Tuesday 1/12/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 19:45

Bournemouth

v

West Ham

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		21/20	13/5	14/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOURNEMOUTH	RECENT FORM
HWAWHDALADAW​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 1	HDADADHWHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: West Ham have lost only two of their ten Premier League away games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bournemouth are tough to beat at Dean Court, losing only three of nine home league games this season and counting Man United among the scalps claimed in front of their own fans. However, West Ham are resilient on the road and have drawn their last three away matches.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 19:45

Aston Villa

v

C Palace

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		21/10	23/10	6/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ASTON VILLA	RECENT FORM
HLADHDALALAD​ Most recent​	0 - 0 0 - 1 3 - 1 1 - 1	HWAWADHDHLAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Villa have not won a league game since the opening day of the season

EXPERT VERDICT: Aston Villa’s woeful run is showing no signs of stopping. They already look destined for the drop and the visit of Crystal Palace is unlikely to provide any relief. The Eagles have been excellent away from home this season and look a decent price to pick up three points at Villa Park.

RECOMMENDATION: Crystal Palace
2


REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 19:45

Newcastle

v

Man Utd

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT1		15/4	27/10	5/6	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NEWCASTLE	RECENT FORM
AWHDHLALALAL​ Most recent​	0 - 1 0 - 4 0 - 3 3 - 0	ALHLALHDHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Manchester United have only the tenth-best away record in the Premier League

EXPERT VERDICT: Relegation-threatened Newcastle have endured a difficult season but there are reasons to think they are better than their league position implies. Back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Tottenham at the start of December shows their potential and they look attractively priced to see off a poor Manchester United side who have lost their last three on the road.

RECOMMENDATION: Newcastle
2


REFEREE: Mike Dean STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

French League Cup TODAY 20:00

Bordeaux

v

Lorient

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		17/20	12/5	10/3	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BORDEAUX	RECENT FORM
HDADHWHDAW*AW​ Most recent​	3 - 2 3 - 2 1 - 1 1 - 0	AWALHWHDHD*AD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bordeaux have not lost in seven matches in all competitions

EXPERT VERDICT: Bordeaux picked up a timely win at Montpellier on Saturday and recent results suggest that Willy Sagnol’s team are improving, but they are priced on the short side for this League Cup quarter-final. Lorient have scored in eight of their last nine away games, so both teams to score looks a value alternative.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
1

 

[superbeets]

French League Cup We 13Jan 16:00

Toulouse

v

Marseille

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		19/10	23/10	7/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT TOULOUSE	RECENT FORM
HLADAWHDAW*AW​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 6 1 - 1 0 - 1	AWHDAWADAD*HD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Marseille have not lost in 11 games

EXPERT VERDICT: Marseille have been struggling for consistency but crucially they are not losing games. L’OM have shown their best form away from Stade Velodrome and they should be able to qualify from this League Cup tie in 90 minutes. The draw is the biggest concern as Marseille have drawn five of their last nine matches.

RECOMMENDATION: Marseille
2

 

[superbeets]

Premier League We 13Jan 19:45

Man City

v

Everton

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		8/15	15/4	5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN CITY	RECENT FORM
ALHWADAWALAW​ Most recent​	1 - 0 3 - 1 1 - 1 2 - 0	HLAWHLHDHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: City have not kept a clean sheet in 13 home games

EXPERT VERDICT: Manchester City have a terrible defensive record when captain Vincent Kompany is not in the side and goals could be on the cards with the Belgian centre-half set to miss out again. City and Everton boast potent options going forward so backing both teams to score looks a sensible approach.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
3


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Maple Leafs lose van Riemsdyk
By The Sports Xchange

Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks because of a non-displaced fracture in his left foot, the team announced Monday.
Van Riemsdyk leads the Maple Leafs with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 40 games. He didn't have a point in his previous two games but before that had at least one in seven straight.
The Maple Leafs recalled forward Josh Leivo from Toronto of the American Hockey League to replace van Riemsdyk.
The Maple Leafs also are loaning three players to the Marlies: Forward Mark Arcobello and goaltenders Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks are head to the Marlies.

---The Buffalo Sabres recalled defenseman Mark Pysyk from his conditioning assignment with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
Pysyk, 24, was on injured reserve since mid-November due to a broken foot.
Pysyk has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 88 career NHL games.

---The St. Louis Blues recalled defenseman Chris Butler and forward Ty Rattie under emergency conditions from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
Butler, 29, has played in 27 games with the Wolves this season, recording 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and 18 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Butler has made two appearances with the Blues, serving two penalty minutes.
Rattie, 22, has played in 29 games with the Wolves this season, sharing the team lead with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists). The 6-0, 189-pound Rattie has made three appearances with the Blues, posting two assists.

---The Winnipeg Jets assigned defenseman Paul Postma to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League on a conditioning assignment.
Postma, 26, has played in two games this season with the Jets. He has not been in the lineup since Nov. 10.
Over his NHL career, Postma has recorded 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 102 career games, all with the Jets.

---The Detroit Red Wings assigned defenseman Jakub Kindl to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
Detroit also removed defenseman Kyle Quincey (ankle) from injured reserve and placed defenseman Drew Miller (lower body) on long-term injured reserve.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Penguins (19-16) at Hurricanes (18-18)

Date: January 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Jordan Staal's continued production has helped the Carolina Hurricanes make up for the absence of one of their leading scorers.

Victor Rask's status is unknown for Tuesday night when Staal will face his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Rask, Carolina's second-leading scorer with 26 points, has missed the past two games due to an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes (18-18-7) swept a home-and-home series against Columbus while he sat out, with Staal finishing off a 4-3 overtime victory on the road Saturday.

Staal has one goal and one assist in three consecutive games.

"It's nice. I think for a while there I was playing some really good hockey, and (the puck) just wasn't going in," he said. "The last few, it's been going in, which is always nice and rewarding. I've got to stick with a consistent hockey game that I can do whether the points are going in or not.

"It's nice to get rewarded now, so hopefully I can keep doing it."

Rask, Phillip Di Giuseppe (concussion) and Nathan Gerbe (lower body) all skated Monday, but Gerbe's injury is considered long term. The Hurricanes' health is unclear for the first of two matchups with the Penguins (20-16-5) in six days. The teams play again Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Staal is facing the Penguins for the 10th time since a June 2012 trade that sent the former No. 2 overall pick to Raleigh to join his older brother, Eric. He scored his first goal against Pittsburgh in a 2-1 road victory Dec. 19, the first of four 2015-16 matchups.

Carolina is 3-0-1 in its last four games on its own ice but needed a 5-2 win March 26 to end a four-game home losing streak against the Penguins.

Pittsburgh, which has alternated wins and losses in its last eight road games, had another strong special-teams showing in a 3-1 victory in Montreal on Saturday.

The Penguins denied the Canadiens on four power plays and haven't given up a goal in 24 times short-handed in their last nine games.

"We can read off of each other pretty well," forward Eric Fehr told the team's official website. "When you have a chance to clear, we try to get it all the way down the ice. At the same time if we get a chance to go, we want to eat some time up and go on offense. I like the way we all think on the same page, and it's worked for us so far."

Patric Hornqvist scored their opening goal on a power play, putting his team 11 for 31 with a man advantage in the past 10 contests.

Carolina has gotten the better of special teams play in the past eight matchups with Pittsburgh, going 9 for 26 on the power play and 16 of 17 on the penalty kill. The Hurricanes went 2 for 4 with a man advantage in the December meeting.

They're 2 for 22 in their last 10 games but have killed off 31 of 34 penalties in their past 15.

Carolina has won three in a row just once this season, from Oct. 27-30.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (13-24) at Islanders (19-15)

Date: January 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Islanders have dominated Metropolitan Division foes for most of this season but not in 2016.

They seek to avoid a fourth straight regulation loss to a divisional opponent when the Columbus Blue Jackets make their first visit to Brooklyn on Tuesday night.

New York (22-15-5) went 7-0-2 against Metropolitan teams in the first three months of the season before losing all three January matchups. That includes back-to-back losses in which the Islanders' offense has been absent, a 4-1 defeat to Washington on Thursday and a 4-0 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday.

'It's just unacceptable about some of the way certain guys are playing right now,' coach Jack Capuano said.

'We've got some guys that have got to find their game. We can't go consecutive games without having any offense. For whatever reason right now, we aren't scoring any goals here.'

The Islanders are at 17.8 percent on the power play, a figure that is down to 10.3 in their last 12 games.

John Tavares has gone three straight games without adding to his team-high total of 15 goals. Frans Nielsen has 14 goals, with none in his last four games.

"Obviously we've got to get some answers," Tavares said. "There's no reason to panic but we know this isn't close to the way we play."

New York has captured both meetings with Columbus (15-24-4) this season, a 4-0 victory Oct. 20 in which Jaroslav Halak made 37 saves and a 3-2 overtime win Dec. 12 on Kyle Okposo's winning goal.

The Blue Jackets outshot the Islanders both times as they make their first trip to Barclays Center. They were New York's final regular-season opponent at the Nassau Coliseum in a 5-4 shootout win April 11.

The league's worst team has lost three straight, including a home-and-home set with Carolina in which it fell 4-1 on Friday and 4-3 in overtime on Saturday. The Blue Jackets rallied from a three-goal deficit the second night.

"I don't think either team, in that little two-game segment there, created a whole bunch of offense," coach John Tortorella told the team's official website. "They ended up creating enough to get the four points and we get one. So we need to be better."

Columbus played Saturday without captain Nick Foligno, who was placed on injured reserve after he absorbed a blind-side hit from the Hurricanes' Brad Malone the night before.

The weekend marked the debut of Seth Jones, acquired Wednesday from Nashville. He is part of the club's top defensive pairing along with Ryan Murray.

"I think (Murray) and (Jones) have played really well the first two games," Tortorella said. "I think Jonesy looked so much more comfortable the second game (moving) up the ice, some subtle plays, passing."

The Blue Jackets split up Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo in that back-to-back set and will likely do the same with a visit to Toronto on Wednesday.

Halak will likely start for New York. He is 5-0-2 with a 2.22 goals-against average in his last seven against Columbus.

Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic's status is unclear after he sat out the last game with a lower-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (19-17) at Blues (21-14)

Date: January 12, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The beat-up St. Louis Blues have been working long and frequent hours recently, so they might not be particularly fresh in their next game even after two days off.

The Blues have put in plenty of extra time during a four-game point streak, and they'll be looking for their first back-to-back wins of the new year when they face the similarly banged-up New Jersey Devils to open a four-game homestand.

St. Louis (24-14-7) stopped a five-game skid with a 2-1 shootout victory over Los Angeles on Saturday. Alex Pietrangelo tied it in the second period and Troy Brouwer got the deciding goal in the seventh round of the tiebreaker for the Blues, who have gone to two straight shootouts after dropping their previous two games in overtime.

Their just-completed three-game trip took place over four nights.

"It's four games in a row now that we have really dug in," coach Ken Hitchcock told the team's official website. "You get into overtime or extra time and you are going to win some and lose some. We now have played really well for four or five games in a row. We just have to keep it going."

St. Louis won without center Paul Stastny and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, both of whom suffered upper-body injuries in a 4-3 shootout loss to Anaheim on Friday.

"We've put a lot of work in and a lot of effort in," center David Backes said. "Now we've found that second point and it feels like a good reward for a great effort against a team that was rested and really came at us hard. We responded really well."

Hitchcock announced that Stastny is day to day, while Bouwmeester, along with Carl Gunnarsson and Magnus Paajarvi with the same injury, are week to week.

St. Louis will be trying to avoid a third consecutive home defeat by beating New Jersey for the third straight time at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 4-3 in the most recent such meeting Nov. 6, 2014.

They took the first matchup this season 2-0 on Nov. 10 behind 24 saves from Jake Allen, who's been put on injured reserve after leaving the Ducks game with a knee injury. Brian Elliott, expected to start for the second straight time after making 26 saves against the Kings, has a 1.96 goals-against average in his last nine games.

The Devils (21-17-5) beat Minnesota 2-1 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid. Defenseman Jon Merrill scored his first goal in 82 games for the third-period winner and Adam Henrique got his 15th of the season for New Jersey, which opened a four-game trip.

New Jersey's goal total against the Wild matched that of its previous three games. The club's 2.21 goals per contest is second to last in the league.

The Devils have also been hit hard by injuries. Leading scorer Mike Cammalleri has missed five straight games, the club is also without Patrik Elias, and Jiri Tlusty was placed on injured reserve this week.

Four players in Sunday's lineup had played a combined six NHL games this season as promoted reinforcements.

"This is the time where you need guys to step up," Henrique said. "There's a lot of opportunity for guys coming in the lineup and getting more of a chance to play. We need guys to take advantage of that."

Cory Schneider, 3-3-0 in his last six starts despite a 1.68 GAA, is expected to be in net for New Jersey. He's 3-4-1 with a 1.93 mark in nine career matchups with the Blues after making 26 saves Nov. 10.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sabres (15-22) at Wild (22-12)

Date: January 12, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Wild followed a road victory over the Western Conference's top team with a lackluster effort the next night that reminded them how much they still need to improve in order to climb in the standings.

Beating the Buffalo Sabres for the fifth straight time Tuesday night wouldn't exactly be a feather in their cap, but it would at least get them back on track at home.

Minnesota (22-12-8) sits fourth in a Central Division that's arguably the deepest in the NHL. It trails St. Louis by three points with three games in hand, but it failed to gain more ground after losing 2-1 to New Jersey on Sunday.

Zach Parise scored against his former team in the third period after the Wild totaled just seven shots through the first two periods.

"It's not good enough," Parise said. "We want to catch Chicago. We want to catch St. Louis. We can't come out and play like that."

The Wild's third defeat in their last four at home came after they beat first-place Dallas by the same score. Their 18 shots against the Devils were their second fewest of the season and they failed on their only power-play attempt.

Minnesota is 1 for 22 with the man advantage over its last 12 and hasn't scored on any of its previous 14 chances.

"We go out and beat a top team in their own building like that and then come out like that and not play a full 60," center Charlie Coyle said. "We're too good of a team to come out flat like that and not play our game. We can't afford games like that."

The Wild will try to bounce back against a Buffalo team they've swept in the last two season series. Parise and Thomas Vanek, who spent his first eight-plus seasons with the Sabres, had a goal and assist apiece in a 7-0 victory in the last meeting Jan. 15.

Buffalo (16-22-4) was outscored 21-8 during a six-game losing streak before Sunday's 4-2 win in Evander Kane's return to Winnipeg. Kane assisted on an empty net goal that gave Sam Reinhart his first NHL hat trick.

Reinhart scored 1:37 in to give the Sabres their first goal in the opening 20 minutes in six games. Their 17 first-period goals are tied with Philadelphia for the fewest in the league.

"We've talked about it. It's been a frustrating time not getting on the board early and not having success early," said Reinhart, who had one goal over his previous seven. "We've been having to kind of try and comeback late in the third. To get a couple early is great for our confidence."

The Sabres announced Monday that defenseman Mark Pysyk is back with the club following a conditioning assignment that stemmed from a lower-body injury that kept him out 22 games.

Goaltender Robin Lehner will remain with the AHL club for at least one more game during his assignment, meaning Linus Ullmark could be in net again for this contest.

The rookie made 42 saves against the Jets and has a 2.19 goals-against average over his last six.

Devan Dubnyk should be back in net after having Sunday off. Dubnyk has a 1.83 GAA over his last seven and won his only career start against the Sabres in the last meeting.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (17-16) at Blackhawks (26-13)

Date: January 12, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks are piling up the goals. The re-emergence of one of their top offensive threats should only make things worse for opponents.

After breaking out of the longest slump of his career, Marian Hossa looks to help the Blackhawks to their eighth consecutive win when the Nashville Predators visit the United Center on Tuesday night.

Hossa hadn't scored in 14 games entering Sunday's 6-3 victory over Colorado, but he tallied two of the Blackhawks' four second-period goals. That helped Chicago (27-13-4) inch within four points of Central Division-leading Dallas.

Hossa had never gone longer without a goal in his 18-year career.

'When I was younger, I tried to do a little too much,' Hossa said. 'I've learned over those years, if the puck doesn't go in, try to use your instincts, stay positive. Eventually it's going to go in.'

That's been happening consistently for Chicago even with an ineffective Hossa. The Blackhawks have averaged 4.14 goals during their season-high winning streak that started Dec. 29 - highest in the league in that span.

Patrick Kane has four goals and eight assists during the run and followed a rare pointless game by scoring twice Sunday. Jonathan Toews scored his fifth goal of the streak and added his third and fourth assists.

'It seems like we're trending in the right direction,' said Kane, who scored his NHL-leading 13th power-play goal. 'Keep building off this level we're at right now.'

The Blackhawks look to go 4-0 on their homestand before playing nine of 11 on the road. They're 18-5-1 and have won four straight at the United Center.

Corey Crawford is expected to be in net to try for his sixth straight victory. He's posted a 1.48 goals-against average in his last four games.

Crawford has won his last three starts against the Predators, including a 36-save performance in a 4-1 win Dec. 8.

Pekka Rinne suffered the loss in that one, but made 35 saves in a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks two days later.

Nashville (19-16-7) has gone 4-7-2 since that victory and suffered its third straight loss and fifth shutout of the season Saturday, 4-0 at Arizona.

The Predators, 1-5-1 in their last seven away from home, are tied at the bottom of the NHL with Edmonton and New Jersey with 1.40 goals per game since Dec. 31.

'Is there a concern in the last three to five games? Yeah, there is,' coach Peter Laviolette said. 'We've got to be better and there's no excuse. We've got to start playing well enough to win games, not just playing games.'

The Predators ended a three-game skid in the series with the Dec. 10 victory.

Kane scored in each of this season's first two matchups to give him 19 regular-season goals versus Nashville - his highest total against any opponent.

Nashville's Eric Nystrom also scored in both games while James Neal had two goals Dec. 10. Neal has recorded three multigoal games in his last five against Chicago, totaling seven goals, and has 14 goals in 20 career meetings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (14-23) at Coyotes (21-16)

Date: January 12, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The only team that separated the Edmonton Oilers from the bottom of the Pacific Division last season isn't providing such cover midway through this one.

The Arizona Coyotes enter the second half in second place with a shot at establishing their longest winning streak in more than two years Tuesday night at home against the embattled division foe they've left in the dust.

Saturday's 4-0 home win over Nashville was the Coyotes' third straight, which they haven't bettered since winning five in a row from Oct. 26-Nov. 5, 2013. Arizona (21-16-4) has outscored opponents 9-3 in on the run since falling 4-3 in a shootout in Edmonton (17-23-3) on Jan. 2.

"I think everyone was doubting this team starting this season and even a couple of months ago," goaltender Louis Domingue told the team's official website. "Right now I think everybody in this room and everyone around the league are starting to take us seriously. â?¦ We're playing way better defensively than we were last year and I think we're starting to really get confident with the way we play. We're just so strong in every aspect."

Domingue has been in goal for each win to improve to 6-0-2 as a starter with a 1.73 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. On the team's 4-0-1 point streak, the 23-year-old has 1.58 and .952 marks.

"When the goaltender is solid in there, the team doesn't feel that there is a rat race in front of them," coach Dave Tippett said. "Our team has played pretty well in front of them, and Louis certainly does his part just stopping the ones he is supposed to."

Offensively, Tobias Rieder had two goals and an assist, giving him six points in his last three home games. Seventeen of his 26 points have come at home.

The Coyotes began a season-high seven-game homestand with their first four-goal win of the season, and 41 games in, they're in second place with 46 points and hopes of closing the gap with Los Angeles, which visits to conclude the homestand Jan. 23.

"With the seven games at home you can look at it as almost a full playoff series," Tippett said. "If we do well in this series it will propel us to the start of the second half. It's a major focus for us right now, that we have to have a good homestand."

Tippett's team finished six points back of the Oilers last season despite winning all five meetings as part of an 11-0-2 stretch in the series with 4.00 goals per game.

Edmonton's offense again seems incapable of keeping up. The Oilers fell 2-1 at home to Florida on Sunday and have scored 19 goals over a 3-8-1 span. They don't expect it to get any easier.

"It's going to get tough like this the rest of the way as things get close to the playoffs, the intensity goes up, teams continue to play tight checking, this is what we have to expect every night," Mark Letestu told the team's official website. "We're going to have to work and earn every goal we get."

The power play has been part of the struggle with a 2-for-25 mark over the past 11 games, though Arizona's penalty kill has only gone 20 for 30 in its last nine.

Cam Talbot was in goal for the win over the Coyotes at the beginning of the month to get to 3-0-0 against them in his career. Overall, he's posted a 1.78 GAA during a 2-3-0 span.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lightning (19-17) at Avalanche (21-19)

Date: January 12, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

In part due to injuries, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren't producing goals at nearly the same rate as last season, but Nikita Kucherov has been one of the league's most consistent performers for much of the past six weeks.

Kucherov has played a key role in giving the Lightning the chance at a winning road trip, but to accomplish that task, they'll have to earn their first victory at the Colorado Avalanche in 12 seasons Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay (21-17-4) is averaging 2.50 goals this season, down from its league-best 3.16 in 2014-15, and is one point shy of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2015. The Lightning haven't scored more than three goals in any of their last six games but have earned back-to-back victories on their four-game road trip.

Kucherov scored the first of his team's three third-period goals in a 3-2 victory against Edmonton on Friday. He tallied an even more important one, the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday, giving him 10 goals and 10 assists in his last 16 games.

"These last couple of games ... it hasn't been perfect," coach Jon Cooper said. "But we played pretty well, the effort has been outstanding and we got four points out of it."

Tampa Bay has dealt with a number of injuries but only one player is currently out, forward Joel Vermin (lower body). That improved health has Cooper optimistic about the rest of the season.

"We're halfway through the season and we're not where we expected to be, but we finally got our team back. Now we've got to put a consistent effort together,' Cooper said. 'It's been hard to be consistent when lines are changing every single night because guys are getting hurt. We've finally got healthy here and got a little stability in our group.

"You can see the confidence growing in our room with every single period we play."

The Lightning will try to finish 3-1-0 on their trip by ending a six-game skid in Colorado (21-19-3). They haven't won there since March 1, 2004, and are 2-8-2 with two ties all-time in Denver.

A leaky defense has played a large role in the last two defeats in Colorado as Tampa Bay has given up a combined 11 goals. The Lightning lost 5-4 in their latest visit Feb. 22, and have dropped three of the last four overall, including a 2-1 defeat Oct. 29.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 shots in that game but made 16 saves on 20 shots before getting pulled in a 6-3 loss in Chicago on Sunday. That performance ended a three-game win streak for the Avalanche, who earned all of those victories at home.

"Defensively I don't think we were where we needed to be tonight," said forward Matt Duchene, who had a pair of goals and an assist. "We gave up some pretty good chances and kind of hung our goalies out to dry a couple of times."

Duchene, who has 21 goals, has scored five times with four assists in his last seven games. He has one goal and two assists in his last five games against Tampa Bay while Nathan MacKinnon has five goals and five assists in five lifetime matchups.

Kucherov has one goal and two assists in his five games versus Colorado.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (19-14) at Rangers (21-14)

Date: January 11, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

It's been three weeks since the Boston Bruins won consecutive games and nearly a month longer for the New York Rangers.

While neither is in position to do so Monday night at Madison Square Garden, both will be looking for the makings of such momentum that came consistently earlier in the season.

Both teams fell just short of consecutive wins Saturday with Boston (21-14-5) losing 2-1 in overtime at Ottawa and New York (22-14-5) falling 4-3 in overtime at home against Eastern Conference-leading Washington.

The Bruins, playing their third on a five-game road trip, have gone 2-5-1 since a three-game winning streak from Dec. 16-20. The Rangers, completing a three-game homestand, are 6-11-3 dating to wins on Nov. 21 and 23, though they weren't entirely discouraged with scoring three straight goals to start the third period after falling behind 2-0, then losing the lead in the final seconds of regulation.

"This was taking a step forward as a team," coach Alain Vigneault said. "We battled back from a two-goal deficit against one of the best defensive teams in the league, one of the goaltenders that had been hard on a lot of teams. We were real close to getting it done."

Boston's Claude Julien had similar thoughts on his team's effort after tying the game early in the second.

"We came out and competed hard so again not unhappy with our effort," Julien said. "We had a chance to win this game. It could have easily gone the other way, so we'll take the point and move on here."

The Bruins' inconsistency begins with scoring. They've been held to one goal or less in four of the last eight, and seven of the 19 scored in that span came in one game. There's been some inconsistency among their lines with David Krejci missing the last five games with an upper-body injury, while Brad Marchand returned against Ottawa from a three-game suspension.

"We didn't have a great start, but once we got our legs under us and started playing our game, I thought we played pretty decent," Marchand told the team's official website. "It felt really good to be back and be around the guys, feel like part of the team again. I just want to keep moving forward now."

The Bruins have dominated the series lately with six wins in the last seven meetings, including a 4-3 victory in Boston on Nov. 27.

More recently, things have been messy in the defensive zone for the Rangers with an average of 3.92 goals allowed per game over a 4-7-2 span. It again hurt them as the Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom scored with six seconds remaining in regulation.

"Unfortunately we left a good player in front of the net, all alone, and there was a rebound and he put it in," Vigneault told the team's official website.

A penalty kill getting the job done just 72.9 percent of the time in those 13 games with a power play at 13.0 percent hasn't helped. Boston likely won't be the team to break through against with a 36 for 38 (94.7 percent) kill over the last 14 games.

New York's Henrik Lundqvist has given up at least two goals in 11 straight games while going 4-5-1 with a 3.78 goals-against average and has lost his last five games versus Boston with a 3.85 mark.

Counterpart Tuukka Rask has a 3.29 GAA over a 0-2-1 stretch but has a 1.90 GAA on a 6-1-0 run against the Rangers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sharks (18-18) at Flames (18-19)

Date: January 11, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks boast two of the NHL's hottest players but haven't harnessed those performances into consistent wins.

The Calgary Flames have also been inconsistent lately, but they have usually shined in recent matchups with the Sharks. They'll get a chance to earn another win in the series Monday night.

Joe Pavelski has nine goals and six assists in his last 12 games and defenseman Brent Burns has seven goals and seven assists in his past nine. The Sharks, though, are 5-9-2 since the beginning of December and 3-3-2 in their last eight road games.

San Jose (19-18-2) could use more players carrying the load like they did in a 7-0 rout of Toronto on Saturday. Tomas Hertl led the way with two goals and an assist while Burns and Pavelski each contributed a goal and an assist in the team's most lopsided victory since a 9-2 win over the New York Rangers on Oct. 8, 2013.

"When we have four dangerous lines out there, you see the potential that this team has. If we're going to make a run and string a lot of wins together, that's what we're going to need," forward Tommy Wingels said. "Certainly, a lot of guys feel better about their games today than in the past."

The Flames (19-19-2) dropped to 4-5-0 in their last nine with a 2-1 defeat to visiting Arizona on Thursday. Calgary has lost three of four at home following a franchise-record 11 consecutive victories.

Johnny Gaudreau scored the lone goal - his team-best 18th - to end a four-game point drought.

"Very disappointed because those are the games where you need to compete, to win battles, to keep competing and we didn't have everyone tonight," coach Bob Hartley said. "You can't win when you have five or six forwards going. It's sad but we were just not good enough."

The Flames will try to bounce back by earning their eighth win in the last 10 meetings with San Jose. Calgary's 4-2 victory Dec. 8 was its fourth in the last five home matchups, and Michael Frolik scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period.

Frolik is close to returning from an upper-body injury that's sidelined him since Dec. 15, but likely won't be ready to go for Monday's game.

The Sharks won the first meeting 5-2 in San Jose on Nov. 28. Pavelski had a pair of assists - his only points against Calgary in 2015-16 - and Burns also registered his lone point in the season series, an assist.

Karri Ramo is expected to face the two players Monday and looks to lower his 1.01 goals-against average from his first three starts in 2016. Ramo is 4-1-0 with a 1.39 GAA in his last five starts against San Jose.

San Jose's Martin Jones was pulled from his latest start in Calgary after giving up three goals on 14 shots. Alex Stalock has made each of his five appearances against the Flames in Calgary and is 1-2-1 with a 2.15 GAA.

The Sharks are playing back-to-back games in Canada, traveling to Winnipeg on Tuesday.

Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano, who has four goals and eight assists in his last nine games, has one goal and six assists in his last six versus San Jose.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Panthers (21-12) at Canucks (13-16)

Date: January 11, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Roberto Luongo represents the Vancouver Canucks' past and Chris Higgins may soon as well.

Luongo will try to help the visiting Florida Panthers extend their club-record win streak to 13 games Monday night against a Canucks team that has announced that they are trying to trade the underachieving Higgins.

Florida (26-12-4) opted to rest Luongo for the opener of this back-to-back set, with Al Montoya making 24 saves in Sunday's 2-1 win at Edmonton. Now the Panthers can become the first team to win 13 in a row since a 15-game run by Pittsburgh in 2012-13.

Luongo has started nine times in this run, posting a 1.31 goals-against average with two shutouts for the longest win streak of his career.

That career is known best for when he played for Vancouver (16-16-10) between 2006-14. This is his second game back at Rogers Arena since leaving, as he made 32 saves in a 3-1 victory Jan. 8, 2015.

He said a warm ovation from the fans that night brought closure to him for his time in Vancouver, where he also won gold for Canada at the 2010 Olympics.

Luongo was a teammate for three-plus seasons with Higgins, who has endured an injury-plagued season and has gone 22 games without a goal. The winger is not expected to dress after the Canucks said Sunday that they are exploring a trade.

"That's a tough day for everybody in our organization," second-year coach Willie Desjardins said. "He's brought a lot to our team through the years before I was here."

The Canucks fell to 3-2-1 on this seven-game homestand with Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay. They have scored three goals or fewer in seven straight games since a 5-4 shootout loss at Florida on Dec. 20.

"When you start losing, then I think you have to look at trying different options and trying different things," Desjardins said.

Vancouver will start giving more ice time to younger players with 23-year-old Emerson Etem ready for his club debut. Etem was acquired Friday from the New York Rangers after he had three assists in 19 games with them after spending his first three seasons with Anaheim.

Etem will be on a line with Linden Vey, a former junior hockey teammate.

"It makes that on-ice transition that much more easy," Etem said. "Definitely lucky to have that and like I said, I just can't wait to get going here."

Desjardins will start Jacob Markstrom in goal while Jannik Hansen, third on the team with 22 points, is out with an upper-body injury.

Aleksander Barkov has 14 points during Florida's winning streak, Jonathan Huberdeau has 13 and Jaromir Jagr 10. Huberdeau has five points in a three-game run and Jagr has five in a four-game streak.

Huberdeau and Jaromir Jagr had Sunday's goals as the Panthers won despite finishing with 14 shots for their lowest total in three seasons.

"It was a grinder-type game and we did what we had to do to win," center Nick Bjugstad said. "We didn't necessarily play well, but you're going to have those games where you don't feel the greatest but you have to sneak them out."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (21-13) at Kings (24-12)

Date: January 11, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Detroit Red Wings have scored some timely goals to remain unbeaten on their longest road trip of the season.

The Los Angeles Kings, meanwhile, haven't generated much offense of any kind lately but could face struggling goaltender Jimmy Howard when they attempt to earn a rare win over the Red Wings on Monday night.

Riley Sheahan scored with 3:44 remaining as Detroit (22-13-7) moved to 4-0-0 on its six-game trek with a 2-1 win against Anaheim on Sunday. The Red Wings have won each of those contests by one goal and have scored the go-ahead goal in the final seven minutes or later in three of them.

Tomas Tatar kicked that off by finding the net with 2:50 to go in a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Jan. 2.

"When you can get wins like this in close games and work really hard to get them, I think it's huge for us and builds your confidence," Sheahan said.

Detroit has outscored Los Angeles 16-9 while winning five of the last six matchups and prevailed 3-2 Nov. 20.

Dylan Larkin recorded the key goal in the second period and scored his team-leading 14th in last Monday's 1-0 win in New Jersey.

The Kings (26-12-3) have produced a combined six goals in their past four games after totaling 18 in their previous four. Anze Kopitar had his team's tally in a 2-1 shootout loss to St. Louis on Saturday, Los Angeles' second defeat in three games since a string of five consecutive wins.

"We just have to bear down on our opportunities," defenseman Jake Muzzin said. "We had good looks and good shots, some point-blank shots and some second and third ones. And if we capitalized on those, there would have been a different outcome to the game."

With Petr Mrazek having started in Anaheim, Los Angeles might have an opportunity to snap out of its recent woes with Howard in net.

Howard is expected to make his first appearance since getting pulled in a second straight game Dec. 29 in a 4-1 loss in Winnipeg. The former Red Wings starting netminder is 0-1-3 with a 3.77 goals-against average in his last five starts and hasn't earned a victory in three road starts since Nov. 21.

Howard has shined in his last six matchups against the Kings, however, going 5-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA, but his most recent was Oct. 31, 2014.

Kings starter Jonathan Quick earned a 1-0 win in his latest game with Detroit in February and the most recent matchup in Los Angeles. He was 2-8-1 with a 3.54 GAA in his previous 11 meetings.

The Red Wings have dropped three of their past four games at Staples Center.

Jeff Carter scored both of Los Angeles' goals at Detroit in November, giving him six goals and three assists in his last 10 matchups. Tatar, who scored his 13th goal Sunday, has three goals and one assist in his past five with the Kings.

Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg has two points in each of his last three games against Los Angeles and a combined 15 in his past 10.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - January

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
1/1 2 10.5 9 UNDER
1/2 12 61.5 63 OVER
1/3 4 21 22 OVER
1/4 5 27 17 UNDER
1/5 8 43.5 46 OVER
1/6 5 26.5 23 UNDER
1/7 7 38.5 29 UNDER
1/8 6 31.5 34 OVER
1/9 10 53 47 UNDER
1/10 6 30 32 OVER
1/11 4 20.5 22 OVER
1/12 8 - - -
1/13 4 - - -
1/14 8 - - -
1/15 6 - - -
1/16 10 - - -
1/17 7 - - -
1/18 5 - - -
1/19 8 - - -
1/20 3 - - -
1/21 10 - - -
1/22 6 - - -
1/23 11 - - -
1/24 5 - - -
1/25 6 - - -
1/26 9 - - -
1/27 4 - - -
1/28 No games scheduled - - -
1/29 No games scheduled - - -
1/30 No games scheduled - - -
1/31 No games scheduled - - -