Saturday 3/12/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

English FA Cup TODAY 17:30

Everton

v

Chelsea

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BBC1		8/5	12/5	8/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT EVERTON	RECENT FORM
HWAWHLAWAWHL​ Most recent​	3 - 1 3 - 6 1 - 0 1 - 2	ALHWAWAWHDHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Chelsea have lost only one of their last 17 FA Cup away ties

EXPERT VERDICT: Seven-time FA Cup winners Chelsea have a proud recent away record in this competition and they can extend it by winning at Goodison Park in their quarter-final tie against Everton. Since March 2008, the Blues have lost only one away game in the competition and that was at Manchester City. Having hit some decent form under Guus Hiddink, there is every reason to think they can continue their impressive road success.

RECOMMENDATION: Chelsea
2


REFEREE: Michael Oliver STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 12:45

Norwich

v

Man City

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		5	16/5	3/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NORWICH	RECENT FORM
HLALHDALHLAL​ Most recent​	0 - 3 0 - 0 3 - 4 1 - 6	HLALAWND*ALHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Eight of Man City’s last nine away games have featured three or more goals

EXPERT VERDICT: It will be tough for Norwich to turn around this year’s disastrous form and, despite Manchester City’s struggles, the Canaries should come up short. However, the visitors have a Champions League tie three days after this and may rest players, so that could lead to an open affair.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
1


REFEREE: Jonathan Moss STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Bournemouth

v

Swansea

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		10/11	5/2	10/3	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOURNEMOUTH	RECENT FORM
HLHLHLADHWAW​ Most recent​	1 - 4 2 - 2 0 - 1 3 - 0	ADHDHLALAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sigurdsson has scored in six in his last ten games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bournemouth lack a consistent hitman, with Callum Wilson their top scorer despite having been out since September. Swansea are in form, picking up 14 of a possible 24 points since Francesco Guidolin took charge, and this could end in similar fashion to the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
2


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 15:00

Stoke

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Southampton

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		17/10	11/5	19/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT STOKE	RECENT FORM
ALHLAWHWHWAD​ Most recent​	2 - 1 2 - 3 1 - 1 3 - 3	ADHWAWHLALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Southampton have scored only 11 goals on their travels this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Southampton’s season seems to be fizzling out; they’ve gone three games without a victory and could only draw with Sunderland last time out. Stoke are unbeaten in four Premier League games and have lost just once in seven league meetings with the Saints.

RECOMMENDATION: Stoke
3


REFEREE: Mike Jones STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Spanish La Liga TODAY 17:15

Celta Vigo

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Sociedad

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SSR		11/10	12/5	5/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT CELTA VIGO	RECENT FORM
HDALHWAWHDAL​ Most recent​	2 - 2 2 - 2 1 - 1 0 - 1	AWHWAWHDALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Celta have won jut one of their last five home fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Celta Vigo are feeling shell shocked after Saturday's 7-1 loss at Real Madrid and may struggle to recover their composure in time for the home match with Sociedad. A steady decline has seen Celta fall out of the race for Champions League places and a draw looks probable against Sociedad, who have lost just one of their last seven.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[superbeets]

German Bundesliga TODAY 17:30

B Munich

v

W Bremen

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		1/8	8	20	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT B MUNICH	RECENT FORM
AWHWADAWHLAD​ Most recent​	6 - 0 5 - 2 6 - 1 4 - 1	AWHDALHDAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bremen have scored in 20 of their last 23 Bundesliga away matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Bundesliga leaders Bayern slipped to a defeat to Mainz in their last home league game and while they are likely to bounce straight back, the champions could be in for a tough game. Werder Bremen are decent travellers and should be boosted by their 4-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen in their last away match.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Wideman's suspension cut in half
By The Sports Xchange

Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman had a 20-game suspension reduced to 10 by an independent arbitrator, the NHL announced Friday.
Wideman already has served 19 games for the discipline he received for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson in a game against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 27.
Wideman was eligible to play for the Flames against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night. He will also get back $282,258.10 of the $564,516.20 he was losing due to the suspension.
Wideman was suspended for violating Rule 40 (Physical Abuse of Officials) despite not being penalized for his actions.
He was the recipient of a hit from Nashville forward Miikka Salomaki. On his way back to the bench, Henderson was in the path and Wideman delivered a check that knocked the linesman to the ice.

--Montreal Canadiens All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban was released from the hospital late Thursday with a minor neck injury.
Subban left Montreal's game against the Buffalo Sabres on a stretcher Thursday with 2:26 remaining in the third period.

--The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Jordan Schroeder from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.
The team also reassigned goaltender Steve Michalek to Iowa. Michalek, 22, was recalled under emergency conditions Thursday and did not appear in the game against Edmonton.

--The Calgary Flames recalled forward Kenny Agostino on an emergency basis from the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League.
Agostino, 23, has skated in 50 games for Stockton this season, leading the team in points (42) and assists (25).

--The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev on an emergency basis from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
The team also assigned defenseman T.J. Brennan to the Marlies.
Valiev, 20, has collected 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 54 games with the Marlies this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (31-26) at Sabres (27-33)

Date: March 12, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

After posting one of the Eastern Conference's worst February records, this month could not be going much better for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The next week could go a long way toward determining if they'll be a legitimate playoff contender over the season's final month.

Coming off an impressive win over one of the top teams in the East, the visiting Hurricanes can't afford to slip up Saturday against one of the conference's worst, the Buffalo Sabres.

Shipping captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline seemed to signal Carolina (31-26-11) was packing in the season, but coach Bill Peters' team apparently isn't giving up on it quite yet.

The Hurricanes have earned seven points in four March games after going 5-6-2 last month and are in a tight race with Detroit, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for the two wild-card spots. They'll visit the Penguins on Thursday, two days after a matchup at league-leading Washington, which means beating the lowly Sabres (27-33-9) is paramount in their quest to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Carolina earned two points in a building in which it had dropped four in a row Thursday, opening a five-game trip with a 3-2 overtime victory over Boston to surpass last season's win total with 14 games to play. Phillip Di Giuseppe scored 1:30 into OT as the Hurricanes controlled the puck throughout the extra period and never allowed the Bruins to shoot.

'We believe you've got to hang on to the puck in overtime. Once you give it up, you typically don't get it back,' Peters said. 'We want to be an attacking team.'

Jeff Skinner set up the winner, giving him four goals and three assists in his last five games, while Elias Lindholm scored on the power play.

The Hurricanes allowed a power-play goal but have killed off 12 of 13 penalties in the last six games.

The Sabres have gone 0 for 8 with the man advantage in their last three contests and allowed a power-play goal in five straight. They haven't yielded a power-play goal in six in a row since December 2010.

Carolina's Cam Ward stopped 30 shots Thursday to win his second straight start following a three-game losing streak. Ward, however, has dropped four straight starts in Buffalo with a 3.57 goals-against average.

In the only matchup this season Nov. 27, Ward stopped 11 of 14 shots before being replaced by Eddie Lack after two periods in a 4-1 road loss.

Ward could be facing heavy pressure as the Sabres have ramped up their attack in six games this month, averaging 33.3 shots for one of the league's highest marks.

Buffalo had 38 shots Thursday in Montreal but only Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Gionta scored.

"It was a weird game," Gionta told the team's official website. "At spurts things were happening, at other spurts nothing was going on. But again, we've got to find ways to win these games."

Robin Lehner made 31 saves in starting for the sixth time in seven games for Buffalo. He's gone 1-5-2 in his last eight starts and has posted a 5.20 GAA in losing all three career starts against Carolina.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (37-20) at Bruins (38-23)

Date: March 12, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

Fatigue may have contributed to both the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders settling for one point each in their last contests. After some much-needed downtime, the two teams face off Saturday at Boston looking to continue their push for a postseason berth.

Though the Islanders (37-20-8) had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 shootout loss at Toronto on Wednesday night, they still collected a point for the 10th time in 11 games and took five of six in a stretch of three games in four nights.

Nick Leddy had a goal and an assist for New York, which was 73 seconds from extending its winning streak before allowing a power-play goal that forced overtime. The Islanders are two points behind the New York Rangers for second in the Metropolitan Division but have two games in hand.

"Every point is so crucial, we saw how close it came for us to have home ice last year and I think that's something that weighs on our minds," Islanders captain John Tavares said. "We had a chance to seal the deal and we didn't."

Tavares moved one goal shy of becoming the 11th player in Islanders history to score 200. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in 23 games versus the Bruins, including three of each in his last three games at Boston.

Leddy has 18 points in his last 18 games and his 36 points lead all Islanders defensemen. He has three straight multipoint games and ended a 10-game goal drought with his second-period tally.

"It's a new NHL," coach Jack Capuano said of Leddy. "You have to be able to skate on the back end, you have to be able to activate and join the rush and contribute offensively."

Thomas Greiss, who had 33 saves Wednesday in his first start since the Islanders learned No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak would likely miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury, stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 2-0 loss to Boston last season while with Pittsburgh in his only appearance against the Bruins.

Boston (38-23-8) is locked in a three-way fight with Tampa Bay and Florida for the Atlantic Division lead and is coming off Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina.

It was the fourth straight game decided in overtime for Boston, which split those contests. The Bruins barely saw the puck before Carolina's Phillip Di Giuseppe scored the winner 1:30 into the extra period.

"It's not what they did to us," coach Claude Julien told the team's official website. "It's what we didn't do ourselvesâ?¦so let's chalk it up as a tough loss, but a good point, and let's move on here and prepare for Saturday (against the New York Islanders).

"If I was a betting man, I think our team's going to be much better on Saturday."

Patrice Bergeron has five goals and three assists in a six-game point streak. He also got the better of Tavares in Boston's most recent game against New York, getting a goal and an assist in a 2-1 road victory Nov. 8 while winning 9 of 12 faceoffs between the two.

The Bruins also won 5-3 at New York on Oct. 23 and have won four straight in the series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (39-22) at Red Wings (33-23)

Date: March 12, 2016 2:00 PM EDT

Three days off have done the banged-up New York Rangers good, and the ultimate reward comes Saturday in the form of Henrik Lundqvist's return to the net - along with the possible return of Rick Nash.

The Detroit Red Wings also got well by snapping a three-game losing streak their last time out, and they'll be looking to continue their home dominance in this series.

New York (39-22-6) is opening a back-to-back after its break, with a home matchup against Pittsburgh on tap Sunday. The Rangers rebounded from a home loss to the archrival Islanders by winning 4-2 at Buffalo on Tuesday in a somewhat sloppy effort.

New York built a 3-0 lead and outshot the Sabres 16-9 in the second period, but Buffalo cut the deficit to one after 40 minutes and posted a 19-4 shot advantage in the third.

' ... We did find a way to win,' said coach Alain Vigneault, whose team is 12-4-1 in the past 17.

The Rangers have done that twice in three games without star goaltender Lundqvist, with backup Antti Raanta playing well in the victories. However, Lundqvist, out with neck spasms suffered in a loss to the Penguins on March 3, will start against Detroit (33-23-11).

"I just need to go out there and play, relax, trust my instincts," Lundqvist told the team's official website. "When you are used to playing a lot, then don't play for a week, of course you're going to feel it; but it's really a mindset, just being comfortable and trusting yourself."

He's certainly been comfortable against the Red Wings, winning five straight matchups and posting shutouts in three of those while allowing one goal in one of the others.

All of those victories, however, came at Madison Square Garden, while the Red Wings have dominated the Rangers at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit has gone 12-1-1 in the past 14 such meetings, winning 2-1 in overtime in the latest one March 4, 2015.

New York did take the teams' most recent matchup, 1-0 in OT on Feb. 21 on Kevin Klein's goal to avoid a third straight overall loss in the series.

Vigneault said Nash has a "very good chance" to return Saturday from the leg injury that's kept him out the last 20 games. Defenseman Marc Staal (back spasms) should return, though center Derick Brassard (flu) is questionable.

Justin Abdelkader scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period to lift Detroit to a 3-2 victory over Winnipeg on Thursday, ending the club's skid that was all in regulation. The Red Wings rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit.

'That's a huge game for us, a huge win,' Abdelkader said. 'Obviously we know what's at stake, so those are two big points.

' ... To win in regulation and to get this win, especially after being down 2-0 shows the character in this room, and we have a lot of fight in here.'

Dylan Larkin, 19, scored his 20th goal, Jonathan Ericsson also scored and Petr Mrazek stopped 23 shots. Mrazek is likely to make his first career start against the Rangers.

While the Rangers are battling the Islanders for the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Red Wings' situation is more precarious. Detroit is in wild-card position but trying to hold off Philadelphia and Carolina, which are pursuing it and Pittsburgh for the two wild-card berths.

" ... We've been here before," center Henrik Zetterberg said. "Last four years, five years, we've been in this and we know how to do it. Just gotta start playing playoff hockey a little earlier and we're doing that right now."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (32-23) at Panthers (37-21)

Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The red-hot Philadelphia Flyers have done the Atlantic Division a couple of huge favors this week.

Still, they shouldn't expect any gratitude from the Florida Panthers.

Philadelphia has a chance to match its longest win streak of the season Saturday night when it visits the Panthers, who look to continue their home success.

There are few teams playing better right now than the Flyers (32-23-11), who beat Tampa Bay for the second time in five days with Friday's 3-1 victory. They have won three straight and six of seven to move into sole possession of ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Detroit for the second wild card.

After averaging 3.66 goals during a 5-1-0 homestand, Philadelphia reached three goals for the eighth time in 11 games. Sam Gagner, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn scored and Steve Mason turned aside 18 shots for his third consecutive win.

Schenn has been a key catalyst since the calendar turned to 2016, tallying 16 goals and 31 points in 30 games to rank among the NHL leaders in both categories during that span.

'I like what we're doing now,' Schenn said. 'Everyone is buying in, playing their roles, doing their jobs, and it's resulting in wins.'

Making Philadelphia's run even more impressive is who is not involved. Even with second-leading scorer Jakub Voracek sidelined the last six games because of a lower-body injury, the offense has remained potent and the Flyers have held three straight opponents under 20 shots.

'It's been a great effort the last little while here,' Mason said. 'Right now, we look like a strong hockey club out there. The guys look like they're overwhelming their opposition, which is great to see.'

Coach Dave Hakstol could stick with the locked-in Mason or go back to Michal Neuvirth for this game.

Mason is 15-17-8 with a 3.35 goals-against average in his career in the second of back to backs, while Neuvirth looks to rebound after allowing a season high-tying four goals in a 4-0 loss to Edmonton on March 3. Neuvirth made 31 saves in a 1-0 victory over the visiting Panthers (37-21-9) on Oct. 12.

The Flyers prevented the Lightning from picking up any ground in the crowded Atlantic race and Florida remained tied with them for second place, one point behind Boston.

First place had been a regular home for the Panthers this season before a 1-3-2 stretch dropped them from that perch. They ended a three-game skid with Thursday's 6-2 win over visiting Ottawa, as Jaromir Jagr scored twice and Vincent Trocheck had a goal and three assists.

"We just needed a little bit more confidence in here," Trocheck told the team's official website. "We're a young team. The confidence was a little bit down, so having a win like this, scoring that many goals, it definitely gets your confidence back up."

Jagr has scored 17 of his team-leading 23 goals at home, where Florida has points in six straight (4-0-2).

'It's a little bit easier at home,' said Jagr, who has scored five times in his last three contests against Philadelphia. 'You've got your home fans kind of pushing you a little bit more.'

Jussi Jokinen added a goal and an assist Thursday, giving him two and nine during a nine-game point streak.

Roberto Luongo has limited the Flyers to one goal in each of his last three starts against them, including a season-opening 7-1 home victory Oct. 10.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (22-33) at Senators (31-30)

Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (31-27) at Canadiens (32-30)

Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (35-30) at Jets (27-35)

Date: March 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blues (40-20) at Stars (41-20)

Date: March 12, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (34-21) at Canucks (26-28)

Date: March 12, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Coyotes (29-32) at Oilers (27-36)

Date: March 12, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Capitals (49-13) at Sharks (37-24)

Date: March 12, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (32-29) at Kings (40-22)

Date: March 12, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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