Two teams probably happy to see October go in the books meet on Tuesday night in Calgary when Vancouver visits the Flames in the first matchup of the season between the Northwast Division rivals. Vancouver opened as a -125 favorite on Bodog’s NHL odds – the only road favorite of the night in hockey action.
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Vancouver is a very disappointing 5-5-1 but does come off a great outing, thumping Washington, arguably the league’s top team so far, 7-4 on Saturday. Alexander Edler, Christopher Higgins and Maxim Lapierre each scored two goals for the Canucks. It was the first time that Vancouver had three different multiple-goal scorers in one game since Feb. 25, 2003. The Canucks scored five even-strength goals against a Caps team that had surrendered only 10 of those all month.
Still, there remains concern over goalie Roberto Luongo, who will start tonight. He has a goals-against-average of 3.54, which is 35th in the NHL. By contrast, backup Cory Schneider is at 1.97.
Calgary (4-4-1) has been off since beating St. Louis 3-1 on Friday for its second win in a row. Rookie Roman Horak is making a big impression and had a goal and an assist vs. the Blues for his second consecutive two-point game. Horak is five years younger than the second-youngest player on the active roster, 25-year-old defenseman Chris Butler. However, star Jarome Iginla is struggling. So far, the franchise’s all-time leader in every offensive category has managed just two goals and two assists, along with a minus-3 rating.
Vancouver won five of six meetings with Calgary last season, and the Flames’ only win came in a shootout. This starts a six-game, 12-day trip for Vancouver. Calgary is just 1-5 in its past six as a home underdog.
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The Detroit Red Wings and defenseman Niklas Kronwall have committed to a long-term future together as the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $33.25 million extension. While the contract doesn’t go into effect until the 2012-13 season, the knowledge that this is behind him will definitely help Kronwall succeed this season.
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Detroit’s next action comes Tuesday against Minnesota. It’s already the third of four meetings between the two this season. Detroit won the first game 3-2, but dropped a 1-0 decision last Saturday night.
The key to victory for Minnesota will be the continued hot play of the Dany Heatley line. Heatley is centered by Mikko Koivu with Guillaume Latendresse on the far side. The trio have combined for 17 points in 10 games, including Heatley who has a point in four straight.
Detroit is starting a six-game home stand entirely against Western Conference opponents, including visits from the lowly Flames and Ducks. They’ll need to get some scoring and it doesn’t matter from who, although a point or two from guys like Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula would be nice. They’ve been off the score sheet in four straight.
Despite a 5-4-0 record, Detroit is being outscored by their opponents overall at a rate of 2.44 goals for and 2.56 goals against per game. The same goes for Minnesota, who has a 4-3-3 record but is averaging 1.90 goals for and 2.20 goals against. Detroit has been outscored 16-4 in their last four games – all of which they’ve lost.
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A pair of teams looking to turn around two-game losing streaks will meet on the ice on Tuesday night as the Washington Capitals play host to the Anaheim Ducks.
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The Capitals stormed out of the gate with seven consecutive victories, but their trip to western Canada late last week resulted in back-to-back losses to the Oilers and Canucks and disappointed backers on the NHL betting board at the Bodog Sportsbook.
Washington lost just 2-1 to Edmonton, but they were blasted 7-4 in Vancouver. Tomas Vokoun allowed the first three Canucks goals on 17 shots before getting pulled. Michal Neuvirth was then shelled for four goals on 26 shots over the final two periods.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice for the Capitals in that loss, giving him five goals and nine points in nine games this season. Linemate Nicklas Backstrom leads the team with 12 points on the year.
The Ducks have lost five of their past six games, including consecutive losses on Saturday and Sunday to Nashville (3-0) and Columbus (3-1) in which the offense stalled.
Against the Blue Jackets Bobby Ryan provided the team's only goal, with Teemu Selanne picking up an assist to run his team-leading point total to 10 on the season. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf have combined for just 14 points through 11 games.
The Capitals and Ducks met back in February in Anaheim, with the visitors picking up a 7-6 win in an easy OVER result for NHL bettors. Washington is 3-2 in its last five games against Anaheim, with the OVER/UNDER at 2-2-1 in those contests.
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A pair of Eastern Conference contenders will meet on the ice in Buffalo on Wednesday night as the Philadelphia Flyers head to town for a game against the Sabres on the NHL betting board at the Bodog Sportsbook.
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The Flyers got back into the win column last time out with a 5-1 home victory over Carolina, with Ilya Bryzgalov stopping 24 of the 25 shots sent his way in that game. Bryzgalov had given up 18 goals over his past four outings – all Flyers losses.
The line of Jaromir Jagr, Claude Giroux, and Scott Hartnell combined for nine points against the Hurricanes, with Jagr potting two goals on the night. Giroux leads the team with seven goals and 15 points through 11 games for the 6-4-1 Flyers.
The Sabres are coming off a 3-2 home loss to Florida on Saturday, with the Panthers scoring two goals in the final four minutes of the contest to pick up that victory.
Ryan Miller allowed three goals on 36 shots for the Sabres in that loss, dropping his record to 4-4-0 on the season; Miller has a 2.14 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage this year, but he's lost three straight starts.
Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek had the goals for 6-4-0 Buffalo against the Panthers; Vanek leads the team with eight goals and 15 points in 10 games this season.
The Flyers and Sabres last met in last year's playoffs, with Philadelphia winning the best-of-seven first-round series in seven games. Overall the Flyers and Sabres have split their last 10 meetings at 5-5, with the OVER/UNDER at 8-2 in those contests.
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After having their five-game winning streak snapped in Toronto on Saturday night the Pittsburgh Penguins will return to action on Thursday night with an NHL betting matchup in San Jose against the Sharks.
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The Penguins remain at the top of the Atlantic Division standings at 8-3-2 on the season despite the fact that Sidney Crosby has not yet been cleared to return to action. Pittsburgh has scored 39 goals in 13 games in their superstar's absence.
But the Pens could've used one extra goal on Saturday, as they fell 4-3 on the road to the Maple Leafs. Matt Cooke, Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin had the goals for Pittsburgh in that contest, while backup netminder Brent Johnson made 25 saves.
For Thursday expect Marc-Andre Fleury back between the pipes for Pittsburgh. Fleury has a record of 7-2-0 on the year with a 1.86 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage, and he hasn't allowed more than three goals in any game this season.
The Sharks also had a five-game winning streak snapped last time out, falling 5-2 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski provided the goals for the Sharks in that loss, and Antti Niemi stopped just 26 of 31 New York shots. That was Niemi's worst start of the season; he's 4-2-0 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
The Penguins last met the Sharks back in February, falling 3-2 at home as a +115 underdog on the NHL betting odds. Overall Pittsburgh is just 1-4 in its last five games against San Jose, with the OVER/UNDER 0-4 with one PUSH in those contests.
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Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne celebrated his 29th birthday with a $49 million contract extension. The Predators announced the deal that will keep their franchise goalie in net for the next seven years.
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Rinne has spent his entire NHL career in a Predators uniform. He made his debut in 2005-06, but didn’t play his first full season exclusively in Nashville until last year. His career record is 100-58-0-20. He has 22 shutouts, a .920 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average. He was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season.
This season, he’s 5-4-2 with a .922 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average. He’s got his team into second place in the Central Division. Forwards David Legwand and Craig Smith have helped the cause. Legwand leads the team in scoring with three goals and 11 points while Smith has four goals and nine points total.
The signing shows a continuing trend of improvement in Nashville. Since joining the NHL in 1998-99, the Predators have consistently been an afterthought until last season, when they won their first-ever playoff series before bowing out in the second round. Baby steps, right?
The Predators’ next action comes Thursday night against Phoenix. The two teams met on Oct. 13, a game in which the Coyotes made easy work of the Predators, winning 5-2 to earn their first win of the season.
Nashville is celebrating the deal by offering discounted tickets to their next two home games, the first of which is Nov. 12 against Montreal, which is also the franchise’s 1000th game in the NHL.
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Struggling since star defenseman Drew Doughty returned to the lineup, the Los Angeles Kings ride a four-game losing streak into their Monday matchup on the road in San Jose.
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The Kings last won back on October 27 in Dallas, following up that decision with four consecutive defeats against the Coyotes, Avalanche, Oilers, and Penguins. Against Pittsburgh on Saturday night the Kings took a 2-1 lead midway through the third period, but gave up a late goal and then ended up falling 3-2 in a shootout.
Anze Kopitar scored his seventh goal of the season for Los Angeles in that loss, while Simon Gagne had the team's other marker. Kings netminder Jonathan Quick gave up two goals on 33 shots in that contest, falling to 6-2-3 on the season; Quick has a 1.68 goals-against average and a stellar .941 save percentage so far this year.
The Sharks are also coming off a loss, getting beat 4-3 in overtime by the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. Joe Pavelski, Martin Havlat, and Logan Couture had the goals for San Jose in that defeat, and Antti Niemi allowed four goals on 35 shots.
San Jose and Los Angeles haven't met since the first round of last year's playoffs, when the Sharks bounced the Kings in six games. Overall the Sharks are 6-4 against the Kings in their last 10 meetings, with the OVER/UNDER at 5-4-1 in those contests.
On the NHL futures list at the Bodog Sportsbook the Sharks enter this week at 10/1 to win the championship, with the Kings just behind them on that list at 12/1. They both trail the Penguins and Capitals, who sit at 7/1 on the Stanley Cup futures list.
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Boston Bruins Daniel Paille will likely miss some time after taking a slap shot from New York Islander Steve Staios in the face on Monday night.
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Paille, who wears a visor, stood in front of Staios’ shot, but didn’t turn his body and the puck hit him near the nose. He’s being looked at specialists and it is not known how much time he’ll miss.
Paille is not one of Boston’s more dynamic forwards. In three seasons with the Bruins, he’s averaged a point every four games. However, he does provide the depth that every team needs to compete. Paille is one of the team’s better penalty killers and he also manages to keep himself out of the penalty box.
Losing Paille for any amount of time won’t cripple the team, but it might make then wonder “what’s next?” After winning the Stanley Cup last June, the team got off to a miserable start, prompting fans and media to blame the dreaded ‘Stanley Cup hangover’ effect.
Last night’s win over the Islanders helped lift the Bruins over New York in the standings, getting them out of last place. They’re now on a three-game winning streak in which they’ve outscored opponents 18-5.
The Bruins next meet with the Oilers, who have got off to a great start. Boston appears to be turning their fortunes around now, though, and next two weeks could go a long way toward showing who this team really is.
After Edmonton and then Buffalo on Saturday, the Bruins’ next four all come against teams currently below the playoff cut line. If the Bruins want to get back into the thick of things, now is the time to get it going.
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After putting an end to their losing streak on Tuesday night the Los Angeles Kings will return to action on Thursday with a home matchup against the Vancouver Canucks on the NHL betting board.
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Los Angeles finally got another notch in the win column on Tuesday as they skated past the Nashville Predators for 4-3 victory. Drew Doughty scored his first goal of the season in that contest for the Kings, while Alec Martinez, Mike Richards, and Simon Gagne provided markers as well.
Kings backup netminder Jonathan Bernier got the start against the Predators, stopping 27 of 30 shots to earn his first victory of the season. Bernier is now 1-2-0 on the year with a 3.37 goals-against average and an .873 save percentage.
The Canucks are coming off a 6-2 win in Chicago in their last game on Sunday, scoring five power-play goals on the Blackhawks en route to that victory.
Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, David Booth, Dan Hamhuis, Jannik Hansen, and Aaron Rome all scored for Vancouver that day, with the Sedins combining for seven points in the win.
Embattled goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 38 of 40 Chicago shots on Sunday, improving his record to 5-4-1 on the season. Luongo has a 3.06 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage through 10 games.
This will be the first matchup of the season between the Canucks and Kings, with Vancouver holding a slight 6-4 edge in the last 10 meetings between the clubs. The OVER/UNDER went 4-5-1 in those contests.
On the Stanley Cup futures list the Canucks are currently at 9/1 odds to win the championship, with the Kings set at 13/1 on that list.
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THEY take the ice.
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Boston’s Tyler Seguin continues to thrive in the NHL. The former number two selection is in just his second season, and he’s continuing to pile up the accolades, being named the NHL’s First Star for last week.
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Seguin has now recorded a point in six-straight games, dating back to an Oct. 29 contest against Montreal. The 19-year-old sophomore has yet to go two games in a row without getting a point. Last week alone he recorded four goals and two helpers to edge out Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews for the star selections.
The Bruins are climbing back from the depths of the Eastern Conference. They were in last place less than two weeks ago and are now two points back of a playoff spot going into Monday night’s games. While it’s still only November, the NHL is notorious for how difficult it is for teams to climb the standings. Some have already predicted that it’s do-or-die time for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
One of the longest-running storylines in the league began with the Bruins trading forward Phil Kessel to the Leafs for first-round draft picks, one of which turned into Seguin. In one of the most interesting turn of events, Kessel leads the league with 12 goals while Seguin and a host of others are right behind with 11. Meanwhile, Seguin is leading the league in plus-minus with a plus-14 rating, and is fourth in total points with 20.
Seguin gets to defend his star selection this week with games against New Jersey, Columbus and the NY Islanders. Let the feeding frenzy begin.
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Back in a groove, the Boston Bruins will be looking to run their winning streak to six games and pay off on the NHL odds board at the Bodog Sportsbook once again on Tuesday night as they play host to the New Jersey Devils.
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The Bruins ran their current streak to five games on Saturday night, knocking out the Buffalo Sabres and their goaltender Ryan Miller in a 6-2 victory.
Tyler Seguin had a pair of goals and one assist for the Bruins in that win over Buffalo, giving him 11 markers and 20 points in 15 games on the season and putting the second-year player in the Top 10 of NHL scoring.
Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton, Chris Kelly, and Brad Marchand also scored for Boston in that contest, while Tim Thomas stopped 21 of 23 Buffalo shots. Forward Milan Lucic drew the ire of the Sabres – and the attention of the league office – when he ran over Miller in a race for the puck.
The Devils are coming off a 3-2 shootout win in Washington in their last game on Saturday night, giving them a split of a home-and-home set with the Capitals. Petr Sykora and Ryan Carter scored for New Jersey in regulation time in that contest, while David Clarkson provided the winner in the shootout.
Johan Hedberg got the start for New Jersey in Saturday's win, allowing two goals on 17 shots. Hedberg is now 6-3-1 on the season with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage, while starter Martin Brodeur is 2-3-0 with a 3.02 GAA and an .880 save percentage in six starts.
New Jersey and Boston haven't met on the ice since last April, when the Devils pulled out a 3-2 home win at +100 on the NHL odds at the Bodog Sportsbook. Overall the Devils and Bruins have split their last 10 meetings 5-5, with the OVER/UNDER at 0-6 with four PUSH results.
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The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking for some revenge for an earlier loss on Wednesday night as they play on the road against the Vancouver Canucks in the top matchup on the NHL betting board.
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Vancouver thumped Chicago 6-2 on the road when those teams met on November 6, with Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin combining for two goals and five assists in the contest.
David Booth, Aaron Rome, Jannik Hansen, and Dan Hamhuis also scored for the Canucks in that win, while Roberto Luongo stopped 38 of 40 Chicago shots. Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger replied for the Hawks, and Corey Crawford made 32 saves between the pipes in the losing cause.
Overall the Blackhawks are 3-7 in their last 10 games against the Canucks, with the OVER/UNDER at 5-4-1 in those contests. Chicago, though, rides a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's matchup, with consecutive victories over the Blue Jackets, Flames, and Oilers.
Against the Oilers on Sunday the Hawks got two goals apiece from Jonathan Toews and Steve Montador in a 6-3 home win. Duncan Keith and Dan Carcillo also had goals for Chicago that night, while defenseman Brent Seabrook exited the game with a lower-body injury.
Crawford ran his record to 8-4-2 on the season by making 20 saves in that victory.
The Canucks are coming off a 4-1 home win over the Islanders on Sunday, as Henrik Sedin, Aaron Rome, Cody Hodgson, and Booth provided the markers. Luongo sits at 7-5-1 on the season after making 23 saves in that contest.
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After doubling up on the Detroit Red Wings late last month the San Jose Sharks will be looking for a similar result on Thursday night as the teams meet in California on the NHL betting board.
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The Sharks played on the road in Detroit on October 28, winning 4-2 behind a two-goal performance from Joe Thornton. Patrick Marleau and Ryane Clowe also had markers for San Jose in that game, while Antti Niemi stopped 30 of 32 Detroit shots.
Niemi has given up just three goals over his past two starts to improve his record to 6-2-1 on the season; the netminder has a 2.74 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage this year.
San Jose, though, was blanked 3-0 at home by the Phoenix Coyotes in their last outing on Saturday, as backup netminder Thomas Greiss stopped just 20 of 23 Phoenix shots. Watch for Niemi to get back between the pipes for Thursday's game.
Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom scored for the Red Wings in that losing cause in October, with Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom both picking up a pair of assists. Jimmy Howard made 26 saves between the pipes for Detroit.
Detroit is just 3-7 in its past 10 games against the Sharks, with the OVER/UNDER sitting at 5-5 for those contests between the two Western Conference rivals.
As well, watch for updated Stanley Cup odds on the NHL futures board. Currently San Jose is at 9/1 odds to win the Cup this season, with Detroit at 14/1 odds. The Sharks are also the 9/2 co-favorites to win the Western Conference title.
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After an embarrassing loss to Chicago on Wednesday night, Canucks fans got more bad news when it was revealed that forward Ryan Kesler and defenseman Keith Ballard suffered injuries, which just adds to the mounting doctors’ bills being paid by the Vancouver bean counters. Both missed practice on Thursday.
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Kesler injured his shoulder, while Ballard hurt his back in the 5-1 loss to the Hawks. However, the news wasn’t all bad, as Kesler expects to be in the lineup for Vancouver’s next game at home against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. However, no return is in sight for Ballard.
Ballard joins forward Mason Raymond on the IR list. Raymond is recovering from a broken vertebra. He was cleared for contact in practice on Thursday, but there’s no timetable for his return. Meanwhile, Roberto Luongo is still listed as day-to-day with an unspecified injury.
After failing at the worst possible time last season, the Canucks are now trying to recover from the Stanley Cup loss and rebuild trust with the fan base in Vancouver. However, the team is off to a 9-9-1 record so far; a pace that will likely see them fall short of the playoffs. The last time a Stanley Cup finalist failed to make the playoffs in the following season was the Edmonton Oilers, who lost a seven game series to Carolina in 2006.
The Canucks are seventh in the league in goals per game, and eventually that should convert to more wins than losses, but they’ll need that to happen sooner than later, or they might find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to rise in the standings in the perilously-difficult three-point NHL.
According to Bodog's online sportsbook, at least, they still have 10/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup. Wishful thinking?
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The face of the NHL is back! Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will play his first game since Jan. 5 due to concussion-like symptoms when the Pens host the New York Islanders on Monday night. Pittsburgh is a -220 favorite on Bodog’s NHL odds.
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Crosby hasn't played since taking head shots in consecutive games in January against Washington and Tampa Bay. Crosby missed the remainder of the 2010-11 season after taking a hit from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman on Jan. 5. The expected brief absence – it was originally thought Crosby would only miss a week — turned into an extended one that rendered him a spectator for Pittsburgh's loss to the Lightning in the opening round of the playoffs.
Crosby began training camp wearing a white helmet to signify he wasn't to be hit, working that way for a month before switching to a black helmet after being cleared for contact on Oct. 13. Crosby was the NHL's leader in goals and points, with 32 and 66, respectively, at the time of his diagnosis. In addition to being on pace for career-best goal and point totals at the time of his diagnosis, Crosby also had just wrapped a 25-game point streak — the longest stretch since the NHL returned from its lockout season of 2004-05.
"There's going to be a (period of) time before he feels comfortable and back, certainly, to the level he was playing (before the injury)," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who added Crosby will play on a line with wingers Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis.
This is the third of six regular-season meetings between these teams. rivals. The Penguins swept a home-and-home from the Islanders in October. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots in a 3-0 shutout win on Long Island on Oct. 25, then two nights later Evgeni Malkin had the decisive shootout goal for a 3-2 victory in Pittsburgh.
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The news of Sidney Crosby’s imminent return to NHL action is dominating the headlines, much to the detriment of Buffalo’s Tyler Myers, who can’t seem to get any attention over his broken wrist, and the fact that he’ll be out for at least a month.
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The Buffalo defenseman injured himself in the second period of a 4-2 loss to Phoenix on Saturday. The 21-year-old is having a down-year after winning the Calder Trophy two seasons ago. He has two goals, four assists and a minus-four rating in 19 games so far.
The Sabres have recalled T.J. Brennan from the Rochester Americans of the AHL to fill in for Myers in his absence. The 22-year-old was recalled last week as well, but did not get into a game. The three-year professional has yet to play in the NHL, but with Rochester and the Porland Pirates, Brennan has 24 goals and 45 points in 154 career games.
The Sabres are struggling recently after starting off the season on a hot streak. They’ve yet to lose two-in-a-row in November, but they haven’t won back-to-back games since Nov. 11. Their next game action comes this Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, who beat them 6-2 on Nov. 12.
While Myers’ lacking play may not warrant an all-star selection, the fan voting ballot does have him on the list. But then again, it also has Crosby. Choose wisely.
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The Chicago Blackhawks will just be happy to be out of the province of Alberta on Wednesday night as they take on the Sharks in San Jose in an NHL betting matchup.
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The Blackhawks were thumped twice in Alberta over the weekend, falling 5-2 in Calgary on Friday night and then topping themselves with a 9-2 defeat against the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday night.
Ray Emery allowed seven goals on 27 shots in that loss to Edmonton before Corey Crawford came in to give up two goals on seven shots the rest of the way. Backup Emery is 3-1-1 on the season, but his GAA (3.70) and save percentage (.874) are ugly.
Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland had the goals in that loss for Chicago, which gave up a combined 12 points to Oilers young guns Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The Sharks have fared much better recently, riding a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's matchup. San Jose is coming off a 4-1 victory in Colorado on Sunday, getting a hat trick from Patrick Marleau and another goal from Joe Pavelski in the win.
Thomas Greiss allowed just one goal on 37 shots between the pipes for the Sharks.
Wednesday will mark the first meeting of the season between the Sharks and Blackhawks; the two teams last played back in March when Chicago came away with a 6-3 home win as a -120 favorite.
Overall Chicago is 6-4 in its past 10 games against San Jose, with the OVER/UNDER going 6-4 in those 10 contests.
Heading into Thanksgiving the Sharks and Blackhawks are both at 9/1 on the Stanley Cup futures board.
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Two of the top teams on the Stanley Cup futures board will hit the ice on Friday afternoon as the Boston Bruins play host to the Detroit Red Wings.
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Boston, the defending Stanley Cup champions, have stabilized at 13/1 odds on that NHL futures list after following up a slow start to the season with their recent hot streak. The Red Wings are just behind them at 14/1 odds to win the Cup right now.
Leading the way on that futures list are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who now have Sidney Crosby back in the fold and are set at 13/2 odds to win the championship this season.
The Red Wings are coming off a 5-3 home win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, with Tomas Holmstrom scoring a pair of goals for Detroit in that contest. Ian White, Pavel Datsyuk, and Valtteri Filppula also had markers for the Wings in the win.
Boston came back to beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on the road in a shootout on Wednesday night, with Zdeno Chara sending the game to extra time with a goal in the third period. Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand also found the back of the net in the win for the Bruins.
Friday will be the first meeting of the season between the Bruins and Red Wings. The clubs faced off in a home-and-home set back in February, with Detroit winning those games by scores of 6-1 and 4-2. Boston hasn't beaten Detroit since November 2008.
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A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will hit the ice on Saturday afternoon as the Philadelphia Flyers skate into Madison Square Garden for a game against the New York Rangers on the NHL betting board.
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And the Flyers and Rangers will be meeting for the first time this season, having last battled back in April in Philadelphia – when the visitors grabbed a 3-2 victory in a game that played UNDER the posted total of 5.5 goals.
Overall, the Flyers have had a slight edge on the Rangers in head-to-head matchups lately, going 6-4 straight-up against them. The OVER/UNDER was 3-7 in those games.
Philadelphia pulled out a 4-3 road win in overtime against the New York Islanders in their Wednesday outing, with Danny Briere providing the winner in the extra frame. Briere also scored in the third period for the Flyers that night, with Scott Hartnell and Andrej Meszaros picking up markers in the victory as well.
The Rangers were beaten 2-1 on the road by the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night, as Derek Stepan scored the team's lone goal of the game. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 of 38 Florida shots in that losing cause.
On the Stanley Cup odds board at the Bodog Sportsbook the Flyers are currently sitting as one of the favorites to win the championship this season at 9/1, while the Rangers are pegged at 22/1 odds to hoist that trophy next spring.
The Flyers and Rangers are also in action on Friday this week, with Philadelphia hosting Montreal and New York playing in Washington.
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Vancouver is a very disappointing 5-5-1 but does come off a great outing, thumping Washington, arguably the league’s top team so far, 7-4 on Saturday. Alexander Edler, Christopher Higgins and Maxim Lapierre each scored two goals for the Canucks. It was the first time that Vancouver had three different multiple-goal scorers in one game since Feb. 25, 2003. The Canucks scored five even-strength goals against a Caps team that had surrendered only 10 of those all month.
Still, there remains concern over goalie Roberto Luongo, who will start tonight. He has a goals-against-average of 3.54, which is 35th in the NHL. By contrast, backup Cory Schneider is at 1.97.
Calgary (4-4-1) has been off since beating St. Louis 3-1 on Friday for its second win in a row. Rookie Roman Horak is making a big impression and had a goal and an assist vs. the Blues for his second consecutive two-point game. Horak is five years younger than the second-youngest player on the active roster, 25-year-old defenseman Chris Butler. However, star Jarome Iginla is struggling. So far, the franchise’s all-time leader in every offensive category has managed just two goals and two assists, along with a minus-3 rating.
Vancouver won five of six meetings with Calgary last season, and the Flames’ only win came in a shootout. This starts a six-game, 12-day trip for Vancouver. Calgary is just 1-5 in its past six as a home underdog.
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