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2014-15 should be a great year for the Montreal Canadiens. Until then, they’re dealing with the massive pariahs that are the Scott Gomez and Andrei Markov contracts. And as if history hasn’t taught them anything, they traded Jaroslav Spacek to Carolina for the $4.25 million lump known as Tomas Kaberle.
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Kaberle’s having one heck of a year. He began 2011 as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, then was traded to Boston at the deadline, won a Stanley Cup, finished his contract and despite all evidence against his worth, was given a four-year, eight-figure contract with Carolina, and is now a member of the Canadiens.
Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, as recently as last week, told the media that if Kaberle didn’t step up his game, he would be shipped. Most thought that was just big talk as nobody would be willing to take the Kaberle contract, especially when many were even questioning whether Kaberle is NHL-worthy right now.
But Rutherford pulled a rabbit out of his hat, and instead of saying the typical “both teams won” regarding the trade, he instantly let it be known that he made a mistake by signing Kaberle this past summer. Classy.
Kaberle, Markov and Gomez are making a combined $17.36 million per season for the next three seasons. None of these guys are playing up to what their contracts demand, and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. It’s going to be a long three years for Habs fans.
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Kaberle’s having one heck of a year. He began 2011 as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, then was traded to Boston at the deadline, won a Stanley Cup, finished his contract and despite all evidence against his worth, was given a four-year, eight-figure contract with Carolina, and is now a member of the Canadiens.
Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, as recently as last week, told the media that if Kaberle didn’t step up his game, he would be shipped. Most thought that was just big talk as nobody would be willing to take the Kaberle contract, especially when many were even questioning whether Kaberle is NHL-worthy right now.
But Rutherford pulled a rabbit out of his hat, and instead of saying the typical “both teams won” regarding the trade, he instantly let it be known that he made a mistake by signing Kaberle this past summer. Classy.
Kaberle, Markov and Gomez are making a combined $17.36 million per season for the next three seasons. None of these guys are playing up to what their contracts demand, and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. It’s going to be a long three years for Habs fans.
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The Boston Bruins are known for their physical, dominating style of play. When they host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, they’ll have a very different approach as they’ll be without team captain and giant Zdeno Chara.
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Chara’s expected to miss at least the next three Bruins games with a leg injury. He suffered the blow in the second period of the team’s 5-3 win against Columbus on Saturday night. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Steven Kampfer, who measures 10 inches shorter.
Chara’s specialty has been a shut down defenseman, but he’s also contributed offensively. Big Z has six goals and 19 points. Four of his goals have come on the power play. Kampfer’s played five games with the Bruins this season and has one assist.
The Bruins, thanks to an unprecedented string of victories in November (marred by a single overtime loss to Detroit) have taken a stranglehold on first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Kings, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and dropped to 12th in the Western Conference, and there’s talk that Terry Murray’s days as head coach may be numbered. The Kings are starting the first of four games on the road, and a poor performance at any stop may single his end.
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Chara’s expected to miss at least the next three Bruins games with a leg injury. He suffered the blow in the second period of the team’s 5-3 win against Columbus on Saturday night. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Steven Kampfer, who measures 10 inches shorter.
Chara’s specialty has been a shut down defenseman, but he’s also contributed offensively. Big Z has six goals and 19 points. Four of his goals have come on the power play. Kampfer’s played five games with the Bruins this season and has one assist.
The Bruins, thanks to an unprecedented string of victories in November (marred by a single overtime loss to Detroit) have taken a stranglehold on first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Kings, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and dropped to 12th in the Western Conference, and there’s talk that Terry Murray’s days as head coach may be numbered. The Kings are starting the first of four games on the road, and a poor performance at any stop may single his end.
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Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils (Flickr Creative Commons)
The New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning will both be trying to avoid the onset of a losing streak when the puck drops for the lone game in NHL betting action on Monday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
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The Devils (14-13-1, 8-8 on the road) currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference after dropping a tight 2-1 decision at home to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.
Second-year winger Nick Palmieri scored the only goal for New Jersey late in the third period to make it close but the Devils couldn’t put another puck past Canadiens goalie Carey Price despite outshooting the Habs 29-24. Price stopped Devils captain Zach Parise on a penalty shot with 47 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.
Veteran goalie Martin Brodeur bounced back with a solid 22-save performance against Montreal after getting pulled the previous game when he gave up two goals on nine shots in one period of action on Thursday night in Ottawa. The Devils rebounded to win that game 5-4 in a shootout, with Johan Hedberg earning the victory after replacing Brodeur.
The Lightning (12-15-2, 7-4 at home) are three points behind the Devils in 13th place, and coming off a 5-2 road loss at the hands of the Flyers on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Ryan Shannon and Vincent Lecavalier scored for Tampa Bay, while Mathieu Garon was tagged with the loss in goal as the Flyers outshot the Lightning 32-19.
The Devils are a dominating 7-1 in their past eight matchups against the Lightning in Tampa Bay, including a 4-2 victory on November 19. David Clarkson and Ryan Carter both had two points for New Jersey in that win.
The New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning will both be trying to avoid the onset of a losing streak when the puck drops for the lone game in NHL betting action on Monday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Get all your NHL odds for the night and the season at Bodog.
The Devils (14-13-1, 8-8 on the road) currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference after dropping a tight 2-1 decision at home to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.
Second-year winger Nick Palmieri scored the only goal for New Jersey late in the third period to make it close but the Devils couldn’t put another puck past Canadiens goalie Carey Price despite outshooting the Habs 29-24. Price stopped Devils captain Zach Parise on a penalty shot with 47 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.
Veteran goalie Martin Brodeur bounced back with a solid 22-save performance against Montreal after getting pulled the previous game when he gave up two goals on nine shots in one period of action on Thursday night in Ottawa. The Devils rebounded to win that game 5-4 in a shootout, with Johan Hedberg earning the victory after replacing Brodeur.
The Lightning (12-15-2, 7-4 at home) are three points behind the Devils in 13th place, and coming off a 5-2 road loss at the hands of the Flyers on Saturday night in Philadelphia. Ryan Shannon and Vincent Lecavalier scored for Tampa Bay, while Mathieu Garon was tagged with the loss in goal as the Flyers outshot the Lightning 32-19.
The Devils are a dominating 7-1 in their past eight matchups against the Lightning in Tampa Bay, including a 4-2 victory on November 19. David Clarkson and Ryan Carter both had two points for New Jersey in that win.
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After recording consecutive wins over the Senators and Maple Leafs last week the Washington Capitals will try to run their streak to three games on Tuesday night as they host the Philadelphia Flyers in an NHL betting matchup at the Bodog Sportsbook.
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The Capitals were last in action on Friday night at home against Toronto, getting 26 saves from Tomas Vokoun in a 4-2 victory in that contest. Dennis Wideman (with two), Brooks Laich, and Nicklas Backstrom provided the goals for the Capitals that day.
Vokoun is now 12-7-0 on the season with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, allowing three or fewer goals in each of his past four games.
The Flyers won 5-2 at home against Tampa Bay in their last game on Saturday, with Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Carle, and Scott Hartnell scoring goals and Claude Giroux picking up a pair of assists before leaving the game with a possible head injury; Giroux leads the NHL with 39 points in 28 games this season.
Philadelphia starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov also left the game against the Lightning early after suffering a lower-body injury. Bryzgalov had allowed two goals on 16 Tampa Bay shots before giving way to backup Sergei Bobrovsky on Saturday.
The Flyers were a victim in the Capitals' red-hot start to the season, falling 5-2 at home to Washington on October 20. Alex Ovechkin had two goals for the Capitals in that game and Vokoun made 40 saves. Giroux and Sean Couturier scored for Philly.
On the Stanley Cup futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook the Flyers now hold the edge on the Capitals at 11/1 odds to win the championship this season. After a November slump the Capitals sit at 14/1 odds on that list.
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The Capitals were last in action on Friday night at home against Toronto, getting 26 saves from Tomas Vokoun in a 4-2 victory in that contest. Dennis Wideman (with two), Brooks Laich, and Nicklas Backstrom provided the goals for the Capitals that day.
Vokoun is now 12-7-0 on the season with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, allowing three or fewer goals in each of his past four games.
The Flyers won 5-2 at home against Tampa Bay in their last game on Saturday, with Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Carle, and Scott Hartnell scoring goals and Claude Giroux picking up a pair of assists before leaving the game with a possible head injury; Giroux leads the NHL with 39 points in 28 games this season.
Philadelphia starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov also left the game against the Lightning early after suffering a lower-body injury. Bryzgalov had allowed two goals on 16 Tampa Bay shots before giving way to backup Sergei Bobrovsky on Saturday.
The Flyers were a victim in the Capitals' red-hot start to the season, falling 5-2 at home to Washington on October 20. Alex Ovechkin had two goals for the Capitals in that game and Vokoun made 40 saves. Giroux and Sean Couturier scored for Philly.
On the Stanley Cup futures board at the Bodog Sportsbook the Flyers now hold the edge on the Capitals at 11/1 odds to win the championship this season. After a November slump the Capitals sit at 14/1 odds on that list.
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After blowing past the Jets at home on Saturday the Detroit Red Wings will try to do the same to a much better team on Tuesday night as they play in Pittsburgh against the Penguins in an NHL betting matchup at the Bodog Sportsbook.
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With eight wins in their past 10 games the Red Wings have recovered from their early slump and now sit just three points back of the Blackhawks in the Central Division standings.
On Saturday against the Jets, Jiri Hudler led the way with a pair of goals, while Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg, Chris Conner, Valtteri Filppula, and Drew Miller all added singles on the night. Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen had two assists each.
Jimmy Howard stopped 29 of 30 Winnipeg shots on Saturday, and he's now 17-6-1 on the season with a sparkling 1.85 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.
The Penguins beat the Islanders 6-3 on Long Island in their last game on Saturday, despite Sidney Crosby sitting out his second straight contest for so-called precautionary reasons. There is no timetable for Crosby's return to the ice.
James Neal potted his 16th and 17th goals of the season on Saturday against the Isles, with Steve Sullivan, Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke, and Paul Martin rounding out the team's scoring. Evgeni Malkin chipped in with a pair of assists in that victory.
Marc-Andre Fleury is now 15-6-2 on the season after stopping 24 of 27 shots against New York; he's got a 2.23 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Detroit hosted Pittsburgh in their last meeting back in March 2011, with the Red Wings falling 5-4 in that game as a -168 home favorite on the NHL betting lines. The Red Wings have just one win over their past five games against the Penguins.
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With eight wins in their past 10 games the Red Wings have recovered from their early slump and now sit just three points back of the Blackhawks in the Central Division standings.
On Saturday against the Jets, Jiri Hudler led the way with a pair of goals, while Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg, Chris Conner, Valtteri Filppula, and Drew Miller all added singles on the night. Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen had two assists each.
Jimmy Howard stopped 29 of 30 Winnipeg shots on Saturday, and he's now 17-6-1 on the season with a sparkling 1.85 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.
The Penguins beat the Islanders 6-3 on Long Island in their last game on Saturday, despite Sidney Crosby sitting out his second straight contest for so-called precautionary reasons. There is no timetable for Crosby's return to the ice.
James Neal potted his 16th and 17th goals of the season on Saturday against the Isles, with Steve Sullivan, Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke, and Paul Martin rounding out the team's scoring. Evgeni Malkin chipped in with a pair of assists in that victory.
Marc-Andre Fleury is now 15-6-2 on the season after stopping 24 of 27 shots against New York; he's got a 2.23 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Detroit hosted Pittsburgh in their last meeting back in March 2011, with the Red Wings falling 5-4 in that game as a -168 home favorite on the NHL betting lines. The Red Wings have just one win over their past five games against the Penguins.
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The Blackhawks and the Wild will meet for the first time this season on Wednesday night when the clubs hit the ice in Minnesota in an NHL betting matchup at the Bovada Sportsbook.
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Chicago has managed to pick up at least one point in each of its five games so far in the month of December, beating the Islanders (twice), Blues, and Sharks and dropping a decision in a shootout to the Coyotes.
Against San Jose in their last game on Sunday night the Blackhawks grabbed a 3-2 win on a Patrick Sharp goal in overtime; the marker was Sharp's 16th of the season. Marcus Kruger and Andrew Brunette also scored for Chicago in that day's victory.
Ray Emery got the start again for Chicago on Sunday, stopping 35 of 37 San Jose shots. Emery has bounced back from a rough stretch in November to allow just two goals in each of his last three starts and steal playing time from Corey Crawford.
The Wild have been just as good in December, and to the surprise of most hockey fans they're leading the entire league heading into Wednesday's action. That has Minnesota rising up the Stanley Cup futures list, where they now sit at 20/1 to win the title.
Chicago is at 9/1 odds on the championship board, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins (13/2 odds) and the Boston Bruins (8/1 odds). The Hawks also have 9/2 odds to win the Western Conference, with the Wild at 10/1 odds to claim that title.
The Blackhawks didn't have much trouble with a weaker Wild club last season, winning three of the four games between the teams. Overall Chicago is 6-4 against Minnesota in their last 10 matchups, with the OVER/UNDER at 3-6-1 in those games.
Head over to the Bovada Sportsbook for the line and total for Wednesday's meeting between the Blackhawks and Wild, as well as the updated NHL futures board.
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Chicago has managed to pick up at least one point in each of its five games so far in the month of December, beating the Islanders (twice), Blues, and Sharks and dropping a decision in a shootout to the Coyotes.
Against San Jose in their last game on Sunday night the Blackhawks grabbed a 3-2 win on a Patrick Sharp goal in overtime; the marker was Sharp's 16th of the season. Marcus Kruger and Andrew Brunette also scored for Chicago in that day's victory.
Ray Emery got the start again for Chicago on Sunday, stopping 35 of 37 San Jose shots. Emery has bounced back from a rough stretch in November to allow just two goals in each of his last three starts and steal playing time from Corey Crawford.
The Wild have been just as good in December, and to the surprise of most hockey fans they're leading the entire league heading into Wednesday's action. That has Minnesota rising up the Stanley Cup futures list, where they now sit at 20/1 to win the title.
Chicago is at 9/1 odds on the championship board, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins (13/2 odds) and the Boston Bruins (8/1 odds). The Hawks also have 9/2 odds to win the Western Conference, with the Wild at 10/1 odds to claim that title.
The Blackhawks didn't have much trouble with a weaker Wild club last season, winning three of the four games between the teams. Overall Chicago is 6-4 against Minnesota in their last 10 matchups, with the OVER/UNDER at 3-6-1 in those games.
Head over to the Bovada Sportsbook for the line and total for Wednesday's meeting between the Blackhawks and Wild, as well as the updated NHL futures board.
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Riding a winning streak of three games, the St. Louis Blues will be back on the ice on Thursday as they play host to the New York Rangers in one of the night's top NHL betting matchups at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The Blues will be coming off a four-day break on Thursday night, last playing last Saturday night when they blanked the San Jose Sharks 1-0 at home. That victory followed up wins over Detroit (3-2) and Anaheim (4-2) earlier in the week.
Brian Elliott continued his red-hot play between the pipes against the Sharks, stopping all 24 shots he faced to pick up the shutout. Elliott is a sparkling 12-2-0 on the season with a .947 save percentage and a 1.46 goals-against average.
Kevin Shattenkirk had the lone marker for St. Louis in their win over San Jose on Saturday, with David Perron adding an assist on the play. Perron has a goal and two assists in his four games since returning from a long layoff due to a concussion.
The Rangers were on the other side of a shutout performance last time out, falling 1-0 at home to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Henrik Lundqvist was between the pipes for New York in that contest, giving up the one goal on 28 Dallas shots.
On the season Lundqvist is 12-6-4 with a .933 save percentage and a 2.03 GAA.
New York and St. Louis last met back in January 2011, with the Blues falling 2-1 at home as a -155 favorite on the betting board in an UNDER result. Martin Biron got the start for the Rangers in that contest, while Jaroslav Halak was manning the crease for the Blues.
Overall, though, the Rangers are only 1-4 in their last five games against the Blues, with totals bettors watching the OVER/UNDER go 1-3-1 in those five contests.
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The Blues will be coming off a four-day break on Thursday night, last playing last Saturday night when they blanked the San Jose Sharks 1-0 at home. That victory followed up wins over Detroit (3-2) and Anaheim (4-2) earlier in the week.
Brian Elliott continued his red-hot play between the pipes against the Sharks, stopping all 24 shots he faced to pick up the shutout. Elliott is a sparkling 12-2-0 on the season with a .947 save percentage and a 1.46 goals-against average.
Kevin Shattenkirk had the lone marker for St. Louis in their win over San Jose on Saturday, with David Perron adding an assist on the play. Perron has a goal and two assists in his four games since returning from a long layoff due to a concussion.
The Rangers were on the other side of a shutout performance last time out, falling 1-0 at home to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Henrik Lundqvist was between the pipes for New York in that contest, giving up the one goal on 28 Dallas shots.
On the season Lundqvist is 12-6-4 with a .933 save percentage and a 2.03 GAA.
New York and St. Louis last met back in January 2011, with the Blues falling 2-1 at home as a -155 favorite on the betting board in an UNDER result. Martin Biron got the start for the Rangers in that contest, while Jaroslav Halak was manning the crease for the Blues.
Overall, though, the Rangers are only 1-4 in their last five games against the Blues, with totals bettors watching the OVER/UNDER go 1-3-1 in those five contests.
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The Los Angeles Kings turned in a typical offensive performance against the Detroit Red Wings last time they met; they'll be looking for an atypical effort on Saturday night as the clubs meet on the NHL betting board again.
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The Kings have had plenty of trouble putting the puck in the net this season, and when they hosted the Red Wings back on November 19 they only managed to beat Jimmy Howard once in a 4-1 Detroit road win.
Mike Richards had the lone goal for Los Angeles in that contest, but he's now on injured reserve with a head injury. Netminder Jonathan Quick, who has had to make due with limited goal support, allowed those four markers on 38 shots that day.
Los Angeles' struggles this season cost Terry Murray his job as the team's head coach, with assistant John Stevens replacing him as the interim bench boss – and Darryl Sutter rumoured to be taking over the team shortly.
Regardless of who's behind the bench, though, they'll still have to contend with a Red Wings team that has been flying over the past month – enough so that their 12/1 odds on the NHL futures board at Bovada's online sportsbook is increasingly tempting. The Kings are now back at 18/1 odds on that chart.
Pavel Datsyuk (twice), Justin Abdelkader, and Niklas Kronwall had the goals for Detroit in their win over Los Angeles last month, with Jimmy Howard stopping 23 of 24 shots.
Those who follow the trends have seen the Red Wings and Kings split their last 10 meetings 5-5, with the OVER/UNDER not surprisingly sitting at 3-7 over those games.
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The Kings have had plenty of trouble putting the puck in the net this season, and when they hosted the Red Wings back on November 19 they only managed to beat Jimmy Howard once in a 4-1 Detroit road win.
Mike Richards had the lone goal for Los Angeles in that contest, but he's now on injured reserve with a head injury. Netminder Jonathan Quick, who has had to make due with limited goal support, allowed those four markers on 38 shots that day.
Los Angeles' struggles this season cost Terry Murray his job as the team's head coach, with assistant John Stevens replacing him as the interim bench boss – and Darryl Sutter rumoured to be taking over the team shortly.
Regardless of who's behind the bench, though, they'll still have to contend with a Red Wings team that has been flying over the past month – enough so that their 12/1 odds on the NHL futures board at Bovada's online sportsbook is increasingly tempting. The Kings are now back at 18/1 odds on that chart.
Pavel Datsyuk (twice), Justin Abdelkader, and Niklas Kronwall had the goals for Detroit in their win over Los Angeles last month, with Jimmy Howard stopping 23 of 24 shots.
Those who follow the trends have seen the Red Wings and Kings split their last 10 meetings 5-5, with the OVER/UNDER not surprisingly sitting at 3-7 over those games.
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The Ottawa Senators have problems, that much can’t be denied. Defensively, they allow more goals per game than any other team in the league and offensively, they have trouble up the middle.
With a trade over the weekend, the Sens may have addressed both situations effectively.
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On Saturday, Ottawa completed a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes, acquiring disgruntled forward Kyle Turris in exchange for defensive liability David Rundblad. Phoenix also gets a 2012 second-round draft pick in the deal.
Turris has only played in six games this season with the Coyotes, owing to an extended holdout this past summer. Turris has long made his feelings clear about playing with Phoenix – or more appropriately, hoping not to. He eventually listened to reason, signing a deal to get him back on the ice with the knowledge that his time as a Coyote wouldn’t be long and alas, here he is moving up to Canada.
On the other hand, defenseman Rundblad has been just short of awful for the Senators. In 24 games, the 21-year-old Swede has a minus-11 rating. Three times this season Rundblad has had a minus-two, and only twice has he been on the positive side of zero in a game, the last time coming on Oct. 20.
Many think Turris – the third-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft – has a very high upside. He’s yet to realize his potential though. In 137 career NHL games, Turris has just 19 goals and 46 points and is a minus-22.
Chances are Turris helps Ottawa more than he hurts them going forward. The team has already played well above expectations this season, and maybe adding Turris raises those expectations overall, but only if Turris himself can get his act together.
With a trade over the weekend, the Sens may have addressed both situations effectively.
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On Saturday, Ottawa completed a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes, acquiring disgruntled forward Kyle Turris in exchange for defensive liability David Rundblad. Phoenix also gets a 2012 second-round draft pick in the deal.
Turris has only played in six games this season with the Coyotes, owing to an extended holdout this past summer. Turris has long made his feelings clear about playing with Phoenix – or more appropriately, hoping not to. He eventually listened to reason, signing a deal to get him back on the ice with the knowledge that his time as a Coyote wouldn’t be long and alas, here he is moving up to Canada.
On the other hand, defenseman Rundblad has been just short of awful for the Senators. In 24 games, the 21-year-old Swede has a minus-11 rating. Three times this season Rundblad has had a minus-two, and only twice has he been on the positive side of zero in a game, the last time coming on Oct. 20.
Many think Turris – the third-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft – has a very high upside. He’s yet to realize his potential though. In 137 career NHL games, Turris has just 19 goals and 46 points and is a minus-22.
Chances are Turris helps Ottawa more than he hurts them going forward. The team has already played well above expectations this season, and maybe adding Turris raises those expectations overall, but only if Turris himself can get his act together.
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It’s bad enough that NHL players are suffering a rash of concussions recently, but it’s worse that some players still feel the need to hide it from their teams. That’s the latest out of Toronto, where it appears that Leafs winger Colby Armstrong has been dealing with symptoms since Saturday.
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Knowing the dangers that come with a concussion, and especially how the NHL is trying to deal with them, it’s odd that Armstrong would hide it from his team. What with special rules to protect players’ heads, a protocol for those who receive dangerous hits and even allowing players and their doctors to use their own timelines to return from these “upper body injuries.”
That said, Armstrong is out indefinitely. Armstrong missed Monday’s game, citing a foot injury that had him listed as day-to-day. Expect to see status that change soon, fantasy hockey players.
The Leafs are on a three-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six. They play Buffalo at home on Thursday before hitting to road to face the Islanders on Friday. Losing Armstrong probably shouldn’t impact how you feel about the team in any significant way.
Armstrong has been limited to just 59 games as a Maple Leaf over the last season and a half, thanks to the fact that he’s apparently made of glass. Whether or not that impacted his decision to let his coach know about having his bell rung isn’t clear, but neither is the blurry vision he woke up with on Tuesday morning.
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Knowing the dangers that come with a concussion, and especially how the NHL is trying to deal with them, it’s odd that Armstrong would hide it from his team. What with special rules to protect players’ heads, a protocol for those who receive dangerous hits and even allowing players and their doctors to use their own timelines to return from these “upper body injuries.”
That said, Armstrong is out indefinitely. Armstrong missed Monday’s game, citing a foot injury that had him listed as day-to-day. Expect to see status that change soon, fantasy hockey players.
The Leafs are on a three-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six. They play Buffalo at home on Thursday before hitting to road to face the Islanders on Friday. Losing Armstrong probably shouldn’t impact how you feel about the team in any significant way.
Armstrong has been limited to just 59 games as a Maple Leaf over the last season and a half, thanks to the fact that he’s apparently made of glass. Whether or not that impacted his decision to let his coach know about having his bell rung isn’t clear, but neither is the blurry vision he woke up with on Tuesday morning.
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News out of Philadelphia suggests that NHL scoring leader Claude Giroux will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Dallas. Giroux has missed the last four games with a concussion.
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Having Giroux back may not have much of an impact tonight, but returning sooner rather than later will definitely help the Flyers’ Stanley Cup futures. Then again, Sidney Crosby returned after 10 months and had a four-point night in his first game back, so who knows what Giroux may be capable of.
Giroux practiced with linemates Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. He also spent time working on the power play. His Flyers have held their own without him, holding onto first place in the Atlantic Division and sit one point behind the Eastern Conference leaders from Boston. With a win tonight, they’ll leapfrog the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Giroux is currently having a career year. He has 16 goals and 39 points in 28 games. He’s set to shatter his career highs of 25 goals and 76 points. Despite the missed time, Giroux shares the NHL points lead with Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin and Henrik Sedin. One point behind them is Daniel Sedin.
Giroux’s teammate and captain Chris Pronger is also out with a concussion, but the Flyers have announced that the 37-year-old defenseman will be shut down for the season.
The sad news is that by being a game-time decision, HBO won’t be able to capitalize on the news in tonight’s episode of 24/7. Oh well.
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Having Giroux back may not have much of an impact tonight, but returning sooner rather than later will definitely help the Flyers’ Stanley Cup futures. Then again, Sidney Crosby returned after 10 months and had a four-point night in his first game back, so who knows what Giroux may be capable of.
Giroux practiced with linemates Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. He also spent time working on the power play. His Flyers have held their own without him, holding onto first place in the Atlantic Division and sit one point behind the Eastern Conference leaders from Boston. With a win tonight, they’ll leapfrog the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Giroux is currently having a career year. He has 16 goals and 39 points in 28 games. He’s set to shatter his career highs of 25 goals and 76 points. Despite the missed time, Giroux shares the NHL points lead with Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin and Henrik Sedin. One point behind them is Daniel Sedin.
Giroux’s teammate and captain Chris Pronger is also out with a concussion, but the Flyers have announced that the 37-year-old defenseman will be shut down for the season.
The sad news is that by being a game-time decision, HBO won’t be able to capitalize on the news in tonight’s episode of 24/7. Oh well.
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If you’ve been keeping track of the growing list of NHL players going on IR with concussions this season, then get your pen ready as the league announced several new members of the not-so-exclusive club on Wednesday. Among them were two New York Islanders: goalie Al Montoya and forward David Ullstrom.
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Both Montoya and Ullstrom were injured in the Islanders’ game against the Jets on Tuesday. Winnipeg forward Evander Kane crashed into Montoya in the second period in what may or may not have been his fault, while Ullstrom took himself out of the game in overtime after crashing into the boards back-first.
Of course, Montoya is the bigger loss. He’s one of five goalies to play net for the Islanders already this season. Fellow netminder Rick DiPietro has also missed time in 2011-12 because of a concussion.
Montoya has played more minutes than the other four goalies combined. In 17 games, he’s 6-5-3 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .917 save percentage, both decent numbers considering his team has scored 27 less goals than they’ve allowed this season.
The Islanders have scored just 72 times which is an amazing 16 goals fewer than Montreal, who are 14th in the Eastern Conference in that category. They haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since Dec. 6.
The Islanders visit the Rangers Thursday night. The state rivals have split a pair of 4-2 decisions this season. Despite the injuries to Montoya and Ullstrom, the Islanders have some momentum on their side right now. They’re on a two-game winning streak; both victories coming by way of the shootout.
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Both Montoya and Ullstrom were injured in the Islanders’ game against the Jets on Tuesday. Winnipeg forward Evander Kane crashed into Montoya in the second period in what may or may not have been his fault, while Ullstrom took himself out of the game in overtime after crashing into the boards back-first.
Of course, Montoya is the bigger loss. He’s one of five goalies to play net for the Islanders already this season. Fellow netminder Rick DiPietro has also missed time in 2011-12 because of a concussion.
Montoya has played more minutes than the other four goalies combined. In 17 games, he’s 6-5-3 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .917 save percentage, both decent numbers considering his team has scored 27 less goals than they’ve allowed this season.
The Islanders have scored just 72 times which is an amazing 16 goals fewer than Montreal, who are 14th in the Eastern Conference in that category. They haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since Dec. 6.
The Islanders visit the Rangers Thursday night. The state rivals have split a pair of 4-2 decisions this season. Despite the injuries to Montoya and Ullstrom, the Islanders have some momentum on their side right now. They’re on a two-game winning streak; both victories coming by way of the shootout.
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The NHL managed to go an entire weekend without reporting on a single concussion. Much of that has to do with no games being played. But with the Christmas break over, the league will try to legitimately extend the injury-free streak in a full slate of game action this week, including 10 games tonight, highlighted by the Washington Capitals visiting the Buffalo Sabres.
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Both of these teams are just below the playoff cutoff line in the Eastern Conference, and have also struggled in recent games. In their respective last 10 games, Buffalo is 3-5-2 and Washington is 5-4-1.
Alex Ovechkin isn’t playing like anything that resembles the two-time Hart Trophy winner, but he does have two goals and an assist in his last four games, and is showing signs of his MVP seasons. The Caps will need much more of that from number 8 this season if they want to get into the playoffs, let alone shake off the curse of their recent early postseason exits.
Buffalo, meanwhile, needs to figure out what’s wrong. They’ve spent the money to get the good players, they’re 16th in the league in goals per game, 14th on the power play and ninth on the penalty kill. Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek are among the league’s top scorers with 37 and 36 points, respectively, but yet the team just can’t get wins. 11 of their losses this season were by one goal; only three of which were after regulation. That’s a lot of points left just out of their grasp.
It’s the battle of shattering dreams at the First Niagara Center. With so much on the line, you can bet it will be a good one.
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Both of these teams are just below the playoff cutoff line in the Eastern Conference, and have also struggled in recent games. In their respective last 10 games, Buffalo is 3-5-2 and Washington is 5-4-1.
Alex Ovechkin isn’t playing like anything that resembles the two-time Hart Trophy winner, but he does have two goals and an assist in his last four games, and is showing signs of his MVP seasons. The Caps will need much more of that from number 8 this season if they want to get into the playoffs, let alone shake off the curse of their recent early postseason exits.
Buffalo, meanwhile, needs to figure out what’s wrong. They’ve spent the money to get the good players, they’re 16th in the league in goals per game, 14th on the power play and ninth on the penalty kill. Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek are among the league’s top scorers with 37 and 36 points, respectively, but yet the team just can’t get wins. 11 of their losses this season were by one goal; only three of which were after regulation. That’s a lot of points left just out of their grasp.
It’s the battle of shattering dreams at the First Niagara Center. With so much on the line, you can bet it will be a good one.
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Sidney Crosby taught us that it can take almost a year to fully recover from a concussion, and even then, “fully” may not be the right word. However, at the other end of the spectrum appears to be Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber, who may miss as little as two games.
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The Predators announced on Tuesday that Weber is out with a concussion, but today said that he may be ready in time for Friday’s game against St. Louis. The team hasn’t announced a timetable for his return – surprise, surprise – but say he’s recovering well. It’s believed he received the concussion on Friday but didn’t show symptoms until Monday. He was a scratch for the team’s 4-1 loss to Detroit.
Losing Weber for any amount of time can seriously hurt Nashville’s Stanley Cup odds. He has eight goals and leads the team with 21 assists. Five of his goals have come on the power play and he has a plus-14 rating. In his current five-game point streak he has two goals and six assists.
Nashville’s had an up-and-down month. They won five in a row but since have lost three of four. Tonight they draw the Minnesota Wild who, less than two weeks ago, were leading the Western Conference but thanks to a four-game skid are now in sixth place.
Back on Nov. 23, Minnesota edged Nashville 3-2 in regulation time. Weber was a game-worse minus-two in that one, so maybe it’s a good thing that he’s out for tonight’s rematch.
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The Predators announced on Tuesday that Weber is out with a concussion, but today said that he may be ready in time for Friday’s game against St. Louis. The team hasn’t announced a timetable for his return – surprise, surprise – but say he’s recovering well. It’s believed he received the concussion on Friday but didn’t show symptoms until Monday. He was a scratch for the team’s 4-1 loss to Detroit.
Losing Weber for any amount of time can seriously hurt Nashville’s Stanley Cup odds. He has eight goals and leads the team with 21 assists. Five of his goals have come on the power play and he has a plus-14 rating. In his current five-game point streak he has two goals and six assists.
Nashville’s had an up-and-down month. They won five in a row but since have lost three of four. Tonight they draw the Minnesota Wild who, less than two weeks ago, were leading the Western Conference but thanks to a four-game skid are now in sixth place.
Back on Nov. 23, Minnesota edged Nashville 3-2 in regulation time. Weber was a game-worse minus-two in that one, so maybe it’s a good thing that he’s out for tonight’s rematch.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a goaltending question to answer. Who should start between the pipes tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes: James Reimer or Jonas Gustavsson?
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This is the third of four meetings between the Leafs and ‘Canes this season, and second in Carolina. Toronto lost the first game on the road 3-2 with third-string goaltender Ben Scrivens in net, while Reimer took home a 2-1 overtime decision in the rematch.
The question really comes down to which Reimer head coach Ron Wilson expects to show up. Thanks to a concussion earlier this season, Reimer missed a month and hasn’t looked consistently sharp over more than a few games at a time. In his last five games, Reimer is 2-1-1 but has a .903 save percentage and a 3.42 goals-against average, which are both none too pretty. However, there’s also the matter of Reimer’s career 3-0-0 record against Carolina compared to Gustavsson’s 0-2-1 record.
Is that too many numbers for you? Another factor is Toronto’s Saturday game against Winnipeg, which is the closest thing that Reimer – a native of Morweena, Manitoba – will have to a homecoming, and Wilson may want to save him for that game.
Tonight’s game is the second of three straight road games against opponents from the Southeast Division. The road trip wraps up Saturday night when the Leafs ironically travel northwest to face those Jets to finish off 2011.
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This is the third of four meetings between the Leafs and ‘Canes this season, and second in Carolina. Toronto lost the first game on the road 3-2 with third-string goaltender Ben Scrivens in net, while Reimer took home a 2-1 overtime decision in the rematch.
The question really comes down to which Reimer head coach Ron Wilson expects to show up. Thanks to a concussion earlier this season, Reimer missed a month and hasn’t looked consistently sharp over more than a few games at a time. In his last five games, Reimer is 2-1-1 but has a .903 save percentage and a 3.42 goals-against average, which are both none too pretty. However, there’s also the matter of Reimer’s career 3-0-0 record against Carolina compared to Gustavsson’s 0-2-1 record.
Is that too many numbers for you? Another factor is Toronto’s Saturday game against Winnipeg, which is the closest thing that Reimer – a native of Morweena, Manitoba – will have to a homecoming, and Wilson may want to save him for that game.
Tonight’s game is the second of three straight road games against opponents from the Southeast Division. The road trip wraps up Saturday night when the Leafs ironically travel northwest to face those Jets to finish off 2011.
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The Washington Capitals are coming on strong in the Eastern Conference, finally showing signs that they’ve adjusted to head coach Dale Hunter’s new systems. They’re trying to put together a winning month of December, and face the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets to close out 2011.
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The Caps are playing the second half of a back-to-back to close out the 2011 portion of the schedule. After facing Buffalo on Friday night, they hope to have some energy left to dispose of the league’s worst team.
Everybody’s wondering what happened to Alex Ovechkin this season, which is fair, considering the goal-scoring ability that’s been all-but-absent. However, the Great 8 is second in team scoring behind Nicklas Backstrom and is finally averaging better than a point-per-game in the last couple of weeks. He does need to get better though.
The good news for Washington in this game is they won’t have to face Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski, who has a broken ankle and will be out for six weeks. The embarrassing part is that Wisniewski is fourth in team scoring, and he’s a blue liner.
A few weeks ago, Washington looked miserable, but they’ve now on the cusp of getting back into a playoff position. Three points separate them from the sixth-seed, and as 2012 kicks in, points become more important as well as position in the standings. With such a tightly contested battle for the lower seeds, every game matters and winning in regulation against the teams you’re supposed to beat is critical, and Columbus is definitely a team Washington is supposed to beat.
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The Caps are playing the second half of a back-to-back to close out the 2011 portion of the schedule. After facing Buffalo on Friday night, they hope to have some energy left to dispose of the league’s worst team.
Everybody’s wondering what happened to Alex Ovechkin this season, which is fair, considering the goal-scoring ability that’s been all-but-absent. However, the Great 8 is second in team scoring behind Nicklas Backstrom and is finally averaging better than a point-per-game in the last couple of weeks. He does need to get better though.
The good news for Washington in this game is they won’t have to face Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski, who has a broken ankle and will be out for six weeks. The embarrassing part is that Wisniewski is fourth in team scoring, and he’s a blue liner.
A few weeks ago, Washington looked miserable, but they’ve now on the cusp of getting back into a playoff position. Three points separate them from the sixth-seed, and as 2012 kicks in, points become more important as well as position in the standings. With such a tightly contested battle for the lower seeds, every game matters and winning in regulation against the teams you’re supposed to beat is critical, and Columbus is definitely a team Washington is supposed to beat.
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Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, the biggest star by a large margin in the NHL, will make his long-awaited second return of the season on Thursday night when his Penguins visit the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers. And Bovada will have some Crosby-specific props available for the game on his NHL hockey odds.
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Crosby played eight games this season after missing 10 months to due concussion-like symptoms. He had 12 points in those eight games and looked just like for former NHL MVP that he is. In fact, his return was spectacular as Crosby had two goals and two assists in his first game of the season, Nov. 21 against the other New York team – the Islanders.
But symptoms returned following a Dec. 5 game against Boston and Crosby has been sidelined since. But the dizziness and headaches that have plagued the 24-year-old since early December have abated. Crosby believes he's in better shape now than he was during that brief eight-game comeback from last season’s concussion. He has been skating with the team off and on since Jan. 13.
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Crosby played eight games this season after missing 10 months to due concussion-like symptoms. He had 12 points in those eight games and looked just like for former NHL MVP that he is. In fact, his return was spectacular as Crosby had two goals and two assists in his first game of the season, Nov. 21 against the other New York team – the Islanders.
But symptoms returned following a Dec. 5 game against Boston and Crosby has been sidelined since. But the dizziness and headaches that have plagued the 24-year-old since early December have abated. Crosby believes he's in better shape now than he was during that brief eight-game comeback from last season’s concussion. He has been skating with the team off and on since Jan. 13.
Read More: Special Props for Penguins Star Sidney Crosby's Return at Rangers | Gambling Beat News
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The Washington Capitals have clinched a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, but they'll still have a shot at a division title as well as they hit the NHL betting lines on Saturday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
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Washington punched their ticket to the postseason on Thursday night with a 4-2 home win over the Florida Panthers – their rival for the Southeast Division title this season. Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Brooks Laich and Jay Beagle all scored for the Capitals in that Thursday victory, while Mikael Samuelsson and Ed Jovanovski replied for the Panthers.
The Capitals, though, lost goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a leg injury against the Panthers; he'll be evaluated on Friday. With Tomas Vokoun (groin) also out of action for Washington the team had to turn to Braden Holtby on Thursday – he stopped 12 of 14 Florida shots.
With one game left in the season for both the Capitals and the Panthers it's Florida atop the Southeast Division with 92 points, while Washington has 90 points. The Caps, though, hold the tiebreaker between the clubs, so if they beat the Rangers on Saturday and the Panthers fail to collect a point against the Carolina Hurricanes they'll win the division.
The winner of the Southeast Division will be the third seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs next week. Washington is currently the eighth-seed in the conference, which would pit them against the Rangers in their first-round matchup.
The Caps could also end up ahead of the Ottawa Senators and finish in seventh place in the conference with the right set of results on Saturday; that would set them up to play the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.
Puck Drop for the Capitals/Rangers game on Saturday is set for 6:30pm ET. The NHL betting matchup between the Hurricanes and Panthers in Florida will get underway at 7:30pm ET on Saturday.
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Washington punched their ticket to the postseason on Thursday night with a 4-2 home win over the Florida Panthers – their rival for the Southeast Division title this season. Alexander Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Brooks Laich and Jay Beagle all scored for the Capitals in that Thursday victory, while Mikael Samuelsson and Ed Jovanovski replied for the Panthers.
The Capitals, though, lost goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a leg injury against the Panthers; he'll be evaluated on Friday. With Tomas Vokoun (groin) also out of action for Washington the team had to turn to Braden Holtby on Thursday – he stopped 12 of 14 Florida shots.
With one game left in the season for both the Capitals and the Panthers it's Florida atop the Southeast Division with 92 points, while Washington has 90 points. The Caps, though, hold the tiebreaker between the clubs, so if they beat the Rangers on Saturday and the Panthers fail to collect a point against the Carolina Hurricanes they'll win the division.
The winner of the Southeast Division will be the third seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs next week. Washington is currently the eighth-seed in the conference, which would pit them against the Rangers in their first-round matchup.
The Caps could also end up ahead of the Ottawa Senators and finish in seventh place in the conference with the right set of results on Saturday; that would set them up to play the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.
Puck Drop for the Capitals/Rangers game on Saturday is set for 6:30pm ET. The NHL betting matchup between the Hurricanes and Panthers in Florida will get underway at 7:30pm ET on Saturday.
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The New York Rangers held on to earn the top seed in the East for this year's NHL playoffs, and now they'll try to pay off on the hockey betting lines in their first-round series against the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators this week.
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The Rangers piled up 109 points this year on a record of 51-24-7, which allowed them to edge the Penguins by a single point in the conference standings. However, New York now has to face a Sens team that has beaten them four times in their last five meetings.
Ottawa fell from seventh to eighth in the East on the last day of the regular season on Saturday, going 41-31-10 and collecting 92 points after picking up just 74 points last year.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are the fourth seed in the East, and they'll have to take on the rival Philadelphia Flyers in their first-round matchup this week. The Pens beat the Flyers 4-2 at home on Saturday, but they're just 3-7 over their past 10 meetings.
The defending champion Bruins are the second seed in the East after winning the Northeast Division title and looking to repeat on the NHL futures. They'll take on the Washington Capitals this week. The Caps moved up to seventh in the conference on Saturday by beating the Rangers 4-1 behind a 35-save performance from goaltender Braden Holtby.
Holtby has been filling in for injured netminders Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, and if he starts the playoffs for the Capitals he'll have to square off against defending Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas. Washington is 3-1 in its past four games against the Bruins.
Finally, in the East series that isn't going to lead off any highlight packages, the third-seeded Florida Panthers will be taking on the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils. The Panthers won the Southeast Division, but they went just 2-2 against the Devils this season.
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The Rangers piled up 109 points this year on a record of 51-24-7, which allowed them to edge the Penguins by a single point in the conference standings. However, New York now has to face a Sens team that has beaten them four times in their last five meetings.
Ottawa fell from seventh to eighth in the East on the last day of the regular season on Saturday, going 41-31-10 and collecting 92 points after picking up just 74 points last year.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are the fourth seed in the East, and they'll have to take on the rival Philadelphia Flyers in their first-round matchup this week. The Pens beat the Flyers 4-2 at home on Saturday, but they're just 3-7 over their past 10 meetings.
The defending champion Bruins are the second seed in the East after winning the Northeast Division title and looking to repeat on the NHL futures. They'll take on the Washington Capitals this week. The Caps moved up to seventh in the conference on Saturday by beating the Rangers 4-1 behind a 35-save performance from goaltender Braden Holtby.
Holtby has been filling in for injured netminders Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, and if he starts the playoffs for the Capitals he'll have to square off against defending Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas. Washington is 3-1 in its past four games against the Bruins.
Finally, in the East series that isn't going to lead off any highlight packages, the third-seeded Florida Panthers will be taking on the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils. The Panthers won the Southeast Division, but they went just 2-2 against the Devils this season.
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The clubs' first meeting this season came on October 28, when Edmonton grabbed a 3-1 road win. Colorado had been pegged as the -168 home favorite in that UNDER result.
Ryan Smyth, Andy Sutton, and Cam Barker had the goals for the Oilers in that contest, with Smyth also picking up a pair of assists that day. Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk stymied the Avalanche in the win, allowing just one goal on 41 Colorado shots.
Ryan O'Reilly had the lone goal for the Avs, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 16 of 19 shots.
Colorado turned the tables in their second meeting on November 26, winning 5-2 at home as a -120 favorite. The seven goals scored in that game made it an easy OVER result.
Jay McClement, Shane O'Brien, Stefan Elliott, Jan Hejda, and Paul Stastny all scored for Colorado in that day's win, while Varlamov allowed the two Oilers goals on 33 shots.
Ryan Jones and Ladislav Smid tallied for Edmonton in November's losing cause, with Sam Gagner picking up a pair of assists. Dubnyk gave up four goals on 28 shots in the defeat.
Overall the Avalanche and Oilers have split their last 10 meetings down the middle at 5-5, with the most recent game in Edmonton (back in March) resulting in a 3-2 Colorado win. Six of the last 10 matchups between the clubs have paid off for OVER bettors.
On the NHL futures list at the Bodog Sportsbook the Oilers are now at 35/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup this season, with the Avalanche back at 75/1 odds. The Penguins continue to lead the way on that chart at 6/1 odds to claim the championship.