G, 8 A), who leads the team in goals, assists and points. Meanwhile, C Eric Staal (3 G, 2 A)—who has led the team in points three of the past four years—has struggled mightily, and Carolina quite simply needs him to produce in order to win games. Joni Pitkanen (2 G, 5 A) leads a struggling defense that ranks 27th in the NHL in goals per game (3.3). The defensive depth is not there for this team right now, and they have yet to win a game this season scoring fewer than three goals.

Veteran C Patrik Elias (6 G, 5 A) leads the Devils up front, along with LW Zach Parise (5 G, 3 A). Rookie 21-year-old C Adam Henrique has also been terrific so far (3 G, 3 A), scoring the overtime winner for the Devils on Saturday. Long known for stout defense, the Devils back line has been mediocre so far this year, ranking 18th in the league in goals allowed per game (2.8).

Announcement

The Bum's Tuesday's NHL Best Bets !

The Bum's Tuesday's NHL Best Bets !

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment