Saturday 12/10/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Spanish La Liga TODAY 12:00

Osasuna

v

Barcelona

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS5		14	13/2	2/11	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT OSASUNA	RECENT FORM
A DH LA LH LA LA L​ Most recent​	0 - 0 1 - 2 3 - 2 1 - 2	H DA WA DA DH DH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Osasuna have won one of their last 12 home fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Barcelona wrapped up their Champions League group stage campaign with a 4-0 victory at home to Borussia Monchengladbach and are unlikely to receive a much stiffer test at Osasuna. The La Liga basement boys have taken just two points from a possible 21 at home and are likely to be outclassed.

RECOMMENDATION: Barcelona to win 3-0
1

Premier League TODAY 12:30

Watford

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Everton

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		2	12/5	6/4	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT WATFORD	RECENT FORM
A DH WA LH WH LA L​ Most recent​	1 - 1 0 - 3 1 - 2 1 - 3	A LH WA LH DA LH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Watford have conceded 11 goals in their last four Premier League games

EXPERT VERDICT: Everton have won only one of their last ten games but they looked good in a 1-1 draw against Man United on Sunday and can get back on track at Watford. The Hornets have been shipping far too many goals and Everton have enough flair to take a much-needed three points.

RECOMMENDATION: Everton
3


REFEREE: Anthony Taylor STADIUM:

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Arsenal

v

Stoke

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		7/20	9/2	17/2	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ARSENAL	RECENT FORM
A DH DH WH LA WA W​ Most recent​	2 - 0 3 - 0 3 - 1 1 - 0	A WH WA DH LA WH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Stoke average just one goal per game on the road

EXPERT VERDICT: The Gunners haven’t lost a league game since the opening day of the season, and they’ve scored eight goals in their last two fixtures. Stoke have won five of their last seven outings, but they’ve recorded only one victory in six fixtures against top- half teams.

RECOMMENDATION: Arsenal
4


REFEREE: Lee Mason STADIUM:

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Hull

v

C Palace

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		12/5	12/5	13/10	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT HULL	RECENT FORM
A LH WA LH DH D*A L​ Most recent​	2 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 0 0 - 1	A LH LA LH LA LH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Benteke has scored four goals in his past four games

EXPERT VERDICT: Hull have won one of their past 11 Premier League games, losing eight and conceding 27 goals. After six defeats in a row, Crystal Palace registered a comfortable 3-0 home win over Southampton last weekend. Christian Benteke scored a brace and could be in the goals again.

RECOMMENDATION: C Benteke to score
2


REFEREE: Mike Jones STADIUM:

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Swansea

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Sunderland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		23/20	5/2	13/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SWANSEA	RECENT FORM
H DA LH LA DH WA L​ Most recent​	2 - 4 1 - 1 4 - 0 2 - 2	A LH LA WH WA LH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Swansea have conceded 16 goals in their last five Premier League games

EXPERT VERDICT: Sunderland look rejuvenated after three wins out of four and they can add another victory against hapless Swansea. Bob Bradley has looked well out of his depth in the Swans dugout and their defence is in total disarray, as demonstrated in a 5-0 loss to Spurs last weekend.

RECOMMENDATION: Sunderland
4


REFEREE: Craig Pawson STADIUM:

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Burnley

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Bournemouth

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		9/4	12/5	11/8	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BURNLEY	RECENT FORM
H WA DH WA LH LA L​ Most recent​	1 - 1 2 - 0 2 - 1 0 - 0	H DA LH LA WA LH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bournemouth have lost three of their five games against bottom-half teams

EXPERT VERDICT: Burnley’s home form is fairly solid. They’ve won four of eight matches at Turf Moor, beating Everton and Crystal Palace there in recent weeks. Bournemouth are unreliable. The Cherries have lost four of seven away, having conceded 13 goals on the road already.

RECOMMENDATION: Burnley
3


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

EPL Notebook - Week 15
By Chris David

Matchday 15 of the Premier League kicks off Saturday with six games and concludes Sunday with another four.

Fitness will be a major factor in December as plenty of clubs are still involved in other competitions and all teams will be playing five league games apiece in the final month and three in the next 10 days.

Saturday, Dec. 10
Watford vs. Everton (NBCSN, 7:30 a.m.)
Arsenal vs. Stoke City (NBCSN, 10:00 a.m.)
Burnley vs. Bournemouth (10:00 a.m.)
Hull City vs. Crystal Palace (10:00 a.m.)
Swansea City vs. Sunderland (CNBC, 10:00 a.m.)
Leicester City vs. Manchester City (NBC, 12:30 p.m.)

Sunday, Dec. 11
Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion (NBCSN, 7:00 a.m.)
Manchester United vs. Tottenham (NBCSN, 9:15 a.m.)
Southampton vs. Middlesbrough (9:15 a.m.)
Liverpool vs. West Ham United (NBCSN, 11:30 a.m.)

All times above are listed in Eastern Time Zone

Futures Market

Chelsea was listed as high as a 6/1 betting choice to win the 2016-17 Premier League prior to the season and after 14 games, the Blues are now 6/5 favorites.

Oddsmakers haven’t handled the title to them just yet with Manchester City (3/1), Liverpool (9/2) and Arsenal (11/2) all within striking distance of Chelsea. One advantage that the Blues have had over the other trio is their schedule since they didn’t earn appearances in this year’s Champions or Europa League competitions.

Trends to Watch – Matchday 15

Chelsea, winners in eight straight, lead the league with seven clean sheets this season.

Arsenal is unbeaten in its last 13 league games (9-4-0).

Stoke City has gone 5-3-1 in its last nine Premier League matches and have posted four clean sheets during this run. The Potters have seen two or less combined goals scored in eight of their last 10.

David Moyes (Sunderland) has never lost in the Premier League against Swansea City, going 5-1-0 in six matches.

Swansea City has seen at least three goals scored in nine of its 14 matches. The Swans have allowed a league-high 31 goals.

Liverpool, who is off a loss, has yet to lose successive Premier League contests under manager Jurgen Klopp. The Reds host West Ham United on Sunday.

Crystal Palace has watched the 'over' cash in six straight games, aided by a defense that's surrendered 16 goals over this span.

Game of the Week – Tottenham at Manchester United (Sunday, NBCSN, 9:15 a.m. ET)

This matchup features two teams that have failed to live up to expectations this season and based on the records of Tottenham (7-6-1) and Manchester United (5-6-3), anything but a draw would be a surprise this Sunday. The tie is offering a generous return (+230).

Manchester United has opened as a healthy favorite (+120) for this match and it has gone 2-1-1 in the last four encounters versus Tottenham, with the two victories coming at Old Trafford in clean sheet style (3-0, 1-0).

Making a case for United to win is troubling considering it hasn’t won a league game at home since Sept. 24 when it ripped Leicester City 4-1 at home. The club is 2-6-2 in its last 10 and that includes a run of three consecutive 1-1 draws.

The Red Devils are 2-4-1 in EPL action at Old Trafford this season, with the defense (6 goals) making up for the efforts of a struggling offense (10 goals). The ‘under’ is 5-2.

When it comes to earning or dropping points, Tottenham (+245) has been in better form with a 2-1 record over its last three games. The loss came to league-leader Chelsea on the road while the wins were both at home against bottom feeders West Ham United (3-2) and Swansea City (5-0).

Tottenham’s scoring defense (10 goals) is the tops in the EPL and it’s only allowed six away goals in seven games, which has helped produce a 2-4-1 record. The ‘under’ has gone 4-3 on the road for the Spurs and Sunday’s total is 2 ½ (-120).

Both clubs just finished Champions and Europa League group play action earlier this week. Tottenham has gone 3-1-1 this season in games following a CL matchup while United has struggled to a 1-2-2 record in those situations. The two teams are still active in the Europa League competition and they could meet in the Round of 32, which will be drawn on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Road Chalk

Four teams are laying the wood as visitors this weekend and all of them play Saturday. Will the home underdogs step up and earn points?

Let’s answer that question with what we’ve seen through the first four months of the season.

Manchester City (-145) at Leicester City (+410): The defending champions were expected to drop off this season but 13 out of a possible 42 points has been quite humbling for Leicester City. All three of the wins for the Foxes (3-4-7) have come at home and they’ve been better defensively (six goals) there as well. Still, Man City has been the best team on the road this season (6-0-1) and its outscored opponents 17-7 over this span. After only earning one point versus the Foxes last season, revenge should be in the mind of the Citizens this week.

Crystal Palace (+125) at Hull City (+235): It’s hard to make a case backing Crystal Palace in this spot, especially based on its road mark (2-1-4). However, this number is attributed to Hull City (3-2-9) and its inability to score (11 goals). Hull is 1-8-1 in its last 10 games and it’s been held to one goal or less in nine of those games. Before you back the ‘under’ here, make a note that Hull hasn’t kept a clean sheet in its last 12 matches and Palace hasn’t had a clean sheet on the road in 17 successive away games.

Bournemouth (+120) at Burnley (+245): Similar to the Palace-Hull matchup, this number is based on Burnley and its inability to hit the net (12 goals). All four of the Clarets’ wins have come at home and practically all of their offensive production (11 goals) have taken place at Turf Moor. For what it’s worth, Burnley hasn’t dropped two straight at home this season and they’re off a loss. Meanwhile, Bournemouth has been outscored 13-5 as a visitor and that’s resulted in a dismal 1-2-4 mark.

Everton (+140) at Watford (+200): If you’re handicapping weighs heavily on head-to-head history, then you’d lean to the Toffees in this matchup knowing they’re 9-2-0 in their last 11 encounters against Watford. However, Everton has earned one point (0-1-4) in its last five road games and only scored two goals over this span. Plus, Watford is on a 3-1-1 run at Vicarage Road Stadium. Both clubs have had defensive issues this season and clean sheets are tough to come by which could have you leaning to the ‘over’ (2 ½) in this spot.

Earning Draws

As mentioned above, Tottenham and Manchester United are tied for the most draws (6) in the league. Another club that joins that group is Middlesbrough, who also seen six ties in 14 games. The club visits Southampton on Sunday and both teams have exactly the same goals for (13) and against (15) this season. The Boro is ranked last in shots (36) on target this season and scoring at Southampton (5 goals) has been next to impossible this season. The total on this game (2, Under -140) is the lowest number on the board in Matchday 15.

On the other side of the spectrum from the above trio is Chelsea, who has only seen one of its 14 results end in a draw this season. That result occurred on Sept. 9 and was followed by two losses for the Blues. Since that three-game drought, Chelsea has captured eight straight games in league play and posted clean sheets in five of them. West Bromwich Albion visits Stamford Bridge on Sunday as a heavy road underdog (+1250). The Baggies, while a longshot, have been in great form recently (3-1-0) while outscoring teams 10-3 during this four-game run. If you’re will to take a shot on the upset, you should be confident knowing the Blues are just 3-3-3 in the last nine league meetings versus West Brom.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

UFC 206 Best Bets
By Brian Edwards

The Octagon returns to Toronto on Saturday for a 12-fight card. The UFC 206 headliner was originally scheduled to pit light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier against No. 1 contender Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, but ‘DC’ was forced to withdraw two weeks ago due to an injury.

The promotion offered Johnson a fight against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi, but Rumble declined the bout in order to wait on his title shot against Cormier that’s expected to happen late in the spring of 2017.

Therefore, Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway will take on Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis in the main event. Pettis missed weight Friday morning, tipping the scales at 148 points over the 145-pound mark required for championship fights. Pettis, the former lightweight kingpin, must forfeit 20 percent of his purse to Holloway.

Also, even if Pettis gets his hand raised, he won’t claim the interim featherweight title. On the other hand, Holloway will get his waist wrapped with UFC gold and earn a shot at Jose Aldo to unify the 145-pound strap with a victory.

Holloway (16-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) has won nine consecutive fights since losing a unanimous decision to Conor McGregor at UFC Boston on Aug. 17 of 2013. The 25-year-old Hawaiian has four knockouts and a pair of submissions during that stretch.

Holloway’s most notable victories have come over the likes of Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson and Cole Miller.

As of late Friday afternoon, most spots had Holloway listed as a -240 favorite, while Pettis is +200 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $200). The total was 2.5 rounds (‘over’ -225, ‘under’ +185).

Pettis hasn’t been an underdog since beating Benson Henderson at WEC 53 thanks to a Showtime kick that secured a unanimous-decision win as a +150 ‘dog. The Milwaukee native owns notable career scalps over Henderson (twice), Gilbert Melendez, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Joe Lauzon, Stephens and Danny Castillo.

Pettis ended a three-fight losing streak with a second-round submission wins over Oliveira in his 145-pound debut on Aug. 27.

Prediction: I like Holloway to win, but he’s too expensive for my taste. Therefore, I’ll go with one unit on ‘under’ 2.5 rounds for the generous +185 payout.

In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone will face Matt ‘The Immortal’ Bown in a welterweight scrap. Cerrone is favorite in the -270 range, leaving Brown at around +230. The total is 2.5 rounds (‘under’ -140, ‘over’ +120).

Brown has spent his media sessions bashing Cerrone this week. Also, it was revealed that when Kelvin Gastelum missed weight for his scheduled bout with Cerrone at UFC 205 in New York City, Brown offered to fight Cerrone on just 24 hours of notice.

This is going to be a slugfest with Fight of the Night honors written all over it. Look for a stand-up war from these exciting fighters.

Brown has lost four of his last five fights, but three of those defeats came in heavy underdog spots against a pair of former welterweight champs, Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks, and Demian Maia, who is currently riding a six-fight winning streak and is overdue a title shot. We should note that Brown had won seven in a row prior to his current 1-4 slide.

Cerrone moved up from lightweight to 170 this year and has ripped off three straight wins by finish. In fact, he handed Rick ‘The Horror’ Story and Patrick Cote the first KO losses of their respective careers. Cerrone is 11-1 in his last 12 fights and hasn’t lost to an opponent not named Rafael dos Anjos since he was beaten by Pettis in January of 2013.

Prediction: Pain (Clubber Lang voice). Blood, lots of it. Assuming it’s not an early finish either way, this could be a Fight of the Year candidate. These might be my two favorite fighters with apologies to Frankie Edgar, The Diaz Brothers, Carlos Condit, Lawler and Cody Garbrandt. I can’t see these two savages surviving more than 12.5 minutes with each other. Let’s go four units on the ‘under’ 2.5 (-140).

**Other Best Bets**

--Despite a nearly two-year layoff, I’m on Tim Kennedy at a -135 price vs. Kelvin Gastelum for two units.

--In the prelims headliner on Fox Sports 1, I’m all about Nikita Krylov over Misha Cirkunov at even money for seven units! Krylov has won five in a row, including three first-round finishes and a pair of second-round finishes. He has three KOs and two submissions. Let’s also get a two-unit taste of ‘under’ 1.5 rounds at a -125 price.

--Finally, give me John Makdessi over Lando Vannata for 1.5 units to net a +150 return in a lightweight contest on UFC FightPass.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Jackets win 5th straight
By The Sports Xchange

DETROIT -- Cam Atkinson and Sam Gagner had a goal and an assist each to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.
Brandon Dubinsky also scored, Lukas Sedlak picked up his first NHL goal and Gagner added an empty-net goal for Columbus, which won its fifth straight. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves.
Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit and Petr Mrazek stopped 14 shots before being pulled in favor of Jimmy Howard in the second period. Howard made seven saves.

Rangers 1, Blackhawks 0
CHICAGO -- Nick Holden scored with 4:05 remaining in overtime to lift New York over Chicago.
Antti Raanta stopped all 26 shots he faced to earn his first shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.
The abrupt ending spoiled a terrific performance by Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling, who turned aside the first 36 shots he faced before allowing Holden's game-winner.

Wild 3, Oilers 2 (SO)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Jason Pominville, Chris Stewart and Eric Staal scored in a six-round shootout as Minnesota extended its winning streak to three, beating Edmonton.
Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba scored in regulation for the Wild, who got 25 saves from Devan Dubnyk in their first home game since Black Friday.
The Oilers got a first-period goal from Leon Draisaitl and a power-play goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, along with 34 saves from goalie Cam Talbot, but head home with a 0-1-2 mark on their road trip, having seen a lead slip away in all three games.

Capitals 4, Sabres 1
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves and four different players score a goal to lead Washington over Buffalo.
T.J. Oshie, Jakub Vrana, John Carlson and Marcus Johansson scored the Capitals.
Kyle Okposo scored the lone goal for the Sabres and Robin Lehner made 21 saves.

Blues 4, Devils 1
NEWARK, N.J. -- St. Louis handed New Jersey its first regulation defeat on home ice this season.
The Devils, which had been 8-0-2 in its first 10 home games, trailed the entire way and mustered little offense against Blues goaltender Jake Allen, who finished with 20 saves.
Robby Fabbri scored twice and Vladimir Tarasenko had three assists for the Blues. Ryan Reaves and Jaden Schwartz also scored for St. Louis.
P.A. Parenteau scored the Devils' lone goal, his first goal in 15 games.

Ducks 3, Sharks 2
ANAHEIM -- Hampus Lindholm scored his first goal of the season with 5:38 left in the game as Anaheim beat San Jose at Honda Center to move back atop the Pacific Division standings.
Rickard Rakell and Antoine Vermette also scored for the Ducks, and Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots.
Kevin Labanc and Brent Burns scored the Sharks goals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (11-11) at Flyers (16-10)

Date: December 10, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers may be the hottest team in the NHL with seven straight victories, but they also have one of most porous defenses - allowing 90 goals in their first 29 games.

On Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, the Flyers may meet their match when the defensively deficient Dallas Stars come to town.

The Stars have allowed 89 goals in 28 games.

While the Flyers have made up for their inflated goals allowed average by recording 93 tallies, second in the NHL behind only the New York Rangers. The Stars rank 14th in goals scored with 72.

Philadelphia (16-10-3) and its fans are still buzzing over Thursday night's 6-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers, a game in which the Flyers twice battled back from two-goal deficits to pull out a victory. It's the first time they've accomplished that feat in their 50-year history.

"You don't want to be in that situation night after night because it's awfully tough to do," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said.

"Over the 60 minutes we stuck with it, kept creating chances, never gave up and came back from a two-goal deficit twice," said Flyers left wing Michael Raffl, who scored the game-winning goal with 1:29 left. "That says it all."

The Stars (11-11-6) are coming off one of their most impressive wins of the season, a 5-2 home victory over the Nashville Predators in which top-line forwards Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza combined for eight points. It was the first time this season head coach Lindy Ruff matched his three most explosive players on the same line.

"Yeah it was a pretty complete game from us," Spezza said. "We've played well when we've had the lead, and (tonight) we got the lead."

The Stars, who led the NHL last season with 267 goals, have scored four or more goals just six times this season, including Thursday night.

They could get veteran forward Jiri Hudler and veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya back in the lineup on Saturday.

Hudler came off injured reserve Friday after he missed 23 games due to an undisclosed illness. He did not record a point in his first four games this season after signing late in the summer as a free agent.

To make room for Hudler, the Stars sent forward Jason Dickinson to the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

Hudler practiced Friday on a line with left wing Lauri Korpikoski and center Cody Eakin.

Eakin, who has no goals in 10 games, was a healthy scratch on Thursday. He's averaged 17 goals the past three seasons.

"He hasn't played very well," Ruff told the Dallas Morning News. "His numbers were down, and I didn't like his previous game."

Oduya, 35, has been sidelined since Nov. 20 with a lower-body injury.

In addition to allowing the most goals in the NHL, the Flyers and Stars have also surrendered the most short-handed goals, seven by the Flyers and five by the Stars

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (6-8-3) is expected to make his fourth straight start, while Steve Mason (11-8-3) is expected to make his 14th start in 15 games for the Flyers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Senators (16-9) at Kings (13-11)

Date: December 10, 2016 4:00 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- The surprising Ottawa Senators continue their California road trip when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon.

The Senators missed the Eastern Conference playoffs by 11 points last season and hopes were not high as they entered this campaign with one of the most porous defenses in the league. With a renewed focus on defense by coach Guy Boucher and strong goaltending from the duo of Craig Anderson and Mike Condon, they are in the mix in the early-season Atlantic Division race.

Ottawa (16-9-2) comes off a 4-2 victory in San Jose on Wednesday despite getting outshot 37-17. The Senators used a big effort from Condon (4-1-1, 1.77 GAA and .943 save percentage) and effective penalty killing to improve their road record to 7-4-0, a significantly better pace than last season's 17-21-3 mark away from Canadian Tire Centre.

"We got a great start and although it seemed like we spent the last half of the game in the penalty box, I liked the last 10 minutes of our game," Boucher said. "We finally get two days off between games after playing such a long stretch of games every other game. I am excited to see how we do with the additional rest."

One Senator will achieve a career milestone when Chris Neil suits up for his 1,000th NHL game, a rare feat given that in the age of free agency, Neil has spent his entire career with the Senators. Given his rugged style, players rarely have the longevity to play 15 seasons and with the game continuing to evolving to more speed and skill, it's unlikely that a player of Neil's skillset will ever meet this mark again.

"Good things happen when you work hard in life," Neil said prior to his historic achievement. "I've approached every training camp like I need to earn a spot on the team. I don't take anything for granted."

Los Angeles (13-11-2) comes into the contest on the heels on a poor performance in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The consensus after a lethargic effort was that the additional time off the team has had over the past few weeks has dulled their recent efforts.

"We had a bad start," Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin said. "There should be no excuses, we have to be better prepared mentally to play."

The Kings will try to gain a split of the two-game season series, dropping a last-minute 2-1 decision in Ottawa on Nov. 11 as they complete a stretch of eight home games in their last 10 contests. It is their last opportunity to play in front of their home fans until Dec. 31.

After a strong start to their home campaign, Los Angeles has lost three straight at home, two in regulation and one via shootout - so grabbing two points in their final home game ahead of a daunting road schedule is important. The Kings' road record is 4-7-1 and with the Western Conference playoff race looking to be more contentious than last season, Los Angeles will need to play close to .500 hockey on the road to be in the mix.

Los Angeles may be looking at other options to strengthen its goaltending as Jeff Zatkoff dropped to 1-4-0 in the Carolina loss. The Kings have managed to win games in the absence of Jonathan Quick, who was sidelined with a serious groin injury after just playing one period in the season opener in San Jose.

Zatkoff was slated to be the primary goaltender during Quick's absence but he was sidelined with a groin injury that has limited his appearances.

While third-string netminder Peter Budaj has given a solid performance and at one point played in 22 consecutive games, the team's .899 save percentage ties with St. Louis for 27th place after being a in the top 10 last season. Speculation is rising that Zatkoff will have to perform well on this road trip in order to maintain his roster spot.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (10-14) at Canadiens (18-6)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

MONTREAL -- While the Montreal Canadiens are dealing with a sudden rash of injuries, the Colorado Avalanche could be getting a key member of their lineup back when the two clubs square off on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog missed his team's past 10 games with a lower-body injury. On Friday, he was a full participant in Colorado's practice at the Canadiens' suburban practice facility and felt ready to return to game action.

"Everything is feeling good," he told the Avalanche website. "I've had some good practices and morning skates and some tests on where things have been going well, and I'm feeling good."

First-year head coach Jared Bednar said he "should be able to play."

It's been a disappointing early season for the Avalanche (10-14-1), whose 21 points not only rank last in the Central Division but also ties the Arizona Coyotes for fewest in the NHL overall.

Colorado is hoping to build some momentum off their most recent outing, a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, which snapped a six-game slide. The road has been a bit kinder than the altitude of the Rockies this season. The Avalanche is 6-6-0 at the opposition compared to a 4-8-1 record on home ice.

A big part of that has been Matt Duchene's apparent comfort in other teams' buildings. Duchene scored his team-leading 10th goal in Thursday's win. Every one of his tallies has come on the road.

"I can't score at home, but we're on the road," he told the Denver Post with a smirk. "I don't know what it is."

The Canadiens (18-6-3) are coming off a big win of their own, disposing of the New Jersey Devils 5-2 despite losing three players to injury in less than a week.

Without offensive centers Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais, and defenseman Greg Pateryn, the rest of the lineup picked up the slack to carry the team to victory. Torrey Mitchell scored twice, becoming only the second Canadiens player this season to notch a pair in a home game. He was one of four players to record a multi-point game, along with Phillip Danault, Andrew Shaw, and Brendan Gallagher.

"We want to show that we're about more than two players," Mitchell said after the game. "(Galchenyuk and Desharnais) are two important players for us that are injured but we have players that are capable of stepping up. We saw that (on Thursday night)."

While Montreal's offense came together, its special teams could use some improvement. After allowing a power-play goal against the Devils, the Canadiens' shorthanded unit has now yielded at least one power-play goal in six of their past nine games, and ranks in the bottom half of the NHL in penalty-killing percentage.

While the power play is enjoying greater success than in year's past and continues to rank among the top teams in the league, it hit a dry spell of late. The Canadiens connected just three times in 22 opportunities over their past seven games, and were held off entirely in five of those seven outings.

Calvin Pickard will get the start for the Avalanche while Carey Price is expected to get the nod in net for Montreal.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canucks (12-13) at Panthers (12-12)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Here come the ex-Panthers.

Three former Florida Panthers -- right winger Jack Skille, defenseman Erik Gudbranson and goalie Jacob Markstrom -- will arrive at the BB&T Center on Saturday night feeling pretty good as they prepare to face their old team.

All three players contributed for their Vancouver Canucks (12-13-2) in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Gudbranson scored his first goal of the season and added an assist. Skille scored his first two goals of the season and Markstrom entered the game in relief of injured Ryan Miller, making a pair of saves.

Skille, a fourth-line winger who scored his two goals in less than eight minutes of ice time, credited Gudbranson's excellent outlet pass for his first score.

"It was a good heads-up play by Erik," said Skille, a 29-year-old from Wisconsin who is playing for his fifth NHL team. "I just took it to the net. I was fortunate it went in."

The Canucks also feel fortunate to have Gudbranson, a 24-year-old who was Florida's first-round pick (No. 3 overall) in the 2010 draft.

Gudbranson did solid work for the Panthers before they traded him in May for center Jared McCann, 20, in a deal that also involved draft picks going both ways.

For the Canucks, Gudbranson has been reliable, playing every game and ranking second on the team in minutes. Only Ben Hutton, a fellow defenseman, has received more ice time for Vancouver.

That brings us to Markstrom, who likely will start on Saturday because Miller left Thursday's game with 6:02 left due to a lower-body injury.

Coach Willie Desjardins said Miller, who stopped 38 of the 39 shots he faced, was not seriously injured.

"He felt sore," Desjardins said. "He didn't feel quite right, so we took him out as a precaution."

Miller, 36, has made 15 starts this season and is 6-9-0 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average. Markstrom, 27, has made 12 starts and is 6-4-2 with a .900 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA.

The 31st overall pick by Florida in the 2008 draft, Markstrom had to wait until Jan. 23, 2011, to make his NHL debut.

Markstrom, though, couldn't clutch the starting job in Florida and was traded to Vancouver in the March 4, 2014, blockbuster deal that sent goalie Roberto Luongo back to the Panthers.

A native of Sweden, Markstrom has never had a winning record in any NHL season. His career record is 32-46-11 with a 2.97 GAA.

Markstrom, who is having the best season of his career, could see increased ice time if Miller's injury is more serious than Vancouver has reported.

And that could certainly be the case. Last season, Miller injured his groin in December while making a save against the Panthers and missed three weeks. Initially, that injury also was downplayed -- the Canucks said it was just dehydration.

Luongo did not have a great game in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He knocked in one puck off his right skate, gave up a rebound on a soft shot that was converted into a goal and allowed himself to get screened by two teammates on a third shot that went past him.

That loss continued a bad trend. The Panthers are just 1-2-3 in the six games since ownership fired coach Gerard Gallant, putting general manager Tom Rowe behind the bench.

In a Sportsnet story, Rowe revealed that Panthers owner Vinny Viola called him during that fateful night when Gallant was fired. The Panthers had built a 2-0 lead at Carolina before the Hurricanes stormed back to win 3-2.

Viola wanted to meet with Rowe and Gallant after the game. Rowe said he wanted to buy more time for Gallant, who had just been given a two-year contract extension in the offseason.

"Let's get through this road trip. Let's maybe evaluate n the middle of December," Rowe said he told Viola. "Then if things aren't going good and you want to make the decision to let Gerard go, then maybe that's the better time to do it.'"

"Obviously," Rowe said, "the decision was made sooner."

And, obviously, the decision to make the coaching switch has not provided the spark the Panthers were seeking.

In other story lines for Saturday's game:

--The Canucks could call up rookie goalie Thatcher Demko to serve as Markstrom's backup if Miller is not capable of playing on Saturday.

A 21-year-old who played at Boston College, Demko is considered one of Vancouver's two top prospects. He is 5-1 with a 1.50 GAA in his past six starts in the American Hockey League.

With Miller's contract expiring after this season, Demko could be up to stay in Vancouver starting next year.

--Canucks center Jayson Megna, who also scored twice on Thursday at Tampa Bay, is not a former Panther but he is a local player. He was born in Fort Lauderdale, just a short Uber ride away from the BB&T Center.

--Rowe said defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Aleksander Barkov will see their minutes go up in his coaching tenure as opposed to Gallant.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Penguins (17-7) at Lightning (14-12)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Saturday night in Tampa, coming off opposite ends of 5-1 scores on Thursday, with the host Lightning scrambling to get back on track and the Penguins scoring at prolific levels.

"It's fun, but we have more confidence, and all four lines are playing amazing," Penguins center Evgeni Malkin said after a 5-1 win at the Florida Panthers on Thursday. "Everyone has helped our team win."

The Penguins (17-7-3) have scored 24 goals in the last four games -- all wins -- raising their scoring average to 3.4 goals per game, second-best in the NHL. The Lightning (14-12-2) are 1-5-1 in their last seven, including a 5-1 home loss to the Canucks on Thursday, putting them at the other end of the spectrum.

"There's no cause for alarm," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Friday. "We have to get back to our basics. ... You're a little taken aback by that, but we have to be a little more consistent."

The two teams meet Saturday for the first time since last season's Eastern Conference finals, when Pittsburgh prevailed on the way to its overall championship win over the San Jose Sharks. The Penguins and Lightning meet again two more times during the season, but Saturday's game gives Tampa Bay a chance to change its momentum after a sustained scoring drought.

The Lightning got two key players back healthy Thursday in forward Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Jason Garrison, but forward Ryan Callahan remains out with a lower-body injury, adding to a list of lingering injuries that have limited Tampa Bay's scoring.

The Lightning power play, once a team strength, went 0 for 3 Thursday and is now 2 for 17 in the team's last seven games, having ranked among the NHL's five best over the entire season.

Pittsburgh has three of the NHL's top three scorers. Sidney Crosby is tied for the NHL lead with 18 goals and is second in total scoring when you add in 11 assists; Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov is tied with him there, with 13 goals and 16 assists. The Penguins also have Malkin (10 goals, 18 assists) and Phil Kessel (nine goals, 18 assists) to add to their offensive prowess.

"It's not just me. It's the whole line," Malkin said of the team's recent tear. "We need to stay at the same level, a good level, every game."

Lightning goalie Ben Bishop continues to struggle. A Vezina finalist last season, Bishop is 8-10-1 after Thursday's loss with a 2.86 goals-against average. But Cooper said he is not concerned about his start to the season and continues to work him and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who could get the nod Saturday against Pittsburgh.

"I'm not worried about him," Cooper said of Bishop. "He's a confident kid. He's the least of our worries."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (10-10) at Bruins (15-11)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

BOSTON -- After running into the league's hottest goaltender in a 3-2 loss Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs have another hot hand to deal with Saturday night.

Devan Dubnyk, who leads the NHL in goals against average and save percentage, made 35 saves, 17 of them in the third period, as the Minnesota Wild sent the young Leafs to their third straight loss.

Now, it's onto the Bruins and Tuukka Rask.

Dubnyk leads with a 1.65 goals against average. Rask is third at 1.79. Dubnyk is on top in save percentage at .946. Rask is sixth at .933, his save number lowered by yielding four in Wednesday night's overtime loss at Washington.

Dubnyk leads with four shutouts. Rask is second with three.

Rask, a first-round draft pick of the Leafs in 2005, is second in wins with 14.

The Leafs, 2-5-1 in their last eight games, have scored just four goals during their three-game losing streak. They faced the Bruins in the first week of the season and won 4-1 -- but that was against Anton Khudobin (the Bruins are 1-7 in games not started by Rask).

The Winnipeg Jets jumped on a Boston team that was on the back end of a back-to-back and took a 3-0 lead before winning 4-2.

The Maple Leafs have been having tough starts.

"Our ability to just get started better, it's real important -- we're a better team than that and we have to play better than that," Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after Friday's practice.

Nazem Kadri noted "good starts" are the key. "That's really what we've preached about," he said. "Can't be getting in the hole and behind the 8-ball early.

"It seems like after that we absolutely dominate the game. After that we're working hard to catch up and we're falling a little bit short."

The losing stretch has left Toronto 10-10-5 on the season. The Bruins got one of a possible four points out of their back-to-back and are 15-11-2 on the season.

Rask is 14-4-2, 6-2 at home. He has also made the Leafs pay for trading him away before he ever played a game for them, bringing a 15-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average and .935 save percentage into this likely start.

Khudobin yielded four goals on 22 shots Thursday and both Boston goals came from David Pastrnak, who has 18 and is tied for the league lead -- and he's done it in just 23 games. He has five goals in the last three games and is 11 goals ahead of anyone else on the team.

"Secondary scoring is what makes good teams great and we're trying to find it right now," said defenseman Torey Krug. "Obviously Pasta has been great for us and he can change a game; he changed the momentum tonight and unfortunately we just couldn't come out with that next goal and help our team even more."

Frederick Anderson, slated to start for the Leafs, is 5-0 with a 1.39 goals against average and .956 goals against average lifetime. The first four of those wins came when Anderson, 10-7-4 this season, was with the Anaheim Ducks, and he allowed just one goal against Boston earlier this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (11-10) at Blue Jackets (16-5)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Islanders are turning things around after a slow start to the season. Another win over the Columbus Blue Jackets may turn around a few more heads throughout the league.

On Saturday night, in their first meeting this season, the surging Islanders look to continue a couple of streaks over the surprising Blue Jackets, who hope to extend their longest winning run of the season to six games.

After posting victories only six of its first 20 games, New York has bounced back by going 5-0-1, including wins over the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the always-tough Washington Capitals and archrival New York Rangers.

"It's a different feeling," the Islanders' Brock Nelson told Newsday. "There's definitely a different energy in here the last couple of weeks or so. It's definitely contagious."

New York (11-10-5) has been dominant in Brooklyn so far, winning nine of 17 games. On the road, the Islanders are just 2-6-1, but a visit to Nationwide Arena doesn't appear to be particularly daunting. New York is going for its fourth straight win in Ohio's capital, and swept all five games in last season's series.

Cal Clutterbuck told Newsday that in spite of the recent run of impressive wins, room for improvement remains.

"We're still not where we need to be," he said. "It's nice to win a bunch of games, but we're still not there yet."

On Friday, Clutterbuck agreed to terms on a five-year extension through 2022-23, and worth a reported $17.5 million. Now in his ninth season and fourth with New York, Clutterbuck has two goals and seven assists in 25 games, and needs two goals to reach 100 for his career.

A key to the Islanders' recent success has been Anders Lee. The fifth-year pro has reeled off seven goals in eight games after scoring only once in his first 18. Lee netted two goals in a game for the second time during his hot streak in New York's 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

"You can go through stretches where nothing seems to be going right, even though you're playing well. And it's really hard to talk the positives when you're not winning games," said Lee, who had two goals and two assists in five games versus the Blue Jackets last season.

Both Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss were outstanding against Columbus in 2015-16. Halak won three matchups, stopping 94 of 98 shots for a .959 save percentage, and recorded a shutout. Griess won the other two contests, giving up five goals on 44 shots.

New York coach Jack Capuano told the Islanders' official website that "if we continue to work and do the things we need to do ... we can beat some top teams in the league."

The Blue Jackets can -- and should -- be included among them. Columbus (16-5-4) continued its best start in franchise history with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

Rookie Lukas Sedlak snapped an 11-game drought without a point by recording his first NHL goal with an assist, and Sam Gagner also had a goal and an assist as he continues to revive his career under John Tortorella.

Now in his 10th season, and still just 27 years old, Gagner has 11 goals in 24 games, putting him on pace for 37. Gagner had just eight goals in 53 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season, and has never scored more than 18 during any campaign.

Gagner, who has three goals and three assists in his last two games, has scored twice and drawn two assists in 10 career games versus the Islanders.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves Friday, and improved to 8-0-1 in his last nine starts when facing at least 30 shots. Though he's lost two of his last three starts versus the Islanders, the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner is 8-2-0 with a 1.88 GAA, a .943 save percentage and a shutout in his career when facing them.

"He's been a rock for us since Day One. He keeps us in the game every time, he and Mac (backup Curtis McElhinney) when he gets his opportunity," Columbus' Cam Atkinson said after Friday's game.

It's not immediately known if Columbus captain Nick Foligno will play Saturday. Foligno, who missed the contest against the Red Wings due to illness, has scored five of his 10 goals this season with the man advantage, and the Blue Jackets have the NHL's top-ranked power-play unit at 24.6 percent.

Columbus has scored nine goals while winning all three games against Metropolitan Division foes this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (12-10) at Coyotes (8-13)

Date: December 10, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Pekka Rinne and Mike Smith have followed each other's careers since they broke into the league in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

They watched each other become elite goaltenders when given the opportunity to play consistently. They squared off in the 2012 Western Conference semifinals and they went through dry spells in their careers that had analysts wondering if they were done.

They were not. Both 34-year-olds are among the league's top 20 in save percentage this season -- Rinne is 17th at .922; Smith is 13th at .926. Both are facing an inordinate amount of shots and both have been key reasons for any success their teams have had -- in Smith's case, perhaps the only reason.

Now back at the top of their profession, Smith and Rinne expressed mutual admiration for each other as they prepared to face each other for the first time this season on Saturday at Gila River Arena.

"We played in the minor leagues together so we've gotten to know each other and we have a mutual friend in Nashville," Smith said. "He's a battler. He's obviously a big guy that covers a lot of net, but the one thing about Peks is he never gives up on a puck and you've got to respect the guy for that -- a guy that big that can move that well."

Rinne said it's still hard to believe that he and Smith have been in the league a decade-plus.

"For years and years I still considered myself a young guy and all of the sudden you've played a lot of years in this league and you're looked at as one of the older guys," Rinne said, laughing. "We're the same age so I'm really happy to see Smitty still doing well.

"It is still business as usual when you play against each other because it's all about the two points, but for sure, you always try to be better than your counterpart and when you know the guy it creates a little more of a battle. You always want to play well against the guys you've played a lot."

The Predators were hot at the tail end of November, winning four of five games, but they have dropped three of four (1-2-1) in December.

"We're still trying to find that consistency," Rinne said.

Arizona is trying to find any kind of winning combination. The Coyotes lost a season-high six games (0-3-3) and they are tied for the fewest points in the NHL with Colorado at 21. Smith thought Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Calgary was a step in the right direction.

"We talked about having to be more engaged in games and the compete level had to come up," he said. "But now we have to sustain that and we have to generate more out of it. We can't just be satisfied with just being a team that works hard."

The Coyotes made a trade to shore up their center position on Friday by sending a conditional sixth-round pick to Toronto in exchange for 25-year-old Peter Holland. Arizona GM John Chayka hopes that Holland can help replace Brad Richardson, who suffered a broken tibia and fibula and is out indefinitely.

"He's been somewhat productive in limited opportunities at times and he's been a good stabilizing force in any position he's used in," Chayka said. "He's coming into a group where we've got a lot of injuries and just underperformance. He's a guy that will certainly get opportunity."

Coyotes left wing Max Demi left Thursday's game with a cut under his eye and was seeing doctors on Friday for reasons the Coyotes would not identify. His status for Saturday is uncertain and will be updated at Saturday's morning skate.

Nashville defensemen Ryan Ellis (upper-body), Anthony Bitetto (upper body) and forwards Colton Sissons (upper-body) and Miikka Salomaki (hand) are on injured reserve, but both Ellis and Sissons practiced Friday and are nearing returns.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (13-14) at Flames (15-13)

Date: December 10, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames got hot just as the icy cold winter arrived on the Canadian prairie.

The Flames take a five-game winning streak into Saturday's tilt against the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Saddledome during a stretch that has taken Calgary from the ranks of NHL bottom feeder to that of playoff hopeful.

"We've got traction now," Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters Thursday night after a 2-1 road win over the Arizona Coyotes. "We've got to stay consistent. I've said this before, 'You are what you repeatedly do.' We have to continue night-in-and-night-out to play a certain way and it gives us a chance to get points."

Dougie Hamilton's goal at 1:09 of overtime gave the Flames (15-13-2) their league-leading ninth road win in Arizona.

"There's no breathing, by any stretch of the imagination. We dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of the season, we're getting out of it now and we have to keep pushing," Gulutzan added.

It was a high of 68 degrees in Phoenix on Thursday and a high of -1 in Calgary when the Flames returned home on Friday. While they have been more than solid on the road, the Flames have not been as formidable on home ice and are 6-7-2 in Calgary so far.

The Flames fortunes turned around on the back of goaltender Chad Johnson, who wrestled the No. 1 job away from Brian Elliott and owns 10 wins in his past 12 starts.

"This run we're on . . . it all starts with Chad. He's so calm in the net, he makes things look easy and it's easy to play in front of him," said Hamilton. "It gives our team confidence. We're playing simple hockey and getting goals when we need them."

The Jets visit Calgary on the heels of back-to-back road losses out east and will follow up Saturday's game with another one in Edmonton on Sunday.

Good news arrived for the Jets on Thursday as their top forward, Mark Scheifele returned after missing three game because of a hamstring injury. Scheifele notched his 14th goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers the night of his return. His 27 points have him tied for ninth in league scoring.

"You don't realize how quickly the game can get away from you. You miss three games, and the first few shifts are pretty fast, but as the game went on I felt better and better," Scheifele told reporters in New York.

The Jets (13-14-3) wrap up a stretch that sees them play 11 games in 19 days on Sunday.

Head coach Paul Maurice expressed his displeasure with the schedule when he met with the media in Winnipeg on Friday morning before they boarded their flight for Calgary.

"I don't like our schedule at all," he said. "I've never seen one like it. It may be the new NHL, so you just have to get used to it and deal with it.

"We're excited about grinding these next two out and then actually spending the two days off and a game at home (Dec. 15 vs. Florida). It'll be good for us."

The Jets made a roster move Friday morning, sending 2015 first-round draft pick Kyle Connor to the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose, who also play out of Winnipeg's MTS Centre. The rookie left-winger had been scratched five consecutive games and has a lone goal and three assists in 19 games.

"He needs to play 20 minutes and touch the puck and develop along the lines of the game we know he's going to play here," Maurice said.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (11-10) at Sharks (15-11)

Date: December 10, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

Lately, the San Jose Sharks have been finding ways to lose, according to their coach, and the next opponent on the schedule might not provide much of a breather.

The Sharks will try to avoid tying a season-high third straight loss while looking for a rare home win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night when the teams close out their season series.

It has been a series of ups and downs for the Sharks (15-11-1) in the last six weeks. After dropping three straight from Nov. 1 to Nov. 5, they won three in a row on the road, outscoring their opponents 10-3.

San Jose also lost three straight from Nov. 15 to Nov. 19, a skid that started with a 1-0 road loss to Carolina.

What followed was the Sharks' best stretch of the season -- wins in six of seven games in which they had a 19-9 scoring edge.

But in order to avoid continuing their latest slide, the Sharks will have to solve the Hurricanes. San Jose is 2-6-1 in its last nine meetings with Carolina at the SAP Center going back to October 2010.

San Jose is back home after a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. Rookie Kevin Labanc scored in the loss and Brent Burns added his team-best 12th goal, which also leads all defensemen.

"Game could have gone either way. I gave our guys credit for battling back (from two goals down)," DeBoer said after Friday's game. " ... We're just finding a way to lose right now instead of win, which we've been winning games like that."

Burns has goals in each of his last three games, and six goals with four assists in his last nine. He also has a goal and two assists in three home games against Carolina while with San Jose.

With Friday's loss, Sharks goaltender Martin Jones has split his last six games. If DeBoer gives his starter a rest ahead of a four-game, six-day road trip that begins Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, then rookie Aaron Dell, who stopped a season-high 32 shots in last month's loss to Carolina, will be between the pipes.

In three starts, Dell has stopped 79 of 84 shots while posting a 2-1-0 record.

The Hurricanes (11-10-6) are wrapping up their annual swing through California after falling 6-5 in a shootout to Anaheim on Wednesday followed by a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

"We had a tough one there in Anaheim the other night. We kind of let that one slip away," Carolina's Brock McGinn said. "To come out here in L.A., and get a big win for us, that's big."

Big wins on the road, especially after regulation, have been hard to come by for the Hurricanes. Carolina is 4-7-6 away from home with three losses coming in overtime and another three in shootouts.

Cam Ward stopped 22 shots in the win over the Sharks last month for the first of his two shutouts in 2016-17. Despite a respectable 2.49 GAA, Ward is just 3-5-5 on the road.

Should Ward start Saturday, he will try to extend his recent mastery over the Sharks. He has won five straight starts when facing them, posting a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Playing in northern California, Ward also is 2-0-0 in three career games, including two starts, surrendering a total of six goals.

Carolina's Jeff Skinner remains tied with Victor Rask for the team lead with nine goals. However, Skinner failed to score in seven straight on the road and has been held without a point of six of eight career games against San Jose.

Rask has one goal in his last 10 games overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - December

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
12/1 12 64.5 70 OVER
12/2 2 10 8 UNDER
12/3 12 63 58 UNDER
12/4 7 36 40 OVER
12/5 4 21 30 OVER
12/6 9 49.5 49 UNDER
12/7 4 20.5 29 OVER
12/8 10 54.5 58 OVER
12/9 6 30.5 26 UNDER
12/10 10 - - -
12/11 8 - - -
12/12 2 - - -
12/13 10 - - -
12/14 4 - - -
12/15 8 - - -
12/16 7 - - -
12/17 10 - - -
12/18 6 - - -
12/19 5 - - -
12/20 12 - - -
12/21 2 - - -
12/22 10 - - -
12/23 12 - - -
12/24 No games scheduled - - -
12/25 No games scheduled - - -
12/26 No games scheduled - - -
12/27 10 - - -
12/28 5 - - -
12/29 12 - - -
12/30 4 - - -
12/31 11 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Saturday’s games

Dallas Stars won 2-1/2-1/3-1 in last three games with Philly; under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Teams split last four meetings here. Dallas is 2-4 in last six games, losing four of last five on road- over is 3-2 in their last five road games. Flyers won their last seven games overall (three in OT/SO), their last five at home; over is 2-0-1 in their last three games.

Kings lost their last four games with Ottawa; over is 5-2 in last seven series games. Senators won 1-0/5-3 in last two visits here. Ottawa are 2-3 in last five games but won three of last four on road; over is 3-1 in their last four road tilts. Los Angeles was outscored 12-6 in losing its last three home games; over is 5-2-2 in their last nine games overall.

Colorado won 6-1/3-2 in its last two games with Montreal; Avalanche won three of last five visits here, with three of last four going over total. Colorado lost six of its last seven games but won three of last four on road. Over is 3-1-1 in their last five road games. Canadiens lost three of last five games but won three of last four at home; over is 2-0-1 in their last three games.

Vancouver is 6-4 in its last ten games with Florida; Canucks won three of last five games in this building. Under is 5-2-2 in last nine series games. Vancouver won four of last six games; they’re 3-2 in last five on road. Under is 3-2-2 in their last seven games. Panthers lost last four games, two in OT; they scored six goals in those games. Over is 2-0-1 in Florida’s last three games.

Penguins ousted Tampa Bay from playoffs in seven games LY; they’re 2-3 in last five games in this building. Four of last five series games went over total. Pittsburgh won its last four games, scoring 24 goals; they split their last four road games. Last nine Penguin games went over the total. Tampa Bay lost five of its last seven games overall, split its last four at home. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

Bruins won five of last seven games with Toronto (under 5-2); Maple Leafs lost three of last four games in this building. Toronto lost three in row, six of last eight games; their last three games all stayed under total. Leafs lost four of last five road games. Boston is 4-6 in its last ten games but won three of last four at home; last three Bruin games went over the total.

Islanders won last five games with Columbus, three by one goal; New York won four of last five visits to Ohio. Over is 6-3 in last nine series games. Islanders won five of their last six games but split last four road games; over is 3-2 in their last five games. Blue Jackets won their last five games, allowing seven goals; they won 5-1/4-1 in last two home games. Under is 3-1-2 in last six Columbus games.

Nashville won seven of its last nine games with Arizona; four of last five series games stayed under total. Predators lost three of last five visits to desert. Nashville lost three of its last four games, both overall and on road; seven of ltheir ast eight games went over total. Arizona has scored total of eight goals in its six-game losing streak; they lost last three home games. Under is 7-1 in last eight Coyote games.

Home side won last five Winnipeg-Calgary games; Jets lost 5-2/4-1/4-1 in last three visits here. Last three series games stayed under the total. Winnipeg is 4-6 in its last ten games but won last two on road; their last four games were all decided by one goal. Calgary allowed a total of seven goals in its five-game win streak; they won last three home games, outscoring foes 14-5. Under is 6-2-1 in Flames’ last nine games.

Carolina won seven of its last nine games with San Jose; three of last four series games went over the total. Hurricanes won three of last four games in this building. Carolina lost six of last seven road games; they’re 3-6 in last nine games overall. Under is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. San Jose lost 4-2/3-2 in last two games but they’ve won five of last seven home games. Under is 4-1-2 in Sharks’ last seven home games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Knicks' Anthony reaches milestone
By The Sports Xchange

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points and knocked down two free throws with 14.8 seconds left as the New York Knicks held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 103-100 on Friday night.
New York kicked off a five-game Western Conference road trip by completing a season sweep of Sacramento.
Anthony became the 29th player in NBA history to reach 23,000 points. He topped 30 for the fifth time this season and finished the night with 23,024 for his career.
DeMarcus Cousins finished 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Sacramento (8-14), but the Kings never led after New York's Joakim Noah made two free throws with 2:09 to go.

Cavaliers 114, Heat 84
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 27 points against his former team to move into ninth place on the NBA's career scoring list in Cleveland's victory over Miami.
James added eight rebounds and eight assists, and Kevin Love fought through back spasms to contribute 28 points and 15 rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points.
Injuries and Dwyane Wade's defection in free agency have reduced the Heat to smoldering ashes, last place in their division and little hope of making the playoffs.

Hornets 109, Magic 88
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte is clicking on all cylinders as it heads out on a rugged five-game road trip.
The Hornets rolled to their third straight win as they cruised to a victory over Orlando at the Spectrum Center.
This was a dominant performance in which the Hornets led by as many as 29 points and were able to rest all their starters the entire fourth quarter.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said the game was exactly what he had hoped for with his team heading to Cleveland for the start of the trip on Saturday night.

Pistons 117, Timberwolves 90
MINNEAPOLIS -- Andre Drummond had his second straight 20-20 game with 22 points and 22 rebounds, and six players scored in double-figures as Detroit recovered from its worst offensive night of the season to beat Minnesota.
Jon Leuer scored 17 points off the bench for Detroit, which lost 87-77 at Charlotte on Wednesday. Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris each scored 15 for the Pistons. Detroit committed just seven turnovers and connected on 14 of 29 3-pointers in winning for the seventh time in 10 games.
Andrew Wiggins had 16 points for Minnesota, which has lost seven of its past eight games. Karl-Anthony Towns had his fourth straight double-double and 15th of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Raptors 101, Celtics 94
BOSTON -- Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Toronto's dynamite backcourt, caught fire in the second half and led the Raptors from behind to a victory over Boston.
Lowry scored a season-high 34 points, 21 in the second half, and DeRozan added 24, 16 after halftime -- a night after the guard combo had 52 points in a home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lowry iced the game with five free throws in the final 30.6 seconds.
The win, in the second half of a back-to-back and Toronto's eighth in the last nine games, came over a Celtics team that was playing its second straight game without top scorer Isaiah Thomas, out with a groin strain.

Hawks 114, Bucks 110
MILWAUKEE -- Denis Schroder and Paul Millsap combined for 29 second half points as Atlanta rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat Milwaukee at the Bradley Center.
Schroder finished with a game-high 33 points while Millsap added 23. Tim Hardaway Jr. sank three 3-pointers to add 18 for the Hawks, who shot 47.6 percent and went 12-for-34 on 3-point attempts.
Jabari Parker led Milwaukee with 27 on 11-of-24 shooting. The Bucks got 14 off the bench from both Michael Beasley and Greg Monroe.

Rockets 102, Thunder 99
OKLAHOMA CITY -- James Harden scored 21 points to lead Houston to a victory over Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Houston won despite a seventh straight triple-double by Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook. However, this was the first one to come in a loss. Westbrook had 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, and his triple-double streak matches Michael Jordan's seven-game run in the 1988-89 season.
Harden shot 6 of 23 from the field to go with 12 assists and nine rebounds as he barely missed a triple-double. Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 17 points while Ryan Anderson knocked in 14 points. Patrick Beverley grabbed 12 rebounds as the Rockets improved to 16-7.

Mavericks 111, Pacers 103
DALLAS -- An embarrassing home loss two nights earlier ramped up the urgency for struggling Dallas to show signs of life, and it answered that call with one of its most efficient performances of the season in a victory over Indiana at American Airlines Center.
Led by Wesley Matthews' season-high-tying 26 points, which included his sizzling shooting from long range with five more 3-pointers, and 25 points and eight rebounds from Harrison Barnes, Dallas shot a torrid 48.8 percent from the floor and hit 15-of-32 shots from beyond the arc -- but were over 50 percent for the majority of the game -- to get a much-needed confidence boost that ended their four-game homestand at 2-2.
Meanwhile, the Pacers were trying to end their five-game road trip with consecutive victories and a winning record, but instead kept their season road win total at just three.

Suns 119, Lakers 115
LOS ANGELES -- Eric Bledsoe scored 30 points and handed out nine assists, sparking Phoenix to a victory over Los Angeles at Staples Center.
Leandro Barbosa had 21 points off the bench for the Suns, who ended a three-game losing streak. The Suns also got 15 points from Devin Booker and 14 each from Alex Len and Brandon Knight.
Lou Williams led the Lakers with 35 points as Los Angeles dropped its fifth straight contest. Julius Randle added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson also scored 14.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nuggets (8-15) at Magic (10-14)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Denver Nuggets were cruising as they hit the midpoint of their six-game road trip Thursday. They had built a healthy lead over the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center on Wednesday with the ball moving around the perimeter and finding open shooters.

The well slowly dried up. The ball movement stopped as Washington upped its defense. The lead quickly disappeared. The Nuggets looked like they ran out of gas, fatigue killing the team's spacing and ball movement as the Wizards found that last bit of energy.

Denver scored just 12 points in the fourth quarter, seeing a two-point deficit balloon to a 92-85 loss on the road. The Nuggets had just 33 points in the second half and committed a league-high 29 turnovers this season. As the game wore on, Denver saw the energy that built them as much as a 14-point lead evaporate. Their sharpness and precision whittled away.

"There are repercussions to not being ready to play (Wednesday night)," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. "Back-to-backs are always tough, but when you have to dig so deep to make it a three-point game late (Wednesday) night, they jumped on us in that second half. You could see our pace slow down, we missed free throws, we missed open shots, and that's what fatigue does to you."

So is the energy-sucking reality of a road trip.

The Nuggets will head to Orlando on Saturday for their fifth game on a six-game road trip that has taken them from Utah to the East Coast. It is Denver's fifth game in nine days. Adding in all the travel, it is an exhausting set.

The Magic know all too well the rigors of travel. Saturday represents the ending to one of the most difficult stretches they will see this season.

Orlando returned home from a five-game road trip Wednesday in a loss to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, like the Wizards did to the Nuggets, blew the doors open in the second half, outscoring the Magic by 31 points for a 117-87 win. It was a disappointing and frustrating moment for a Magic team that won four of five games on that road trip.

As dutiful players, no one would blame fatigue for the blowout loss at home.

"I don't think that should be an excuse as far as us coming off a back-to-back," Bismack Biyombo. "Everyone is playing back-to-backs. There are a lot of teams winning back-to-backs. We have to be responsible and handle our business. We have to find a way to get back to playing our game, trust the next guy, do the right thing and set the right screens and get back to being the team we want to be."

Undoubtedly, though, fatigue played a role. The team just completed an eight-day, five-game road trip that ended with a back-to-back at home against the Celtics. That would make six games in nine days, an incredibly brutal stretch.

And the last game of that road trip began the Magic's only stretch of four games in five nights. Orlando completes that stretch with Saturday's game against the Denver Nuggets, making for eight games in 12 days. That is about as jammed a schedule as any team in the NBA will have for any stretch.

That fatigue and that exhaustion got tested in Charlotte as Orlando fell 109-88. In the process, the Magic may have lost three key players to injury. Bismack Biyombo (shoulder), Nikola Vucevic (knee) and Jeff Green (ankle) all left during the game because of injuries.

By the time Saturday comes around though, the Magic may very well be exhausted. So too might the Denver Nuggets with how their schedule is playing out.

The schedule, though, does not wait for any team.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bucks (11-10) at Wizards (8-13)

Date: December 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Wizards finally got defensive after largely suspect work on that end of the court this season. Expect some tinkering from the Milwaukee Bucks in that area before facing the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal after an epic collapse in advance of facing Washington.

Wall nearly outscored the Denver Nuggets in Washington's 92-85 win Thursday even though the point guard's nine points were hardly an astounding total. The Nuggets only had 12 in the final period -- four over the last 10 minutes -- and 33 in the second half as the Wizards (8-13) eventually overcame a 14-point hole in the first quarter.

Washington forced 29 turnovers and held Denver to 7 of 32 on 3-point attempts. All of this came after the Orlando Magic scored a season-high 124 points in Tuesday's road win over the Wizards, who rank 28th this season in 3-point shooting defense.

"It's proven. That should be our M.O. moving forward. Pride ourselves on our defense," said Beal, who led the Wizards with 26 points. "No matter what is going on (offensively), we get stops and control what we can control. When we have that mentality, we're going to be really good."

The Bucks (11-10) were really good early in Friday's matchup against the Hawks before falling 114-110 despite leading by 20 at halftime.

"It just can't happen," Bucks center Greg Monroe said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Just a total letdown, both ends. I can't even point to one thing.

"Especially at home, you're up by 20 in the first half. It just can't happen."

Atlanta scored 40 of its 70 second-half points in the third quarter.

"For them to score 70 in a half, that's not what we've done in the last two weeks," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Being up 20 doesn't mean the game is over, and this is a good lesson for us."

Jabari Parker led the Bucks with 29 points while Milwaukee received 49 points from its bench against the Atlanta led by 14 each from Monroe and Michael Beasley.

Washington's second unit has been a major weakness this season, but recent signs of growth provide hope. Second-year forward Kelly Oubre, who had eight points, five rebounds and two steals, remained on the court with the starters to close out the Nuggets.

"It was not the prettiest game but we fought, we battled, we battled, we stayed in front of our men," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "We made them miss a lot of shots. I thought a lot of guys chipped in. I thought Kelly (Oubre Jr.) did a great job of staying in front of a couple really good basketball players and staying down on their shot fakes."

Washington will remain without center Ian Mahinmi. The free agent addition has played in only one game this season due to issues with both knees. Brooks announced Friday that right knee soreness will keep Mahinmi out at least one more week.