Tuesday 1/19/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Coppa Italia TODAY 19:45

Napoli

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Inter

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SS2		3/5	11/4	5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NAPOLI	RECENT FORM
HDHWAWHWAWHW​ Most recent​	2 - 1 2 - 2 1 - 0 4 - 2	AWHWHLAWHLAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Napoli have won their last five matches

EXPERT VERDICT: In-form Napoli are difficult to oppose in this cup clash. They have a fine record at Stadio San Paolo - winning 12 of their last 13 home matches - and face an Inter team who are failing to maintain their strong early season form.

RECOMMENDATION: Napoli
2

 

[superbeets]

English FA Cup TODAY 19:45

Bristol C

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West Brom

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BT2		14/5	5/2	11/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BRISTOL C	RECENT FORM
HDALALADHLHW​ Most recent​	2 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 3 1 - 0	ALHWHWHDADAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bristol City have won three home games this term

EXPERT VERDICT: Bristol City have parted company with manager Steve Cotterill since their 2-2 draw at West Brom and the Championship strugglers should be opposed in the replay. The Baggies needed a late equaliser to stay in the cup but they drew at Chelsea next time out and are good enough to progress.

RECOMMENDATION: West Brom
1


REFEREE: Jonathan Moss STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Coppa Italia We 20Jan 19:45

Lazio

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Juventus

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SS1		14/5	23/10	21/20	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LAZIO	RECENT FORM
HDHWAWHDAWAD​ Most recent​	0 - 2 0 - 3 1 - 1 0 - 2	HWHWAWHWAWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Juve have won 11 of their last 12 matches in all competitions

EXPERT VERDICT: Lazio have chalked up a seven match unbeaten run but they could falter against Juventus. The Serie A champions are flying at the moment and beat the hosts 2-0 at Stadio Olimpico in December. They look a decent price to advance to the next round in regulation time.

RECOMMENDATION: Juventus
2

 

[superbeets]

English FA Cup We 20Jan 19:45

Leicester

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Tottenham

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BBC1		—	—	—	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LEICESTER	RECENT FORM
ALHDHDADAWAD​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 2 3 - 2 1 - 2	HWAWADHDHLHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Both teams have scored in seven of Tottenham’s eight cup ties this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Punters should expect another entertaining clash between evenly-matched sides unlikely to field their first-choice defences. Neither Tottenham nor Leicester wanted this replay and the threat of extra-time and penalties could lead to a positive approach from both sides.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
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REFEREE: Anthony Taylor STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

English FA Cup We 20Jan 20:00

Liverpool

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Exeter

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BT2		2/7	5	12	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LIVERPOOL	RECENT FORM
AWALAWADHDHL​ Most recent​	5 - 0 2 - 0 3 - 1	ALHLHLHDADAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: The average age of the Liverpool starters in the initial clash was 22

EXPERT VERDICT: iverpool’s youngsters are likely to be given another crack at Exeter in this FA Cup third-round replay, but they could be in for a tough evening. Jurgen Klopp has some reasonably talented players at his disposal but they don’t have a huge amount of experience playing together, and even less under the instruction of the German manager.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Neil Swarbrick STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Stars place D Benn on injured reserve
By The Sports Xchange

The Dallas Stars placed defenseman Jordie Benn on injured reserve Monday with a lower-body injury.
The move is retroactive to Saturday's game at San Jose.
Benn, 28, has recorded nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 43 games this season. Benn leads Dallas defensemen and ranks second among all Stars skaters with 70 hits this season, while he ranks third on the team with 64 blocked shots.
The Stars also recalled defenseman Esa Lindell from the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.
Lindell, 21, currently leads team defensemen with 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) and is tied for first in goals in 42 games with Texas in his first full AHL season.

---The Arizona Coyotes assigned forward Steve Downie to the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Downie, 28, has collected six points (three goals, three assists) in 25 games with the Coyotes this season. The 5-foot-11, 191-pound native of Newmarket, Onatrio, has recorded 196 points (76 goals, 120 assists) and 1,057 penalty minutes in 433 career NHL games.

---The Washington Capitals reassigned defenseman Aaron Ness and forward Zach Sill to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Ness, 25, has appeared in eight games with the Capitals this season, recording two assists. Sill, 27, has scored one goal in seven games with the Capitals this season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (12-20) at Flyers (18-15)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

While a point streak has kept the Philadelphia Flyers within striking distance of a top-three spot in their division, that scenario for the Toronto Maple Leafs has become a pipe dream due to a long stretch without one.

The Flyers look to win their sixth game in the last two weeks Tuesday night while handing the visiting Maple Leafs a season high-tying sixth consecutive loss.

Philadelphia is 5-0-1 since Jan. 5 for a season-best point streak that has it with 48 points, right in the mix in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers' nine-point deficit for the division's third and final playoff spot was trimmed to five in that stretch.

Philadelphia (20-15-8) held the second-worst offense in the league through Jan. 2 with an average of 2.11 goals, ahead of Anaheim's 1.84. The Flyers, though, rank toward the top of the NHL with 3.00 goals per game during their streak while holding opponents to 1.83.

'We've started to string together some consistency,' said forward Wayne Simmonds, who has two goals and an assist in the last three games.

Simmonds assisted on Claude Giroux's third-period equalizer during Sunday's 2-1 shootout win at Detroit. Giroux and Jakub Voracek scored in the shootout while Michal Neuvirth turned aside two of three chances.

It was Philadelphia's third straight rally from a deficit in the final period.

"It's an important win for our team," coach Dave Hakstol said. "I've said all the way along, our guys have continued to battle hard for one another."

Steve Mason figures to be back in net for the Flyers, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight at home. He is 3-0-1 during their point streak with a 1.69 goals-against average and .940 save percentage, including his third shutout in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders on Jan. 9.

Mason beat the Maple Leafs 1-0 last January before losing 3-2 a month later, Toronto's only win in the last four meetings.

The Maple Leafs (16-20-7) are looking up at the rest of the Atlantic Division with 39 points. Toronto was the lowest-scoring team in the league and the worst defensively during its five-game losing streak, which includes three road losses. The Maple Leafs surrendered an average of 3.80 goals during that stretch while scoring 1.0 per game.

They are 2 for 37 on the power play in their last 10 games, and an inability to score on five chances with the man advantage cost them in Saturday's 3-2 loss at Boston.

"I really thought we had (the puck) moving big time but you got to score," coach Mike Babcock told the team's official website. "It's great to move it around and get quality chances but you got to find a way to fire the odd one in the net."

James Reimer will try to pick up his first win in net for the Maple Leafs since Nov. 20. He's since gone 0-5-1 in seven appearances despite a 1.92 GAA and .937 save percentage. Reimer is 2-4-0 with a 2.73 GAA in six career starts against the Flyers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Capitals (32-8) at Blue Jackets (15-25)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Braden Holtby's presence in net more often than not has assured the high-scoring Washington Capitals they can keep pace with anyone even if the offense has a tough night.

Holtby hasn't been himself lately, but now his teammates are doing their best to pick him up.

It's unclear if Holtby will be ready to go Tuesday night when Washington visits a Columbus Blue Jackets team also hoping to have its No. 1 goaltender in net.

Holtby leads the league with 29 wins and ranks among the leaders with a 1.99 goals-against average for the NHL-leading Capitals (34-8-3), whose 96 goals allowed are the fewest in the league. He went 23 consecutive starts without being charged with a regulation defeat, a streak that ended when he was pulled in the second period of Saturday's 4-1 loss at Buffalo.

The 26-year-old gave up two goals the following night against the New York Rangers before having to leave toward the end of the second with a bout of dehydration. Philipp Grubauer relieved him again and stopped all 11 shots he faced in a 5-2 victory.

'(Holtby) said that he was having a little trouble getting focused, and he didn't get hit or anything,' coach Barry Trotz said. 'I think we've got it under control. He'll be good."

Trotz could choose to sit Holtby and go with Grubauer, but no decision has been announced. Grubauer's effort and Justin Williams' second career hat trick helped the Capitals improve to 10-0-1 following a loss.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 27th goal of the season on the power play and Evgeny Kuznetsov had three assists, giving him five along with two goals over his last four games.

'We're not used to losing, and we don't like it,' Williams said. 'You throw a stinker in there and you want to redeem yourself, and luckily for us we were able to do it the next night.'

Williams scored and Holtby made 29 saves in a 2-1 win over Columbus on Oct. 30, but Jack Johnson and Brandon Saad scored two goals apiece on Holtby in the Blue Jackets' 5-4 shootout win Jan. 2.

Sergei Bobrovsky was in goal for that first meeting, but he hasn't played since Dec. 8 because of a groin injury. He dressed and backed up Joonas Korpisalo in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Colorado.

Coach John Tortorella said he's not sure if Bobrovsky will be ready for this matchup, but that if he is he will play. Bobrovsky is 4-3-3 with a 3.07 GAA in his career against the Capitals.

"He's our No. 1 guy," Tortorella said.

The Blue Jackets (17-25-4) beat Toronto 3-1 on Wednesday before the win over the Avalanche and are on the verge of matching their longest winning streak of the season. Johnson's goal with 1:07 remaining against Colorado bounced off an opponent's skate and broke the tie.

Brandon Dubinsky also scored for Columbus, which improved to 4-1-1 at home since Dec. 19.

'Feels good to have one of those go our way,' Dubinsky said. 'Feels like it's been one of those years where we haven't had many bounces or calls. It's nice to get a bouncer like that, a seeing eye shot that finds the back of the net and get us a win.'

Captain Nick Foligno has missed four straight with an upper-body injury. Columbus hasn't announced a timetable for his return.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canucks (15-17) at Rangers (22-16)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Henrik Sedin's visit to New York was cut short due to a hit from behind. The Vancouver Canucks, however, are looking to complete their stay in the Big Apple with four points.

The Canucks go for their first three-game winning streak of the season Tuesday night in their first meeting with the New York Rangers since their trade earlier this month.

Henrik Sedin leads Vancouver (19-17-10) with 28 assists while his 37 points are four back of Daniel Sedin's team high. Any attempt to close that gap won't come until next month after Henrik Sedin was sent home with an upper-body injury.

The All-Star center got hurt in the first period Sunday when he was driven into the boards by the Islanders' Mikhail Grabovski in a 2-1 shootout win. Grabovski was issued a 5-minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.

While the hit will likely keep Sedin out until after the All-Star Game on Jan. 31, Grabovski won't face further discipline from the league.

"Probably a 10-day injury or so," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. "We always want protection of our players. I think everybody in the league does. The league reviews a lot so that's not for me to comment on it. One thing you always want your players to feel is safe."

Jared McCann is expected to replace Sedin on the top line, joining Daniel Sedin and Jannik Hansen. The rookie combined with Daniel Sedin to assist on Ben Hutton's goal against the Islanders.

"(McCann) is a lot of faster than Henrik," Daniel Sedin said. "They are different players. Jared plays with speed and tries to beat guys 1-on-1. We played together before Christmas and did a good job. We're hoping for the best against a good team."

Another big effort from Ryan Miller could go a long way. He had 47 saves and turned aside all three shootout attempts Sunday in his second start since cramps sidelined him for six games.

He had 32 saves while Daniel Sedin's third-period tally was the difference in a 2-1 win over the Rangers (24-16-5) on Dec. 9.

Sedin has four points over the last two meetings with New York, assisting on both of his twin brother's goals in a 5-4 shootout win at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 19.

This visit includes Emerson Etem's return to MSG after being dealt by the Rangers for forward Nicklas Jensen and a draft pick Jan. 8. It was the second time in roughly six months the right wing was traded, going to New York from Anaheim over the summer.

Etem had three assists in 19 games with the Rangers.

"They've been in the playoffs the past few years, and they got the guys that they stick with," Etem said. "Sometimes you go in there and you just don't fit in. I think that's the case. I felt like I brought speed. But (they had) a couple guys with speed, it was almost like, 'Where do I kind of fit in?' And I think they felt the same way."

The Rangers won the Presidents' Trophy last season, but their 17 points since Dec. 1 rank only better than Montreal's 11.

"I have full confidence in this group that we can hang with any team in the NHL," center Derek Stepan said following Sunday's 5-2 loss at league-leading Washington.

Chris Kreider is doing his part with three goals in two games after netting a pair against the Capitals. The left wing hasn't scored in three meetings with the Canucks after getting his only career hat trick in a home victory Nov. 30, 2013.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flames (19-20) at Devils (20-19)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Cory Schneider's high of being named to his first All-Star team this month has come with the low of a slump by New Jersey.

Schneider is doing his best to revive the injury-plagued Devils and can help them win consecutive games for the first time in more than two weeks while snapping a six-game losing streak against the visiting Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

Despite Schneider's solid play in net, New Jersey (22-19-5) has taken a step back with losses in five of seven. The Devils sat within a point of the Metropolitan Division's third playoff spot before a cold stretch has dropped them four back with a week left before the All-Star break.

Schneider is tied with Chicago's Corey Crawford for the league lead in starts with 38 and was chosen earlier this month to play in the league's midseason showcase at Nashville. He has plenty of work left to do, however, with four games left.

Schneider has a 1.51 goals-against average and .947 save percentage since Dec. 30, and he matched a season high with 38 saves in Saturday's 2-0 win at Arizona for his fourth shutout.

The Devils needed almost every one of Schneider's saves with two or fewer goals scored for the seventh straight game. New Jersey has eight total goals for the lowest average in the league at 1.14 during that span while going 0 for 17 on the power play.

They managed a 2-2 trip with Saturday's win. Reid Boucher scored his first goal of the season a day after getting recalled from the AHL, and Kyle Palmieri chipped in his team-leading 18th to snap a season-worst six-game drought.

The Devils have played without leading point scorer Mike Cammalleri the last eight games due to an upper-body injury, but coach John Hynes said there's a good chance he will return against the Flames.

"We had a lot of changes in our lineup and a lot of adversity over the last eight days," Hynes told the team's official website. "So it's good to go .500 on the trip and respond the way we did."

Winning two games in a row for the first time since taking three straight Dec. 29-Jan. 2 will mean beating Calgary for the first time since Nov. 24, 2010.

The Flames (20-20-3) own an eight-game point streak against New Jersey dating to March 2010, and the latest chapter came Nov. 17 when they handed Schneider his third straight loss in this series with a 3-2 victory in Calgary.

Calgary is one of the top scoring teams in the league since Dec. 4 with 3.11 goals per game, but the Flames followed a season high in Wednesday's 6-0 win over Florida with Saturday's 2-1 shootout loss at Edmonton.

Sam Bennett scored the lone goal three days after becoming the first Calgary player to score four in a game since Jarome Iginla on Feb. 23, 2003. The Flames came up empty on their other 31 shots and failed to connect on their three shootout attempts.

Jonas Hiller suffered the tough-luck loss in net after making 36 saves.

"When he plays like that, you should win pretty much every game," defenseman Dougie Hamilton said. "We owe him one next game."

Hiller has missed most of the season with injuries but has been great in his last two starts and earned his first shutout Wednesday. He has a 2.29 GAA and .913 save percentage in six career games against New Jersey.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (15-23) at Lightning (22-17)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning have displayed impressive focus during a season-high five-game winning streak, though they'll be challenged to avoid looking ahead.

With a showdown with the team they lost to in last season's Stanley Cup looming, the Lightning continue their homestand against an Edmonton Oilers club that enters Tuesday night's matchup with some momentum as well.

Tampa Bay (24-17-4) was outside of a playoff spot prior to its run, which began with a 3-2 comeback win at Edmonton on Jan. 8. It has since risen to third place in the Atlantic Division by finally combining timely scoring with a hot stretch from Ben Bishop.

'When you start stringing a few together, all of a sudden confidence starts going,' coach Jon Cooper said following Sunday's 3-1 win over slumping Florida. 'You win a few in a row, you think you can win every single game. The more we've won, that's what that feeling has been on the bench.'

Bishop made 26 saves against the Panthers and has yielded three goals while winning three straight starts. He's been supported by an offense that's produced three or more in each of the last five.

Nikita Kucherov has at least one point in the last five and recorded two goals Sunday. Vladislav Namestnikov has eight points during that span and posted his first NHL hat trick in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over Pittsburgh, which opened a four-game homestand that ends with Thursday's 2015 Stanley Cup Finals rematch with the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks.

Kucherov also scored the first of three third-period goals that erased a 2-0 deficit against the Oilers earlier this month. Victor Hedman added a goal and two assists while setting up Steven Stamkos' game-winner with 4:09 remaining.

That loss started an 0-2-2 stretch for Edmonton (19-23-5), which has since rebounded with consecutive wins. The Oilers earned a point in a fourth straight game and halted a seven-game road skid with Monday's 4-2 victory over Florida, in which Taylor Hall broke out of a slump with two goals and an assist.

"It's a nice feeling,"â??said Hall, who leads the Oilers with 18 goals but had just one over his previous 14 games. "It wasn't an absolutely perfect night for our team or our line, but we managed to get some goals and get a lead early, which we hadn't been doing lately."

The win did come with a cost, as center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injured his hand blocking a shot in the second period and is facing a long-term absence according to coach Todd McClellan. The 2011 No. 1 overall pick's 30 points are third-most on the Oilers.

It's uncertain whether Cam Talbot will play as well after starting Monday. The surging goaltender, signed to a three-year extension on Sunday, made 31 saves against Florida and owns a 1.46 goals-against average over his past six starts.

Backup Anders Nilsson has been struggling, having lost four consecutive starts and recording a 4.44 GAA in his last five.

Talbot also has been a key part of a penalty kill that's 13 of 13 over a three-game stretch and hasn't allowed a power play goal in seven of eight.

Tampa Bay's power play hasn't been clicking in January, having gone 2 of 19 in seven games.

Edmonton, a league-worst 6-14-4 on the road, has lost three straight at Tampa Bay since a 3-2 win on Dec. 9, 2009.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (21-16) at Canadiens (21-19)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

A team that began the season with a franchise-best start has now been the worst team in hockey for more than a month and a half.

Montreal's latest winless streak can reach five games Tuesday night at home against the Boston Bruins, but it's been the Canadiens dominating the series for nearly three years.

Since the start of December, the Canadiens (23-19-4) are 5-15-1 and their 11 points are six fewer than the next-worst team, making their 9-0-0 start seem eons ago. They haven't won or even recorded a point in consecutive games in that time. A season that was once going to be about maintaining a massive lead in the Eastern Conference has now turned into fighting for a playoff spot.

Montreal's third skid of at least four games in that time is at 0-3-1 after Sunday's 5-2 loss in Chicago.

"We're all pros. We understand that when things aren't going right, people are going to ask questions," Brendan Gallagher told the team's official website. "But it's important for us to stick together as a team. That's what we're talking about. We're going to get out of this. It's taking longer than we would have liked, but we're going to get out of this. The only way we're going to do that is by sticking together as a group.

"Tonight, we weren't good enough. Next game, we have to be better."

Max Pacioretty scored for a second straight game and has five goals in his last eight games following a 12-game span with one. The team, however, has scored seven goals on the most recent skid, which is no improvement over the 1.86 it's averaged since the start of December.

The Canadiens have won 13 of the last 15 regular-season meetings, including three of four this season. Pacioretty has six goals and five assists in his last eight games against the Bruins, while Gallagher has three goals and eight assists in seven games since the start of last season.

Boston (23-16-5) is the only team to allow Montreal more than three goals in its last 23 games, which was a 5-1 final at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1 for the Winter Classic.

More recently, the Bruins have started to overcome some struggles of their own with consecutive wins. Saturday's 3-2 home win over Toronto came with Brad Marchand scoring in the final minute of the third period. The forward hadn't scored in his previous 11 games, and Boston improved to 10-1-2 in games he scores. He had one called back earlier in the period, and he now needs to break an 11-game drought against the Canadiens.

"It felt pretty good - I'm not going to lie," Marchand told the team's official website. "It's been a little while, and it was frustrating to have that one called back, especially when we thought we were going to have the lead with 10 minutes left. I thought we played really well after that, and it was great that we were able to get the win."

That came in part because of a 5-for-5 penalty kill, and Boston has allowed just two power-play goals in 50 chances over the last 18 games.

Tuukka Rask ended a personal 0-4-1 skid, but he's won just four of 22 career regular-season starts against Montreal.

Counterpart Mike Condon hasn't won in his last three starts but is 2-1-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average against the Bruins.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (30-13) at Predators (18-17)

Date: January 19, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

No team has won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 18 years, and it's been much longer since a Chicago player won the Art Ross Trophy.

Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks are making their cases to end both droughts.

Chicago can set a new franchise record with a 12th consecutive victory by winning in Nashville for the first time in four visits when it begins a three-game trip against the Predators on Tuesday night.

Detroit is the most recent team to win consecutive Cup titles in 1997 and '98, but the Blackhawks (31-13-4) are making a strong statement as the team to beat again after winning their third championship in six years last season.

They've outscored opponents by 22 goals during an 11-game run that has matched the club record set from Feb. 15-March 6, 2013, before they hoisted the Cup later that year.

"In 2013, we had an unbelievable stretch," said Marian Hossa, whose empty-netter capped Sunday's 5-2 win over Montreal. "It's another new chapter and it's just nice to see everybody contributing in a different way. Overall, it's a winning attitude, so it's nice to see."

Everything seems to be clicking since Joel Quenneville tinkered with his lines and put Andrew Shaw on the first unit with Hossa and Jonathan Toews following a loss to Carolina on Dec. 27. Toews scored twice, and Shaw and Hossa each had a pair of assists against the Canadiens.

"We're on a bit of a roll right now," said Toews, who has 10 goals and eight assists over his last 16. "It's great to be playing the way that we're playing right now, given the fact that these are all very important games and it's a very busy time of year. We'd love to continue that pace and keep the momentum that we have right now."

Kane is a major reason for Chicago's surge to the top of the Western Conference. His franchise-record 26-game point streak Oct. 17-Dec. 13 made him the early favorite to capture the league's scoring title, and he hasn't slowed down since.

He had his first career regular-season hat trick and an assist in Friday's win at Toronto and a goal and an assist against Montreal, giving him 69 points that are 13 more than defending scoring champion Jamie Benn, who sits second in the race.

Kane is primed to become the first Blackhawks player to win the Art Ross Trophy since Stan Mikita in 1967-68, and his next goal would match his career high of 30 set in 2009-10. He had an assist in last Tuesday's 3-2 home win over Nashville, which has had some success against Chicago at home lately.

The Predators (20-17-8) have lost two of three meetings this season, but they beat the Blackhawks 5-1 at home Dec. 10. They also won the previous two matchups at Bridgestone Arena last year in a first-round playoff series Chicago won in six games.

Nashville enters this meeting after ending a five-game skid with Saturday's 3-0 win over Minnesota. Former Blackhawks goalie Carter Hutton made 29 saves with Pekka Rinne getting the night off, and Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Eric Nystrom scored.

"It's been tough. It's been frustrating," coach Peter Laviolette said. "The guys have been playing hard, putting in a hard effort and aren't seeing the results from it. So it's good to get a win. It was a big division game, division win and home win. There were a lot of good things about it."

Rinne went 0-3-1 with a 3.90 goals-against average during the losing streak, including the loss to Chicago, but could be back in goal for this one.

Corey Crawford made 41 saves Tuesday against the Predators and has a 1.56 GAA over his last seven overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (27-12) at Kings (26-13)

Date: January 19, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The unfortunate timing of the Dallas Stars' slide has allowed a streaking Central Division opponent to fly by them for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Kings could be next.

The Stars visit the Pacific-leading Kings on Tuesday night hoping to avoid a season-worst four-game winless span as they conclude a trying three-game West Coast swing.

After Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss in San Jose, Dallas (29-12-5) has fallen three points back of a Chicago team that's won 11 in a row. The Stars' 11-game stretch has yielded three wins, including a 1-4-2 mark with 3.71 goals allowed per game since the calendar flipped. Despite losing ground, they were happier with their play against the Sharks than they were in consecutive regulation losses.

"We did better tonight," center Jason Spezza told the team's official website. "Even some of the mistakes we made were harder-working mistakes. Sometimes when you go through a stretch like we went through, you've got to crawl before you can walk. It's hard to get that first win and get back on track."

They've also started to see some production from their top scorers. Jamie Benn had two assists against the Sharks and has four points in three games after going without one in four straight. Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist after being limited to a goal in his previous six.

The Stars have won four of the last five against the Kings, including the last two in last season's three-game series. They've also won consecutive matchups in Los Angeles as part of a 6-1-1 overall span. Benn has 11 points in his last seven in the series, while Seguin has nine in his past six.

The Kings (28-13-3) are coming off Sunday's 3-2 win in Anaheim with recent acquisition Vincent Lecavalier scoring in his second straight game. After being a healthy scratch for much of the season with Philadelphia, he has three points in five games with his new team. Los Angeles is 3-1-1 with him in the lineup.

"After something good happens, your confidence builds and you hold the puck a little longer, you make better decisions and I think I want to - it's only been five games - but I'm going to try and build on that," Lecavalier said. "I still have to get better. But every game is high-tempo and it's a great hockey game. So it's a lot of fun, for sure."

Top goal scorer Tyler Toffoli has scored in his last three games, while Anze Kopitar has three goals and five assists on a four-game point streak.

"I think just getting pucks down low," Toffoli said of Kopitar's recent run after scoring twice in his previous 16 games. "He's so good at holding onto pucks and kind of draws more attention to him, sometimes two guys, which makes it easier for me when I can kind of find a little bit of open ice and he'll find that little soft spot and give me the puck."

Lecavalier's goal came on the power play, improving Los Angeles to 4 for 8 in the last three games. The Stars have killed just two of five penalties in the last two.

In goal, Jonathan Quick has posted a 1.69 goals-against average and .938 save percentage over an 8-1-1 span. He's posted 3.13 and .882 marks while going 3-4-0 against the Stars over the past three seasons.

Dallas' Antti Niemi has a 3.75 GAA and .878 save percentage over an 0-2-2 period. The former San Jose goaltender knows the Kings well and was 2-2-0 with 1.78 and .942 marks against them last season.

The Stars will be without Jordie Benn after the defenseman suffered a lower-body injury against the Sharks.

 

[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 42.5 45 OVER
1/13 4 21.5 20 UNDER
1/14 8 42.5 37 UNDER
1/15 6 31 31 PUSH
1/16 10 52 48 UNDER
1/17 7 35 34 UNDER
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 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews

Count me among the many who expected the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to take a step back this season. Sure, they'd still make the playoffs because that's not all that tough in the NHL, especially in the Western Conference where there are two fewer teams than in the East. But I certainly didn't expect the Hawks to be one of the league's best regular-season teams and a top Stanley Cup contender again after losing the likes of Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp, among others, off last year's team for salary-cap reasons.

But clearly GM Stan Bowman knows what he's doing (other than giving Bryan Brickell a big extension a couple of years ago). In the trade for Saad, Bowman landed gifted second-line center Artem Anisimov. He has solidified that position, which has been a weak spot on the Hawks for years. Anisimov has 15 goals and 10 assists and has helped second-line right wing Patrick Kane get off to the best start of his career. The Hart Trophy favorite leads the NHL with 29 goals and 69 points. Bowman also got Russian KHL player Artemi Panarin on a low-cost, low-risk two-way contract, and he's your Calder Trophy favorite with 43 points (16 goals).

Last week, Bowman made sure to keep his incredibly successful head coach happy by signing Joel Quenneville to a three-year extension. He deserved a monster raise with those three Cups, and the $50 million deal that Mike Babcock got from the Maple Leafs this past offseason changed the financial landscape for coaches across the NHL.

The Hawks enter Tuesday's game at Nashville on an 11-game winning streak, which has tied the 2012-13 team for the longest in franchise history. They haven't lost since a 2-1 defeat at home to Carolina on Dec. 27 that dropped Chicago to 20-13-4. The Hawks were 13 points behind Central Division-leading Dallas then. Now Chicago has a three-point cushion atop the division and leads the West with 66 points. If you are wondering, the NHL record winning streak is 17 games, set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chicago is back up to the second-favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +500, behind only Eastern Conference-leading Washington (+400). The Hawks are now +300 favorites to win the West. The team has quality wins over Pittsburgh (twice) and Montreal (twice) during the streak. But Chicago has had a fairly beneficial schedule. The Blackhawks are just -110 favorites for Tuesday's game at Nashville. They are 2-1 vs. the Preds this season but lost the only meeting in Tennessee, 5-1 on Dec. 10. It should be said that No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford, having his best season, got that night off.

The schedule gets much tougher for Chicago after Tuesday. It visits Tampa Bay on Thursday night in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch; the Hawks beat the visiting Lightning 1-0 in overtime on Oct. 24. The next night, Chicago goes to Atlantic Division-leading Florida; Chicago beat the visiting Panthers 4-3 on Oct. 22. And then St. Louis visits the Windy City in an NBC national TV game on Sunday night. I don't expect Chicago gets through that Florida Swing with the winning streak intact, however.

Here are some other games to watch this week:

Dallas at Los Angeles, Tuesday: The Kings are -135 favorites , and this could well be the Western Conference Finals matchup if it's not Blackhawks-Kings. I have little doubt that L.A. gets there through the very easy Pacific Division. The Kings are +350 to win the West and Stars +475. Los Angeles tied up one of its best players over the weekend in signing center Anze Kopitar to an eight-year, $80 million extension. He was also named the NHL's Third Star of last week with seven points in three games. Dallas is scuffling a bit, having dropped three straight and is 1-4-2 in its past seven. This is the first meeting between these teams this season.

Vancouver at Boston, Thursday: The Canucks got some bad news in that star Henrik Sedin is likely out until after the All-Star break with an upper-body injury that came courtesy of a first-period hit from the Islanders' Mikhail Grabovski on Sunday. Grabovski received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct but no suspension. Sedin has nine goals and 28 assists this season. Expect some payback on Grabovski on March 1 when the Canucks see the Isles again. Boston thinks it might have center David Krejci back for this game. He has been out since Dec. 27 with an upper-body injury. Krejci practiced with the team Monday for the first time since then.

Anaheim at Washington, Friday: The Ducks continue to limp around near the bottom of the Pacific Division and on the fringes of the playoff race but still haven't made a major shakeup of the vastly disappointing team. There has been some talk the team was looking to acquire young Jonathan Drouin, the No. 3 overall pick in 2013, from Tampa Bay as Drouin has requested a trade and is currently in the AHL. Anaheim was involved in a trade with Pittsburgh over weekend, but I don't think it solves the team's offensive problems. The Ducks got forward David Perron and defenseman Adam Clendening for forward Carl Hagelin. Perron scored in his Duck debut Sunday, a 3-2 loss to the Kings. The Capitals might clinch the Metropolitan Division by mid-February as they have a 17-point lead entering the week. They are going to be the East's top seed barring an epic collapse. The Caps could get back defenseman John Carlson here. He has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury. Carlson had six goals and 27 points in 34 games prior to the injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA notebook: Five Warriors among Olympic finalists
By The Sports Xchange

Five members of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors have been named among the list of 30 finalists announced Monday for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala represent the Warriors as finalists, the most from any NBA team.
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans are three-time Olympic medalists who are attempting to make a historical fourth U.S. Olympic men's team.
The other finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team includes: LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs); Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls); Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies); DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Rudy Gay (Kings); Paul George (Indiana Pacers); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Dwight Howard (Rockets); Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers); DeAndre Jordan (Clippers); Kawhi Leonard (Spurs); Kevin Love (Cavaliers); Chris Paul (Clippers); John Wall (Wizards); and Russell Westbrook (Thunder).
Duke's Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski again leads the 2016 USA coaching staff. Serving as USA assistant coaches are Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams (Thunder).

---Johnny Bach, a longtime assistant coach in the NBA and prominent coaching figure in Chicago Bulls history, has died at the age of 91.
Bach died early Monday in Chicago after battling cancer and other ailments.
Bach spent 16 of his 19 seasons as an assistant coach with Golden State, Chicago, Charlotte, Washington and Detroit, and served as the Warriors' coach from 1983-86.
Before the NBA, Bach was the head coach at Fordham from 1950 to 1968, and at Penn State from 1968 to 1977. Bach amassed 387 collegiate coaching victories and 16 winning seasons.

---The Orlando Magic called up guard Keith Appling from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League and signed him to a 10-day contract.
The Magic also recalled guard Devyn Marble from their D-League affiliate.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bucks (18-25) at Heat (23-18)

Date: January 19, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

(AP) - For the first time in nearly two weeks, the Miami Heat are home.

It's a brief stopover.

A six-game trip ended with a blowout defeat at Oklahoma City on Sunday night, and a one-game homestand - the Heat host Milwaukee on Tuesday - is all the Heat get before embarking on another long trip.

They'll be in Miami less than 48 hours before heading out again, hardly enough time to solve all the injury and illness problems that are decimating the roster right now.

"We're dealing with a lot," coach Erik Spoelstra said, adding, "Welcome to the NBA in January."

January for the Heat has been particularly daunting.

When the schedule came out, this looked to be a challenging time for Miami. The Heat played 23 of their first 35 games at home and are paying for that now with a stretch where 11 out of 12 will be on the road.

And then there's the health issues: The Heat were missing five players when the game at Oklahoma City started, lost another before it ended, and it's likely Miami won't be at full strength again Tuesday.

"We've got guys out," forward Chris Bosh said. "It really sucks but you know the game goes on. We're still going to compete. We're going to show up and we're going to try to win games. ... We're scrambling trying to put it together right now. So we just hope that guys can get healthy.

"It's particularly tough at this part of the year with this road trip that we're in now. We just have to stick with it and figure these things out."

That, and re-pack.

Miami (23-18) arrived home at 1:36 a.m. Monday from Oklahoma City, with no practice scheduled for the day but plenty of training room visits most assuredly happening. The Heat play Tuesday, then are scheduled to fly to Washington later that night to start another five-game swing.

"Everybody's going through something," guard Dwyane Wade said Sunday after Miami's fifth loss in its last seven games.

Miami has used five different starting lineups in its last five, with some instance of a new malady popping up about every day on this just-completed trip.

Starting point guard Goran Dragic was sent home early because of a strained left calf. His replacement was Beno Udrih, who then was scratched Sunday with a sore neck. Josh McRoberts' knee pain has sidelined him for six weeks, Chris Andersen returned to Miami early because of a bone bruise, Jarnell Stokes has been sick and Gerald Green left the Thunder game early because knee tendinitis was flaring up.

And some of the guys playing are not 100 percent: Wade couldn't play Friday and returned to the lineup Sunday with tape on both shoulders, Tyler Johnson also has shoulder issues and Hassan Whiteside has been dealing with knee soreness.

"Thankfully nothing is really serious, but we do have some things that we have to treat and rest," Spoelstra said.

The Bucks (18-25) have had two days off after finishing a stretch of four games in five nights, and by the end of it the Eastern Conference's 13th-place team somehow looked fresher.

Milwaukee won three times during that grueling stretch against East teams above it after rallying past Atlanta 108-101 in overtime on Friday and winning 105-92 at Charlotte the next night.

"It's a tremendous win," interim coach Joe Prunty said after Saturday's victory. "It's a tremendous, gutty win by everybody. But it's the NBA. So we're proud of the guys, but we have to do it again."

The Bucks had no problems doing that against the Heat in 2014-15, sweeping the four-game season series. They outrebounded Miami by 11.3 per game and held a 10-points-per- game edge in the paint.

Khris Middleton shot 50 percent from the field in those wins, and he's been the key to Milwaukee's recent surge. He's put up at least 24 points in his last three games, just a tick shy of his average (24.1) while shooting 51.3 percent in his last 11.

"I've been in a rhythm," Middleton said. "Coaches and the guys are letting me play with the ball in my hands more, and allow me to make plays for them. They trust me to try to make the right play for the team."

The Bucks have outrebounded their last three opponents 153-108 after coming into that stretch 26th in the league in rebound differential at minus-3.6.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Timberwolves (13-29) at Pelicans (13-27)

Date: January 19, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Before the 2015 NBA draft, Karl-Anthony Towns drew comparisons to fellow Kentucky product Anthony Davis.

Towns is the league's latest top overall pick and will face the 2012 No. 1 pick in Davis for the first time Tuesday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves seek to end their six-game road losing streak as they meet the New Orleans Pelicans.

New Orleans (13-27) and Minnesota (13-29) are in last place in their respective divisions as they meet for the first time after the Pelicans captured all four 2014-15 matchups. Davis averaged 23.8 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent with 10 blocks.

He could find more resistance this season against Towns, who is second among all rookies with 15.5 points per game and first with an average of 9.5 rebounds.

These players have been compared because of their similar height and wingspan, though Davis is considered the better athlete. Each played one season for Kentucky teams that won 38 games, with Davis winning the national title in 2011-12 and Towns falling two games shy of that last season.

New Orleans is beginning a season-high seven-game homestand after falling short of their second three-game win streak with Monday's 101-99 loss to Memphis in a game that featured 18 lead changes and 14 ties.

Davis had 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Pelicans, who had 15 turnovers to match their total from their previous two games.

"You can't expect to win with all the turnovers that we had, too many unforced turnovers," Davis said.

There was a good reason for the increased miscues. Guard Tyreke Evans sat out with a sore right knee, and Norris Cole started in his place and had four turnovers.

"(Evans) is a guy that can obviously create plays and make plays and do some things that some of our other guys can't but he wasn't able to go today so you have to go with what you have," coach Alvin Gentry said.

Ryan Anderson was held to 14 points after totaling 50 in his previous two games. His average of 17.1 as a reserve leads all bench players.

Minnesota is struggling on the road now after starting 4-0 there. The Timberwolves are probably happy to win anywhere after ending a season-high nine-game slide with Sunday's 117-87 rout of Phoenix.

'It's tough when you lose nine games in a row,' interim coach Sam Mitchell said. 'One thing I give the group credit for, they don't hang their head. They don't point fingers. They come to work every day and work on their game and try to become a better basketball team. But you need some wins along the way to verify the hard work you're putting in.'

Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio each scored 18 points and Towns added 14 and eight boards. Wiggins is averaging 24.8 points in his last six games.

The Wolves have a key reserve in Shabazz Muhammad, who is averaging 14.1 points in his last eight contests. Among players averaging at least 20 touches, Muhammad's .473 points per touch is the league's best mark. Wiggins is not far behind at .445.