Tuesday 11/17/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Euro Championships TODAY 19:45

Denmark

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Sweden

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		23/20	5/2	13/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN DENMARK	RECENT FORM
HWHDADALHLAL​ Most recent​	1 - 0 2 - 0 1 - 0 2 - 2	HWALHLAWHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sweden have won just two of their last nine away fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Everything seemed to be going wrong for Denmark in the away leg of their playoff with Sweden but Nicolai Jorgensen’s late goal reduced the deficit to 2-1 and gives them real hope of winning the tie. The Danes are likely to be much improved at home where they have lost just one of their last six competitive games.

RECOMMENDATION: Denmark
1

 

[superbeets]

International TODAY 19:45

Germany

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Holland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		4/5	11/4	16/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN GERMANY	RECENT FORM
AWHWAWALHWAL​ Most recent​	3 - 0 1 - 1 1 - 3 1 - 1	AWHLALAWHLAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Holland have lost three of their five friendlies since the 2014 World Cup

EXPERT VERDICT: Germany lost against France on Friday but the World Cup winners should have too much class for Holland on home soil. The Dutch did beat Wales in Cardiff but their qualifying campaign was a disaster and Danny Blind’s team still have plenty of problems to address.

RECOMMENDATION: Germany
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[superbeets]

Euro Championships TODAY 19:45

Slovenia

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Ukraine

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS4		19/10	23/10	13/8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN SLOVENIA	RECENT FORM
HLALHWHDAWAL​ Most recent​	2 - 1	HWHWADAWHLHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Slovenia have lost 10 of their last 16 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Ukraine were comfortably better than Slovenia during Saturday’s 2-0 success in Lviv and are the more likely winners of the return clash. Mykhaylo Fomenko’s side are well suited to playing on the counter-attack and can pick of the Slovenians, who have no option other than to go for broke.

RECOMMENDATION: Ukraine
1

 

[superbeets]

International TODAY 20:00

England

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France

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		9/5	2	17/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN ENGLAND	RECENT FORM
AWAWHWHWAWAL​ Most recent​	1 - 2 0 - 2 0 - 0 2 - 0	ALAWHWHWAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: France have won their last five friendlies

EXPERT VERDICT: France’s 2-0 win against Germany was understandingly overshadowed by the tragic events in Paris on Friday night and this match will be played in difficult circumstances. However, Les Bleus, who didn’t have to qualify by virtue of being Euro 2016 tournament hosts, have been taking their friendlies seriously and are capable of beating England.

RECOMMENDATION: France
2

 

[superbeets]

English FA Cup We 18Nov 19:45

Bradford

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Aldershot

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		9/20	3	7	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BRADFORD	RECENT FORM
HWHDADHWADHW​ Most recent​	1 - 1 1 - 2 2 - 1 2 - 1	HDHWADHDHLAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Bradford have kept four straight clean sheets

EXPERT VERDICT: Bradford drew 0-0 with Aldershot in their original FA Cup clash, but the Bantams are in good form overall having gone unbeaten in seven games in all competitions. Aldershot aren’t having a great time of it in the National League, where they are winless in four outings and this should be comfortable.

RECOMMENDATION: Bradford to win 2-0
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[superbeets]

English FA Cup Th 19Nov 19:45

Maidenhead

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Port Vale

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		9/2	14/5	8/13	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAIDENHEAD	RECENT FORM
AWHWHWHWADAL​ Most recent​	Unknown	HDALALHWHDAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Maidenhead have never reached the second round of the FA Cup

EXPERT VERDICT: Port Vale manager Rob Page accused his players of arrogance after Maidenhead snatched a last-gasp draw at Vale Park. He will make sure there is no repeat this time and, after dominating the first tie with eight shots on target to Maidenhead's one, Vale can finish the job in this FA Cup replay.

RECOMMENDATION: Port Vale
2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (14-4) at Sabres (7-8)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

John Klingberg is the NHL's highest-scoring defenseman and playing a vital role in the Dallas Stars' climb to the top of the Western Conference.

Coming off a pair of multipoint efforts, Klingberg tries to help the visiting Stars continue their success against the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres.

Klingberg's 20 points are half his total as a rookie last season and put him in the lead among defensemen. He's ahead of Ottawa's Erik Karlsson and P.K. Subban of Montreal - with three Norris Trophies between them - by two and three points, respectively.

The Stars (14-4-0) have never had a Norris winner, but Klingberg might be able to change that. He's collected 19 of his points in victories, including two goals and three assists in the last two games.

He had a season-high three points after scoring in overtime of Saturday's 3-2 win over Minnesota.

One of Klingberg's assists set up a power-play tally by Jamie Benn, giving him 10 points on the man advantage to tie Boston's Patrice Bergeron for the league lead.

"I'm happy about it. I'm a player that should put up those points," Klingberg told the team's official website. "I get to play those minutes on the power play, and there are lots of scoring opportunities."

Dallas is 8-3-0 against the East, winning seven of eight matchups on the road.

Benn is second in the league with 12 goals and third with 25 points, and he's scored eight of those goals against Eastern clubs. The left wing has four goals and five assists in seven career matchups with the Sabres.

The Stars, though, are 1-6-1 with a tie in their last nine visits to Buffalo (8-8-1).

The Sabres are 5-1-1 after opening the season with losses in seven of their first 10 games. They picked up another point Saturday, falling 2-1 in overtime to San Jose as their three-game winning streak ended.

Like Dallas, Buffalo is getting an unexpected increase in production from a defenseman. Rasmus Ristolainen has 11 points after totaling 20 all of last season. He's accumulated three goals and three assists during a four-game point streak after setting up Ryan O'Reilly's third-period tally Saturday.

"I think I've been doing a better job than last year defensively and offensively," Ristolainen told the team's official website. "I think I can still be better and better and I try to be better and better.

"I try to help the team offensively, lately I have some points. But I don't think that way; I try to take care first in the defensive zone and then try to get something started on offense too."

Buffalo might have some defensive help coming as Zach Bogosian is nearing a return from a lower-body injury that's kept him out all season.

"He looks like he should be ready to play sometime this week," coach Dan Bylsma said.

The Sabres could be without center Zemgus Girgensons, who is reportedly still feeling the effects of a hit against the Sharks. However, Bylsma claims it's not concussion related.

Jack Eichel has no points in his last two games, but he remains the team's leaders with six goals. The rookie has five goals and two assists in 10 home games compared to two points in seven on the road.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (11-6) at Flyers (5-8)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Los Angeles Kings twice last season while totaling four regulation goals, and it'll likely have to happen in similar modest fashion if another win is in order.

The teams meet for the first time in 2015-16 on Tuesday night in Philadelphia with the low-scoring Flyers trying to derail the first-place Kings for the third straight time.

The Flyers are coming off Saturday's 3-2 overtime win in Carolina, failing to score three regulation goals for the eighth time in nine games, and their 1.88 per game ranks near the bottom of the league.

Jakub Voracek at least finally found the net, scoring his first goal 37 seconds into overtime.

"I almost forgot how that feels," said Voracek, who entered 2015-16 with three straight seasons of at least 22 goals.

The Flyers lost forward Ryan White to an upper-body injury that's expected to keep him out as much as four weeks, and coach Dave Hakstol has responded to injury and a lack of production by retooling his lines.

He's moving Brayden Schenn from a healthy scratch to the first line with Claude Giroux and Voracek. Michael Raffl took White's spot with Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

"We've got Whitey out of the lineup, so that changes things throughout our lineup," Hakstol told the team's official website. "I think Raff can go and do a good job with the other two guys on that line, and looking at Brayden with Giroux and Voracek, he's played there in the past, and certainly it's a good opportunity for him."

The win over the Hurricanes moved Philadelphia to 2-6-2 after a 4-2-1 start, while Los Angeles has gone the other way. The Kings opened 0-3-0 but are 11-3-0 since while limiting opponents to 1.71 goals per game.

Los Angeles is 4-1-0 on the road, and the Flyers are suffering through an 0-3-1 span at home with 17 goals allowed.

The Kings, who lost 3-2 in overtime and 2-1 to the Flyers last season, have won consecutive games after Saturday's 4-3 home victory over Edmonton. They've posted a 20-for-21 penalty kill in the last seven heading into a five-game road trip against the Eastern Conference.

Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist Saturday after managing a goal and an assist in the first 16 games. Tanner Pearson had a goal and two assists, giving him seven points in his last six. Milan Lucic has scored in three of his last four games after managing two in his first 13 with his new team.

"(Gaborik) was good early," coach Darryl Sutter told the Kings' official website. "Tanner's been good. Isn't that what (Gaborik's) supposed to do? So how important is it? Pretty important ... it's not really any magic or some recipe there. He's supposed to produce."

The same goes for Jonathan Quick, but Los Angeles' No. 1 goaltender has been a little shaky lately. He's posted a 2.84 goals-against average over a 2-3-0 span despite never facing more than 26 shots. Backup Jhonas Enroth is 3-0-0 with a 0.67 GAA.

Quick is 4-3-1 with a 1.88 GAA in eight career games against the Flyers, who could use more from Steve Mason.

Mason beat Carolina but has a 3.42 GAA over a 1-3-1 span. He's won his last two against Los Angeles with one goal allowed and a .986 save percentage.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sharks (8-8) at Bruins (8-7)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Among the worst home teams in the NHL, the Boston Bruins are trying to turn things around. A matchup with the San Jose Sharks will make that tougher.

The Bruins attempt to build on just their second home win of the season Tuesday night when they face the Sharks, one of the league's best on the road.

Boston (8-7-1) has won six of eight road games but has failed to carry that success back to TD Garden, where it's 2-5-1 after going 24-10-7 to tie for third-best home record in the Eastern Conference last season.

"It was kind of one of those things where we were playing not to lose," defenseman Torey Krug said. "I know it's a cliche that you have to play to win."

The Bruins are hoping Saturday's 3-1 win over Detroit is the start of a turnaround after opening this five-game homestand with a 3-2 loss to Colorado two days earlier.

"It's huge," said defenseman Kevan Miller, who assisted on Krug's first goal of the season Saturday. "We have three more games at home before we head back on the road. I think it's important that we build on this."

The issues at home haven't been much of a problem for David Krejci. The center has 10 of his team-leading 18 points there after opening the scoring in Boston's three-goal second period against the Red Wings.

Krejci has one goal and one assist in each of the last two home matchups against San Jose (9-8-0) with the Bruins winning both.

The Sharks, though, are 6-3-0 on the road, winning three straight after taking the first two of this season-high six-game trip. They won 2-1 at Buffalo on Saturday on Patrick Marleau's overtime tally.

"It's nice to get two wins, but you've got to keep it going because if you lose your next two games, you're back to where you started," defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told the team's official website after getting one goal and one assist. "In this league you've got to get wins together in order to create separation with the teams behind you."

Joe Pavelski assisted on Vlasic's power-play goal against the Sabres, giving him nine points on the road. The center leads the Sharks with nine goals and 15 points, and he has seven points in his last six meetings with the Bruins.

Pavelski scored twice and assisted on a goal by Tomas Hertl in a 7-4 home win over Boston on Dec. 4.

Martin Jones is likely to face the Bruins for the first time. He's stopped 56 of 59 shots while winning the first two games of this trip after being pulled for giving up two goals on three shots in the first 3:30 of a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders.

"That's as well as I've seen him play," coach Peter DeBoer said after Jones made 30 saves against the Sabres. "I thought he was excellent. We needed him to be our best player."

The Bruins will likely turn to Tuukka Rask, who had 22 saves Saturday after giving up eight goals on 49 shots while losing his previous two at home.

"I look good when the team looks good," said Rask, who made 37 saves while giving up a career high in goals at San Jose in December.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blues (12-5) at Blue Jackets (6-12)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Ken Hitchcock felt the only way to inspire the St. Louis Blues after back-to-back defeats was to completely rearrange his line combinations.

Now he has to decide if he wants to stick with the new look.

It seems wise to keep intact the new top line of David Backes, Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen heading into Tuesday night's road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after a solid performance from the trio.

Backes scored twice - including the tiebreaking goal in the second period - and added an assist in Monday's 3-2 win over Winnipeg. Tarasenko scored for the third straight game and had an assist, and Steen assisted on Backes' winner.

The Blues (12-5-1) came in off consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season, prompting Hitchcock's makeover. Backes replaced Jori Lehtera, who had centered the top line for 12 games after Paul Stastny was injured but moved down to the second line with Dmitrij Jaskin and Troy Brouwer.

With Jaskin's promotion, Robby Fabbri played with Scott Gomez and Magnus Paajarvi on the third unit, and Jeremy Welsh made his team debut in place of Ryan Reaves, who was scratched.

Hitchcock also split up the defensive pairing of Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo.

'You don't know what that's going to be like, and then you're out there (and Tarasenko) makes a lot of time and space," Backes said. "(Steen) was fantastic, creating plays and making plays happen and I was the beneficiary of a few of them."

It remains to be seen if the lineup will look the same against the Blue Jackets (6-12-0), who are trying to win three straight for the first time this season.

Columbus earned its first home victory Saturday by beating Arizona 5-2, ending a franchise-worst 0-6-0 home start. William Karlsson scored twice, Boone Jenner had a goal and two assists and Ryan Johansen had one of each.

The Blue Jackets played their straight game without Brandon Dubinsky, who was placed in injured reserve earlier Saturday with an elbow injury that's expected to keep him out for at least a couple weeks.

'It's a monkey off the back,' Karlsson said. 'Now we know we can win (at home)."

With Dubinsky out, coach John Tortorella had settled on moving Nick Foligno to center for at least this contest. Foligno mostly has played on the wing in his career and had career highs of 31 goals and 73 points there last season.

He has only one goal this year, while Jenner leads the club with nine.

"We talked about a number of different people," Tortorella told the team's official website after practice Monday. "I think Nick can handle the change. I just don't want to screw around with Jenner's game. Nick volunteered. He felt comfortable and that's what we went with."

The Blue Jackets now look to keep rolling. Foligno had two goals and an assist in a 7-1 victory over the Blues on Feb. 6 before Jenner scored and added an assist in a 4-2 victory March 28 to sweep the season series.

"It's going to be a competitive game," Tortorella said. "If we're not ready to compete, it could get ugly really quickly."

Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 55 of 58 shots while winning the last two. He started both meetings with the Blues last season and could be in net again for this matchup.

Brian Elliott could get the call for St. Louis after Jake Allen won Monday. Elliott hasn't started since giving up four goals on 15 shots in a loss to Chicago on Nov. 4.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (7-9) at Maple Leafs (4-9)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Colorado Avalanche are on a win streak thanks to strong goaltending, while the Toronto Maple Leafs' longest run of the season came to an end in part because of shaky play in net.

Colorado seeks its fourth straight victory when it visits Toronto on Tuesday night.

The Avalanche (7-9-1) have won the first three of their season-high seven-game trip, with Reto Berra surrendering three total goals while starting each game. Colorado had been 25th in the NHL with 3.00 goals allowed per game prior to the trip.

Semyon Varlamov is on injured reserve with a groin injury. He's struggled with a 3.26 goals-against average in 10 starts, though, so his absence has been a blessing in disguise, allowing Berra to shine. Berra's 1.50 GAA leads the league and he made 39 saves in Saturday's 6-1 win over Atlantic Division-leading Montreal.

Colorado has also been more productive offensively, scoring 13 goals in the last three games after totaling 11 in its first six road contests. Nathan MacKinnon pushed his team-leading point total to 19 with two goals and one assist against the Canadiens, while Matt Duchene and Mikhail Grigorenko each had a goal and two assists.

Grigorenko was filling in on the top line for Gabriel Landeskog, who served the first of his two-game suspension for an illegal check in Thursday's win over Boston.

"Three straight for us is huge," MacKinnon said. "I don't know about (calling it) a measuring stick.

"I don't think we're in the elite category in the league yet. We want to earn that. But whether they had a good night or not, we played very well. We stuck to our system and Reto Berra played great."

Duchene has four goals and four assists to start the trip, and seven goals and five assists in his last seven games overall after opening with two points in his first 10.

"I'm excited," said Duchene, a native of Dysart et al, Ontario. "Hopefully it continues (in Toronto on Tuesday). ... I have a lot of friends and family coming, so it'd be great to have a big night there, and most importantly get another win."

The Maple Leafs (5-9-4) had also won three in a row before losing 4-3 to the New York Rangers on Sunday. Jonathan Bernier surrendered a rebound that set up Mats Zuccarello's winner with 58.3 seconds left, and said he "cost us two points."

Bernier has lost all eight of his starts while posting a 3.17 GAA.

"We win as a team and lose as a team," coach Mike Babcock said. "Maybe (Bernier is) trying too hard."

James Reimer will get the nod Tuesday. He has won three straight starts and owns a 2.30 GAA this season.

Toronto fell to 2-3-4 in one-goal games. The Avalanche have also struggled in those contests, going 2-6-1.

Colorado had won four straight trips to Toronto before losing 3-2 in overtime Oct. 14, 2014.

A fourth straight road win for the Avalanche would match last season's best such streak from Feb. 27-March 19.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (10-3) at Penguins (9-7)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The scoring woes that plagued the Pittsburgh Penguins at the start of the season have resurfaced, leading to a players-only meeting to hash out the issues.

Whatever discussions the Minnesota Wild had about replacing Zach Parise's production have seemed to work.

Pittsburgh looks to avoid a fourth defeat in five games Tuesday night when it hosts a Wild team seeking at least a point in five straight without one of its top scorers.

The Penguins (10-7-0) scored three goals while dropping its first three of the season and still had trouble finding the back of the net consistently at the start of the 9-1-0 run that followed.

They've dropped three of four since after falling 2-1 to Columbus on Friday and 4-0 at New Jersey the following night.

The loss to the Devils marked the first time Pittsburgh had been shut out since its season opener, and that didn't sit well with anyone in the locker room.

"Some stuff had to be said," forward Pascal Dupuis told the team's official website after Monday's practice. "That will stay between the players obviously. That's why it's a closed-door meeting. That's between the players. What comes out of it, it's unacceptable to lose the way we did. We have to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Evgeni Malkin, who hasn't scored while posting two assists over his last seven, spoke candidly about the frustration mounting within the team, but was quick to note they're all still on the same page.

Sidney Crosby has only two goals, and Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom of the league with 35. The low number sticks out even more considering all the scoring talent the Penguins possess, including Phil Kessel, who has a team-high six goals but none in the last three.

"The expectations are high, but a lot of teams would love to be in our position and still feel like we can do better," Crosby said. "I think it says a lot about the guys. We expect more. We still have a winning record and we've done some good things."

Parise led the Wild (10-3-3) with seven goals when he sprained his MCL early in a loss to Nashville on Nov. 5, but his teammates have stepped up with him expected to sit out at least two more games.

Minnesota won its first three without Parise before falling 3-2 in overtime Saturday at Dallas, the second stop on a four-game trip. Nino Niederreiter and Marco Scandella scored after Thomas Vanek had three goals over the previous two to tie Parise atop the team's leaderboard.

The Wild, though, allowed a man-advantage goal for the third straight contest and are preparing to face a Penguins team with an imposing power-play unit - even if it's 0 for 13 over its last three.

"It's understanding that you're playing against some of the highest skilled players in the game today," coach Mike Yeo said. "Being ready for that challenge every time you go on the ice, understanding and recognizing who you're on the ice against."

Devan Dubnyk had 33 saves against New Jersey and has a 1.94 goals-against average while starting each game during the Wild's 3-0-1 run. He joined Minnesota one day after the last meeting with the Penguins, when David Perron scored twice and Crosby had three assists in Pittsburgh's 7-2 win Jan. 13.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves in that contest and likely will be in net again after getting Saturday off. He had a 3.76 GAA while losing his first five starts against the Wild before winning the last matchup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (5-8) at Predators (8-3)

Date: November 17, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Carl Hagelin and Ryan Getzlaf have busted out of their slumps while helping the Anaheim Ducks move past a horrendous start.

The Nashville Predators realize they're more likely to see the Anaheim team they lost to at the start of November rather than the one they picked apart in October.

Resuming a four-game trip, the Ducks will try to add to the Western Conference's best record this month Tuesday night with their 10th win in 12 games against the Predators.

Anaheim sat in the West cellar with a 1-7-2 record in October, allowing 26 goals while scoring a league-low 10 before turning it around once the calendar flipped to November.

The Ducks (6-8-4) won four straight to start the month before a pair of 4-3 overtime losses to Arizona and Edmonton. A 4-1 defeat against the New York Islanders followed, but Anaheim bounced back Monday with a 4-1 victory over Carolina.

Getzlaf, Hagelin, Shawn Horcoff and Sami Vatanen scored, and Anton Khudobin had 24 saves to help the Ducks move to 5-1-2 this month in the opener of the trip.

"This gave us some confidence," Hagelin said. "A lot of lines were feeling good about themselves, especially defensively. That's what you need to do when you play a good team like Nashville."

Hagelin, who had 34 goals from 2013-15, snapped an eight-game drought in the third period after he was benched Friday against the Islanders.

After totaling 56 goals over the previous two seasons, Getzlaf hadn't scored in his first 13 before getting an empty-netter in the final minute. The captain has totaled five goals and 11 points in his last nine meetings with Nashville (10-3-3).

The Predators gave Khudobin a tough time in a 5-1 home win Oct. 22, but Frederik Andersen didn't let it happen again Nov. 1 by making 40 saves in Anaheim's 4-2 home win.

"They were a different team the first time they came in here, and it was a game that we didn't expect," defenseman Barret Jackman told the Predators' official website.

"Their identity kind of came through in Anaheim and they were playing more physical, more of a team game and it was everything we could handle. (This) is going to be more of the second game that we saw."

After a 4-0 loss to St. Louis in the opener of a five-game homestand, Nashville has scored seven goals in two victories during a 2-0-1 stretch.

Calle Jarnkrok had a pair of goals and James Neal recorded an assist for the third straight game in Saturday's 7-0 win over Winnipeg.

"We're not going to score seven every game, but our game plan is to get pucks and bodies and traffic and try to get some dirty goals," defenseman Seth Jones said.

Colin Wilson has a goal and three assists in the two meetings with Anaheim, though it's his only tally in 16 games so far. The winger has scored in each of the last two at home against the Ducks.

The Predators might have a difficult time piling up goals with Andersen expected to be between the pipes. He has a 2.46 goals-against average while winning all four of his starts against them.

Nashville's Pekka Rinne, coming off his second shutout of the season, is 7-2-2 with a 1.94 GAA in 11 home starts against the Ducks.

Eric Nystrom is out with an upper-body injury, while fellow forward Paul Gaustad is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (8-6) at Flames (6-12)

Date: November 17, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Confidence is building with the New Jersey Devils under the tutelage of first-year coach John Hynes, and having Cory Schneider in net is also giving them a major boost.

Schneider should get the chance to build on his first shutout as the surging Devils try to beat the Flames in Calgary for the first time in eight years Tuesday night.

Missing the playoffs for a third straight year last season prompted a change behind the bench for New Jersey (10-6-1), and so far the Devils have responded well to Hynes with 10 victories in 13 games following an 0-3-1 start.

"We talk about our competitive level all the time," left wing Mike Cammalleri said. "I think the results we've had yield a level of confidence. When we're hustling like this, we're able to accomplish a lot."

The Devils earned their fourth win in five games Saturday, getting a 21-save performance from Schneider in a 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh two days after a 3-2 win at defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago.

"We're starting to expect to play this way every game. It's great when everyone gets involved," Schneider said, alluding to New Jersey's seven goal scorers over the last two games. "It's a lot of fun."

Schneider is 9-4-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average in 14 starts this season, but his GAA drops to 1.56 with a .944 save percentage while winning five of his last seven. He's stopped 44 of 47 shots over his past two meetings with Calgary (6-12-1), but lost both at home with New Jersey mustering only one goal.

The Devils have lost five straight to the Flames and four in a row at Scotiabank Saddledome dating to an overtime victory Dec. 23, 2007.

Cammalleri spent two-plus seasons with Calgary from 2012-14 before joining New Jersey as a free agent. He scored in both meetings with his former team last season and enters the opener of this three-game trip through Western Canada with three goals and three assists over the past six games. His three points Saturday gave him a team-leading 17.

The Flames are home for two straight in the middle of a nine-game stretch featuring seven on the road. They concluded a 1-3 trip by giving up four unanswered goals in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks, who visit Calgary on Friday.

David Jones is tied with Sean Monahan with six goals, scoring three in the past four games after going 10 without one. He found the net again Sunday but has no points in five meetings with New Jersey.

Johnny Gaudreau will surely be thrilled with a return home after going without a point and posting a minus-5 during the trip. The left wing has accumulated 11 of his team-high 17 points in Calgary, including nine in the last five games.

A New Jersey native, Gaudreau's only point in two meetings with the Devils came in a 5-4 shootout win at home on Nov. 22.

Karri Ramo is expected to be back in net after stopping 37 of 40 shots Sunday. He's won three straight starts against New Jersey behind a 1.64 GAA.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Dallas Stars won seven of last eight road games. Sabres won six of last nine overall.
-- Los Angeles won 11 of its last 14 games.
-- San Jose won its last three road games.
-- Blue Jackets are 6-4 in last ten games after an 0-8 start. Blues are 7-3 in last ten games.
-- Colorado won last three games, allowing three goals. Maple Leafs won three of last four.
-- Minnesota won three of its last four games.
-- New Jersey won ten of its last thirteen games.

Cold teams
-- Flyers lost eight of their last ten games.
-- Bruins lost four of their last six games.
-- Penguins lost three of their last four games.
-- Nashville is 4-5 in its last nine games. Anaheim lost three of its last four games.
-- Calgary lost three of its last four games.

Series records
-- Dallas Stars won three of last four games with Buffalo.
-- Kings lost six of last nine games with Philadelphia.
-- Bruins won three of last four games with San Jose.
-- Blues are 6-4 in last ten games with Colorado, 0-2 in last two.
-- Avalanche won four of last five visits to Toronto.
-- Penguins won four of last five games with Minnesota.
-- Ducks won four of last five games with Nashville.
-- Flames won their last five games with New Jersey.

Totals
-- Last six Dallas road games stayed under total.
-- Under is 4-1-2 in Flyers' last seven home games.
-- Six of eight Boston home games went over total.
-- Five of seven Columbus home games went over.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in Colorado's road games.
-- Under is 9-3-2 in last fourteen Penguin games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last five Anaheim road games.
-- Six of eight Calgary home games went over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bucks (5-5) at Wizards (4-4)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Wizards ended their losing streak with an improved defensive performance, but knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks for a second time this season could be difficult if Bradley Beal remains out.

His status is uncertain for Tuesday night's meeting in the nation's capital, while Milwaukee will be without forward Jabari Parker for its three-game trip.

The Wizards (4-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 108-99 win against visiting Orlando on Saturday despite being without Beal, who missed his second straight game due to a shoulder injury. He didn't practice Monday.

Washington looked better on the defensive end after surrendering 119.0 points per game during its skid. Orlando was also limited to 4-for-18 3-point shooting after the last three opponents were 40 of 86 from deep against the Wizards.

"We still have to continue - we left possessions where we don't finish them. Where we defend for 20 seconds and give up a layup or something at the buzzer of the 24-second (clock)," coach Randy Wittman said. "We've got to keep working at that, but it was better."

Beal scored 26 and was 5 of 6 from long distance while Ramon Sessions added 23 points off the bench in a 118-113 win at Milwaukee on Oct. 30. Beal's 23.3 points per game and 52.0 field-goal percentage in six meetings with the Bucks are his best against a single opponent.

Milwaukee (5-5) avoided a third straight loss by winning 108-105 in double overtime against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland on Saturday, snapping the Cavaliers' eight-game winning streak.

"It's huge. It's something that we have to build on," said Greg Monroe, who scored 16 points with a season-high 17 rebounds. "We have to take what we did in this game - the intensity and energy that we played with - and carry it over to future games."

Monroe was one of seven Bucks to score at least 11 points, led by Michael Carter-Williams and Jerryd Bayless at 17 apiece. Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo pace Milwaukee with 17.8 points per game while three others average at least 12.6.

"It's not one person that's going to score a bunch of points for us. It's going to take everyone on the floor, they're going to have to contribute," he said. "We have to find a way to continue to play like this."

Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 27 in the first meeting with the Wizards, and Parker missed that one as well as he was still working his way back from a torn left ACL.

A sprained right foot will keep him from playing in this one after Parker had season highs of 12 points and 30 minutes Saturday.

Washington shot well against the Magic from long distance without Beal - its top long-range marksman - going 12 of 29 from beyond the arc. The Wizards had shot 29.7 percent from 3-point range over a 1-4 stretch since making 12 of 21 3-pointers in Milwaukee last month.

Kris Humphries hit a career-high five 3-pointers for a team-best 23 points on Saturday. He's 13 for 28 from deep this season compared to 2 for 26 before in his career.

The Bucks also played well defensively against the Cavaliers, holding them to 40.7 percent and forcing 21 turnovers leading to 26 points. Washington has committed only 19 turnovers in its last two games after averaging an NBA-worst 19.5 previously.

The Wizards have averaged 105.3 points on 48.6 percent shooting while winning eight of the last 10 meetings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hawks (8-4) at Nets (1-9)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

If Jeff Teague is out, the Atlanta Hawks know they can count on Dennis Schroder to pick up the slack.

Both point guards already shined this season in a win over the Brooklyn Nets, and only Schroder is certain to play Tuesday night when the visiting Hawks seek to avoid a third straight loss and post their seventh straight victory in this series.

Teague missed his first game Sunday, sitting out a 97-96 loss to Utah with a sore left ankle. Schroder made his third start and had 11 points with season highs of nine assists and six rebounds.

"We're fortunate to have him to step in to replace Jeff Teague," said coach Mike Budenholzer, who returned after missing one game because of his wife's undisclosed medical emergency.

Teague suffered the injury in Friday's 106-93 loss at Boston. He averages 17.1 points and a team-high 6.5 assists.

The point guards have contributed to Atlanta (8-4) averaging 22.5 points off turnovers for one of the NBA's best marks. The Hawks converted 19 turnovers into 25 points in a 101-87 home win over Brooklyn on Nov. 4.

The Nets (1-9) said afterward that their sloppy play was a result of trouble they had running their pick-and-roll offense against the Hawks.

That contest marked the last time Schroder started before Sunday. He scored 20 points and Teague added 16, with each driving to the basket eight times.

Atlanta, which registers an assist on 20.0 percent of its possessions for the Eastern Conference's best mark, was efficient with 27 assists and just two isolations while Brooklyn used isolation plays 12 times. The Nets average 96.3 points per 100 possessions for one of the league's least efficient offenses.

Brooklyn is 0-3 at home for its worst such start since losing its first four in 2011-12.

The Nets are feeling better about themselves after three strong road efforts against the West. They posted their first win 106-98 at Houston last Wednesday, lost 111-109 to Sacramento two days later and fell 107-99 in overtime to Golden State on Saturday.

"I think you can see a progression pretty much every night," center Brook Lopez said. "Coach (Lionel Hollins) came in here and said, and each one of us agrees, we could have ended up 3-0 on this trip. You can say that but we really feel that we are making steps."

Jarrett Jack has totaled 49 points and 21 assists in the last two games while Thaddeus Young had a season-high 26 points and 10 boards Saturday.

Lopez's best game was his 27-point, 11-rebound effort against the Hawks. He made 11 of 16 shots with only six of his 60 touches in the paint as he forced Atlanta center Al Horford away from the basket.

The Hawks' Paul Millsap scored a season-high 28 points Sunday. Horford and Kent Bazemore each added 16.

The Nets are last in the league in 3-point shooting at 26.5 percent. The Hawks allow an average of 27.2 3-point attempts for one of the NBA's highest marks.

Atlanta hasn't lost to Brooklyn since a 127-110 defeat Jan. 16, 2014, in London.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Timberwolves (4-6) at Heat (6-3)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Miami Heat are winning, playing strong defense and are set to welcome back a star and a rotation player after unexpected absences.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are losing, playing poor defense and could still be missing their starting point guard, so a visit to Miami on Tuesday night might be coming with low expectations as the teams meet for the second time in two weeks.

After Thursday's 92-91 home win over Utah, the Heat (6-3) are on the verge of their first four-game winning streak since March 28-April 2, 2014.

The latest victory came with Dwyane Wade sidelined after his son was hospitalized because of an undisclosed illness, and Gerald Green has missed six games because of an undisclosed personal incident. Both returned to practice over the weekend.

Green was suspended for the last two over what the Heat described as conduct detrimental to the team. There's no word yet on how much he'll play Tuesday, but he averaged 10.3 points and 21.7 minutes in the three games he's played with his new team.

"Gerald is an integral part of what we're trying to do," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We'll work him back in at a healthy rate. What that'll be on Tuesday, I don't know right now."

There have been other backcourt changes that could have an effect in that regard. Miami traded Mario Chalmers to Memphis last Tuesday, leading Tyler Johnson's minutes to increase in the last two games.

Johnson was 8 of 12 for 17 points Thursday, though his teammates were impressed long before that and the organization seems dedicated to getting him on the court.

"Tyler is awesome," said Chris Bosh, who scored 25 and is averaging 26.0 while shooting 54.2 percent on the winning streak. "He can play. He's had a great camp, he comes in and he works hard every day, works on his weaknesses, goes out there and lays it on the line and competes. He's literally started from the bottom and worked his way up into playing a very huge role for this team."

Through it all, the Heat have maintained an impressive defensive effort. Dating to a 96-84 win at Minnesota on Nov. 5, they've held their last five opponents to 85.8 points per game and 40.3 percent shooting.

They've also won nine of their last 11 against the Timberwolves (4-6), who have been unable to stop anybody while giving up 113.5 points and a 51.5 field-goal percentage on a four-game losing streak.

Sunday's 114-106 home loss to Memphis was possibly the worst its been with the Grizzlies shooting 56.3 percent and hitting 9 of 17 from 3-point range.

"We got to worry about our defense," said interim head coach Sam Mitchell, whose team is out to improve on a 4-1 road record. "We rebounded enough. We had turnovers, bad turnovers at the wrong time of the game, but overall we didn't turn the ball over a lot.

"We just got to play better defense."

Ricky Rubio has missed all four losses with a hamstring injury after averaging 13.0 points and 9.0 assists over the team's 4-2 start. He practiced Monday but is questionable to return against the Heat.

Zach LaVine has started all four games and been impressive in the last two, averaging 25.5 points and hitting 8 of 14 from 3-point range.

Andrew Wiggins has also been solid in the last two with an average of 23.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting, but the team's top scorer was 5 of 18 against the Heat.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cavaliers (8-2) at Pistons (5-5)

Date: November 17, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Andre Drummond is putting up eye-popping numbers, though they haven't availed him of criticism from his coach as the Detroit Pistons return home looking to end a four-game slide.

The Cleveland Cavaliers probably won't be in too good a mood after LeBron James was slightly critical of their play.

Both of the Cavaliers' losses have come on the road against Central Division opponents, and they'll try to avoid that same fate Tuesday night against Drummond and the Pistons.

Drummond continued his historic start with 17 points and 17 rebounds in Sunday's 97-85 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He's averaging 18.5 points along with a league-best 19.0 boards.

Drummond has 10 straight double-doubles, the league's longest such run to open a season since Zach Randolph had 11 for Memphis in 2012-13. His rebounding average is the highest for a player in his first 10 games since San Antonio's Dennis Rodman posted a 19.3 mark in 1993-94.

"He's just dominated the backboards on both ends of the court," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. "And I think that you're not going to stop him but you've got to try to limit him, just like a great scorer."

Cleveland (8-2) will match up with the second-best rebounder in the East in Kevin Love, who averages 12.1.

One weakness for the 6-foot-11 Drummond is that he averages just 1.4 blocks to rank outside the league's top 20. Detroit (5-5) is last in the league with 3.2 blocks per game.

"Andre does a lot of great things but he is not protecting the rim at all," coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Great is a word that doesn't describe the Cavaliers, according to James. Their eight-game win streak ended with Saturday's 108-105 double-overtime loss to Milwaukee.

"We're not a great team right now," James said. "We're a good team but we've gotta improve on a lot of things."

James finished with season highs of 37 points and 12 rebounds, though his seven turnovers were also his most in 2015-16. He needs 10 points to pass Jerry West for 19th all-time.

"I had too many turnovers, it happens," James said. "Aaron Rodgers throws interceptions as well, you don't expect for him to do it, it just happens. It's one of those games."

Cleveland took three of four from Detroit last season. The last two meetings marked the only times Reggie Jackson has faced the Cavaliers with the Pistons, and the guard totaled 40 points and 17 assists in a pair of defeats.

Jackson is averaging a team-best 20.4 points but was held to a season-low nine with five turnovers Sunday in the finale of a six-game trip, which the Pistons began 2-0.

"Tonight his decision-making was terrible, he was trying to go behind his back in the middle of the lane, he was up in the air," Van Gundy said. "Look, he just had a really bad night. The guy has had a heavy workload on this trip."