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**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:03 PM

Preview: Oilers (8-3) at Bruins (5-7)

Date: November 10, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

Taylor Hall individually outperformed Tyler Seguin during the duo's rookie season in 2010-11, but Seguin got his name on the Stanley Cup - and he's following that up with a torrid start to his sophomore campaign.

The top two picks in the 2010 draft will square off for the second time Thursday night when Hall's surprising Edmonton Oilers try to avoid a 10th straight loss to Seguin's surging Boston Bruins.

Chosen first by Edmonton, Hall led the Oilers with 22 goals last season despite being limited to 65 games by an ankle injury.

Seguin got his NHL career off to a significantly slower start, totaling 22 points in 74 games and spending the first two playoff rounds in the press box. However, after an injury forced him into the lineup, he had seven postseason points to help the Bruins win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Still just 19 years old, Seguin leads Boston (6-7-0) with eight goals and 15 points this season. He has four goals and an assist during the Bruins' three-game winning streak, helping the team bounce back from a dismal start and climb out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

Boston has awakened offensively during its run, totaling 18 goals after scoring 22 in the first 10 games.

"I think the past few games is the way we're supposed to play, and it shows in the outcome," center Patrice Bergeron said after he extended his point streak to seven in Monday's 6-2 win over the New York Islanders. "When we're feeling good, playing well, we don't want to stop."

Edmonton (9-3-2) is feeling great amid its outstanding start, which has the club in second place in the West following consecutive seasons with the fewest points in the NHL.

Hall has nine points and 2011 No. 1 overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 12, but the biggest star has been a player older than their combined ages.

Nikolai Khabibulin, coming off his worst season at age 38, has allowed nine goals in nine games, posting a 0.98 goals-against average and .963 save percentage while going 7-0-2. He won his sixth straight start Tuesday, stopping 28 shots in a 3-1 victory at Montreal.

"That's one of the poorer performances we've had in front of him," coach Tom Renney said. "We kind of stole one here, but you find ways to win and he certainly is giving us lots of confidence. We just have to make sure that we pay that back."

If Khabibulin starts Thursday, he'll have to overcome some bad memories in Boston. He's 1-7-0 with two ties and a 3.27 GAA there.

After Tuukka Rask picked up his first win of 2011-12 on Monday, Boston may turn back to its own late-30s netminder. Tim Thomas recorded his first shutout of the season in his last start, a 7-0 win at Toronto on Saturday, and he's blanked the Oilers each of the last two times he's faced them.

Boston has won all nine meetings since a 6-1 loss Oct. 17, 2000. Neither Hall nor Seguin had any points in their only previous NHL meeting, a 3-2 Bruins win in Edmonton on Feb. 27.

It's unclear if the Bruins will have Rich Peverley, who sat out Monday with an undisclosed injury. They'll likely be without Daniel Paille, who needed surgery after he was struck in the face by a slapshot from Islanders defenseman Steve Staios.

The Oilers remain without Boston-area native and former Boston University standout Ryan Whitney due to a sprained knee.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:04 PM

Preview: Blackhawks (5-4) at Blue Jackets (2-11)

Date: November 10, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

A trip to face the Columbus Blue Jackets appears to be coming at just the right time for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Mired in their first losing streak this season and struggling on special teams, the Blackhawks try to end those woes Thursday night by adding to their recent mastery of the NHL's worst club.

Chicago (8-4-3) hasn't been effective on the power play this season, but had been picking up the slack with one of the strongest penalty-kill units in the league.

That group, however, has faltered in a major way during the team's 0-2-1 skid, allowing seven goals in nine chances - including five during a 6-2 loss to Vancouver on Sunday.

The Blackhawks had denied 34 of 37 opportunities over their first 12 games.

Chicago's power play is also 1 for 30 over the past eight contests and went 0 for 4 during a 3-0 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday.

"The problem is we're making the number out to be a big deal," captain Jonathan Toews said. "Right now who cares about the stat? We know we've got to be better, so we've got to keep working on it."

The Blackhawks didn't need a power-play goal - they went 0 for 5 - during a 5-2 victory over Columbus (2-11-1) on Oct. 29. Instead, they used Viktor Stalberg's pair of third-period tallies for their fourth victory in five matchups.

Chicago has also won three in a row at Nationwide Arena and will face a team that might still be stinging from one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history.

The Blue Jackets, though, will have had four days off since Saturday's 9-2 loss in Philadelphia.

"We're trying to make a big step," coach Scott Arniel said after practice Wednesday. "Last week was as low as we could go, but the past few days we were able to really work on things."

During that break, Columbus also acquired center Mark Letestu from Pittsburgh for a fourth-round draft pick. Letestu had one assist in 11 games with the Penguins this season, but Arniel said he thinks a player who had 27 points in 64 games in 2010-11 might thrive in a new location.

"He's a capable guy that's been playing behind some considerable talent in Pittsburgh," the coach said. "He's a guy that's played in a good organization that's done things the right way. We're really excited to get him."

Columbus might have even more help at center with All-Star Jeff Carter expected to return soon from a fractured right foot. That, however, will likely come this weekend instead of Thursday as previously hoped, Arniel said.

Carter had two goals and an assist in his previous matchup against Chicago on Jan. 23 with Philadelphia, while former Flyers teammate Patrick Sharp has experienced more sustained success versus the Blue Jackets.

Sharp has 13 goals and eight assists over the last 15 matchups, and four goals and five assists during a six-game point streak in Columbus.

Patrick Kane has three goals and six assists during a five-game streak at Nationwide, where the Blackhawks are 7-1-1 in their last nine visits.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:05 PM

Preview: Maple Leafs (7-5) at Blues (6-7)

Date: November 10, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

The St. Louis Blues are playing with a renewed confidence, having shut down a Western Conference power in coach Ken Hitchcock's team debut.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' confidence level seems to be wavering a bit following a second straight lopsided defeat.

The Blues try to build on an impressive win Thursday night when they host the suddenly struggling Maple Leafs.

Sitting in 13th place in the West 13 games into the season, St. Louis (7-7-0) fired Davis Payne on Sunday and replaced him with the 59-year-old Hitchcock. The Blues responded to the wake-up call, defeating Central Division-leading Chicago 3-0 on Tuesday in the opener of a five-game homestand.

Vladimir Sobotka recorded his first goal of the season, Chris Stewart scored on the power play to end a 10-game goal drought and T.J. Oshie had a goal and an assist.

"When a coaching change happened so fast, we just needed to probably look in the mirror and ask yourself if that was the best you have," goaltender Jaroslav Halak said. "Everybody did their best."

Halak stepped up, finishing with 29 saves to earn his first shutout of the season after posting a 3.71 goals-against average in losing his previous five starts. The Blues' power-play unit also showed some signs of life, converting on 1 of 2 chances after entering as the NHL's worst team at 7.5 percent (3 for 40).

"To be able to grasp a couple of the concepts this quick on the power play is a real good sign," Hitchcock said.

While Hitchcock liked what he saw from his team, Toronto's Ron Wilson is not pleased with how things are progressing with his club.

The Maple Leafs (9-5-1) are in first place in the Northeast Division but have been outscored 12-1 in losing their last two games.

"We've got to shore up our goaltending obviously," Wilson said after Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Florida.

Toronto had been receiving solid goaltending from Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens in the first six games since starter James Reimer suffered a concussion against Montreal on Oct. 22, but neither has had much luck lately.

Gustavsson surrendered three soft goals on 21 shots against the Panthers before being replaced by Scrivens, who finished with five saves on seven shots. In Saturday's 7-0 loss to Boston, Scrivens started and stopped nine of 14 shots before giving way to Gustavsson.

"They've got to work hard in practice," said Wilson, who has no timetable for Reimer's return. "They'll hopefully bounce back."

Wilson claims he has determined who will be between the pipes against the Blues but doesn't feel like divulging that information to Hitchcock.

"In my mind (I know who I'll start), but I don't have to share it," he said. "Why don't I just call Hitch? Does anybody have a cellphone? I'll call Hitch and tell him who's going to play."

Gustavsson got the start in Toronto's lone game against the Blues last season, and he stopped 39 shots in a 6-5 shootout victory Jan. 6. It was just the third win for the Leafs in 12 meetings (3-5-3 with one tie) since 2000-01.

Phil Kessel, who ended Toronto's scoreless streak of 137 minutes, 59 seconds with his NHL-leading 11th goal Tuesday, had two goals against the Blues last season.

Halak got the start in that game but was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots in 32 minutes. He has given up at least four goals in four of his last seven starts against Toronto.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:07 PM

Preview: Panthers (6-4) at Jets (4-7)

Date: November 10, 2011 8:30 PM EDT

The Florida Panthers ended a streak of three consecutive shootout losses with their most recent victory, giving them their best start in 15 seasons.

Now, they'll look to get a bit of revenge against the team that started that previous slide.

Florida concludes its two-game swing through Canada on Thursday night when it faces the Winnipeg Jets, who will try to end a three-game losing streak as they play their first home game in 17 days.

The Panthers (7-4-3) haven't started a season this well since going 8-0 with four ties to open 1996-97. Five different players scored in a 5-1 victory over Toronto on Tuesday, ending a frustrating stretch of shootout losses.

Jose Theodore made 38 saves to improve to 2-0-2 with a 2.16 goals-against average in his last four starts.

"I just saw the puck really good, so right after the first save I knew I was going to see the puck well," Theodore said. "I played with a lot of confidence and from there the guys just took over."

Theodore made 28 saves Oct. 31 as the Panthers fell 4-3 to the Jets in a shootout - a rare loss versus the former Thrashers. The veteran is 5-1-1 in nine starts since the lockout against the one-time Atlanta franchise, though he's been pulled twice and posted a 3.58 GAA in that span.

Florida has earned at least one point in seven of its last eight games (4-1-3), though it misses out on picking up two in that loss to Winnipeg when Evander Kane tied the score at 3 with 50 seconds left.

The Jets (5-7-3) wound up 3-2-2 on their season-long road trip, but finished 0-1-2 after blowing a two-goal, first-period lead in a 6-5 overtime loss to Buffalo on Tuesday.

Winnipeg allowed Buffalo 12 power-play chances, of which the Sabres converted four.

"We need to keep the game 5-on-5,' coach Claude Noel said. "We would've liked to get two points, and it was in our grasp. I think we shot ourselves in the foot because we were in the box most of the time.'

Bryan Little scored twice while Dustin Byfuglien and Tanner Glass added a goal and an assist each. Captain Andrew Ladd, who had an assist and a shootout goal in the last meeting with the Panthers, also had an assist.

Defenseman Zach Bogosian doesn't feel the Jets are built for up-tempo, high-scoring games - even after opening the trip with a 9-8 win at Philadelphia.

"It's fun when you score, it's not fun when you get scored on,' Bogosian said. "Run-and-gun type of hockey is not the way we want to play.'

Winnipeg hopes to get back on track against a Florida team it's had its way with in recent seasons. The Jets franchise is 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings, with Ladd tallying two goals and two assists in the last two matchups.

Winnipeg, though, has had to overcome some shaky goaltending lately. Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Mason have a combined .892 save percentage and 3.33 GAA.

Should Pavelec get the call Thursday, however, he might have a good chance to get back on track after allowing six goals on 45 shots Tuesday.

He's 5-1-0 with a 2.17 GAA in seven career starts against the Panthers.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:10 PM

Preview: Canadiens (5-7) at Coyotes (6-4)

Date: November 10, 2011 9:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens rebounded nicely after getting off to their worst start in 70 years, but they could use another bounce-back effort.

Given the Canadiens' history against the Phoenix Coyotes, a trip to the desert could be just what they need.

Montreal goes for its eighth consecutive victory in this matchup Thursday night when the well-rested Coyotes try to build some momentum for their upcoming trip.

After opening 1-5-2 to match their worst start since 1941-42, the Canadiens won four straight. However, Montreal has since suffered back-to-back defeats, 5-3 on the road to the New York Rangers on Saturday and 3-1 at home Tuesday against Edmonton.

"You're disappointed with the score but it wasn't because of a lack of effort or lack of execution," said coach Jacques Martin, whose team outshot the Oilers 29-14. "We just didn't finish ... we'll look at the tape and find a couple of errors that we need to be better and regroup for Thursday's game."

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett has studied the tape of the Canadiens' most recent loss and knows his team better be ready, even though Phoenix has won five of seven and looked good in practice since defeating Edmonton 4-2 on Saturday.

"... (Montreal) didn't give up many shots, so I'm sure they'll be a hungry team coming in," Tippett said.

With a five-game trip kicking off Saturday against San Jose, Phoenix (7-4-2) is trying to end its three-game stretch on home ice on a positive note.

However, the Canadiens (5-7-2) have won four in a row on the road in this matchup and are 9-0-0 with three ties in the last 12 meetings overall. The Coyotes' last victory over Montreal was 4-2 at home Dec. 9, 1998.

The Canadiens might need more than history on their side when they face Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith.

Signed in the offseason to offset the departure of Ilya Bryzgalov, Smith has made a seamless transition after spending the past three-plus seasons with Tampa Bay.

He is 5-0-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average in his last six starts after turning aside 24 shots Saturday. The Coyotes have killed 17 of 18 penalties during that stretch.

"Mike Smith is a big factor for them but at the same time, they're playing a good team game," center Petteri Nokelainen, who was acquired from Phoenix on Oct. 23, told the Canadiens' official website. "They rely on hard work and strong back checking and that's what they've been doing the last three years."

Center Martin Hanzal could give the Coyotes' power-play unit a much-needed boost - it is 1 for 8 in the last four games - as he's expected to return Thursday after missing two games with a lower-body injury.

Right wing Andrei Kostitsyn was sidelined Tuesday with a lower-body injury, but he accompanied Montreal on its two-game trip and could be on the ice Thursday. He scored in overtime the last time these clubs met to give the Canadiens a 3-2 home win Oct. 25, 2010.

Carey Price made 27 saves in that victory to improve to 4-0-0 with a 1.74 GAA against Phoenix.

He's allowed six goals in dropping his last two starts after giving up five in winning his previous four.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:11 PM

Preview: Islanders (4-6) at Avalanche (3-7)

Date: November 10, 2011 9:00 PM EDT

Coach Jack Capuano wasn't happy with the effort from some of the New York Islanders in their latest defeat.

The Colorado Avalanche are also dealing with growing frustration during their longest skid of the young season.

The Islanders will try to beat the Avalanche for a fifth time in a row in the only meeting of the season between these struggling teams Thursday night.

New York (4-6-2) has been sputtering during a 1-5-2 stretch after winning three in a row. The Islanders' woes continued Monday as they opened a three-game road trip by losing 6-2 at Boston.

They were outscored 3-0 in the third period, and Capuano felt the effort was lacking from certain players.

"We just had some guys that didn't show up. I'm not going to name any names," Capuano said. "We had a couple of lines that played well. We had a couple of lines but not enough to sustain it against a team like that."

John Tavares, Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson may not be among the players drawing Capuano's ire after they combined for two goals and three assists against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

New York, however, could use more consistency from Tavares, who leads the team with eight goals and 13 points. Six of those tallies and four assists came in a four-game stretch last month, and he has two goals and one assist in six games since.

"Losing is not something we are happy with," the Islanders' alternate captain told the team's official website. "It's unacceptable and we definitely feel going into every game that we have a great opportunity to win and we can compete with any team in the league."

That's certainly been the case versus the Avalanche (7-7-1), as the Islanders have won four consecutive meetings - including two in Denver.

Tavares had a goal in each of the two meetings last season, including one with 1:08 left in overtime in a 4-3 win at Colorado on Jan. 8.

The Avalanche are enduring their own tough stretch, going 2-6-1 following a promising five-game winning streak. Frustration continues to mount as they've dropped four in a row after losing 5-2 at Detroit on Tuesday, falling behind 3-0 during the second period.

"I think we're frustrated right now," coach Joe Sacco said. "Nothing we can do about it. We put ourselves in this situation."

Offensive shortcomings have played a major role in Colorado's 1-5-0 home record. The Avalanche have been outscored 15-4 in the defeats while failing to score more than one goal in any of them.

Matt Duchene is trying to do his part, leading the team with 12 points while his five goals are tied with Milan Hejduk, David Jones and Gabriel Landeskog.

Duchene has six points in his last three games, but four of them - including a hat trick - came in Friday's 7-6 overtime loss at Dallas. He doesn't have a point in three career games against the Islanders.

Landeskog, the second overall pick in last summer's draft, ended a six-game goal drought Tuesday.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:12 PM

Preview: Wild (5-3) at Sharks (5-4)

Date: November 10, 2011 10:30 PM EDT

The Minnesota Wild acquired Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi from the San Jose Sharks during the offseason in hopes of improving one of the worst offenses in the NHL.

While they're still having difficulty scoring, the Wild find themselves on the verge of their longest winning streak in more than four years thanks to a tremendous effort from their goaltenders.

Facing their former team for the first time, Heatley and Setoguchi look to help visiting Minnesota record a sixth consecutive victory in Thursday night's matchup with the Sharks, who haven't lost in regulation at home to the Wild in nine games.

After finishing 26th in the league with 203 goals last season, the Wild (8-3-3) acquired some much-needed offensive firepower, sending All-Star defenseman Brent Burns and forward Martin Havlat to the Sharks in separate deals for Setoguchi and Heatley - a four-time 40-goal scorer.

Heatley leads the team in scoring, but he has only 10 points in 14 games while Setoguchi has eight. The Wild again rank near the bottom of the league with an average of 2.2 goals.

While the new acquisitions have yet to boost the team offensively, Minnesota has again excelled by relying on keeping the puck out of its own net. That effort has been led by goalies Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom, who have sparked the Wild to five straight wins with their dominant play.

Harding surrendered three goals over the first four victories, and Backstrom made 41 saves in a 3-0 win at Calgary on Tuesday as the Flames were held scoreless on seven power-play chances.

The Wild, who haven't won six in a row since a franchise-best nine-game run March 8-24, 2007, have killed off all 21 power-play opportunities during the winning streak.

Guillaume Latendresse scored for the third time in as many games and Heatley notched a goal and an assist. While Heatley's surely looking forward to taking the ice Thursday, it's uncertain if Backstrom or Harding will start.

"I don't know that we could really make a bad decision as a coaching staff ... as far as who we're going to put in net," coach Mike Yeo said. "When you get goaltending like that you have a chance to win every hockey game."

Backstrom is 1-5-1 with a 3.39 goals-against average at HP Pavilion. Harding struggled in his only career appearance versus the Sharks (8-4-1), making 31 saves in a 5-2 road loss Jan. 30, 2010.

The Sharks, 8-0-1 in their last nine home meetings with the Wild, are coming off their seventh win in nine games, 4-2 over Los Angeles on Monday.

Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau each scored and combined for four assists. Logan Couture recorded his sixth goal in eight games while Joe Pavelski, who leads the team with 17 points, recorded his eighth multi-point effort of the season with two assists.

Two nights after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period of a 4-3 overtime loss to Nashville, Antti Niemi, who went 0-1-1 with a 4.40 GAA over his first three home starts, made 29 saves.

Niemi missed some time at the beginning of the season after having a cyst removed from his knee but seems to be rounding into form.

"Nemo, he's looking sharper every night, isn't he?" coach Todd McLellan said. "He's looking good, he's starting to get comfortable in there, he's starting to feel good. His timing and his reads of rushes and plays is getting better all the time so I think we're getting there."

Niemi is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA and one shutout against Minnesota.

Havlat has eight points in nine games with San Jose while Burns has five in 13.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-10-2011, 07:15 PM

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
11/09/11 5-*1-*0 83.33% +*2055 Detail
11/08/11 8-*10-*0 44.44% -*1495 Detail
11/07/11 1-*3-*0 25.00% -*1100 Detail
11/06/11 3-*7-*0 30.00% -*2320 Detail
11/05/11 6-*14-*2 30.00% -*4760 Detail
11/04/11 5-*7-*0 41.67% -*1145 Detail
11/03/11 10-*10-*0 50.00% -*45 Detail
11/02/11 2-*4-*0 33.33% -*1080 Detail
11/01/11 6-*4-*0 60.00% +*1270 Detail
Totals 46-*60-*2 43.40% -*8620

Thursday, November 10

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Edmonton - 7:00 PM ET Edmonton +156 500
Boston - Over 5 500

Chicago - 7:00 PM ET Chicago -149 500
Columbus - Over 5.5 500

Toronto - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -152 500
St. Louis - Over 5.5 500

Florida - 8:30 PM ET Florida +103 500
Winnipeg - Over 5.5 500

NY Islanders - 9:00 PM ET Colorado -135 500
Colorado - Over 5.5 500

Montreal - 9:00 PM ET Montreal +131 500
Phoenix - Under 5 500

Vancouver - 10:30 PM ET Los Angeles -114 500
Los Angeles - Under 5 500

Minnesota - 10:30 PM ET Minnesota +152 500
San Jose - Over 5 500

**Kaptain** · 11-10-2011, 08:34 PM

gl with the Ice Plays BUM......thanks

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