Thursday 12/29/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Championship TODAY 19:45

Aston Villa

v

Leeds

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		23/20	23/10	29/10	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ASTON VILLA	RECENT FORM
HWALHWALAWHW​ Most recent​	2 - 0 0 - 0 0 - 1 1 - 2	ALHWALHWHWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Leeds have scored in nine of their last 11 league matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Leeds have won eight of their last ten matches in the Championship, suffering defeats to only Newcastle and Brighton during this hot spell, and the in-form Whites should give a decent account of themselves at Villa Park. However, Aston Villa are also looking decent under Steve Bruce and backing both teams to score looks the best bet.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JOE WIZ

Thursday... Bradley -1 over Southern Illinois

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

BIG AL

Our complimentary selection for Thursday, December 29 is:

NY Islanders over Minnesota Wild.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

In the Crease - Week 12
By Joe Williams

Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Boston 3-0-3 past six road Arizona Under 15-3-4 past 22 overall
Columbus 12-0 past 12 overall Columbus Under 4-1-2 past seven road
Minnesota 10-0 past 10 overall Dallas Under 4-0 past four overall
Ottawa 4-0 past four overall, 3-0-1 past four home Edmonton Under 5-0-2 past seven overall
Pittsburgh 8-0-1 past nine home N.Y. Islanders Over 6-1 past seven overall

Bedeviled
The New Jersey Devils have struggled mightily since the calendar turned to December, and they are in the midst of a 1-7-1 slide dating back to Dec. 8. Goaltending has been a major reason for the skid, as they have allowed three or more goals in 17 of the past 19 outings overall. Things do not figure to get any better, as Pittsburgh skates into town Tuesday following by a home-and-home with Washington and a visit from Boston. The Pens have outscored the Devils 8-4 in two earlier losses, while the Caps have yet to face New Jersey this season. Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the past five meetings, although the home team is 24-6 in the past 30 in the series and Pittsburgh has won just five of their past 21 trips to Newark.

Sour Notes in Music City
The Nashville Predators have been struggling on home ice lately. They were pounded 4-0 against Los Angeles in their most recent home game Thursday, and they are 2-3-2 in their past seven in Nashville. The next three home games feature the red-hot Minnesota Wild Tuesday night, as they skate in on a 10-game winning streak. One of those wins was a 5-2 Wild victory in Nashville Dec. 15. The Chicago Blackhawks follow that visit Thursday, and the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens come to town Jan. 3 for the first game of the New Year. It might be a good idea to continue to fade the Predators at home until they can solve their issues. Nashville has allowed 26 goals over their past seven games at home.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, Dec. 29
The Bruins look to stay hot on the road, and they look to keep the Sabres down in the process. Boston has won each of the first two meetings this season, including a 2-1 win in Buffalo Dec. 3. The Bruins have won nine of the past 11 meetings in this series, including each of the past five trips to Western New York. The 'under' is a perfect 3-0 in the past three meetings, and 2-0-3 in the past five skates in Buffalo. Boston enters the week 3-0-3 in their past six games away from home, and they have been much better overall on the road.

The Blackhawks invade the Music City looking to add to the woes of the Predators at home. Chicago has won six of the past nine regular season games in this series, although they have won just twice in the past six trips to Nashville. When these teams hook up there are generally plenty of goals. The 'over' is 3-1-4 in the past eight meetings overall, and 2-1-3 in the past six skates in Tennessee.

Friday, Dec. 30
The Predators head to St. Louis looking to tame the Blues. Nashville hasn't had a lot of success in the Gateway City, however, losing three straight along the banks of the Mississippi River, and five of their past seven. The 'under' is 5-2-1 in the past eight meetings in this series, too. The Blues have piled up an impressive 7-1-2 mark in their past 10 home games, including a 3-1 win back on Nov. 19 against the Predators.

Vancouver hosts Anaheim in the late game Friday. The Ducks won their most recent trip to the Pacific Northwest by a 3-1 count back on Dec. 1, cashing as a -165 favorite. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 7-3 in two meetings this season, and the Ducks have won eight of their past 10 trips to British Columbia. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 36-15 during the 10-game span in Vancouver. The Canucks limp in with the third-fewest points in the Western Conference, and they haven't won back-to-back games at home since opening the season 4-0.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Fabbri scores hat trick in Blues' win
By The Sports Xchange

ST. LOUIS -- David Perron and Scottie Upshall scored 1:20 apart in the third period and Robby Fabbri recorded his first hat trick of his career to carry the St. Louis Blues to a 6-3 win Wednesday night over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kevin Shattenkirk also scored for the Blues.
A goal by Brayden Schenn was the first power-play goal by the Flyers in their last seven games, ending a streak of 17 consecutive power plays without a goal. Wayne Simmonds also scored for Philadelphia.

Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Mitchell Marner scored the only shootout goal, and star rookie Auston Matthews produced a goal and an assist in regulation to lead Toronto over Florida at the BB&T Center.
Frederik Andersen had 45 saves through regulation and overtime. He also stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout.
William Nylander also scored for the Leafs, while the Panthers got goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Vincent Trocheck.

Penguins 3, Hurricanes 2
PITTSBURGH -- Carl Hagelin scored the go-ahead goal with 4:15 remaining to push Pittsburgh over Carolina.
Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby also scored for the Penguins, who got 19 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury in relief of Matt Murray (25 saves).
Elias Lindholm and Lee Stempniak scored for the Hurricanes.

Lightning 4, Canadiens 3 (OT)
TAMPA, Fla. -- Tyler Johnson's second goal of the night helped Tampa Bay beat Montreal at Amalie Arena.
Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman also scored for the Lightning.
Alexander Radulov, Shea Weber and Chris Terry scored for the Canadiens.

Canucks 2, Kings 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Henrik Sedin scored early in the second period as Vancouver defeated Los Angeles.
Loui Eriksson also scored for the Canucks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Tanner Pearson scored for the Kings.
Canuck goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 36 shots. L.A. goalie Peter Budaj stopped 18 shots.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (13-15) at Capitals (20-9)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Christmas break apparently didn't solve the New Jersey Devils' problems. Now they'll see if a trip to Washington to play the Capitals can snap them out of their December funk.

New Jersey fell to 1-8-1 in their last 10 games with a 5-2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. The Devils led 2-1 after one period, but the Penguins took a 3-2 lead on Justin Schultz's goal with 5.4 seconds left in the second period.

Devils goalie Corey Schneider said the team then lacked urgency in the third period.

"I don't know what happened, but, again, late goal in the second, 3-2, and you would have thought the game was over," Schneider told the Newark Star-Ledger. "You would have thought it was 5-1 at that point. I don't know."

The loss dropped the Devils (13-15-7) into last place in the Metropolitan Division. That's because the New York Islanders moved ahead of New Jersey by ruining the Capitals post-Christmas debut with a 4-3 win in Brooklyn. New York broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of third-period goals and survived two Washington power plays in the final minutes.

It was the first time in over a month that the Capitals surrendered four goals.

"When you come back after a break, you just need everybody playing well," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz told NHL.com. "You need to go in with a four-line mentality, and I didn't think we had all four lines going as much as I hoped."

Justin Williams, Alex Ovechkin and Andre Burakovsky scored for Washington (20-9-4). Ovechkin has scored in two straight games and is eight points shy of 1,000 in his NHL career. Andre Burakovsky has two goals and an assist in last three games

Washington didn't allow a power-play goal against the Islanders, but did take four penalties in the second period.

"Penalties are killing the momentum of our team and letting teams hang around," Williams told the Washington Post. ".?.?. It's way too many penalties, certainly myself included. We shouldn't be taking as many."

For the full season, the Capitals have accrued the fourth-lowest total of penalty minutes in the league. But in the past 20 games, they have taken 81 minor penalties, which ranks seventh in the league over that span.

Following Thursday's first meeting of the season, both teams return to New Jersey for the second half of a home-and-home at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Devils had seven power-play opportunities against the Penguins, but scored on only the first one. They're converting just 15.7 percent of their chances, leaving them 22nd in the league.

"We should be able to make teams feel like they're going to pay for taking penalties against us and, if we're not going to score on them, we should at least get momentum from them and I don't think that happened tonight," New Jersey's Taylor Hall said. "Power plays should be fun and, right now, they're not."

PA Parenteau and Adam Henrique each have two goals and an assist in the last three games. Parenteau has four goals and seven assists in career games versus Washington, while Mike Cammalleri has seven goals and eight assists in 16 games. Schneider is 3-5-2 with a 2.36 goals against average and .914 save percentage against Washington.

In 41 games against the division-rival Devils, Ovechkin has 19 goals and 24 assists. Goalie Braden Holtby is 10-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .926 save percentage when facing the Devils.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (18-15) at Sabres (13-13)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- With a six-point gap in the standings, the Buffalo Sabres are hoping to make up some ground on the Boston Bruins in a home-and-home series over three days.

The Sabres (13-13-8) host the Bruins (18-15-4) at 7 pm. on Thursday before heading to Boston for a matinee game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

After picking up its first regulation win in its past five games on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, the Sabres view the upcoming home-and-home series as a potentially pivotal one.

"You're staring at Boston for a home-and-home and they're within earshot," Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said, according to the team's website. "You have a chance of sweeping these two games and gaining four points on them and putting yourself right near them, right next to them in the standings."

The Sabres will need to go on a run relatively soon if they want to have a sniff of the postseason this year. Heading into Wednesday night's action, the Sabres were six points behind the Bruins for the third Atlantic Division playoff spot and 10 points out of a wild-card spot.

"We all have to be on the same page for these two games," Sabres forward Marcus Foligno said, according to the team's website. "It's obviously something that we've got to do better at our home rink here is get the fans into it, get our game established early. We really haven't been doing great here at home and that's definitely on us. It's something that we need to take pride in."

Buffalo picked up a 4-3 win over Detroit on Tuesday, giving Bylsma is 300th win as a head coach. Evander Kane scored twice, and the Sabres held back several strong comeback efforts by the Red Wings after jumping out to an early lead.

Robin Lehner made 40 saves in the victory for Buffalo.

The Bruins have lost three of their last four games (1-2-1) and are coming off a 4-3 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Boston also lost to Carolina in overtime, 3-2, before the holiday break on Dec. 23.

"We're doing so many good things, but we're shooting ourselves in the foot sometimes," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said, according to the team's website. "We have to be better ourselves. For the most part, we're playing well enough that we should be winning those games. Hopefully we turn that trend around and find ways to win those games."

This will be the only home-and-home series for the Bruins this season. Boston won the first two meetings between the two teams, by scores of 4-0 and 2-1.

Brad Marchand leads the Bruins in scoring with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 37 games). David Pastrnak is second in scoring with 26 points (19 goals, 7 assists) in 30 games.

Tuukka Rask has stopped 67 of 68 shots this year against Buffalo.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (15-12) at Lightning (18-15)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. -- The NHL gave the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs a meeting on the tail end of back-to-back games, so there's little time for either team to celebrate their close wins Wednesday night.

Tampa Bay (18-15-3) rallied from two goals down with 10 minutes to play and then won in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto (15-12-7) gave up the lead in the third period, only to outlast the Florida Panthers with a shootout win.

"Definitely motivated for this one -- big points for us," said Toronto's Frederik Andersen after the win against Florida. "We're close in the standings, so we've got to be ready for these kind of games. I think we played well."

Toronto has won three straight, including a 6-0 win at Colorado and 4-1 win at Arizona before the holiday break, so they come to Tampa ranked seventh in the league in scoring at 2.9 goals per game.

Leading that charge are a pair of 19-year-old rookie phenoms in center Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. Marner, the team's top pick in 2015, has eight goals and 18 assists, and he added the game-winning goal in shootout Wednesday. Matthews, the top pick in this year's draft, added a goal and assist Wednesday to give him 17 goals and 11 assists on the season.

The Lightning got a familiar spark in Wednesday's win as the "Triplets" line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, back together after injury absences, combined for three goals and three assists in a 4-3 win over Montreal.

"It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "So by the time 7:30 starts tomorrow, it's not going to matter too much, but we're two points farther ahead than we were a few hours ago. When you have a bad loss, you have to turn the page, and when you have a good win like we did tonight, you want to hold onto that feeling, but you have to understand we have to carry that into tomorrow and can't hang our hat on it."

Tampa Bay got key players back in Palat and Kucherov, but was still without forward Cedric Paquette, who remains injured, and forward Valtteri Filppula, who was scratched after missing a team meeting on Wednesday morning. Filppula will be available and needed on Thursday against Toronto.

The Lightning saw Vladislav Namestnikov skate off after getting boarded hard in the third period, and rookie Brayden Point also was unable to finish the game, so Cooper said he expected to have another call-up or two from Syracuse to help his team fill out its lineup against Toronto. Tampa Bay has another home game Saturday, so the team is getting healthy at a time where their depth and conditioning will be tested after the holiday break.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canadiens (21-9) at Panthers (15-14)

Date: December 29, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are worried.

The Montreal Canadiens are angry.

That, in a couple of words, is the mindset of the teams at the moment, just hours before they meet on Thursday night at the BB&T Center.

The Panthers (15-14-7) lost star center Aleksander Barkov to an undisclosed injury on Wednesday night during a 3-2 shootout defeat against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

Panthers coach Tom Rowe declined to reveal the nature of the injury or how long Barkov would be out. Published reports/rumors indicated that Barkov sustained broken ribs, but that was denied by Rowe.

What is known is that Barkov, in the first period, was hit with a puck, which nailed him in the lower back. He stayed in the game but ultimately was removed in the second period.

Losing Barkov would be a crippling blow to a team that is already without top-six forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, who hasn't played all season due to a torn Achilles tendon, and Reilly Smith, who sat out his first game Wednesday due to a concussion he sustained last week.

Barkov's injury is the latest bit of bad news in what has been a dismal season so far.

"He's the glue to our team," Panthers center Vincent Trocheck said when asked about Barkov. "When he's out of the lineup, it's an enormous chunk.

"He's one of the best two-way centers in the league in my opinion and I think in everybody's opinion. Losing him is like losing Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh."

Barkov, who has 12 points in his past 11 games, should be more appreciated than he is, Trocheck said.

"If he played in Toronto or some other big city where hockey is more the focal point, you'd see a lot more of him," Trocheck said.

The Panthers are hoping to see a lot more of Barkov on the ice, and soon. They missed him during Wednesday's shootout. Barkov has four goals in seven shootout attempts this season. And for his career, he has 12 shootout goals, a Panthers record.

So while the Panthers pray for a speedy recovery, the Canadiens (21-9-5) arrive in South Florida upset and perturbed after blowing a 3-1 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period on Wednesday night at Tampa Bay. The Lightning emerged with a 4-3 overtime win.

"We just sat back, and they're a good team and they can make things happen," Montreal defenseman Shea Weber said. "We can't sit back and give them time and space because that gives good players the ability to make plays."

The Panthers will hope to start as effectively against the Canadiens as the Lightning finished. A more productive power play -- Florida went 0-for-4 with a man advantage on Wednesday -- also would help.

"We're going to address the start we had," Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie said.

Rowe, though, said the team had a "long talk" about avoiding poor starts prior to Wednesday's game, and it obviously didn't help as the Panthers fell behind 2-0 to Toronto before scoring twice in the third period and forcing the shootout.

Getting off to better starts without Barkov -- if indeed he will miss extended time -- could prove very difficult.

"When you have a horse like 'Barkie' go down -- he eats a lot of minutes. He plays in all situations," Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. "He's our best player on offense and defense."

MacKenzie said he didn't know exactly what type of injury Barkov sustained.

"I'm sure whatever it is, he's probably hurting pretty good because he's a tough guy," MacKenzie said. "When you don't see him come back on the ice, you are obviously concerned."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (15-16) at Senators (20-12)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

OTTAWA -- - The atmosphere will be emotionally charged when the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings face-off at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Prior to the game, the Senators will raise to the rafters the No. 11 once worn by former captain Daniel Alfredsson, the first player in the team's modern day history to have his jersey retired.

Alfredsson, who spent 17 seasons with the Senators and holds the franchise record in most offensive categories, called it quits after the 2013-14 campaign, his one and only season with the Red Wings.

Meanwhile, Senators coach Guy Boucher doesn't believe the ceremony will provide extra lift for his team.

"Once the game starts, it's a hockey game," said Boucher. "Our guys can't have more motivation than great motivation. They're really motivated.

"That day is more of a respect day. It's more about being part of it than giving you something extra."

Boucher announced on Wednesday that it will be a "long time" before No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson returns to the team, as he remains with his wife Nicolle while she battles cancer. Backup Mike Condon, who is coming off a shaky start in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers, will play his 13th consecutive game against the Red Wings.

The Senators (20-12-3) will also be without winger Zack Smith, who suffered an abdominal strain against the Rangers and will miss at least two games. Smith has been on fire of late with four goals and three assists in his last five games.

While the loss to the Rangers stopped Ottawa's winning streak at four games, the Red Wings (15-16-4) have had their own problems.

A third period goal by Sabres winger Evander Kane sent them to a 4-3 defeat on Tuesday, leaving them with a 2-7-1 mark in their last eight.

The Red Wings held their own ceremony prior to that game, as 21 former players from the 1996-97 championship squad were honored.

"We didn't take advantage of opportunities for momentum, so we got to do a better job with that," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill told the Detroit Free Press. "We had a great crowd in here and we didn't take advantage of it."

An area the Red Wings have struggled with all season is the power play, where they are dead last in the league while operating at a 12.5 percent success rate.

While the Senators had a 2-2-1 record against the Red Wings last season, they were schooled by a 5-1 count when the teams met at Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 17. Mike Green, who is expected to miss another week with an upper body injury, had three goals in that game while Darren Helm had the other two.

Ryan Dzingel had the only Ottawa goal. Andrew Hammond, who is sidelined now with a high ankle sprain, stopped just 20 shots while Petr Mrazek made 31 saves in the Detroit goal.

The Senators are now feeling good about their game. On Tuesday, they outshot the Rangers 36-25 and hit four goal posts while searching for the equalizer in the third period.

"The ones that are the toughest are the ones you're

clearly the better team," Boucher said of the loss. "Five-on-five, it wasn't even close."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (22-10) at Predators (15-13)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

When the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators meet Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, one thing is certain: One of them is bound to get off to a better start than it has lately.

In absorbing a 3-1 home loss Tuesday night to Winnipeg, Chicago (22-10-5) coughed up the first goal for the seventh time in nine games. Nashville (15-13-6) trailed 1-0 for the eighth time in nine games Thursday night and ended up losing 3-2 in overtime to scalding-hot Minnesota.

A couple of years ago, Predators coach Peter Laviolette cautioned media not to look too much into who allows the first goal, comparing it to cutting a deck of cards. His rationale was that every team in the league is talented and capable of scoring first.

But when the deck of cards continually falls in your opponents' favor, is there something different a team can do to reverse that trend and not end up chasing the game all the time?

"Tonight was difficult to tell, to be honest with you," Laviolette said Tuesday night. "If you're talking about the first few shifts, I thought they were good, but then it got into specialty teams. There were too many calls against us tonight. That makes it difficult to say where it's at."

However, it's not difficult to say that Nashville continues to play below the potential it's exhibited at times this season. The Predators haven't been able to string together more than three wins in a row, and have followed a 9-3-2 November with a 4-5-3 December in which they have gone just 2-3-3 at home.

With nine road games slated for January, including a tough five-game swing through western Canada, Nashville could dig itself a deeper hole if it can't figure things out soon. Wins Thursday night and Friday night in St. Louis might give this team the kick-start it needs.

"It's a huge week and we just have to get some wins," defenseman Roman Josi said.

Pardon the Blackhawks if they have about zero sympathy. The loss Tuesday night to the Jets was their third in a row, their season high, and also continued a recent trend. They have managed just five goals during that stretch, including just one in each of the last two games.

Star right winger Patrick Kane, whose assist teed up linemate Artem Anisimov for Tuesday night's only marker, said his line could have contributed much more.

"I think our line especially could have shot the puck a little more tonight, instead of looking for that extra pass," he said. "It's something we can try and get more involved in our game. Once it got to 3-1 it seemed like we were chasing the game a little bit."

Both teams will be shorthanded again Thursday night. Chicago forward Marian Hossa will sit out his third straight game with an upper-body injury, the same malady that will keep Predators defenseman P.K. Subban on the shelf for a sixth consecutive contest.

Corey Crawford is expected to start in net for the Blackhawks, while Pekka Rinne should draw the assignment for Nashville.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (24-5) at Jets (17-17)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets have an opportunity to stop the streak -- or simply be the latest victims of the seemingly unstoppable Columbus Blue Jackets.

Winnipeg (17-17-3) welcomes the NHL's hottest team to town Thursday night at the MTS Centre. Columbus (24-5-4) has won 13 straight games, the latest being a 4-3 victory on home ice against Boston on Tuesday.

"It's fun," veteran Blue Jackets forward Scott Hartnell told the Columbus Dispatch following their most recent victory. "But the mental aspect of it around our dressing room ... we're not on Cloud 9, we're not celebrating, we're not on the way to the playoffs."

The Jets are also feeling good about their game, having won four of their last five including an impressive 3-1 decision in Chicago on Tuesday night which several players called one of their most complete efforts of the year. Winnipeg is finally healthy and taking advantage of a more relaxed schedule after playing a record-setting 32 games in the first 60 days of the season.

"We'll see where we're at, playing against the best team in the league right now," center Brian Little told the Winnipeg Free Press following Wednesday's practice. "I think everybody's looking forward to it. There's some excitement in the room to play those guys. We want to keep this thing rolling, but at the same time it'd be nice to beat them, especially the big streak they're on."

Winnipeg aims to win three straight games for the first time this season, but struggles mightily against the Eastern Conference at 5-8-2 this season.

The Jets had as many as nine players out of the lineup because of injury at various points this season, but only defenseman Tyler Myers remains. As a result, Winnipeg sent forwards Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev down to their American Hockey League affiliate Wednesday to make room for the healthy returning bodies.

Columbus hasn't tasted defeat since a Nov. 26 shootout loss to Florida. Their last regulation loss came Nov. 23 against Calgary. Over the past month, they've surged to the top of the NHL standings, thanks to four balanced scoring lines, a top-ranked power play unit and outstanding goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Add it all up and it's been an incredible turnaround for a team that finished 27th overall in the NHL standings last season.

To show how high their own standards have become, Columbus players and coaches found plenty to pick apart following their most recent win against Boston. The Blue Jackets surged to an early 3-0 lead, only to cough it up before captain Nick Foligno scored the game winner in the final frame.

"The way it started, we were like 'Here we go again!'" Foligno told the Columbus Dispatch after the game. "And maybe that was the problem. It's a good lesson for us. We could make every excuse, but it wasn't good enough and we know it."

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start in net Thursday for the Jets. The Blue Jackets will likely counter with the red-hot Bobrovsky, who leads the NHL with 22 wins this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (14-14) at Wild (22-8)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Even after their 11th straight victory, the Minnesota Wild do not boast the longest active winning streak in the NHL.

That honor belongs to the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets, who won 13 straight. The teams are on a potential collision course with their double-digit win streaks on the line as they face off Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.

Before that, though, Minnesota must survive a home game against the visiting New York Islanders. The Wild (22-8-4) have already set a franchise record for most wins in a row but can extend that Thursday night when the Islanders (14-14-6) come to town.

Minnesota's 11th consecutive victory took a little extra time. The Wild needed overtime to escape Nashville with a 3-2 victory over the Predators on Tuesday.

"We have some guys that have been around," Wild forward Eric Staal told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after Tuesday's game. "They understand what it's going to take right now for us to keep winning games. We want to keep this going as long as we can."

The Wild's streak makes the mini-run the Islanders are on look trivial. New York won its last three after losing five straight, a drought that was bookended by a pair of 6-2 losses.

It's been a struggle for New York to find consistency throughout the first few months of the season. The Islanders are 12th in the NHL in goals per game (2.7) but rank near the bottom in goals against -- 3.0, 27th in the league.

However, the Isles have been more cohesive as of late. Just how much better, though, will be tested against a Wild team that hasn't lost in nearly a month.

"We're playing better for sure," forward Nikolay Kulemin told Newsday. "I think we were changing lines a lot before and now, the last few games, the lines are the same and we're getting some chemistry with each one."

Minnesota is playing at a much higher level than it was when the Wild faced the Islanders earlier this season. That was Oct. 23, when Minnesota's players were still getting a feel for new coach Bruce Boudreau. The Wild fell to 3-2-1 after a 6-3 road loss to New York.

Wild forward Jordan Schroeder wasn't in the lineup the last time Minnesota and New York took the ice. He's spent the season bouncing between the minors and the NHL, but was pivotal in Tuesday's overtime victory as he assisted on the game-winning goal.

Minnesota hopes Schroeder -- who has played in only five NHL games this year -- can continue to give it a spark.

"That's the capability I think I have to make plays each and every night," Schroeder told the Star Tribune. "When you get the opportunity to move up, to try and take advantage of it, it's fun playing that way, playing with confidence. You just keep going."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (12-21) at Stars (15-14)

Date: December 29, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

DALLAS -- The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars renew their Central Division rivalry Thursday night at American Airlines Center, but only one of these clubs is currently playing good hockey.

The Avalanche (12-21-1), who head into Wednesday's games leading the NHL with 112 goals allowed and have a league-worst minus-42 goal differential, continue to languish in the Central basement after a 6-3 loss to Calgary at Pepsi Center on Tuesday.

The Avalanche, who are 8-9-0 on the road, got several bad bounces in that defeat, which makes them 3-7-0 in their last 10 contests, but first-year Colorado coach Jared Bednar knows that beside a lack of puck luck against the Flames, it was the continuing theme of several problem areas that helped doom their chances before a partisan crowd.

"As a staff, all we want is to see our players play the best way that they can, the way that they know how and play with the identity that got those players here," Bednar said after the Calgary loss. "Until we buy in and get committed to play the way we're going to play, we're just flipping a coin and losing more than 50 percent of the time because we're not buying into playing the right way all the time."

"We're just leaving games to chance and that's what happens when you don't do things the right way, you're not going to win."

With starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov still sidelined with a groin issue, backup netminder Calvin Pickard started a second consecutive game between the pipes for the Avalanche. Bednar said after practice on Wednesday in Colorado that Varlamov, who is 12-5-2 with a 2.94 goals-against-average in 19 career games against the Stars, was being further evaluated and that he would not travel to Dallas.

Pickard will start against the Stars, his third consecutive start for Colorado.

As for Dallas (15-14-7), it won 3-2 at Arizona on Tuesday, giving the Stars their first back-to-back wins since mid-November.

Goaltender Kari Lehtonen stopped 35 of 37 shots in the win against the Coyotes while young defenseman John Klingberg scored the eventual game-winner after making a stellar defensive play earlier in the game.

Klingberg scored an empty-net goal with 1:08 remaining in regulation, ending a 23-game goal drought, this after he cleared a puck out of the crease in the first period, a puck which was about to cross the goal line.

Fourth-year Stars coach Lindy Ruff even mentioned Klingberg's first-period clearance in his postgame remarks to the press in Arizona.

"If we don't grab the puck in the crease, the empty netter isn't the game winner," Ruff said. "It just makes the game just a little bit tighter. I thought that our special teams killed a couple penalties, had a nice play on the power play to give us that goal."

Dallas, who is 6-2-1 in its last nine games on home ice, was without forwards Antoine Roussel (upper body) and Patrick sharp (concussion), but Jason Spezza who had a goal and has five points (three assists) in his past two games, more than picked up the offensive slack.

"Yeah, definitely it's a big win for us," Spezza said. "We have had a hard time winning two in a row, so that's something to build off. Now we head back home and have a couple home games."

The Stars, who are 10-5-3 at home and 4-1-1 over their past six games, will play their next three games on home ice.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (17-14) at Oilers (18-12)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers got to enjoy an extended Christmas break. The Los Angeles Kings will come into Edmonton with tired legs.

The NHL schedule maker treated the Oilers like they were at the top of the nice list over the Christmas holidays; the Oilers played in San Jose Dec. 23, then got a six-day break that ends with Thursday's home date against the Kings.

The Kings played in Vancouver Wednesday night, losing 2-1. So they'll arrive in Edmonton with little time to recover from the defeat.

Meanwhile, the Oilers will be entering the post-Christmas period with an air of confidence that hasn't been evident in this organization for, well, a decade. The Oilers currently sit in the second spot in the Pacific Division, heady territory for a team that hasn't been in a playoff game since Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup final, which Edmonton lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.

"It definitely feels good," said Connor McDavid, who leads the team with 42 points in 36 games. "We put ourselves in a good spot after the first half (of the season) and we had a good Christmas, everyone with their families and all that. So, everyone's back and recharged and ready to go."

"You enjoy the holidays a lot more when you look at the standings," said Oilers right winger Jordan Eberle, who is in his seventh season with the team and has yet to skate in a playoff game. "That's great. So, it was good to regenerate and refocus and get back at it, here. There are some things we needed to clean up and we've got a lot of teams that are going to be fighting for playoff spots."

While the Oilers enjoyed the break, they were hot before it -- claiming five out of a possible six points on a three-game jaunt through St. Louis, Arizona and San Jose.

Oilers veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera did not practice Wednesday. Coach Todd McLellan said Sekera was ill and will be reevaluated Thursday to see if he can go against the Kings or not.

Meanwhile, Kings center Tyler Toffoli did not get on the plane for the road trip to Canada. He has 20 points this season, and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

With Toffoli out, the Kings, sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division, have juggled lines -- including a rejigged unit that will feature Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik. All three have been reliable scorers in the past who have struggled so far in 2016-17. The three have eight goals between them. But the line didn't produce a point in Wednesday's loss to the Canucks.

In fact, after team leader Jeff Carter's 19 goals, no other King has more than eight.

With these kinds of offensive woes, it's amazing that the Kings still hold a wild-card spot.

"We seem to be really hungry on the road trip," defenseman Drew Doughty told the NHL's official website before the Canucks game. "We were kind of sick of winning three games and losing three games. We knew we had to become more consistent and we put a lot of focus on that."

Kings coach Daryl Sutter said, with his team's scoring woes, it can't afford to get behind like it did in the loss to Vancouver.

"I just think that we don't have a lot of scoring in our lineup, especially with Tyler out, and if you get down one, you're fine, but if you get down two, you're playing a different game then."

To eliminate the losses, the Kings will need to find more goals. Edmonton would be a good place to start.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (24-12) at Coyotes (11-19)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to scoring goals.

The Rangers rank third in the NHL at 3.27 goals per game; the Coyotes rank 29th (second to last) at 2.11 as they prepare to face each other on Thursday at Gila River Arena.

For New York, sustaining that production is critical in an ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division where the top three teams also had the NHL's best three records.

For Arizona, upping its production is critical to instilling a belief system in a young and fragile team whose playoff hopes are dwindling as it approaches the midpoint of the season.

"What we're missing is the finish," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, whose team scored 27 goals in its last 15 games (3-9-3). "There's execution along the way that could be better, like our D could do a better job of getting pucks through (to the net). We're getting a lot of shots blocked, a lot of missed shots. That's not only opportunities missed, but how many rebounds do you get off that?

"With the forwards, everybody checks so tight now that it's the ability to beat people one-on-one or create space rolling off a check, or with the execution of a give-and-go that's harder to cover, or the ability to get the puck off the wall so you can get it toward the net. All of those things like that are a combination of skill, but also the determination to do it."

It's still early to being talking about the postseason, but the Rangers were doing just that ahead of their game with the Coyotes. Center Derek Stepan said much of that urgency is driven by the fact that five Metropolitan teams are sitting among the NHL's top nine in the standings.

"We're in a playoff push. We don't have any time to not be," Stepan, who has a team-high 28 points in 37 games, told reporters in New York. "We need the two points every single time we step on the ice. That's as simple as it is."

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist returned to practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game with the flu. While he joins the team on its two-game trip through Arizona and Colorado, coach Alain Vigneault suggested Antti Raanta would start his second straight game Thursday.

"I would say less than 50/50 after watching his energy level on the ice," Vigneault said of Lundqvist's chances. "I need to talk to (goaltending coach Benoit Allaire), I need to talk to our medical guy. This was his first practice in four days. He seemed like he was looking for his legs, his arms, everything else. He was real sick. We'll see how he feels tomorrow and make a decision from there."

Vigneault said right winger Pavel Buchnevich (back) would not join the team in Arizona or Colorado and would remain in New York to skate on his own with the hope that he starts practicing next week. Right winger Rick Nash (groin) did not practice Wednesday but will travel with the team. Center Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) is out until at last mid-January.

Coyotes goalie Mike Smith took a day off from practice Wednesday but is expected to start in goal.

"He just wants to go on the ice once between games so he'll probably go out (Thursday) morning," Tippett said.

Arizona right winger Ryan White is still nursing a nagging lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Center Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) and left winger Max Domi (hand) are out indefinitely.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (17-12) at Flames (19-16)

Date: December 29, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames received good news and bad news on the injury front the day before Thursday's home game against the Anaheim Ducks.

While center Mikael Backlund is expected to be back playing against the Ducks after missing the third period of Tuesday's 6-3 road victory over the Colorado Avalanche, right winger Troy Brouwer is out week-to-week with a broken finger.

Backlund, who blocked a shot by Avalanche center Matt Duchene during a two-man advantage for Colorado in the second period Tuesday, will be looking to build off of back-to-back three-point performances when the Flames (19-16-2) take on the Ducks (17-12-7) at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Meanwhile, Brouwer was injured in the first period of Calgary's 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday when left winger Kris Versteeg's dump-in from the neutral zone hit him in the hand. General manager Brad Treliving provided an update Wednesday that Brouwer suffered a broken finger and underwent surgery.

"It's a big blow for our group," Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters. "We just have to have other guys step up now in his place and take on his roles and responsibilities."

The Flames proved they can rally following injuries to key players, most notably when star left winger Johnny Gaudreau missed 10 games with a fractured finger earlier this season.

"Johnny was down earlier with the same kind of injury," left winger Sean Monahan said. "When that happened other guys stepped up, so this is again another opportunity for guys to raise their game and get going and get some wins here. We've got to be ready if a guy goes down."

The Ducks look to avenge an 8-3 loss they suffered to the Flames in Calgary on Dec. 4, while also bouncing back from a 3-2 overtime setback against the San Jose Sharks at home on Tuesday.

"We deserved better, but you end up giving up a point by not doing the job in overtime," Anaheim center Andrew Cogliano told reporters after the OT setback. "It's been like that all year. We have to sort it out and really look into it. We've lost too many. With where we're going and how tight the division is going to be, we have to find ways to get that second point if that's in overtime or a shootout."

Defenseman Sami Vatanen didn't travel to Calgary because of illness for the Ducks, who called up 22-year-old blue-liner Brandon Montour from the AHL's San Diego Gulls on Wednesday.

If Montour gets into the lineup against the Flames, it will occur on the one-year anniversary of fellow defenseman Shea Theodore's NHL debut, also in Calgary on Dec. 29, 2015.

"Obviously a lot of emotions because it's my first time," Montour told reporters after practicing with the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. "I'm excited to get going. This is what I grew up playing the game for. I'm ready to go. If it's there, it's there. If it's not, I'll just keep waiting."

The Ducks also received some bad news Wednesday in regard to defenseman Clayton Stoner, who underwent abdominal surgery Dec. 1. According to coach Randy Carlyle, Stoner is expected to be out of the lineup 4-to-6 weeks to recover from the procedure.

 

[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 53 68 OVER
12/11 8 42 32 UNDER
12/12 2 10.5 10 UNDER
12/13 10 54.5 69 OVER
12/14 4 21.5 30 OVER
12/15 8 42.5 49 OVER
12/16 7 37 34 UNDER
12/17 10 52 50 UNDER
12/18 6 31 31 PUSH
12/19 5 OFF OFF
12/20 12 64.5 68 OVER
12/21 2 10.5 10 UNDER
12/22 10 54.5 51 UNDER
12/23 12 62.5 68 OVER
12/24 No games scheduled - - -
12/25 No games scheduled - - -
12/26 No games scheduled - - -
12/27 10 54.5 63 OVER
12/28 5 27.5 29 OVER
12/29 12 - - -
12/30 4 - - -
12/31 11 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Thursday’s games

Devils lost their last seven games with Washington; New Jersey lost four of last five games in this building (over 3-1-1). Devils lost nine of last ten games overall, are 0-6 in last six games on road- under is 3-2-1 in their last six games. Caps lost three of last four games overall but won four of last five at home. Last three Washington home games stayed under the total.

Bruins won their last five games with Buffalo; they won last five games in western New York, Last three series games stayed under total. Boston lost five of its last seven games; they’re 1-3 in last four road games- under is 2-2-1 in their last five away games. Buffalo lost four of last five games; they’re 3-2 in last five home games. Three of Sabres’ last four games went over the total.

Lightning won seven of last nine games with Toronto; Maple Leafs lost last four games in this building. Under is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Toronto outscored opponents 12-3 in winning last three games; they won last four road games. Under is 9-1 in Leafs’ last ten games on road. Tampa Bay won three of last four games, winning last three at home; over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games overall.

Florida won its last five games with Montreal, holding Canadiens to total of nine goals. Habs won three of last five games in Miami (under 2-1-2)- road team won seven of last ten series games. Montreal lost its last three games overall, three of last four on road; three of its last four games went over the total. Panthers lost last three games, last two in shootouts; six of their last nine games went over total.

Red Wings won four of last five games with Ottawa; they won three of last four games in this building. Over is 2-1-1 in Detroit’s last four visits here. Detroit lost six of its last eight games, but won three of last four on road; over is 3-0-1 in their last four games. Senators won four of last five games, two of last three at home. Over is 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

Home side won eight of last ten Chicago-Nashville games; Blackhawks lost three of last four visits to Music City. Over is 4-1-4 in last nine series games. Chicago was outscored 9-5 in losing its last three games overall, but they won last three road games- under is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Predators lost six of last nine games; under is 3-1-1 in their last five. Nashville lost its last four home games.

Columbus won its last 13 games, winning last four on road by combined score of 15-6; over is 3-2 in their last five games. Blue Jackets lost last four games with Winnipeg, losing 4-0/6-4 in last two visits here. Over is 3-2 in last five series games played here. Jets won four of last five games, winning 4-3/4-1 in last two home games. Under is 3-1-2 in their last six games.

Minnesota won its last 11 games; they play equally-hot Columbus Saturday. Wild outscored opponents 17-5 in winning last five home games. Over is 4-1-2 in their last seven games. New York won its last three games with Minnesota, taking three of last four visits here. over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Islanders won last three games, scoring 13 goals; seven of their last eight games went over total.

Dallas Stars won four of last five games with Colorado; Avalanche lost 3-2/4-2 in last two visits here. Over is 5-3 in last eight series games. Colorado lost six of last seven games; they’re 2-3 in last five road games- four of their last six games stayed under total. Dallas won four of last six games, splitting last four at home; their last five games stayed under the total.

Kings won their last six games with Edmonton; LA won three of its last four visits here. Over is 7-1-1 in last nine series games. Los Angeles lost four of its last five games, all on road- their last six games stayed under the total. Edmonton won three of its last four games; three of the four went OT; they split last four home games. Under is 5-0-1 in their last six games.

Rangers won six in row, nine of last ten games with Arizona; they won three of last four games in desert. Over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. New York won four of last six games overall, four of last five on road; their last three games went over total. Coyotes was outscored 18-8 in losing its last five games- last four of those were at home. Under is 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Ducks won eight of last nine games with Calgary but lost last meeting 8-3; Anaheim won three of last four games in Saddledome. Ducks were outscored 10-4 in losing last three games; they lost four of last six road games. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games overall. Flames won three of last four games overall, three of last five at home; over is 4-1-2 in their last seven games.