Tuesday 3/15/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Champions League TODAY 19:45

Man City

v

Dynamo Kiev

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		4/7	10/3	11/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN CITY	RECENT FORM
ALAWND*ALHWAD​ Most recent​	1 - 0	HWAWHWHLHWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Man City have scored in all bar one of their home games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Manchester City are not yet assured of a Champions League quarter-final spot, but a 3-1 win in Kiev has put them in a strong position and they should finish off the job. Dynamo know that they need to score goals and will be forced to attack, but that could backfire against talented opponents and siding with City to get an early goal may be the way to go

RECOMMENDATION: Man City-Man City double result
2


REFEREE: Ovidiu Alin Hategan STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Champions League TODAY 19:45

Atl Madrid

v

PSV Eindhoven

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BT2		3/10	9/2	12	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ATL MADRID	RECENT FORM
HDADAWHWAWHW​ Most recent​	2 - 1	AWHWHDHWAWHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: PSV haven’t won an away European game this term

EXPERT VERDICT: PSV are far from out of their depth at this level but they should be ground down by relentless Atletico in this Champions League last-16 second leg. The tie is finely balanced at 0-0 but the hosts are highly unlikely to get nervous – they relish a closely fought battle and rarely lose out in them.

RECOMMENDATION: Atletico Madrid
4


REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Champions League We 16Mar 19:45

Barcelona

v

Arsenal

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		1/4	6	11	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BARCELONA	RECENT FORM
AWAWHWAWAWHW​ Most recent​	3 - 1 4 - 1 2 - 1 1 - 1	HLALHLADAWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: The last three meetings between the sides featured more second-half goals

EXPERT VERDICT: Arsenal played well for much of the first leg of this last-16 tie but Barcelona’s class shone through as a Lionel Messi brace silenced the Emirates crowd. The Gunners have since lost further ground in the Premier League title race and suffered a shock FA Cup exit at home to Watford and Barcelona should run away with this as the game goes on.

RECOMMENDATION: Barcelona to win 3-0
1

 

[superbeets]

Champions League We 16Mar 19:45

B Munich

v

Juventus

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BT2		4/9	15/4	7	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT B MUNICH	RECENT FORM
HWADAWHLADHW​ Most recent​	2 - 0 0 - 0 2 - 1 0 - 1	ADHDHWAL*AWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Juventus have won one of their last three away games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bayern Munich threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 tie, but they are unlikely to be so careless in the return. Pep Guardiola’s sides typically turn in a much-improved showing in the home leg, and Juventus could be blown away.

RECOMMENDATION: Bayern Munich
2

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 17Mar 20:05

Man Utd

v

Liverpool

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		8/5	23/10	7/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN UTD	RECENT FORM
HWHWHWALALHD​ Most recent​	3 - 1 3 - 0 0 - 3 1 - 0	ADHWND*HWAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Liverpool are unbeaten in this season’s Europa League

EXPERT VERDICT: Liverpool were worthy 2-0 winners in the first leg of their Europa League tie against Manchester United and could extend their advantage at Old Trafford. Liverpool can be lethal on the counter and Jurgen Klopp’s men can exploit the spaces as United chase goals to finish off their arch-rivals.

RECOMMENDATION: Liverpool
2

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 17Mar 20:05

Tottenham

v

B Dortmund

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT1		5/2	23/10	11/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT TOTTENHAM	RECENT FORM
HWHWALHDALAW​ Most recent​	Unknown	AWHWAWHDHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Spurs have won seven and drawn two of their last nine European home games

EXPERT VERDICT: Tottenham were hammered by Borussia Dortmund in Germany, although back at home they should be able to offer more of an attacking threat as they chase the 3-0 deficit. However, Dortmund have so much pace on the break and they should punish the vulnerable hosts in what should be a high-scoring contest.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Bruins recall Vatrano
By The Sports Xchange

The Boston Bruins on Monday recalled forward Frank Vatrano from Providence on an emergency basis.
Vatrano traveled with the team to San Jose and will be available for Tuesday's game against the Sharks.
The AHL's leading goal scorer, Vatrano is averaging one goal per contest with 31 tallies in 31 games. He has three hat tricks and six multigoal games at Providence.
He has appeared in 30 games with the Bruins this season and has recorded six goals and one assist for seven points with 10 penalty minutes.

--The Winnipeg Jets recalled defenseman Julian Melchiori on an emergency basis from the Manitoba Moose.
Melchiori, 24, has played in 59 games with Manitoba this season, recording six points (two goals, four assists) and 46 penalty minutes. He has 31 career AHL points (five goals, 26 assists) in 232 games over five seasons.
Melchiori, who played one game with Winnipeg in 2014, was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft.

--The Detroit Red Wings recalled left winger Anthony Mantha from the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Mantha, 21, currently ranks third on the Griffins with 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 56 games.
Mantha was originally drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (20th overall) of the 2013 NHL draft.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (38-21) at Penguins (36-24)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Penguins are again facing an extended period without star center Evgeni Malkin. As long as Sidney Crosby is around, doubting their ability to remain a serious contender would appear unwise.

Crosby looks to lead the Penguins to their third straight win and within two points of the New York Islanders on Tuesday night when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet for the second time in a week.

Pittsburgh (36-24-8) received the news this past weekend that Malkin, second on the team with 27 goals and 58 points, would be sidelined six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in Friday's win at Columbus.

'It's a good opportunity for a lot of guys to get some secondary scoring to get some more minutes when a top guy like that goes down.' said rookie Conor Sheary, who was recalled from the AHL late Saturday. 'Obviously, it's unfortunate for the team as a whole, losing a player like that, but it's good for younger guys and guys who don't get that many minutes.'

Sheary took advantage of his extra ice time with his first career two-goal game in Sunday's 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers.

'He's a terrific kid,' coach Mike Sullivan said. 'You can see his offensive instincts, you see his vision when he has the puck.'

Sheary was one of four rookies in the lineup for Pittsburgh, which holds the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and is four points behind the Islanders for third in the division.

This isn't the first time this season that the Penguins have been forced to play without Malkin. They went 5-4-1 during his last absence in February and are 71-45-9 with him out of the lineup in his 10-year career.

With Malkin sidelined, Crosby takes on an even heavier offensive burden and he seems more than capable of fulfilling that role. Pittsburgh's captain had a goal and an assist Sunday, giving him four and nine during an eight-game point streak.

A matchup with the Islanders (38-21-8) isn't likely to slow Crosby, who has nine goals and 17 assists in his past 16 meetings.

The Islanders held on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Penguins last Tuesday in a game that saw No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak lost for six weeks with a lower-body injury.

New York was in danger of losing its third straight since with former Penguin Thomas Greiss in net, but it erased a two-goal deficit with a dominant third period Monday in a 3-2 victory over Florida.

'In the third, we played to our identity,' coach Jack Capuano said. 'We were fortunate to get some bounces and we got two points.'

Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck scored in a 5 1/2-minute stretch as the Islanders improved to 12-3-2 in their last 17 to draw within one point of the Rangers for second in the division with two games in hand.

'It was a huge win for us,' Okposo said. 'Everyone around us is getting points every night. We are fighting for home ice and fighting to get into the playoffs, so every win is big.'

Greiss could make his second start this season against his former team unless Capuano decides to go with rookie Jean-Francois Berube, whose last appearance came in relief Feb. 6.

Captain John Tavares had his three-game goal streak snapped Monday but has a chance to extend his run against the Penguins to four. He has four goals and three assists during a five-game point streak in the series.

Pittsburgh stopped a four-game losing streak to the Islanders with a 5-2 victory Jan. 2 behind Crosby's two goals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (31-26) at Capitals (49-14)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

More than a year has passed since the Washington Capitals have suffered three straight regular-season losses.

They'll be trying to prevent it from finally happening again Tuesday night, though the NHL leaders appear to have an excellent opportunity to keep that run going when they look to extend their home winning streak against the Carolina Hurricanes to four.

Washington (49-14-5) went 2-1-1 on its road trip that featured the last three games in California. It knocked off Boston in overtime and then Anaheim in a shootout to start the swing but lost to Los Angeles in OT and San Jose in the next two.

The finale was particularly disheartening as the Sharks outscored the Capitals 3-0 in the final period of Saturday's 5-2 loss.

Washington was outscored 6-0 in the first period on the trip and 8-0 in the opening 20 minutes of its last five games.

'It's really tough coming from behind every night,' forward Justin Williams said. 'It seems we're used to it now. We need to stop thinking about it and get that first goal.'

Washington is in the bottom half of the league with a minus-0.09 goal differential per game in the first period. It's tops in the NHL in the category in the second and third, with its plus-0.49 in the final period the best by a wide margin.

"It definitely hurts us," forward T.J. Oshie told the team's official website. "It's hard playing from behind all the time. We don't get down on ourselves when it happens; we almost get up and play a little bit better. But it'd be nice to start with the first one here pretty soon."

The Capitals' 3.16 non-shootout goals per game tops the Eastern Conference, but they've hit a bit of an offensive rut of late, scoring two in four of the last five games. Washington has also allowed nine total goals in the past two.

It hasn't dropped three straight in the regular season since Feb. 22-27, 2015, but it's handled the Hurricanes lately at the Verizon Center, outscoring them 12-6 in the three consecutive victories.

The Capitals lead the season series 2-1-0, though Carolina broke a three-game skid to Washington with a 4-2 win Dec. 31.

Carolina (31-26-12) comes in on a 3-0-2 streak as it tries to keep a playoff spot within striking distance. The Hurricanes are five points out of the second wild-card spot.

However, they failed to take full advantage of lowly Buffalo on Saturday, falling 3-2 on Jack Eichel's breakaway goal with one second left in overtime.

'We didn't play too bad,' defenseman Brett Pesce said. 'I honestly felt we got better as the game went on. We got some momentum in the second and third. We just got an unfortunate bounce.'

Phillip Di Giuseppe scored and has two goals and three assists in his last four games. He scored a goal Dec. 31.

Oshie's power-play goal Saturday was his 10th of the season, extending a single-season career best. He also matched his career high with his 21st goal by scoring for a second straight game.

Braden Holtby is expected to return to the net after Philipp Grubauer started in San Jose. Holtby has gone 4-1-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average in his last five starts against the Hurricanes, beating them 4-1 with 18 saves Oct. 17.

Cam Ward has lost five straight starts against Washington with a 3.23 GAA. He's posted a 3.13 mark in his last six games overall.

The Hurricanes have killed off 15 of 16 short-handed situations over the last seven games as they get set to face the top power-play team in the East at 23.8 percent.

Carolina leading scorer Jeff Skinner has four goals and four assists over his last six games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lightning (40-24) at Maple Leafs (23-34)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning were able to halt their recent rough stretch despite losing two key contributors for a good portion of their latest contest.

It's uncertain if co-point leader Nikita Kucherov and fellow forward Valtteri Filppula will be available Tuesday night when the visiting Lightning try to improve to 4-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

Steven Stamkos snapped a four-game point drought with two goals and an assist, Ben Bishop made 37 saves and Tampa Bay ended an 0-2-1 slide with Sunday's 4-0 victory at Columbus.

'You go down to nine forwards in a game that was physical,' said Stamkos, who reached 30 goals for the fifth time in his eight seasons. 'It was hard-nosed. We showed a lot of character."

In a tight race with Florida and Boston for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, the Lightning (40-24-5) regained some confidence after totaling three goals during the three-game skid that followed a franchise-record nine consecutive victories. However, Tampa Bay moves forward while the status of Kucherov and Filppula remain unknown for the moment.

Tied with Stamkos for the team lead with 55 points, Kucherov was hurt after taking a sucker punch to the head from Columbus' Dalton Prout. Kucherov recorded his 30th assist before leaving the game.

Filppula, who has just one point in his last 15 games but provides some valuable veteran leadership, suffered an upper body injury.

Coach Jon Cooper did not give an update on either player following the game, but the team felt both injuries did not appear to be long term.

Kucherov had a goal with two assists in the first three meetings with Toronto (23-34-11).

Stamkos, the suburban Toronto native who could be courted by the Maple Leafs over the summer, has one goal and no assists against them this season.

Bishop has watched backup Andrei Vasilevskiy start all three games against Toronto while posting a 1.65 goals-against average with a shutout. Vasilevskiy, who could get the call again, made 31 saves in a 2-1 victory at Toronto on Feb. 29 and had 36 in a 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on March 7 in his two most recent starts.

That is Tampa Bay's lone defeat over the last eight games on the road. Bishop has surrendered six goals in his last six road starts.

The Lightning have gone seven straight games without a power-play goal and are 4 for 55 in the last 18. However, they've killed 30 of 31 penalties in the last nine road contests.

The only goal Toronto has managed in its last two games was the difference in Sunday's 1-0 victory at Detroit. Michael Grabner snapped a 30-game goal drought, and Jonathan Bernier made 38 saves for his third shutout of the season.

Toronto last won back-to-back games Feb. 2 and 4, and hasn't done it at home since Nov. 30 and Dec. 8.

"It's more fun when you win," Grabner said. "(We got) some energy. ... We can keep it going now."

Bernier, who gave up 10 goals in his previous three starts, made 28 saves in a 1-0 loss at Tampa Bay on Jan. 27 after being roughed up in a 5-4 overtime home defeat to the Lightning on Dec. 15.

Tyler Johnson's two goals at Toronto last month began his stretch of eight points in seven games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Panthers (38-22) at Canadiens (32-31)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

At a time where every point is crucial, the Florida Panthers just let two slip away.

The Atlantic Division contenders need to regroup quickly from a potentially crushing loss when they resume an important road trip Tuesday night against the injury-plagued Montreal Canadiens.

With a chance to regain first place in the Atlantic, Florida allowed three unanswered goals in the final 7:10 to end up with a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday. After owning an 18-11 shot advantage while dominating the first two periods, the Panthers were outshot 17-7 in the pivotal third.

"We let them skate in the third period," coach Gerard Gallant said. "We backed off too much. They took it to us. The first goal killed us. You lose a game like that (and) you're going to be (upset)."

Florida (38-22-9) remained tied with Tampa Bay and one point behind Boston in the division race. Though the Panthers own a game in hand on the Bruins, they'll play eight of their final 13 on the road.

They still have an opportunity to at least keep pace on this current three-game trek, which ends Thursday against lowly Toronto following the first of three remaining meetings with the banged-up Canadiens.

Montreal (32-31-6) won't have P.K. Subban for a second straight game as the star defenseman recovers from a neck injury sustained in a frightening collision with teammate Alexei Emelin Thursday against Buffalo. Reigning league MVP Carey Price (knee) remains sidelined as well, as do forwards Brendan Gallagher (lower body), David Desharnais (foot), Lars Eller (illness) and defensemen Jeff Petry (abdomen) and Tom Gilbert (knee).

The Canadiens' makeshift lineup couldn't match playoff-hopeful Minnesota in Saturday's 4-1 loss that ended an eight-game point streak (7-0-1) at Bell Centre.

'The guys competed,' coach Michel Therrien said. 'We had a lot of chances around the net but lacked finishing. Their goaltender was very solid, and I liked the level of competition from our team.'

Montreal, which scored seven goals in wins over Dallas and Buffalo to begin a four-game homestand, fell to 4-25-2 since Dec. 3 when recording two or less. It's 26-3-2 this season when scoring at least three.

The offense has depended upon Alex Galchenyuk of late. The 22-year-old has 11 of his career-high 25 goals over a nine-game stretch but was held off the scoresheet by the Wild, ending a streak of three straight two-goal efforts.

Florida, which amassed 11 goals in victories over Ottawa and Philadelphia preceding Monday's collapse, continues to get production from its young forwards. Aleksander Barkov has 10 goals in his last 15 games after registering a goal and an assist against the Islanders, while Quebec native Jonathan Huberdeau has seven points over a four-game streak following Monday's two-assist performance.

Veteran Jussi Jokinen had a 10-game point streak end in Monday's defeat.

Barkov had two goals and an assist and Huberdeau set up two scores as the Panthers ended a three-game series skid with a 3-1 win on Dec. 29. Barkov has five goals in the last five matchups and Huberdeau eight assists during a six-game point streak against Montreal.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (34-24) at Flyers (32-23)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Making a push to move into playoff position, the Philadelphia Flyers have a good opportunity to close in on the team they must catch for that to happen.

The Flyers can get within a point of Detroit for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot by continuing their home dominance of the Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Though Philadelphia's three-game winning streak ended with Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss at Florida, it's in the midst of a 6-1-1 stretch. The Flyers are the first team behind Detroit.

"We have to have an all-around team effort, and the guys are playing good hockey," said Steve Mason, who despite yielding four goals Saturday is 3-0-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average in four starts this month.

The Flyers (32-23-12) can keep making up ground in the Detroit matchup and Saturday's game against wild-card leader Pittsburgh, which they trail by four points.

Philadelphia has totaled 22 goals during a 5-1-1 stretch at Wells Fargo Center, and it's outscored the Red Wings 44-17 in a 10-game home winning streak. Claude Giroux had the tying goal and scored in the shootout of a 2-1 victory at Detroit (34-24-11) on Jan. 17 in the season's only meeting.

Giroux has five goals and nine assists in an eight-game point streak against the Red Wings, while Wayne Simmonds has recorded five points in his last three meetings with Detroit.

The Red Wings have dropped two straight on the road, where they've gone 2-6-2 in their last 10.

Detroit's inconsistency continued Sunday as it lost 1-0 to lowly Toronto and failed to win a third straight.

"Every game this time of year, especially for us with how close the standings, are is a huge game," defenseman Danny DeKeyser said. "It's tough when you don't come away with points.'

Petr Mrazek stopped 26 shots and initially made the save on Michael Grabner's attempt in the second period before the puck slid into the net.

"Every game is extremely important, so now we got to put our sights on Tuesday and say 'How are we going to win the game on Tuesday?" coach Jeff Blashill said. "That's what I'm thinking about. I'm not thinking about anything else.

"We'll look at (Sunday's) game and learn from this game but now we got to put our sights and say how are we going to win on Tuesday?"

The Red Wings have killed off eight of nine penalties in the past three games after their previous three opponents went 6 for 11 with the man advantage. They'll be tested again by a Philadelphia club that's gone 8 for 32 (25 percent) on the power play in eight games.

Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk has managed a goal and two assists in his last 10 games, but he has seven goals and five assists during an eight-game point streak against the Flyers.

Mrazek has gone 2-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average in his last three starts. He made 30 saves against Philadelphia in January.

Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall could miss up to three weeks with a sprained knee, but forward Darren Helm might return Tuesday after sitting Sunday with the flu.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (32-27) at Senators (32-30)

Date: March 15, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

If the Minnesota Wild hold on to make the playoffs, they might look back and credit themselves with improved play on the road as the difference and be immediately rewarded without home-ice advantage in the first round.

That's looking less and less like such a daunting task entering the second of a three-game road trip Tuesday night against Ottawa as Minnesota has a shot at a season-best four-game winning streak away from home.

The Wild (32-27-10) didn't have too much trouble with Montreal in Saturday's 4-1 win for a sixth victory in eight away games, a stretch that followed a season-opening 9-12-6 road record. Minnesota sits in eighth in the Western Conference, tied with Colorado with a game in hand.

"It's just keeping the game simple," interim coach John Torchetti told the team's official website. "Just like we talked about this morning, and the other day prior, and now we have to take that, we're still on the road here for a little bit, but we have to take that game home with us, too."

Mikael Granlund scored twice, Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Vanek managed two assists Saturday after totaling one point in his previous seven games.

"We got pucks in deep early and then played a solid game," Niederreiter said. "There were moments where they definitely outworked us but overall we stayed strong and we deserved to win."

That was in part because Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves in his return from a one-game absence due to illness. He's been in goal for the three-game away streak, posting a 1.30 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. He's also won both of his career starts against the Senators behind a 1.44 GAA and .957 save percentage.

The teams haven't met this season and will play again March 31.

Ottawa (32-30-8) is also coming off a multigoal win, 4-0 at home over Toronto on Saturday, but it'll need quite a few more to return to the playoff picture. The Senators are seven points back of eighth-place Detroit in the East and have given up an average of 3.22 goals over a 3-4-2 span since they last won consecutive contests.

Mark Stone had a goal and two assists against the Maple Leafs to extend his point streak to five as part of a 10-game span with 14 points, and Zack Smith scored for the fifth straight contest on an eight-game point streak. Both are career bests.

"Much better game management, puck management," coach Dave Cameron said. "The only thing that I would have liked to seen more of was shots at the net. I still thought we passed up too many shots looking for the grade-A chance, but overall happy with our puck management, game management and what we limited Toronto to."

Whom they limited is of importance considering the Senators' wins in that nine-game span are against the Maple Leafs twice and Calgary. The win before that came against Edmonton, so it's been since a 3-2 shootout victory over Detroit on Feb. 20 that Ottawa defeated a team that's not currently in the bottom two of its respective conference.

Pumping a little life into the power play could help that along. The Senators have gone 0 for 14 over the last six games, while the Wild are 15 of 42 (35.7 percent) with at least one power-play goal in their last 13 on the road.

Craig Anderson figures to be in goal for a follow-up effort to the shutout after a four-game stretch on which he'd gone 1-2-0 with a 4.81 GAA and .874 save percentage. He also shut out Minnesota in his last game in the series, a 35-save effort in a 3-0 home win Nov. 6, 2014.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Kings (41-22) at Stars (41-20)

Date: March 15, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

Another shutdown performance has the Los Angeles Kings joining a crowded group vying for the Western Conference's best record.

With a chance to further cloud the playoff picture, they'll put their NHL-leading defense up against the league's top offense in Tuesday night's key matchup with the Dallas Stars.

Los Angeles (41-22-5) has closed within four points of Dallas (41-20-9) and St. Louis for the conference's top spot by winning eight of its last 11. The Kings, who own two games in hand on the Stars and three on the Blues, matched both in the victory column after routing slumping Chicago 5-0 on Monday.

The Kings breezed through the first challenge of a back-to-back road set against two of the West's main contenders, receiving goals from trade-deadline addition Kris Versteeg and Milan Lucic in the opening four minutes to support Jonathan Quick's 32 saves.

"Obviously we want to come out first in the conference if we can, but we have a lot of work to do," defenseman Drew Doughty said. "We're still a few points back of other teams, but yeah, we have some big games coming up, a big one against Dallas (Tuesday), and we've got to do the same sort of things."

Quick earned his 41st career shutout - most by an American-born goaltender - and improved to 7-2-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average over a 10-start stretch. He's been the backbone of a defense that's yielded a league-low 154 goals and just 20 over the last 12 games.

Either Quick or reliable backup Jhonas Enroth, who posted a 23-save shutout against Buffalo in his last start on Feb. 27, will face a Dallas attack that's amassed an NHL-high 225 goals and has been in peak form on this five-game homestand. After rolling to a 5-2 victory over the Blackhawks in Friday's opener, the Stars got late scores from red-hot Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn to rally for an important point in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis.

'The boys played a hell of a hockey game,' coach Lindy Ruff said. 'It's been a hell of a weekend for us, getting three out of four (points) and how hard they competed.'

Spezza scored twice to extend his goal streak to a career-high six games. The veteran center has 10 in his past 10.

"He's playing his best hockey, by far, all year," Ruff told the Stars' official website. "I really like the way he's playing. Offensively, since the time he's been here, this is the best he's been."

Stopping opponents has been a far more difficult task. Dallas has surrendered a league-high 47 goals over its past 12 games and has had its defensive depth depleted by recent injuries to John Klingberg (lower body), Jason Demers (shoulder) and Jordie Benn (lower body).

Kari Lehtonen has brought some stability in net of late, moving to 3-1-0 with a 2.24 GAA over his last four starts with Friday's 21-save effort against Chicago.

While the back line remains thin, the Stars may get another scorer back on Tuesday with Patrick Sharp nearing a return from a lower-body injury that's sidelined him five games.

Quick had 27 saves and Lucic scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period as the Kings won 3-2 at home in the teams' lone previous meeting this season on Jan. 19.

Lucic is on a six-game point streak and has five goals in his last seven against Dallas.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (39-23) at Sharks (38-24)

Date: March 15, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Boston's point streak has survived the defending Stanley Cup champion, this season's best team and a two-game trip to Florida against the teams with whom it's most heavily competing for the Atlantic Division title.

The test will likely grow tougher on a three-game road trip with the Bruins facing off against the best the West Coast has to offer, which starts Tuesday night against San Jose.

Boston (39-23-8) has followed a 4-1 home loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 28 by going 5-0-2 while allowing 1.86 goals per game. The latest was Saturday's 3-1 home win over the New York Islanders with David Pastrnak scoring twice and Loui Eriksson notching a goal and two assists.

Pastrnak has four goals in his last four games after opening the season with eight in his first 35, interrupted by a 25-game injured-reserve stay and three stints with AHL Providence.

"(It's always good) to help our line get a chance in the end (of periods)," said Pastrnak, who's helped put his team in position to match a season-best 6-0-2 point streak from Nov. 19-27. "I think we had a pretty good game, you know we had a lot of opportunities to score even before."

The Bruins have also won four straight on the road to become the NHL's best away team with 1.48 points per game ahead of Presidents' Trophy shoe-in Washington (1.44) and the Sharks (1.43).

San Jose, however, also happens to be coming off Saturday's 5-2 home win over the Capitals, who won 2-1 in overtime at Boston on March 5.

As for the trip, the Bruins are 0-3-0 this season against San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles with the home losses coming by a 20-8 total.

"It's definitely on our mind and it's definitely going to be a tough road trip coming up here," Eriksson told the team's official website. "We know they're good teams, but at the same time we've been pretty good on the road this year. We'll bring our A game and try to get the win. We get started against San Jose on Tuesday so everyone's looking forward to that one."

The closest of those was a 5-4 loss to the Sharks on Nov. 17, which led into that season-best point streak for the Bruins. It was the Sharks' second straight win over Boston following a 7-4 victory in San Jose on Dec. 4, 2014.

Joe Pavelski had three goals and three assists in those games, while Joe Thornton has two goals and three assists in his last three against his former team.

The win over Washington was the home performance the Sharks (38-24-6) needed. They're 13-15-3 at home and had lost three of their previous four, but still haven't won consecutive home contests since a three-game run Jan. 9-16, going 5-3-3 since.

Thornton, Pavelski, Brent Burns and Brenden Dillon each had a goal and an assist against the Capitals.

"They're a great hockey team," coach Peter DeBoer said. "But, I'd like to think we're a pretty good team, too, and I think that showed tonight."

Burns has five goals and six assists in his last seven games in front of some strong goaltending from Martin Jones and James Reimer.

It'll be Reimer playing Tuesday in his third start since being acquired from Toronto. He made 31 saves in a 3-0 win at Edmonton last Tuesday and is 1-1-2 with a 1.81 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in five games against Boston since the start of 2014-15.

Tuukka Rask has dropped his last two games against the Sharks with 12 goals allowed.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - March

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
3/1 8 48.5 49 OVER
3/2 3 16.5 17 OVER
3/3 12 65.5 69 OVER
3/4 3 15.5 20 OVER
3/5 11 58 62 OVER
3/6 6 30.5 34 OVER
3/7 7 36 38 OVER
3/8 8 44.5 41 UNDER
3/9 6 32.5 32 UNDER
3/10 6 32.5 29 UNDER
3/11 5 26.5 28 OVER
3/12 12 63.5 66 OVER
3/13 3 16 13 UNDER
3/14 6 30 41 OVER
3/15 8 - - -
3/16 6 - - -
3/17 8 - - -
3/18 6 - - -
3/19 11 - - -
3/20 7 - - -
3/21 4 - - -
3/22 10 - - -
3/23 2 - - -
3/24 11 - - -
3/25 3 - - -
3/26 14 - - -
3/27 3 - - -
3/28 8 - - -
3/29 9 - - -
3/30 3 - - -
3/31 10 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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

One could make the argument that home-ice advantage is more important in the NHL than in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball (they don't have ice, but you get the drift). That's because home NHL teams actually have a schematic advantage in that they get the last line change off a stoppage of play. Thus the coach can manipulate matchups if need be.

That brings me to the perplexing San Jose Sharks, who entered Monday third in the Pacific Division but just three points behind first-place Los Angeles. Are the Sharks good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time? Maybe. Goaltender Martin Jones has been a brilliant offseason trade acquisition. He was formerly Jonathan Quick's backup in Los Angeles, and the Kings thought so highly of Jones that they purposefully traded him to the Boston Bruins this summer to keep him out of the Western Conference. Except the Bruins then turned around and traded Jones days later to the Sharks. Jones is 34-18-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He has gone seven games in a row without giving up more than two goals.

San Jose certainly is a good enough road team to win the Cup. It is 25-9-3 away from home, the most road wins in the NHL. But what's up with that 13-15-3 record at home? The Sharks haven't had a losing home record since 1997-98. Over the past 25 years, the Stanley Cup winner with the fewest home victories (not including shortened seasons) was the 1997 Red Wings with 20. The swept the Flyers in the Cup Finals. The Stanley Cup finalist over that period with the fewest regular-season home wins was the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes, who were 15-13-11-2 at home. Ties and OT losses were separate categories then.

The Sharks start a stretch of seven of their next eight at home against Boston on Tuesday, an NBC Sports Network national TV game. San Jose is +700 to win the Western Conference.

Big Loss For Penguins

Pittsburgh's chances at winning the Cup took a big hit Saturday when star winger Evgeni Malkin was ruled out 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury (they never tell you what the true injury is in the NHL). Malkin left Friday's win in Columbus following a collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout in the second period. Malkin has 27 goals and 31 assists this season. Since making his first postseason appearance in 2007, Malkin has averaged 1.10 points per playoff game. The only player with a higher number since then is teammate Sidney Crosby at 1.18.

Malkin missed 10 consecutive games last month, during which time the Penguins went 5-4-1. Their all-time record when he has been injured is 71-45-9 following Sunday's win at the New York Rangers.

This Week's Games To Watch

Tampa Bay at Toronto, Tuesday: Why mention this one? After all, the Lightning are one of the best teams in the NHL and the Leafs the worst. Well, it's Tampa's final game in Toronto this season, and you know the media and fans up there will be going gaga over Bolts star Steven Stamkos as the Leafs will be going heavy after the Toronto native in free agency this offseason if the Lightning allow him to get there, which now seems likely. The Leafs reportedly are ready to offer him $12 million a year, which would make Stamkos the highest-paid player in league history. The Lightning aren't going that high. Stamkos would be a Canadian legend if he returned home and led the Leafs to a Cup. That will be the No. 1 offseason story in the NHL. Tampa is 3-0 against Toronto this season. The Leafs are +160 underdogs here.

NY Rangers at Anaheim, Wednesday: It's New York's only visit of the season to Anaheim. The Blueshirts won the first matchup 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 22. Mats Zuccarello scored a power-play goal at 2:37 of the extra session. That was when both teams were really struggling. This could be a very physical game as there were two fights in that first meeting. New York got back winger Rick Nash and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist this weekend from injury but lost both games, 3-2 in overtime at Detroit and 5-3 at home against the Penguins. This starts a three-game trip through California.

Chicago at Winnipeg, Friday: First meeting between these teams since the Blackhawks acquired forward Andrew Ladd from the Jets around the Feb. 29 trade deadline. Winnipeg got 21-year-old forward Marko Dano, who is considered a pretty good prospect, a first-round draft pick this June and another conditional pick. Solid return for Winnipeg after Ladd turned down a six-year extension earlier in the season and will hit unrestricted free agency. Ladd has two goals and two assists in six games with the Hawks. The Blackhawks lead the season series 2-1 but both wins were in Chicago. This starts a four-game homestand for the Jets.

NY Islanders at Dallas, Saturday: If you like offensive hockey, this matchup is for you as both are among the Top 5 scoring teams in the NHL. That showed in the first meeting, a 6-5 Islanders home win on Jan. 3. Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck each had two goals for the Isles, who trailed 2-1 in the first period before scoring the next four goals and holding on. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals for Dallas. There aren't many NHL games where I'd recommend the over total, but this would be one of them. The Islanders have lost No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak for 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury, meaning he likely misses the start of the playoffs. Thomas Greiss has played pretty well in net this year for the Isles but has less than one full game of playoff experience. Halak has 30 games of postseason play under his belt.

Boston at Los Angeles, Saturday: Could see this matchup replayed come June in the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be a chance for some major payback for Boston as it was totally embarrassed on home ice by the Kings on Feb. 9, 9-2. Nine different players scored for the Kings, including Milan Lucic, who was traded from Boston last summer (in the Jones deal). That was not a popular deal among Bruins fans. It remains an NHL high in goals scored by any team and Los Angeles also had a season-best 57 shots on net. That was the most shots against Boston since Detroit had 57 on March 18, 1965. Tuukka Rask gave up five goals on 32 shots before being pulled. It was the most goals the Bruins allowed at home in nine years.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Islanders won five of their last seven games. Pittsburgh won three of its last four.
-- Washington won three of its last four games.
-- Flyers won six of their last eight games.
-- Minnesota won five of its last seven games.
-- Los Angeles won seven of its last ten games.
-- San Jose won six of its last eight games. Bruins won five of their last seven games.

Cold teams
-- Carolina lost five of its last eight games.
-- Toronto lost seven of its last nine games. Tampa Bay lost three of its last four games.
-- Florida lost five of its last six road games. Montreal lost five of its last seven games.
-- Red Wings lost four of their last six games.
-- Ottawa lost five of its last seven games.
-- Dallas Stars lost six of their last nine games.

Series records
-- Islanders won five of last six games with Pittsburgh.
-- Washington won six of its last eight games with Carolina.
-- Lightning won five of last six games with Toronto.
-- Canadiens won six of last eight games with Florida.
-- Flyers won five of last six games with Detroit.
-- Ottawa won eight of last ten games with Minnesota.
-- Dallas Stars won four of last six games with Los Angeles.
-- Sharks won five of last eight games with Boston.

Totals
-- Three of last four Islander road games went over the total.
-- Over is 3-1 in Carolina's last four visits to Washington.
-- Eight of last ten Tampa Bay games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Florida games.
-- Five of last seven Philly games went over the total.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in Minnesota's last five visits to Ottawa.
-- Five of last six Dallas Stars games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Boston games.

Back-to-backs
-- Islanders won six of last eight games if they played the night before.
-- Florida is 4-3 on road if it played the night before.
-- Los Angeles is 7-2 if it played the night before.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA notebook: Details of crash that killed Thunder part owner released
By The Sports Xchange

The Oklahoma City Police Department on Monday released details of the fatal accident that killed shale pioneer and part owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder Aubrey McClendon.
McClendon, who was indicted on March 2 on charges he rigged gas leases, died on March 3 in a single-vehicle crash in Oklahoma City. His Chevy Tahoe, which was fitted to run on natural gas instead of gasoline, was traveling 78 miles per hour when it crashed into a bridge.
The police report said that the SUV crossed the centerline more than 60 yards before the crash.
McClendon was not wearing a seat belt. The police report also said there was no evidence that McClendon tried to avoid the crash, although he did tap the brakes a few times.
The medical examiner's office also weighed in and said it didn't find any evidence of a health emergency.
Despite the evidence, Bill Citty, Oklahoma City police chief, did not characterize McClendon's death as a suicide and said the investigation is ongoing.

--Kobe Bryant says Phil Jackson is the "greatest coach in any profession" and New York fans should trust their team president to turn things around despite the Knicks likely missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Los Angeles Lakers icon, who at retiring at season's end, has a message to those criticizing his former coach.
"People in New York just need to trust the fact that he knows more about basketball than any of them put together," Bryant said after scoring 14 points as his Lakers lost to the Knicks 90-87 on Sunday night at Staples Center. "In my opinion, he's the greatest coach in any profession. Ever."

--The Golden State Warriors recalled forward Kevon Looney from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League.
During his most recent assignment, which began Saturday, Looney averaged 11.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.5 minutes over two games with the Warriors' D-League affiliate.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Looney, 20, has appeared in 12 games with Santa Cruz this season, averaging 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 19.3 minutes.

--The Denver Nuggets signed forward Axel Toupane to a second 10-day contract.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pound Toupane has appeared in five games for Denver, averaging 4.6 points and 1.0 assists in 13.4 minutes per game.
He has played in 32 games (14 starts) for the Toronto 905 of the NBA Development League this season, averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.7 minutes per game.