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The Buffalo Sabres were unable to avenge their fallen goaltender Ryan Miller in their rematch against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, falling 4-3 in a shootout to the hottest team in the league. As such, the Sabres have now lost two-in-a-row, which ties their longest skid of the season.

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The bigger loss for the Sabres will be that of resident iron man Brad Boyes, who had played in 513 consecutive games, becoming just the 20th NHL player in history to reach that mark when he did so last month. Boyes suffered a lower-body injury during the second period, possibly to his ankle.

On the plus side, rookie defenseman T.J. Brennan made his NHL debut, and even scored a goal in the game, becoming the first Sabre defenseman to score in his premiere game since now-head coach Lindy Ruff did so in 1979.

The Sabres now have a chance to get back on the right track when they face the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. It will be their second and last meeting of the season. Buffalo handled Columbus quite easily in a 4-2 victory on Oct. 27.

Look for Sabres forward Thomas Vanek to continue having a career year. His 12 goals and 25 points put him in the top five in the league in both categories. Likewise, expect Buffalo’s special teams units to run amok over Columbus. They have the seventh-best power play and fourth-best penalty kill squads in the NHL.

After the latest round of calls for Bruce Boudreau’s head, the Washington Capitals finally pulled the trigger and fired the head coach, replacing him with Dale Hunter.

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Boudreau was on a short leash with owner Ted Leonsis, and decided that he was going to do things his way, sitting Alex Ovechkin in the final minutes of a game and healthy-scratching Alex Semin. In the end, it’s unclear whether those moves inspired short term confidence or confusion in the dressing room, and ultimately the lack of points – both for players and the team as a whole – cost Boudreau his job.

Coming in is Hunter, who has coached the OHL’s London Knights. He’ll get his Capitals debut on Tuesday night when Washington hosts the St. Louis Blues. Hunter is the fastest OHL coach to win 300 and 400 games. In his 11 years with London, he posted a 451-189-23-24 record; the best winning percentage in OHL history.

Hunter’s top priority now is to ignite Ovechkin, who’s been cold and colder over the last few seasons. Even with the tremendous talent at his disposal, Hunter might get a bye when it comes to the postseason this year.

The Capitals needed a change. It’s clear that the group they had wasn’t working. Boudreau will likely be just the first in a series of changes, which may include trading Semin or the oft-injured Mike Green. The Caps have had great success during recent seasons, but have had early exits in the playoffs each year, and they’re now acknowledging that it’s time for change.

The San Jose Sharks have already beaten the Los Angeles Kings once this season; they'll try for another victory over their rival on Monday night when they head down the road for an NHL betting matchup at the Bodog Sportsbook.

Check the sportsbook for individual game lines at Stanley Cup futures.

The Sharks won 4-2 at home over the Kings back on November 7, getting goals from each of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle, and Logan Couture in that contest. Marleau also collected a pair of assists for a three-point night in that win.

Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar had the goals for Los Angeles in that loss, with Jonathan Quick allowing four goals on 38 shots. Sharks counterpart Antti Niemi made 29 saves on 31 Los Angeles shots to collect the win in that contest.

Niemi took a loss in his last start, a 3-2 result at home against the Canucks on Saturday night. The netminder allowed three goals on 27 shots in that game, with Marleau and Andrew Murray providing markers for the team.

The Kings fell 2-1 at home to the Blackhawks on Saturday, with Jarret Stoll's second-period tally the only scoring they managed in the game. Quick allowed two goals on 27 shots in that losing cause.

Overall Los Angeles is just 4-6 in its past 10 games against San Jose, with the OVER/UNDER sitting at 6-3-1 for those 10 contests.

On the NHL futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook the Sharks are the second-favorite behind the Penguins at 8/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup this season, with Los Angeles back at 14/1 odds to win the championship in the spring.

With each team riding a two-game winning streak, the New York Rangers will play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night in NHL betting action.

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The Penguins, at 3-0-1 since Sidney Crosby returned to action last week, are coming off a 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens when they last played on Saturday night.

Kris Letang had the winner in the extra frame for Pittsburgh in that contest, while Jordan Staal sent the game to overtime with his 12th goal of the season in the third period. Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis also scored, and Crosby had one assist.

In four games so far this season Crosby has collected two goals and eight points. In his 41 games last season Crosby picked up 32 goals and 66 points before his injury.

The Rangers blanked the Flyers 2-0 in their last game on Saturday, with Henrik Lundqvist earning the shutout with a 29-save performance. Brad Richards scored his eighth goal of the season for New York in that game; Carl Hagelin had the other tally.

New York and Pittsburgh will be meeting for the first time this season when they hit the ice at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Overall the teams have split their last 10 matchups 5-5, with the OVER/UNDER at 6-4 in those 10 contests.

With Crosby back in the fold the Penguins remain at the top of the Stanley Cup odds list at the Bodog Sportsbook, where they are at 13/2 to win the championship this season. The Rangers are sitting at 20/1 odds on that chart right now.

The Detroit Red Wings will try to end November on a six-game winning streak by taking care of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.

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The Red Wings picked up their fifth consecutive victory against the Nashville Predators at home on Saturday night, winning 4-1 behind a two-goal performance from Valtteri Filppula. Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary also had markers in the game.

Jimmy Howard earned the win between the pipes for Detroit against Nashville, stopping 18 of 19 shots to improve his record to 13-5-1 on the season. Howard sports a 1.86 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage over his 19 starts.

The Lightning were stymied by the Wild in their last game on Monday night, falling 3-1 on the road with Steven Stamkos scoring their only goal – his 15th of the season. Mathieu Garon allowed two goals on 23 Wild shots in that contest.

Detroit beat Tampa Bay 6-2 on the road when those two clubs met last season, with the Lightning having been pegged at +105 at home on the NHL lines in that contest.

Overall the Red Wings are 5-0 in their last five games against the Lightning dating back to 2005, scoring four or more goals in four of those contests. The OVER/UNDER went 4-1 in those five games.

On the Stanley Cup futures at the Bodog Sportsbook the Red Wings are at 14/1 odds to win the championship in the spring. The Lightning trail at 25/1 odds on that list.

Everybody knows things are going rather poorly with the Anaheim Ducks, but a 4-1 win over Montreal on Wednesday ought to have given at least a moment of peace, right? Wrong. After the game, the Ducks fired head coach Randy Carlyle and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau, who was relieved of his head coaching duties in Washington just two days earlier.

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Despite the team’s lack of overall success this season, this decision comes at an awkward time. The Ducks have made a clear effort to be financially responsible in recent seasons. GM Bob Murray gave Carlyle a three-year contract extension this past summer, and they’ll still be on the hook for that, at least until Carlyle finds another job.

However, it’s the speed at which Murray made the switch to Boudreau that’s surprising, as you’d have to think that unless he knew before Monday that Boudreau was going to get axed, he probably didn’t have talks with the former Washington head coach about coming in to Anaheim.

Still, while the Ducks are on the hook for Carlyle’s contract, it’s probably better that they made the decision now rather than later. The team is currently 14th in the Western Conference and 29th in the league, but there’s plenty of talent in Anaheim, and plenty of time for them to get it together and turn the season around.

Anaheim’s next game is this Friday against the Flyers, where Boudreau will make his debut behind the bench with the team. Unfortunately, the Ducks won’t face the Capitals again this season, unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Washington Capitals will play their second game under new head coach Dale Hunter on Thursday night when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on the NHL betting board.

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In Hunter's debut behind the bench on Tuesday night the Capitals were edged 2-1 at home by the St. Louis Blues, with Nicklas Backstrom scoring the team's lone goal in the defeat. Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun stopped 28 of 30 St. Louis shots in that contest.

The Penguins were also in action on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, where they gave up four second-period goals in a 4-3 road defeat to the New York Rangers. James Neal, Evgeni Malkin, and Pascal Dupuis had the markers for Pittsburgh that night, and Sidney Crosby picked up two assists.

The Capitals and Penguins met in Pittsburgh on October 13, with Dennis Wideman scoring in overtime to give Washington a 3-2 victory in that contest. Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble also scored for the Caps in that win, while Neal had both Penguins goals.

Vokoun made 39 saves that night for Washington, with Penguins backup netminder Brent Johnson stopping just 16 of 19 shots between the pipes in a losing cause.

Overall Washington is a dominant 8-2 in its past 10 games against Pittsburgh, with the OVER/UNDER split at 5-5 in those 10 contests.

On the Stanley Cup futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook the Penguins are still the 6/1 favorites to win the championship in the spring, while the Capitals are at 10/1 on that list.

The Philadelphia Flyers will return to the ice late on Friday night as they play in Anaheim against the Ducks on the NHL betting board.

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Philadelphia, though, will get back in action without star defenseman Chris Pronger, who could miss up to a month of action after undergoing knee surgery this week. Pronger has 12 points in 13 games for the Flyers so far this season.

The Flyers' injury list right now also includes forwards Jaromir Jagr (groin) and James van Riemsdyk (upper body). Jagr might be able to return to the lineup on Friday night against the Ducks, while van Riemsdyk isn't expected to play in that contest in Anaheim.

Philadelphia last played on Saturday against the Rangers in New York, falling 2-0 to their rival that day. Sergei Bobrovsky got the start for Philadelphia in net in that game, stopping 30 of 32 Rangers shots to fall to 5-2-1 on the season.

The Ducks have played so poorly lately that there are rumours circulating that they might shake up their team with a major trade – and winger Bobby Ryan is the player most often speculated to be on the block.

Anaheim, though, at least carries a three-game winning streak against the Flyers into Friday's matchup, beating them twice in 2010 and once in 2009. Overall the Ducks are 3-2 straight up in their last five against Philly, with the OVER/UNDER at 2-3 in those games.

On the NHL futures board the Ducks have sunk to 100/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup this season thanks to their current slump, while the Flyers are one of the favorites to win the championship at 10/1 odds at the Bodog Sportsbook.

Certainly the marquee matchup in the NHL on Monday night comes from Pittsburgh, where the Atlanta Division and Eastern Conference-leading Penguins host the Northeast Division’s top team, the Boston Bruins. Pittsburgh opened as the -140 favorite on Bodog’s NHL hockey odds.

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The reigning Stanley Cup champion Bruins (16-7-1) started the season slowly but have since taken off. Boston enters off a 4-1 win Saturday over Toronto, the Bruins’ 13th win in their past 14 games. Backup goalie Tuukka Rask got the start in that one, but Tim Thomas should be back in net for the Penguins. Boston, which leads the NHL in goals against and is No. 2 in goals per game, went 12-0-1 in November -- their first month without a regulation loss since January 1969 -- to go from last place to second in the Eastern Conference to first in the division. Boston's 14-game streak without a regulation loss is its longest since recording at least one point in 17 straight games in 1983.

Pittsburgh (16-7-4) finished a 3-1 road trip with a 3-2 win over Carolina on Saturday behind backup goalie Brent Johnson. Sidney Crosby had an assist in the victory. The Penguins have won five of seven games since Crosby's return from a concussion, and he has two goals and 10 assists in that span. Marc-Andre Fleury assuredly will be back in net for this game. Pittsburgh’s plus-19 goal differential is No. 2 in the East, behind only Boston’s plus-34. The Pens only have one regulation loss at home this season.

Monday’s game is the first of four regular-season meetings. The Bruins are 8-0 in their last 8 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. The road team has won the past five in this series.

Well im a huge winnipeg fan because i live in winnipeg and its great that they are back in manitoba instead of atlanta its been a very long time since we had a hockey team but now we do so its all good i cant wait too see them play the ducks ON DECEMBER 17 and teemu selanne be his first time back in 15 years be a great game

Seemingly out of nowhere, the NHL has made a significant change that could affect NHL Futures.
The NHL's Board of Governors approved a new four-conference format for the League beginning in 2012-13, with two conferences of seven teams and two conferences of eight teams.
Every team in the NHL will play home-and-home; the Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin inside each conference, with the top four teams squaring off in divisional playoffs.
Here's a break down of what each conference will look next season:
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CONFERENCE A
- Anaheim
- Calgary
- Colorado
- Edmonton
- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- San Jose
- Vancouver
CONFERENCE B
- Chicago
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Detroit
- Minnesota
- Nashville
- St. Louis
- Winnipeg
CONFERENCE C
- Boston
- Buffalo
- Floriday
- Montreal
- Ottawa
- Tampa Bay
- Toronto
CONFERENCE D
- Carolina
- NJ Devils
- NY Islanders
- NY Rangers
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Washington
Dan Rose from NHL-com gave his thoughts on the schedule:
In the seven-team conferences, teams would play six times -- three home, three away. In the eight-team Conferences, teams would play either five or six times in a season on a rotating basis; three teams would play each other six times and four teams would play each other five times. This process would reverse each season: An eight-team Conference member that plays an opponent six times in one season would play it five times the following season.
Obviously any change in conference greatley affects NHL Futures. Luckily not this year.

If, at this point in the season, you don’t think that Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the front runner to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year, you’ll be hard pressed to find anybody to agree with you, the dude has been lighting up the hockey betting board since Day 1.

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The 18-year-old rookie sensation was drafted first overall by the Oilers in last summer’s entry draft and was immediately placed on Edmonton’s roster for the 2011-12 season, but many questioned whether he was ready for a full-time NHL gig, due to his age, size and experience.

The Burnaby, B.C. native proved naysayers wrong early though, scoring his team’s first goal of the season and the first of his career in their first game on the schedule. Since then, he’s recorded seven multi-point games, including his first hat trick on Oct. 15 against Vancouver, and a five-assist game on Nov. 19 against Chicago to become the first 18-year-old to get five assists in a single game.

Nugent-Hopkins leads both his team and all NHL rookies with 12 goals and 29 points. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Month for both October and November, and with a goal and an assist already in two December games, he’s possibly on his way to capturing a third-straight honour.

It’s going to take quite a slump for RNH to lose the momentum he’s earned two months into the season. His closest competition for the Calder include Devils forward Adam Henrique and Predators forward Craig Smith.

The only other rookie to win top honours for the first two months of the season was Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin. He went on to win the Calder Trophy in 2007, so keep that in mind as you follow Nugent-Hopkins’ success throughout the remainder of the season.

With one win at Madison Square Garden already on their resume for this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be gunning for another on Monday night as they continue their road trip with a game against the New York Rangers on the NHL betting board.

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Toronto picked up a 4-2 win on the road against the Rangers on October 27, with Joffrey Lupul, Matthew Lombardi, Clarke MacArthur, and Mike Brown providing the goals for Toronto in that contest. Jonas Gustavsson made 28 saves in that victory.

Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto scored in that losing cause for the Rangers, who had been listed as the -145 home favorites on the betting lines in that OVER result. Henrik Lundqvist allowed four goals on 36 shots between the pipes for New York that day.

Overall, though, the Maple Leafs are just 4-6 in their past 10 games against the Rangers, with the OVER/UNDER going 5-5 in those 10 contests for totals bettors.

In Toronto's last game on Saturday they were beaten 4-1 on the road by the Bruins despite getting starting goalie James Reimer back in the lineup. The Rangers dropped the Lightning 4-2 on Saturday on the road with Derek Stepan scoring the winner.

Toronto finds itself trailing New York in the current Stanley Cup odds list at the Bodog Sportsbook, with the Leafs at 25/1 to win the championship and the Rangers at 18/1. Toronto is also at 14/1 odds to win the Eastern Conference, with New York at 10/1.

Firing coach Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with Dale Hunter hasn’t sparked the Capitals as struggling Washington desperately looks for a road win Wednesday night in Ottawa. This game is a pick’em, with both at -110 on Bodog’s NHL hockey odds.

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The Caps fell in Florida Monday night, 5-4. No. 1 goalie Tomas Vokoun sat that one out but is expected to start this one. Right wing Alexander Semin missed his second consecutive game and remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury but says he will play tonight. The Capitals have lost five straight road games, the franchise’s longest road skid in nearly five years, and nine of 12 overall.

There could be a new top line for Washington tonight. In an apparent effort to jumpstart Alex Ovechkin and Semin, Hunter reunited the struggling wingers on a line with center Nicklas Backstrom in practice Tuesday. Ovechkin has one goal in his past 12 games and eight total, putting him on pace for a career-low 25. Semin has five goals in 23 games. Backstrom, meantime, has been the Capitals’ best forward this season with nine goals and 18 assists, which is tied for sixth most in the NHL.

Hunter wouldn’t commit to using the line against the Senators; the trio has played together some but not full-time this season. Washington is 1-3-0 under Hunter, with each contest decided by one goal.

Ottawa beat Tampa Bay 4-2 on Monday as Daniel Alfredsson, Nick Foligno and Zack Smith scored third-period goals to overcome a 2-1 deficit. It was Ottawa's league-high third regulation-time win this season in a game in which it trailed in the third period. The Senators had only three such wins over the previous three seasons combined. The Sens still rank last in the NHL in goals against at 3.3 per game.

The Capitals have lost five of six in Ottawa but posted home wins in both meetings this season, both by a goal. Backstrom scored in both meetings. Washington is 4-1 in its past five Wednesday games, while Ottawa is 1-6 in its past seven on that day. The Caps are 5-1 in the past six meetings overall.

The Minnesota Wild will put their four-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday night as they play on the road against the San Jose Sharks in an NHL betting matchup.

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The Wild, 17-7-3 on the season and sitting with the most points in the Western Conference, are coming off a 5-3 win in Anaheim on Sunday night in which Nick Johnson scored the game-winning goal in the third period.

Dany Heatley, Casey Wellman, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Cal Clutterbuck also scored for the Wild in that contest, with Matt Cullen picking up three assists. Josh Harding made 24 saves on 27 Ducks shots to record the victory.

The Sharks will be looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss at home against the Panthers on Saturday night, putting them at 14-8-1 on the season.

Logan Couture potted a pair of goals for San Jose in that losing cause, with Jamie McGinn adding the team's other marker on the night. Backup netminder Thomas Greiss got the start against Florida, allowing five goals on 35 shots in the contest.

The Wild and Sharks also met in San Jose on November 10, with Minnesota getting tagged with a 3-1 road loss on that night. Patrick Marleau had two goals in that win for San Jose, who were the -176 favorites on the NHL betting lines in that day's UNDER result.

In their last 10 meetings San Jose has earned eight wins against the Wild, with the OVER/UNDER at 5-4-1 in those 10 games.

Minnesota's hot play of late hasn't translated to a big rise in the Stanley Cup odds yet, as they're back in the pack at 30/1 to win the championship. The Sharks are holding down 9/1 odds to win the title this season.

What’s more important: winning games or sending a message to your own team? Bruins head coach Claude Julien sat Tyler Seguin – the team’s leading scorer – on Tuesday night because he missed a team meeting, and Boston went on to lose their game against Winnipeg by a 2-1 score.


It may not sidetrack the team's NHL futures, but it's a conundrum nonetheless.

You read that right. Boston, the team who went on a 14-0-1 run, lost to Winnipeg, who at one point in this season were the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.

Of course, we don’t (and can’t) know how different things would have been had Seguin played last night, but he’s definitely an impact player. He has 13 goals and 25 points this season and is best in the league with his plus-19 rating. He got a few extra winks in the morning and wound up being a healthy scratch.

Message received?

The 19-year-old will likely not miss another team meeting any time soon. He’ll be back in the lineup for Boston’s next game, a home affair against Florida. Seguin will need to have a strong bounce-back game, and all eyes will be on him. He doesn’t need to put up a hat trick, but you can be sure he’ll skate hard, smart and effectively for 60 minutes.

Riding high on the Stanley Cup odds board at the Bodog Sportsbook, the Philadelphia Flyers will take to the ice in Buffalo on Wednesday night looking for another victory over the Sabres.

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Buffalo and Philadelphia have already met once this season, with the Flyers edging the Sabres in a 3-2 road win back on November 2. Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk and Scott Hartnell all scored for the Flyers in the first period of that contest.

Andrej Sekera and Luke Adam had the goals for the Sabres in that losing cause in November, with Ryan Miller allowing all three Philly goals on 11 shots before getting the hook. Jhonas Enroth made 15 saves in relief of Miller for the Sabres.

Buffalo had been set as a -125 home favorite on the NHL betting lines in that UNDER result.

The Sabres are coming off a 3-2 win in Nashville against the Predators on Saturday night, with Adam, Zack Kassian, and Tyler Ennis providing the goals for Buffalo. Miller, now back from his head injury, made 32 saves to earn the victory that night.

Philadelphia doubled up on Phoenix in a 4-2 road win in their last game on Saturday, scoring all four of those goals in the first period. Matt Read, Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux, and Scott Hartnell tallied for the Flyers, and Ilya Bryzgalov made 36 saves.

The Flyers and Sabres have split their last 10 meetings down the middle at 5-5, with totals betting trending to the OVER at 7-3 in those matchups.

Philadelphia sits at 10/1 on the Stanley Cup futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook, behind the Penguins (6/1), Blackhawks (9/1), and Sharks (9/1), The Sabres are at 20/1 to win the championship this season.

When you hear a player say that one of his teammates is one of the best player in the league, it doesn’t really sound like much. But when you hear him say it about a player from another team, then you have something. And that’s the compliment that Chicago’s Patrick Sharp had for Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux on Tuesday afternoon.

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Sharp was a guest on HockeyCentral @ Noon on Sportsnet 590 the Fan and was asked who he thought was the best player in the NHL, after Sidney Crosby. Sharp said that Giroux has really impressed him over the last couple of seasons, and he couldn’t be more right.

Going into Tuesday night’s games, Girous has 15 goals and 32 points, good for fifth and second in the league in those respective categories. He’s a plus-three, but has been a force on the power play, scoring five of his goals with the advantage, and has four game-winners as well.

Giroux has recorded at least one point in 18 of his 25 games this season, and has nine multi-point games. Only once has he gone two games in a row without getting a point. He’s also seen a dramatic increase in his ice-time. In his last five games, he’s averaged 24:09 on the ice. Compare that to the first five games of the season when he was averaging 18:25.

Not only is the 23-year-old Hearst, Ontario native emerging as a premier scorer, he’s also showing the early signs of an iron man. Giroux has played all 189 regular season games his team has had over the past three seasons.

Giroux is the real deal, and with the supporting cast of guys like Chris Pronger and Jaromir Jagr, he’s destined for success.

The Vancouver Canucks will begin a five-game eastern road trip tonight against Montreal, but they’ll be without left winger David Booth for the entire trip and longer as the left winger will be sidelined with an MCL injury suffered in Tuesday’s victory against Colorado.
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Against the Avs, Booth collided in a knee-on-knee situation with Kevin Porter. Porter got a five-minute major and game misconduct, but Booth got the pain.

The Canucks picked up Booth earlier this season in a trade with Florida. After a slow start, managing only one assist in six games with the Panthers, Booth has welcomed his change of scenery, scoring five goals and 12 points in 19 games in Vancouver. Those aren’t record-setting numbers, but every team will take that kind of production from a middle-of-the-lineup guy any day.

Vancouver has won seven of their last eight games, outscoring opponents 32-11 over that span, but few seem to have taken notice due to the controversy in the net featuring Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider.

Luongo is 9-6-1 this season, but has brutal numbers with a 2.82 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. Schneider is 7-4-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. However, it’s Luongo that will get the call Thursday night in Montreal.

The injury to Booth will certainly impact the team, but the Canucks are good enough to get by without him, but they’ll need to have things continue to go right for them in order to maintain long-term success.

With just three wins over their past 10 games, the Montreal Canadiens will be looking to start a turnaround on Thursday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks on the NHL betting board at the Bodog Sportsbook.

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The Habs dropped a shootout decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their last game on Tuesday night, falling 3-2 to the team with the fewest points in the league.

Andrei Kostitsyn and Brian Gionta each scored their eighth goal of the season in that loss for the Canadiens, with none of the team's skaters able to beat Jackets goalie Curtis Sanford in the shootout.

Carey Price gave up two goals on 28 shots between the pipes for Montreal on Tuesday; Price is now 10-8-6 on the season with a .919 save percentage through 24 starts.

The Canucks won their second straight game on Tuesday night, blanking the Colorado Avalanche 6-0 at home behind a hat trick from Daniel Sedin. Jannik Hansen had a pair of goals for Vancouver that night, with Alexander Edler capping off the scoring.

Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider shared the shutout against the Avalanche; Luongo had to leave the game early after taking a puck in the throat, but is reportedly fine.

Vancouver and Montreal last met last February, with the Canadiens winning 3-2 on the road in that contest. Montreal has managed to pick up the win in four of its last five games against Vancouver, with the OVER/UNDER at 1-4 in those matchups.

Vancouver has 11/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup; Montreal is at 40/1.