Thursday 3/31/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Post your request, Comments or concerns here.
Good luck on all your plays.

When not viewing the service plays.
Make sure to enjoy the rest of what the RX has to offer.

First time here at the RX.
Make sure to visit the Newbies Room
Click here to go there now

 

[superbeets]

French Ligue 1 Fr 1Apr 19:30

Monaco

v

Bordeaux

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		10/11	12/5	10/3	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MONACO	RECENT FORM
ADHWADADHDAW​ Most recent​	0 - 0 1 - 1 2 - 2 0 - 0	AWHDALHDALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bordeaux have won just one of their last eight matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Monaco beat PSG before the international break and they can strengthen their already strong position in search of Champions League football. Bordeaux go into this match without a win in five and they will already be looking forward to the end of a dismal mid-table campaign.

RECOMMENDATION: Monaco
1

 

[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 2Apr 12:45

Aston Villa

v

Chelsea

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT1		5	3	8/15	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ASTON VILLA	RECENT FORM
HLALHLALHLAL​ Most recent​	1 - 2 1 - 0 1 - 2 2 - 4	AWAWHDHLALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Chelsea have won seven of their last ten league matches against Aston Villa

EXPERT VERDICT: Aston Villa are surely going down – the Villans have lost six league games in a row, conceding ten goals combined against Liverpool and Manchester City. But Chelsea haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six outings so this game could be closer than expected.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2


REFEREE: Neil Swarbrick STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 2Apr 15:00

Stoke

v

Swansea

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		11/10	21/10	14/5	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT STOKE	RECENT FORM
AWHWHWADHLAW​ Most recent​	2 - 1 1 - 1 2 - 0 2 - 0	HLALAWHWALHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Stoke are unbeaten at home in three matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Three wins from four matches have helped Swansea pull clear of relegation but they would probably settle for a point on this trip to the Potteries. Stoke are on a fine run, but the loss of goalkeeper Jack Butland is a blow and captain Ryan Shawcross may be short of full fitness following his injury.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 2Apr 15:00

Arsenal

v

Watford

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		1/3	4	15/2	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ARSENAL	RECENT FORM
HLADAWHLALAW​ Most recent​	1 - 2 3 - 0 1 - 0 0 - 1	HWHDALHLAWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Watford have banked just eight points this year – the same as Aston Villa

EXPERT VERDICT: Watford deserved their 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals but their league results have been deteriorating. Arsenal have responded magnificently to their FA Cup exit and can make short work of the Hornets, who have lost three league games in succession.

RECOMMENDATION: Arsenal-Arsenal
1


REFEREE: Anthony Taylor STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 2Apr 15:00

Bournemouth

v

Man City

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		13/5	5/2	Evs	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOURNEMOUTH	RECENT FORM
HLADHWAWHWAL​ Most recent​	0 - 0 0 - 1 0 - 2	ND*ALHWADHDHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bournemouth have lost just two of their last 12 at home

EXPERT VERDICT: Manchester City remain far from certain of making the Champions League next season and they could be set for further misery on the south coast. The Cherries have an excellent record at Dean Court and City, who are beset by injuries to key men, may struggle to break down their opponents.

RECOMMENDATION: Bournemouth
1


REFEREE: Robert Madley STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 2Apr 15:00

Sunderland

v

West Brom

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		11/10	11/5	13/5	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SUNDERLAND	RECENT FORM
ADHWALHDADAD​ Most recent​	0 - 0 2 - 0 2 - 4 2 - 2	AWALHWADHWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: West Brom have scored just 11 goals in 14 away games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Sunderland are becoming increasingly resilient and have lost only three of 11 Premier League fixtures since the turn of the year, drawing each of their last three outings. The Baggies look safe and have not scored on their last two league visits to the Stadium of Light.

RECOMMENDATION: Sunderland
3


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golfers to Bet - Shell Open

Tournament: Shell Houston Open
Date: Thursday, March 31st
Venue: GC of Houston
Location: Humble, TX

The PGA TOUR stays in Texas for the more traditional Shell Houston Open on Thursday.

Last week’s match play format was very exciting to watch, but plenty of the golfers on TOUR will be looking forward to getting back into a tournament setting. Jason Day will not, however, be playing in this week’s event. Day won last week’s event and is currently the top golfer in the standings, but there will still be plenty of talent on the course this weekend.

Guys like Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler are all set to be playing when the tournament begins on Thursday. J.B. Holmes, who won this event in 2015, will also be in this year’s field.

With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at who might be winning this event on Sunday:

Golfers to Watch

Jordan Spieth (6/1) - Since winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Spieth has been struggling. He has missed two cuts and has not finished inside the top-10, but he’s still the best player in this week’s field. Day is the only guy that can really say he is on Spieth’s level and he is not playing this week. With that being the case, it’s extremely hard to pass up on the 6/1 odds that Spieth is getting this week. His ability to make tough shots and navigate the greens will certainly come in handy on this type of course. He’ll also be extra hungry to win this one after being a runner-up in 2015.

Patrick Reed (20/1) - While he doesn’t put it together as often as some of his peers, Reed is about as talented as anybody on the TOUR right now. Last week’s event was a bit disappointing for Reed, as he ended up being cut. He is, however, having an incredible season. Reed already has two top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes as well. The only thing missing for him is a victory and he’ll certainly have a shot to earn one on Sunday, making him a good play at 20/1.

J.B. Holmes (25/1) - Holmes has been extremely consistent this season and has now recorded three top-10 finishes on the year. He has not yet won an event or placed anywhere in the top-five, but Holmes will be confident coming into this one. He won this event last year, defeating Jordan Spieth and Johnson Wagner in a playoff. His 16-under was very impressive and he also happens to have been a runner-up at this event in 2009 as well. Course history is extremely important and getting a guy with his type of success at 25/1 is hard to pass up.

Tony Finau (75/1) - Tony Finau it not necessarily a household name, but he is quickly climbing the PGA rankings and is a great value play on Sunday. Finau is fresh off of winning the Puerto Rico Open a week ago. It was his first ever PGA title and he’ll now be looking to carry some of that momentum into this week’s tournament. Finau is a big hitter off of the tee and that’ll set him up for some easy approach shots in this one. As long as he is putting well then he will be around the top of the leaderboard on Sunday and he must be considered at 75/1.

Odds to win Shell Houston Open -

Jordan Spieth 13/2
Rickie Fowler 12/1
Dustin Johnson 14/1
Henrik Stenson 14/1
Phil Mickelson 18/1
Patrick Reed 20/1
Charl Schwartzel 25/1
Louis Oosthuizen 25/1
J.B. Holmes 28/1
Sergio Garcia 28/1
Brooks Koepka 30/1
Jimmy Walker 40/1
Rafa Cabrera Bello 60/1
Charley Hoffman 65/1
Keegan Bradley 65/1
Ryan Palmer 65/1
Tony Finau 65/1
Charles Howell III 70/1
Graham Delaet 70/1
Kevin Chappell 70/1
Daniel Berger 80/1
Jason Kokrak 80/1
Scott Brown 80/1
Scott Piercy 80/1
Steve Stricker 80/1
Brendan Steele 85/1
Harris English 85/1
Jamie Lovemark 85/1
Cameron Tringale 90/1
Shane Lowry 90/1
Freddie Jacobson 100/1
K.J. Choi 100/1
Lee Westwood 100/1
Matt Jones 100/1
Patrick Rodgers 100/1
Patton Kizzire 100/1
Anirban Lahiri 110/1
Russell Henley 110/1
Gary Woodland 120/1
Alex Cejka 125/1
John Huh 125/1
Jonas Blixt 125/1
Kyle Reifers 125/1
Retief Goosen 125/1
Sung Kang 125/1
William McGirt 125/1
Ben Martin 130/1
Bernd Wiesberger 130/1
Aaron Baddeley 150/1
Adam Hadwin 150/1
Chez Reavie 150/1
Hunter Mahan 150/1
Jamie Donaldson 150/1
John Senden 150/1
Luke List 150/1
Martin Laird 150/1
Padraig Harrington 150/1
Sean OHair 150/1
Thongchai Jaidee 150/1
Will Wilcox 150/1
Kevin Streelman 160/1
Camilo Villegas 175/1
Vaughn Taylor 175/1
Andrew Loupe 200/1
Brendon de Jonge 200/1
Brian Harman 200/1
Bryce Molder 200/1
Cameron Smith 200/1
Chad Campbell 200/1
Chris Stroud 200/1
David Hearn 200/1
Derek Fathauer 200/1
Ernie Els 200/1
Greg Owen 200/1
Hudson Swafford 200/1
Jhonattan Vegas 200/1
Lucas Glover 200/1
Morgan Hoffmann 200/1
Nick Taylor 200/1
Roberto Castro 200/1
Seung yul Noh 200/1
Will MacKenzie 200/1
Ben Crane 250/1
Blayne Barber 250/1
Boo Weekley 250/1
Brett Stegmaier 250/1
Davis Love III 250/1
Jason Gore 250/1
Johnson Wagner 250/1
Kyle Stanley 250/1
Mark Hubbard 250/1
Shawn Stefani 250/1
Si Woo Kim 250/1
Spencer Levin 250/1
Stewart Cink 250/1
Vijay Singh 250/1
Bronson Burgoon 300/1
Chesson Hadley 300/1
Colt Knost 300/1
D.A. Points 300/1
David Toms 300/1
Geoff Ogilvy 300/1
Harold Varner III 300/1
Hiroshi Iwata 300/1
James Hahn 300/1
Jeff Overton 300/1
Jim Herman 300/1
Jon Curran 300/1
Matt Every 300/1
Michael Kim 300/1
Peter Malnati 300/1
Ricky Barnes 300/1
Scott Langley 300/1
Scott Pinckney 300/1
Zac Blair 300/1
Angel Cabrera 350/1
J.J. Henry 350/1
Stuart Appleby 350/1
Carl Pettersson 400/1
Carlos Ortiz 400/1
Cory Whitsett 400/1
Dawie Van Der Walt 400/1
Erik Compton 400/1
Rhein Gibson 400/1
Scott Stallings 400/1
Steven Bowditch 400/1
Tyrone Van Aswegen 400/1
Steve Wheatcroft 450/1
Chad Collins 500/1
Charlie Beljan 500/1
Justin Hicks 500/1
Ken Duke 500/1
Tyler Aldridge 500/1
Whee Kim 500/1
Andres Gonzales 750/1
Matt Dobyns 750/1
Mike Weir 750/1
Omar Uresti 750/1
Robert Allenby 750/1

Odds Subject to Change

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

10 Players to Watch: Shell Houston Open
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange

1. Henrik Stenson, Sweden -- The big Swede is well-rested after skipping the WGC-Dell Match Play because he is pacing himself following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in December. He tied for third in his last start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after also playing well on the European Tour in the last few months, tying for third in both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the BMW Masters, finishing second in the Nedbank Challenge and tying for sixth in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Stenson has not won since successfully defending his title in the 2014 DP World Tour Championship-Dubai, but Houston might be where he ends the drought. He tied for third in 2009, two strokes out of the playoff in which Paul Casey beat J.B. Holmes, and tied for second two years ago, one shot behind D.A. Points.

2. Jordan Spieth, United States -- Having lost the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings this week to Jason Day of Australia after holding it the last 20 weeks, the Texan would love to get it back with his first victory in the Lone Star State this week before heading to Augusta to defend his title in the Masters. His game has not been especially sharp since he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January, but he did win three matches in the WGC-Dell Match Play before having a bad day when Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa beat him in the Round of 16. Spieth is making his fourth start in Houston, and he couldn't hold sole possession of the lead in the final round last year before losing out in a playoff won by J.B. Holmes.

3. Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa -- Oosthuizen made a somewhat surprising run through the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship before losing to Jason Day in the final, going 3-0 in pool play before beating Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rafa Cabrera Bello to get to the title match. Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise because he won the ISPS Handa Perth International, tied for seventh in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, tied for seventh in the Valspar Championship and has three other top-15 finishes this season. Oosthuizen is making his seventh start in Houston, and even though he missed the cut each of the past two years and three times overall, he also tied for 16th in 2011 and seemed to be heading for victory a year later before he shot 75 in the final round and slipped from the lead to solo third.

4. Patrick Reed, United States -- This is a home game for the native Texan, who lives not far from Houston in Spring, Texas. Surprisingly, this is only his third start at the Golf Club of Houston, and he missed the cut in 2013 before tying for 17th last year -- falling out of the top 10 with a closing 73. Even though Reed has not won since claiming his fourth PGA Tour victory in 17 months in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January 2015, he is off to another strong start this season. He has placed in the top 10 on six occasions, including second in his title defense in the TOC, and in his past two outings, he tied for seventh in the Valspar Championship and tied for ninth in the WGC-Dell Match Play, losing to Dustin Johnson in the Round of 16.

5. Rickie Fowler, United States -- Trying to regain his form from earlier in the season after posting a 0-1-2 record in pool play of the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, Fowler is making his fourth appearance in Houston. He cracked the top 60 only once in those previous starts at the Golf Club of Houston, finishing solo sixth in 2014, six shots out of the playoff in which Matt Jones of Australia beat Matt Kuchar. Fowler, ranked fifth in the world, won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the European Tour in January and has four top-10 finishes in his past five-stroke play events -- losing to Hideki Matsuyama of Japan in a playoff at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, finishing fifth in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, tying for sixth in the Honda Classic and tying for eighth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

6. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Mickelson continued his solid play early in 2016 when he posted a 2-1 record in the WGC-Dell Match Play, losing to Patrick Reed in the match that determined the winner of Group 9. That translated into his fifth top-25 result of the year, including solo second in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a tie for third in the Career Builder Challenge and solo fifth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Mickelson is making his ninth straight appearance and 11th overall in Houston, and he won the title by three strokes over Chris Kirk and Scott Verplank in 2011, when he played the weekend in 63-65. He tied for fourth in his title defense, when he took the lead with an opening 65 but could not break 70 the rest of the way, and he has not finished outside the top 20 in Houston in the past five years.

7. J.B. Holmes, United States -- The defending champion in Houston struggled in his past two starts, going 1-1-1 in pool play at the WGC-Dell Match Play after finishing 59th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, where he opened with a 77 and closed with an 80. However, Houston might be the place for him to regain his form, because he lost in a playoff there to Paul Casey in 2009, tied for eighth in 2012 and tied for 12th in 2014. Last year, Holmes came from six shots behind leader Jordan Spieth with a 64 in the final round and beat Johnson Wagner with a par on the second playoff hole. Holmes played well earlier this year when he tied for sixth in both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open before tying for 11th in both the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Northern Trust Open.

8. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Consistency is the name of the game for Johnson so far in the 2015-16 season, as he has finished in the top 15 in six of his seven outings. After winning Group 8 in the WGC-Dell Match Play, he beat Patrick Reed in the Round of 16 before losing to Louis Oosthuizen in the quarterfinals, leaving him with a tie for fifth -- his fourth top 10 of the season. Johnson, No. 8 in the world, is playing in Houston for the fifth time. After missing the cut in 2008 and 2009, he came back to tie for fourth in 2013, closing with a 65 that left him two strokes behind winner D.A. Points. Last year, Johnson shot 80 in the first round and promptly withdrew because of what he called stiffness in his back.

9. Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain -- Many Americans might not have even known who the Spaniard was before he went 5-0-1 in the WGC-Dell Match Play last week, losing to Louis Oosthuizen in the semifinals before bouncing back to beat third-ranked Rory McIlroy in the consolation match. He has never played in the Ryder Cup, but that performance had to open the eyes of European captain Darren Clarke. Cabrera Bello, who is making his first appearance in Houston, was in the hunt most of the way a few weeks earlier in the WGC-Cadillac Championship until shooting 74 in the final round to slide to a tie for 11th. Earlier this year on the European Tour, he tied for second in both the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in addition to tying for 14th in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

10. Charl Schwartzel, South Africa -- Coming off his playoff victory over Bill Haas in the Valspar Championship, Schwartzel continued to play well in the WGC-Dell Match Play when he posted a 2-1 record in pool play but lost to Brandt Snedeker in the match that determined the winner of Group 15. The South African has eight finishes in the top 20 on both major tours this season. He has won three times since the end of November, also capturing the Alfred Dunhill Championship for the third time in four years and the Tshwane Championship on the European Tour. Schwartzel is making his seventh appearance in Houston. His best result there was a tie for third in 2010, when he played the weekend in 67-67 and wound up one stroke out of the playoff in which Anthony Kim defeated Vaughn Taylor.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

PGA Tour Picks: Houston Open Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews

So I think I'm going to place a futures wager on an Australian winning a gold medal at this summer's Rio Olympics. Right now, Aussies own the golf world following Jason Day's win at the WGC-Match Play on Sunday, his second straight PGA Tour victory this season and the fourth in the past five tournaments by an Aussie -- Adam Scott went back-to-back a few weeks ago in Florida.

Day actually tweaked a back injury during his first-round group match with Graeme McDowell on Wednesday in Austin and some members of his entourage told Day he should withdraw and heal up for the Masters. Smart thinking in one way as the Match Play is the most grueling tournament in golf if you make the finals as you play seven rounds over five days. But Day kept playing and won the event, routing Louis Oosthuizen 5 and 4 in the final. Day had beaten Rory McIlroy 1 up in a star-studded semifinal earlier Sunday.

It was his Day's second Match Play title in three years -- at a different course -- and got him back to No. 1 in the world, replacing Jordan Spieth. Day won his group stage matches against McDowell, Thongchai Jaidee and Paul Casey. He then beat Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka on Saturday. It was Day's seventh win in his past 26 PGA Tour starts; he had two in his first 151. McIlroy beat Rafa Carbrera Bello in the consolation match Sunday.

I generally stuck to group winners and such last week but went with Casey to win the event; obviously I wasn't high on Day after winning in Orlando the previous week. Casey flopped, going just 0-2-1 in group play. I did get Dustin Johnson at +138 to win his group and Oosthuizen at +150 in his. My top American finisher pick was Johnson at +1100: 11 Americans reached the round of 16 - the most since 2002 - but none reached the semifinals. Johnson was knocked out of the quarters by Oosthuizen 2 & 1. So technically Johnson did tie for the best finish by an American with Ryan Moore, Chris Kirk and Brooks Koepka.

In one regard, this is the longest week in golf because the Masters can't get here soon enough and of course that's next week. But first the Tour moves to Texas for the Houston Open and a course setup at the Golf Club of Houston that's supposed to mimic as best as possible those at Augusta National. To no surprise, Day is taking this week off. So is McIlroy, who also says he's not playing the Masters Par 3 Contest if you care about such things.

It's still a pretty good field with six of the world's Top 11. The final spot in the Masters field awaits the winner if not already qualified. The last time a player took advantage of that was Matt Jones in 2014. Only Sandy Lyle in 1988 and Phil Mickelson in 2006 have won the week prior the Masters and then taken the green jacket.

The defending champion is J.B. Holmes. He beat Spieth and Johnson Wagner in a playoff. Holmes birdied the first five holes and nine of the first 12 on Sunday after starting the day six shots back of Spieth. Holmes, whose 64 was the low round Sunday, won the second playoff hole. Spieth was knocked out on the first extra hole. Holmes is +2500 at Bovada to repeat. The last guy to go back-to-back here was Vijay Singh 2004-05.

Golf Odds: Houston Open Favorites

Spieth is the heavy +600 favorite and he said he thought not being No. 1 for the Masters might actually be a good thing. Spieth, a Texas native, hasn't played great since winning the Hyundai event in Hawaii but was credited with for a tie for ninth last week, his first Top 10 since he was runner-up in the Singapore Open two months ago. Spieth had that runner-up here last year but didn't do well in his previous two trips to Houston.

Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler and Johnson at all +1200. Stenson skipped last week and that could be an advantage. He nearly won the week before at Bay Hill and was runner-up here three years ago. Fowler didn't play great last week and has struggled here in four trips other than a T6 in 2014. Johnson hasn't played here since withdrawing in 2014. He was fourth in 2013.

Mickelson rounds out the favorites at +1600. Lefty likes this course. He won here in 2011 and hasn't finished worse than 17th since 2010.

PGA Tour Picks: Houston Open Betting Predictions

For a Top 10, I like Stenson (+120), Mickelson (+165) and Patrick Reed (+200). I'm tempted to go Holmes too as he has a very good track record here even outside that win but he's been a bit off this season.

Head-to-head, go Spieth (-150) over Fowler (+115), Stenson (-110) over Johnson (-120), Reed (-110) over Mickelson (-120), Charl Schwartzel (-105) over Oosthuizen (-125), Holmes (-115) over Sergio Garcia (-115), and Koepka (-125) over Jimmy Walker (-105).

I may throw a few dollars on Mickelson to win but my main guy is Reed at +2000. He's a Houston resident who was T17 last year. He also has a Tour-best six Top-10 finishes this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Canucks' Virtanen draws two-game suspension
By The Sports Xchange

Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen was suspended by the NHL Department of Player Safety for two games without pay on Wednesday for interference against San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak during Tuesday night's game.
Virtanen received a major penalty and a game misconduct after the incident occurred at 2:01 of the second period. Polak went to the locker room briefly after the late, blind-side hit from Virtanen before returning.
Virtanen will be fined $9.614.70 under terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the money given to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

---Goaltender Robin Lehner will miss the rest of the NHL season after undergoing surgery on his right ankle, the Buffalo Sabres announced.
Lehner, 24, was limited to 21 games this season and posted a 5-9-5 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. He last played in a March 16 game against the Montreal Canadiens.

---Florida Panthers center Vincent Trocheck will miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering a foot injury during Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Trocheck's foot was in a cast to help speed healing and he was using crutches after being struck by a puck during the Panthers' 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Panthers coach Gerard Gallant told reporters on Wednesday that Trocheck, 22, is out for the final six games of the regular season but hopes to return for the start of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

---Four years after being drafted in the first round, center Mark Jankowski signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames.
Jankowski, selected No. 21 overall in 2012, just completed his senior year at Providence College, leading the Friars in goals with 15 and assists with 25 in 38 games this season.
The contract begins with the 2016-17 season. The Flames announced that the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Jankowski, 21, will report to Stockton on an amateur tryout agreement.
The 21-year-old said signing with the Flames was "a dream come true."

---The Arizona Coyotes signed defenseman Kyle Wood to a three-year, entry-level contract and recalled forward Eric Selleck from Springfield of the American Hockey League.
Wood, 19, was acquired by the Coyotes in a trade deadline deal with the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 29.
Wood has eight goals and 31 assists in 49 games for the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League this season.

---The Montreal Canadiens agreed to terms with free agent goaltender Charlie Lindgren on a two-year, two-way contract through the 2016-17 season.
Lindgren, 22, appeared in 40 games with the St. Cloud State Huskies this season, posting a record of 30-9-1. He led all National Collegiate Hockey Conference goaltenders in wins, saves (1,020) and shutouts (five, tied with two others). Lindgren played in 88 regular-season games at St. Cloud State in three seasons.

---The St. Louis Blues signed forwards Mackenzie MacEachern and Adam Musil to entry-level contracts.
MacEachern was signed to a two-year contract and Musil to a three-year deal.
MacEachern, 22, was originally drafted by the Blues in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft. The 6-3, 205-pound native of Troy, Mich., has spent the past three seasons at Michigan State University. During the 2015-16 campaign, MacEachern led the Spartans with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 37 games. He recorded 68 points (33 goals, 35 assists) in 108 games over his collegiate career.
Musil, 19, was originally drafted by the Blues in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. The 6-3, 196-pound Musil has spent the past four seasons with the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels. The Delta, British Columbia, native has accumulated 111 points (45 goals, 66 assists) in 195 career WHL games

---The Winnipeg Jets agreed to terms with free agent college forward Brandon Tanev on a one-year, two-way contract.
The deal is for the remainder of the 2015-16 season at a pro-rated average annual value of $925,000.
Tanev, 24, just completed his senior year at Providence College where the left winger tallied 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 38 games for the Friars. Tanev helped the Friars win the 2015 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the championship final against Boston University.
The Jets also recalled forward Chase De Leo on an emergency basis from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

---The Boston Bruins recalled forwards Austin Czarnik and Seth Griffith on an emergency basis from Providence of the AHL.
This is the first career NHL recall for Czarnik, who has skated in 59 games with Providence this season and recorded 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists). The 5-9, 167-pound Czarnik, 23, ranks 10th in the AHL in assists and 17th in points in his rookie season.
Griffith, 23, has played in 51 games with Providence this season, recording 67 points (22 goals, 45 assists) and 32 penalty minutes. The 5-9, 191-pound Griffith has appeared in 32 games with Boston over two seasons from 2014-16, totaling six goals and five assists.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (30-38) at Islanders (41-25)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Islanders are focusing on the fact they're four points out of home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs rather than sitting the same amount away from being left out of the postseason altogether.

Moving ahead in the standings seems much more feasible considering how well they've played lately.

The Islanders finish the regular season with plenty of showdowns that have playoff implications, but the points are just as important Thursday night against the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets as they look to sweep the five-game season series.

New York (41-25-9) is chasing the second-place Rangers in the Metropolitan and also is three points behind Pittsburgh for the division's final guaranteed playoff spot. It has won three of its last four, including back-to-back wins over Carolina after trailing heading into the third period of both.

Cal Clutterbuck scored the tying goal Saturday before winning it in overtime, and Anders Lee got the equalizer in the third before Kyle Okposo's shootout winner Tuesday.

Despite the solid stretch, the Islanders still are fighting with Philadelphia and Detroit for the wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.

They'll face the Penguins on Saturday and have matchups with co-Atlantic leader Tampa Bay, Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington and the Rangers before concluding the regular season April 10 at home against the Flyers.

"This was a huge two points and we needed to win (Tuesday)," Okposo said. "These are the games that you have to win and give us a little bit of breathing room. Other teams are going to keep winning because they seem to do every night. We just have to keep putting points in the bank every night."

The Islanders have taken 14 of a possible 16 points over the last eight meetings with the Blue Jackets (30-38-8) and have won all four this season. John Tavares' empty netter capped a 4-0 win Oct. 20, Okposo scored in overtime Dec. 12, Brock Nelson had his first hat trick Jan. 12 and Cal Clutterbuck scored the shootout winner Feb. 9.

Jaroslav Halak won three of those matchups, but he's out for at least the rest of the regular season with a groin injury. Thomas Greiss dropped his previous four starts before making 26 saves Monday.

"It's always good to get the win," Greiss said. "It's important points for the whole team and big for me."

Greiss beat the Blue Jackets in January and will look to hand them a fourth straight defeat in this one. Columbus lost 5-1 to Nashville on Saturday to begin a four-game trip and fell 4-1 to Washington on Monday.

Coach John Tortorella said his club was "overwhelmed" against the Predators and wasn't happy with the amount of power plays it handed the Capitals.

"You can't take five (penalties) against them," Tortorella. "But we're not going to complain about penalties. We can't complain about (crap). We just have to keep on trying to get better."

Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves but dropped to 2-5-0 with a 3.01 goals-against average since returning March 11 from a lower-body injury that forced him to miss the previous 19. He has a 2.13 GAA in 14 starts and one relief appearance in his career against the Islanders.

Center Boone Jenner appears ready despite losing three teeth and needing 20 stitches after taking a puck to the mouth in the first period Monday. He returned later wearing a full cage.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (39-25) at Penguins (43-25)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Penguins are picking the right time to have not only their most impressive stretch of the season, but arguably the best the entire league has seen over the past few weeks.

Sometimes it just takes a little while to get going.

The Penguins have made falling behind a habit lately before turning on the jets, a pattern they'd like to abandon as they try to move closer to locking up a playoff spot in Thursday night's visit from the Nashville Predators.

Pittsburgh (43-25-8) has outscored opponents 37-22 in winning nine of its past 10 games, going from the postseason bubble to near-lock status with six games left. Any combination of four points gained by the Penguins or lost by Detroit will wrap up a 10th straight playoff berth.

They've been making it awfully difficult on themselves, though. Pittsburgh has given up the first goal in six of its last seven games, bouncing back to win five of those. Tuesday's hole was the deepest yet, but the Penguins dug out of a 3-0 first-period deficit to beat Buffalo 5-4 in a shootout.

Only Washington (21) has won more games when allowing the first goal than Pittsburgh (17).

'For some unknown reason it keeps happening,' said rookie winger Tom Kuhnhackl, whose short-handed goal late in the second tied it before Nick Bonino's shorty 24 seconds later gave the Penguins the lead. 'We find ourselves down one or two goals, today three goals down. That can't happen as we get closer to the playoffs.'

A few weeks removed from a wild card being the best-case scenario, Pittsburgh is a point away from the New York Rangers in the race for home-ice advantage in the first round.

The Predators (39-25-13) will start on the road if they qualify but are closer to punching their postseason ticket, needing just a win Thursday to ensure they'll finish ahead of ninth-place Colorado.

Their first two attempts didn't go so well, though. They fell behind 3-0 after 12 minutes in a 4-3 home loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday, then gave up a pair of empty-netters in the final two minutes to account for Wednesday's 5-2 final in Dallas.

'We've had two games where we had a chance to clinch a playoff spot and couldn't do it," said Pekka Rinne, who started Wednesday after getting pulled early against the Avs. "So we just have to go to Pittsburgh and hopefully get it done (Thursday).'

That won't be easy against a Penguins team that has scored at least four goals in six of its last nine games, and it could be more difficult if Ryan Ellis can't go. The defenseman scored the first short-handed goal of his career Wednesday but left in the second period after taking a puck off the side of the head.

James Neal has been doing his part heading into a visit to the city he called home for parts of four years, piling up seven goals and four assists over his last eight games. Neal scored a third-period goal against the Penguins on Oct. 24 before Phil Kessel's overtime tally gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 win.

The Penguins have won six of seven in this series with Sidney Crosby totaling three goals and seven assists. Marc-Andre Fleury has been outstanding in the past six meetings, posting a .948 save percentage and allowing one goal or none in five of those.

Rinne has lost five straight to Pittsburgh behind an .870 save percentage.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (28-37) at Sabres (31-35)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With no playoff spots on tap after next week's season finale, the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs are racing to stay out of the Atlantic Division basement.

The Sabres can bury the last-place Maple Leafs further down that hole by extending a lengthy run of home dominance in this series Thursday night.

Buffalo (31-35-11) was officially eliminated from postseason contention earlier this week but is 16-13-7 since Jan. 10 and can avoid a fourth consecutive last-place finish - the last two in the Atlantic after the NHL realigned into four divisions in 2013-14.

Toronto (28-37-11) is a distant six points back and may find it difficult to make up any ground in Buffalo. The Maple Leafs have picked up just three points while losing their last six games there, and the Sabres own a 16-1-1 home mark in the series since Feb. 4, 2009, including a 10-game point streak.

The Sabres are riding a 3-0-1 stretch at First Niagara Center but opened the week with consecutive losses away from home, falling 3-2 at Detroit on Monday before Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss at Pittsburgh.

Buffalo jumped ahead 3-0 against the Penguins, but goaltender Chad Johnson surrendered four second-period goals and two more in the shootout.

While Evander Kane sat out with an upper-body injury, points leader Ryan O'Reilly scored his first goal in 25 games. However, he failed on his sixth shootout attempt of the season and the Sabres dropped to 2-7 when the game reaches that level - their only two wins coming against the Maple Leafs.

Rookie Jack Eichel was denied by fellow rookie Matt Murray on a breakaway attempt in overtime and also missed his shootout try.

"You think about all the shootouts that we've lost, that's a major reason that we're not in the playoff picture," O'Reilly told the team's official website.

Johnson finished with 42 saves but suffered his second loss in as many nights. He helped Buffalo pick up two wins in the first three games of this series despite a .909 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against average.

The Sabres extended their point streak against the Maple Leafs to five games with shootout victories in October and early March before falling 4-1 in Toronto on March 19.

Kane has two goals and an assist in this series but is considered day to day.

Toronto was eliminated from the playoffs following its win over Buffalo earlier this month, but it was the first of three straight victories in which it scored 15 goals. After totaling one in back-to-back losses, the Maple Leafs broke out in Tuesday's 5-2 win at Florida to improve to 14-22-2 on the road.

Nazem Kadri scored twice in the previous 14 games, both against Anaheim last week, but he logged his third career hat trick.

"That's the good thing about playing in the NHL, you get a chance to redeem yourself pretty quick," he said. "We just found a way to win."

Toronto, one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, had been mired in a 3-for-32 slump on the power play but scored on three of four while adding its second shorthanded tally.

Jonathan Bernier made 32 saves to improve to 4-2 over his last six with a .952 save percentage and 1.53 GAA. He made 34 saves while suffering a tough-luck 2-1 shootout loss in Buffalo on Oct. 21 to move to 0-3-1 there in his career.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (43-24) at Hurricanes (33-28)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Eric Staal has made the mundane commute hundreds of times over the years from his home in Raleigh to the Carolina Hurricanes' rink.

But it will be different Thursday night. When he walks into the arena, he'll make a left into the visitors' dressing room.

The former Hurricanes captain and face of the franchise will play his first game as a visitor at PNC Arena looking to help the New York Rangers win a 10th straight meeting.

'You don't really know how you're going to feel ... until you really experience it,' Staal said. 'I think it's going to be a lot of unique, different emotions just in general because of being there and being there so long. ... It's going to be a lot different.'

Trades happen all the time in pro sports, but for Carolina, this deal was different.

The team's second overall pick in 2003, Staal led the team with 28 postseason points during their Stanley Cup run three years later. He took over as captain in 2010, captained an All-Star team played here the following year and remains the franchise's career leader in nearly every category, including 909 games played, 332 goals and 775 points.

But with his seven-year, $55.75 million contract expiring this summer, the 31-year-old, four-time All-Star and Carolina general manager Ron Francis couldn't agree on a new deal. So on the day before the deadline - and after he'd arrived at the arena for that afternoon's game against St. Louis - the Hurricanes dealt him to the Rangers (43-24-9) in exchange for a prospect playing in Finland and two second-round draft picks.

He's due to become an unrestricted free agent over the summer but says the possibility of being a Hurricane again down the road didn't come up when he and Francis discussed the trade.

'Obviously, it was an emotional day, just the trade and then signing the (no-trade) waiver and all that kind of stuff,' he said. 'Never really talked a lot about anything otherwise, other than having this opportunity, and when I got to New York, just focused on this year with them and bringing everything I can to this team because they've welcomed me with open arms. ... We'll worry about that kind of stuff after the season and into the summer.'

Staal has three goals and seven assists in 14 games with his new team while averaging 16:22 of ice time after never averaging less than 18:45 in any season with Carolina since he was a rookie.

But barring a total collapse, he'll skate in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, when the Hurricanes made their only postseason appearance since winning the Cup a decade ago. The Rangers have 95 points, second-most in the East.

'It's why you play. It's why I wanted to be in the NHL and why I want to compete every year. ... I think it'll be a whole other ball game once I actually get out there for warmups in Game 1 of a playoff series. I think it'll be a whole set of emotions that, to be quite frank, has been way too long since I got to experience.'

This homecoming also marks the latest all-Staal reunion. Jordan Staal, who the Hurricanes acquired from Pittsburgh four years ago, goes up against a Rangers team with Eric and another brother, defenseman Marc Staal.

'I think it'll be weird just because I used to play against him when he was in a Penguin uniform, and now he's in a Hurricane uniform that I was wearing,' Eric Staal said.

The Rangers haven't played since Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Pittsburgh that cut their lead over the Penguins to one point for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They've won 19 of the last 20 meetings with Carolina (33-28-16), which has dropped seven of its last nine and was dealt another blow to its fading playoff hopes with Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Islanders.

Cam Ward made 30 saves but has allowed seven goals while dropping both of his starts against the Rangers this season.

Henrik Lundqvist has a 1.26 goals-against average in seven straight wins over the Hurricanes.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (37-32) at Panthers (42-25)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

If Florida ends up missing out on the Atlantic Division title, it will likely have done nearly all it could against the team that overtakes it. Rather, home struggles down the stretch could wind up costing the Panthers.

The second of a three-game homestand comes Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils with Florida hoping to avoid its first three-game home span without a point in two years. And it will have to do so without one of its top scorers.

The Panthers (42-25-9) finished a 2-1-0 road trip with Saturday's 5-2 win in Tampa Bay to complete a 4-1-0 season against the Lightning. It put them two points up on their division foes before Tampa's 3-0 home win Monday over Toronto.

The Maple Leafs turned around and handed the Panthers a 5-2 defeat a night later to keep the teams even at 93 points. That won't work for the Panthers because the Lightning have six more regulation and overtime wins - the first tiebreaker.

Boston (88 points) and Detroit (87) linger, but the Atlantic race appears to be confined to the Sunshine State.

"We just have to regroup," Jaromir Jagr told the team's official website. "There's always next game. It's not like we lost and we're out of the playoffs. We have to forget about it and get ready for next game. It's going to be even bigger."

Jagr had an assist and is a point away from his 18th 60-point season, while Jonathan Huberdeau scored for a third straight game. Those two might be asked to do even more if Vincent Trocheck misses time. The forward, who had scored in four straight games to tie Jagr for the team lead with 25 goals, left in the second period after blocking a shot, and it seems that he suffered a non-displaced ankle fracture that will likely sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season.

He's expected to be in a cast for 10 days before being re-evaluated in time for a hopeful playoff return. In the meantime, 5-foot-6 center Rocco Grimaldi will likely be called up in Trocheck's absence.

"He was our best player for a long time, so it's tough," Jagr said. "Not only we lost this game, we lost our best player. Hopefully somebody else is going to step up. He was playing so well and the whole line (Trocheck-Jussi Jokinen-Reilly Smith) was playing so good."

The immediate problems were on the penalty kill. Toronto was 3 for 4 on the power play after the Lightning went 2 for 5 three days earlier.

Over a 2-2-1 home span, Florida has given up 4.20 goals per game with opponents' power plays (6 of 16, 37.5 percent) nearly tripling its own (2 of 15, 13.3). The Panthers last lost three straight home games in regulation from March 27-April 4, 2014.

Since acquiring Jagr from New Jersey on Feb. 26, 2015, the Panthers have won two of three in the series with the 44-year-old recording five points.

He's certainly on the better side of the series considering winning out likely won't be enough for New Jersey (37-32-8) to make the playoffs.

The Devils, however, will have a significant impact on the Atlantic race, following Thursday's game with Saturday's in Tampa before a home meeting with the Lightning five days later.

They remained solid defensively in Tuesday's 2-1 home win over Boston and have limited opponents to six goals over a 3-1-1 span.

"We can only control our games," said goaltender Keith Kinkaid, who finished with a career-high 29 saves. "We just have to hope there are a few losses from other teams. We just have to win our games."

New Jersey could have Cory Schneider, who had been with AHL Albany for conditioning after suffering an MCL sprain on March 4. He's back with the team but has posted a 3.45 goals-against average and .869 save percentage over a 1-7-0 span.

Florida's Roberto Luongo has given up four goals in three straight home games with an .855 save percentage, as well as 11 with a .756 mark on a three-game skid against New Jersey.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canadiens (35-36) at Lightning (44-27)

Date: March 31, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Twelve years and a pair of lockouts separate Tampa Bay from its last division title, when a 14-year-old Steven Stamkos watched the Lightning hoist their only Stanley Cup.

Tampa proved last year that winning the Atlantic certainly isn't a prerequisite to play for the silver chalice by eliminating division-champion Montreal on its way to the Final, but home-ice advantage through the first two rounds certainly would benefit a team that has lost only four regulation games at Amalie Arena in 2016.

Tampa Bay can clinch the division's tiebreaker over its Sunshine State rival with a regulation or overtime victory Thursday night against a Canadiens team has won the first two matchups this season.

The Lightning (44-27-5) won the Southeast in 2003-04 before beating Calgary in seven games to win the Cup. They haven't finished better than second in their division since, with a franchise-record 108 points in 2014-15 falling two behind Montreal.

Tampa won the second-round series with the Canadiens in six games despite not having the home-ice edge and won the Eastern Conference before losing Chicago in the Final. It has gone 15-4-1 at home in the new year, though, and is inching closer to have an advantage over Florida for the Atlantic title.

A victory over the Canadiens (35-36-6) would secure the tiebreaker with more victories in regulation or overtime over the Panthers, who also have 93 points to tie for the division lead. Tampa Bay has six more such wins, and after Thursday, both clubs will have five games remaining.

The Lightning have won four of their last five, with the lone defeat coming to Florida on Saturday. They bounced back with Monday's 3-0 win over Toronto as Ben Bishop made 34 saves.

Tampa completes a six-game homestand Saturday against New Jersey.

"A lot of things we need to work on," said Stamkos, who had two assists. "We will take the win, especially at this point of the year when points are critical, but I can't sit here and honestly say that was a great effort from us. We have to thank Bish for sure for giving us a chance to win this game ultimately."

Valtteri Filppula returned from injury after missing the previous six, but Ryan Callahan sat out his fifth straight and Nikita Kucherov missed his second in a row as they both battle lower-body injuries.

It's unclear if they'll return against Montreal, which is trying to play spoiler after being eliminated from postseason contention. It dropped six of its previous eight before dealing Detroit a blow to its playoff hopes with Tuesday's 4-3 win.

Max Pacioretty opened the scoring in the first, then broke the tie in the third with his 27th goal of the season. P.K. Subban sat out for the ninth straight contest with a neck injury, but he's reportedly close to returning.

'The games we've won through this bad stretch have been against some very good teams," Pacioretty said. "Sometimes you're able to surprise teams like that. First-place teams tend to take their foot off the gas late in the year.'

The Lightning won the previous seven regular-season meetings before Pacioretty's shootout goal gave the Canadiens a 4-3 victory Dec. 28. Tomas Plekanec scored in that contest then had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory over Tampa on Feb. 9.

Bishop took the loss in both matchups after posting a 1.41 goals-against average while winning his previous seven regular-season starts against Montreal.

Mike Condon made 36 saves for the Canadiens in the first meeting and could be in net again despite a 3.89 GAA over his last six starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Senators (34-33) at Wild (38-28)

Date: March 31, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Both the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators put together remarkable second-half runs to reach last season's playoffs. Only one seems headed for an encore.

Nearing a fourth consecutive postseason trip, the resurgent Wild aim for a seventh straight win in Thursday night's meeting with the visiting Senators.

The Wild are on pace to extend another roller-coaster season by coming through during the stretch run, though it took an organizational shakeup to foster this midseason rally. Minnesota (38-28-11) is 15-6-1 since interim coach John Torchetti replaced Mike Yeo on Feb. 13 to move five points clear of Colorado for the West's final wild card with five games remaining.

'I think it was just a stand by all of us in this locker room. Enough is enough,' defenseman Matt Dumba said. 'We were sick of losing games to probably teams we shouldn't and ended up beating the ones that were higher up in the standings that we knew we could.'

Such surges are nothing new for the Wild. They went 28-9-3 over their final 40 games last season and 23-10-7 over the last 40 of 2013-14, earning wild-card spots under Yeo each time.

Torchetti has them playing like serious contenders once again. The Wild have outscored opponents 14-3 over their last three wins while yielding eight goals over the streak, and they've been stellar on special teams. They're 27 of 28 on the penalty kill over the past 11 games and have converted 24.1 percent of power-play chances since the coaching switch.

'It's my job, when I took over, to gain the players' confidence that I trust them in all situations," he said. "I think once players trust, not just their coach but their teammates, they're able to play the game faster.'

Minnesota moved within one of its longest winning streak since a seven-game run from March 14-27, 2013, with Monday's 4-1 victory over slumping Chicago, three nights after increasing its playoff hopes with a 4-0 win at Colorado. Erik Haula and Nino Niederreiter each had a goal and an assist against the Blackhawks to support another sharp effort from Devan Dubnyk, who's posted a 1.30 goals-against average while starting each game of the streak.

Haula is on a career-high nine-game point streak and Niederreiter has six goals over that stretch.

Ottawa (35-33-9) nabbed one of the East's wild cards with a sensational 21-3-3 finish to last season but won't be duplicating that feat, having been eliminated with Philadelphia's win over Washington on Wednesday.

The Senators did their part to try to stay alive, opening a three-game trip with Wednesday's 2-1 win at Winnipeg. Last in the NHL in shots allowed, Ottawa held the Jets to 21 to halt a three-game skid.

"That was one of our best defensive efforts," goaltender Andrew Hammond said. 'The biggest thing that sticks out in my mind is the shot blocks throughout the game at key times. Whether it was on the penalty kill or at the end of the game there when they had the goalie out, that was a huge part.'

The Senators have had the upper hand against the Wild of late, going 3-0-1 in the last four meetings and winning nine of the past 11. Erik Karlsson capped a three-point night by scoring the deciding goal in a 3-2 overtime victory in Ottawa on March 15.

Ottawa had won four straight in Minnesota before a 3-2 shootout loss last March.

With Hammond working Wednesday's win, the Senators are expected to turn back to a struggling Craig Anderson. The veteran goaltender has allowed 10 goals in losing all three starts since a 23-save effort against the Wild.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Coyotes (34-35) at Stars (46-22)

Date: March 31, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

With a demanding trip to face two of the Western Conference's top teams looming, Dallas knows how vital two points are in its last game against a non-playoff contender.

Arizona just hasn't played like a postseason afterthought against the Stars.

Dallas continues its pursuit of the West's top seed Thursday night, but it's the visiting Coyotes seeking a sweep in the season series after beating the conference front-runners last week.

The Stars (46-22-9) are tied on 101 points atop both the Central Division and the West with St. Louis, and after Tuesday's 5-2 win over Nashville, they have a three-game advantage in the first tiebreaker of regulation and overtime wins.

Both teams have five games remaining, but Dallas follows this contest with visits to Los Angeles and Anaheim before facing Colorado and the Predators at home.

"I think we're doing a lot of good things, and we're getting good results because of it," Jason Spezza told the team's official website. "We're trending in the right direction. The games are only going to get tougher and tougher here as we get going."

Spezza scored his 30th goal to give the franchise its first set of three 30-goal scorers along with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin since Russ Courtnall, Ulf Dahlen, Mike Modano and Dave Gagner each hit the mark for the Minnesota North Stars in 1992-93.

Benn has three in his last two games to put him one away from his first 40-goal season. No Stars player has reached that mark since Modano's 50-goal campaign in '93-94 - the franchise's first season in Dallas. He's already tied with Brett Hull in 2000-01 for the top mark since the turn of the millennium.

Team-wise, it's Dallas' first 100-point season since 2006-07. That one ended at 107, but it was only good enough for third in the old Pacific Division and fifth in the West.

"It's a good accomplishment, not a lot of teams hit that," Alex Goligoski said. "We should feel good about that. The team has worked hard all year. We still have some time to add more points."

After a 3-1 home win over the Stars last Thursday, Arizona (34-35-7) has won the first two meetings by a 9-4 total after Dallas swept three last season by a 13-4 score. The games this season have both come in the desert, but the Stars have won the last six in Dallas while limiting the Coyotes to a total of two goals over the previous three.

Last week's victory was part of a three-game winning streak that ended with Monday's 5-2 home loss to Calgary.

Anthony Duclair had both goals and is one away from becoming the second player since the franchise moved to Arizona to hit the 20-goal mark after Peter Mueller scored 22 in 2007-08. Teemu Selanne's '92-93 franchise record of 76 is probably out of reach.

Both of Duclair's goals came on the power play, and the Coyotes are 3 for 7 in the last two games.

"We made some good plays on the power play. You want to capitalize every time we're not ahead," Duclair said. "That's what we did, but at the same time the game is played 5-on-5 and they did a better job."

A loss of any kind or Minnesota earning a point against Ottawa will formally eliminate Arizona from playoff contention in a season that started with promise. The Coyotes were second in the Pacific in mid-January but have gone 12-19-2 since with 2.30 goals per game.

That's put more pressure on their goaltenders, and Mike Smith figures to face Dallas. He's been a new man since returning from a 40-game injury absence, going 4-1-0 with a 1.20 goals-against average and .965 save percentage, though he's lost his last four against Dallas.

Kari Lehtonen has had the majority of the starts for the Stars lately, posting a 1.77 GAA and .941 save percentage over a 3-1-0 span. He's notched 1.51 and .950 marks over a 5-1-0 run against the Coyotes.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canucks (27-36) at Sharks (43-28)

Date: March 31, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

With every point crucial as they chase their first division title in five years, the San Jose Sharks are hoping to make the most of another golden opportunity against the Vancouver Canucks.

Coming off his first career hat trick, Logan Couture will try to help the Sharks keep the pressure on in the Pacific Division race by dealing the visiting Canucks a franchise record-tying 10th consecutive defeat Thursday night in the back end of this home-and-home set.

After losing three in a row at SAP Center last week, the Sharks locked up their 11th playoff appearance in the past 12 seasons with Monday's 5-2 victory over Los Angeles.

Now they've shifted their focus to capturing their first division crown since the last of a four-year run in 2010-11. San Jose is in a tight chase behind the Ducks and the Kings - both of whom have a game in hand.

The Sharks, though, gained more ground on idle Los Angeles on Tuesday with a 4-1 road win in the opener of back-to-back games against a Vancouver team tied for the league's fewest points.

Couture led the way with his first hat trick after recording 20 career two-goal efforts. The center, who also snapped a 10-game goal drought, has 11 goals and 23 points - his second most versus Western Conference opponent - in 27 career games against the Canucks (27-36-13).

Couture has been a big part of San Jose's return to the playoffs after missing nearly two months early in the season due to a broken leg that was followed by surgery to repair internal bleeding. The Sharks have gone 29-13-5 with Couture in the lineup but are below .500 without him.

'We're a different team with him,' coach Peter DeBoer said. 'We missed him.'

Though they're a conference-best 26-10-3 on the road, the Sharks (43-28-6) have struggled to break even on the home ice. They've also dropped five in a row there against the Canucks.

Vancouver, however, hasn't been able to win at any venue of late. The club hopes to shake its first nine-game losing streak since a franchise-worst 10-game skid from Oct. 23-Nov. 11, 1997.

The Canucks had two ties during a 10-game winless stretch from Jan. 7-28, 1998.

They've been outscored 28-8 while getting blanked four times during this 0-8-1 stretch. Recalled from the AHL earlier this month, Chris Higgins scored his third goal in 31 games on Tuesday.

The veteran left wing is just one of the players getting an opportunity with Vancouver missing injured regulars Alexander Edler, Luca Sbisa, Brandon Sutter, Radim Vrbata and Derek Dorsett.

Though they aren't getting results, Henrik Sedin insists there's been reason for optimism.

"(Because) we can start talking about (a lack of execution), it's good for us," the captain explained, "because the past two or three months, that hasn't been the case. We've been way too spread out. We haven't played within our structure and that's why we've been losing games."

San Jose's Joe Thornton has at least one point in each of San Jose's last 30 wins dating back to Nov. 28. The center has one goal and seven assists in a six-game point streak against Vancouver.

Brent Burns, who ranks second among all defensemen with 71 points, has six assists in his last four games. The All-Star also has eight assists and 12 points over his past 11 in this series.