Monday's NHL betting matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas at N.Y. Islanders
The Islanders are unbeaten in their last six meetings with the Stars, going 5-0-0 with one tie. Dallas hasn't won in the series since a 2-1 victory on March 23, 2001.
Boston at Philadelphia
The Flyers have won three straight against the Bruins.
Buffalo at Washington
Ryan Miller hasn't lost five straight road starts since Feb. 4, 2003-Oct. 8, 2005, and is 2-0-0 with a 3.29 GAA in three career starts in Washington.
Columbus at Edmonton
The Blue Jackets lost three of four to the Oilers last season with the lone win being a 4-0 shutout on Dec. 2 in Edmonton. Columbus is just 3-8-0 with one tie all-time at Rexall Place.
Hockey Today - Nov. 26
Associated Press
SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Calgary at Detroit (7 p.m. EST).
The Red Wings have lost five of their past seven games.
STARS
Sunday
-Roberto Luongo, Canucks, made 27 saves to help Vancouver shut out Chicago 2-0.
-Manny Legace and Jamal Mayers, Blues. Legace stopped 24 shots and Mayers scored two goals to lead St. Louis to a 3-0 victory over Calgary.
-Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks, scored twice to help Anaheim edge Los Angeles 3-2.
RED HOT BLUES
Manny Legace stopped 24 shots to lead St. Louis over Calgary 3-0 on Sunday for its sixth win in seven games. The Blues have outscored their opponents 17-9 in the wins. The shutout was the first for St. Louis since Legace shut out Nashville on Feb. 17.
FAST STARTERS
Jamal Mayers scored two goals to help St. Louis get past Calgary 3-0 on Sunday. Mayers' first goal marked the third time this season the Blues have scored in the first minute. Brad Boyes had the other two.
STREAKING
Ryan Getzlaf extended his career-best point streak to eight games on Sunday, scoring two goals in Anaheim's 3-2 victory over Los Angeles. ... Dallas edged the New York Rangers 3-2 to stretch its winning streak to five games. ... Vancouver improved to 7-1-2 in the past 10 games with a 2-0 win over Chicago.
SNAPPED
Jaromir Jagr snapped out of a slump with a goal in the New York Rangers' 3-2 loss to Dallas on Sunday. He had gone five games without a point since posting a goal and assist on Nov. 14 at New Jersey. The Rangers dropped their second straight at home after a five-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Patrick Lalime finished with 26 saves as Chicago fell to Vancouver 2-0 and failed to record at least a point for the first time in five games, and just the third time in the past 12 games (7-3-2).
SPEAKING
''The coaches just asked me what I'm going to say to the media. and I said I'll say the goalie was really blanking good.'' - Dallas coach Dave Tippett, on goalie Mike Smith's 39 saves in the Stars' 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday. Dallas improved to 5-0-1 since general manager Doug Armstrong and team president Jim Lites were fired.
Bates might return soon for Islanders
It has been nearly 10 months, but who's counting? To Shawn Bates, it feels like forever.
The Islanders forward is back from his conditioning assignment in Bridgeport, using the last ounce of his patience as he waits to get in an NHL game for the first time since last January. He didn't play last night, but he might return from the groin injury/sports hernia any day now. "It's been a long journey, having the surgery, then having that little problem that happened to me during the playoffs, then not working out during the summer," he said after the morning skate yesterday at IceWorks in Syosset. "It's been a while. I'm happy where I am right now, so it's just a matter of time before I get back in."
This seems like ancient history now, but here's the recap: Bates suffered an abdominal injury in practice Jan. 29, played in a game Jan. 30 and scored a goal, but aggravated it and has not played since. He was considering a comeback in the first round of the playoffs, but experienced a setback.
So it was a relief to play anywhere, as he has done for the minor-league affiliate for the past week. He scored a goal Friday in a 5-3 loss at home to the Rangers' Hartford affiliate after having had a real taste of the minors, a trip to Hershey Wednesday.
"The travel is a little bit different than in the NHL," he said, with a grin. "You're back on the bus. But it was a good experience."
www.newsday.com
Revenge is in the air as Flyers host Bruins
Associated Press
The last time they faced the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the Boston Bruins' best players ended up in the hospital and hasn't returned to the ice since.
The Bruins look to post a rare road victory and gain a small measure of revenge Monday night when they continue a six-game road trip against the first-place Flyers.
In Philadelphia's 2-1 road victory over Boston on Oct. 27, Flyers defenseman Randy Jones checked Bruins center Patrice Bergeron from behind in the first period. Bergeron lost consciousness and was taken from the ice on a stretcher after he was slammed face-first into the boards.
Diagnosed with a severe concussion and a broken nose, Bergeron hasn't played since the hit and there remains no timetable for his return.
Jones was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct and later suspended two games by the NHL.
"Words really can't express the way that I feel right now. I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did," Jones said in a statement released by the team. "It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry.
"I hope he does OK and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery."
Boston (11-8-2) has gone 5-4-2 without Bergeron - second on the team last season with 70 points - and clearly misses his playmaking ability. Only the New York Islanders (49) have scored fewer goals than the Bruins (52).
A punchless offense proved too much to overcome as Boston opened its trip Saturday with a 2-1 loss to the Islanders, settling for a split of a home-and-home series. P.J. Axelsson scored for Boston, which dropped to 1-4-1 in its last six road games.
"We didn't put out our best effort," forward Marc Savard said. "We didn't apply any pressure. We just sat back on our heels. We need to go to Philly and have 20 guys going, not just a couple."
Tim Thomas was Boston's best player in back-to-back games against the Islanders, stopping 49 of 52 shots. Thomas is 3-1-1 with a 2.77 goals-against average in five career starts versus Philadelphia.
Savard has one goal and eight assists during a six-game point streak overall. He has three goals and seven assists in his last five contests against the Flyers.
Philadelphia (13-7-2) became only the third team this season to win in regulation at Ottawa on Saturday, as red-hot Daniel Briere had a goal and two assists in a 4-3 victory over the Senators.
R.J. Umberger, Scott Hartnell and Mike Richards also scored for the Flyers, who have at least one point in six of seven games (4-1-2).
Despite playing without regular linemate Simon Gagne the past eight games, Briere has produced seven goals and five assists during that span.
"For myself, it's been kind of a roller coaster this season, especially since Gagne went down, it's been tough," Briere said. "I've been switching lines left and right, but the last few games it seems to be clicking. That winning goal was a perfect example. It was probably my easiest goal of the year."
With Antero Niittymaki making a rare start Saturday, Martin Biron figures to be back in net Monday. Biron is 6-1-2 with two shutouts and a 2.05 GAA this season at home.
The Flyers have won three straight against the Bruins.
Dallas Stars vs. New York Islanders
- The Dallas Stars and the New York Islanders will both be gunning for a victory on Monday when they meet at Nassau Coliseum.
Brenden Morrow scored the game-winning goal on a power play in the third period, lifting the Stars to a 3-2 win over the Rangers last time out. The Stars won the game as +135 underdogs, and the five goals were a PUSH against the posted over/under (5).
Loui Eriksson also tallied on the power play, while Jussi Jokinen added the other goal for the Stars. Mike Smith was outstanding in net with 39 saves.
Richard Park and Andy Hilbert scored as the Islanders slipped by the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Saturday night.
The Isles cashed as -160 favorites as the game played under the 5.5-goal total listed by sportsbooks.
Current streak:
Dallas has won 5 straight games.
Team records:
Dallas: 12-7-4
New York: 12-8-0
Dallas most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-4-1
Before playing Los Angeles are 5-5
After playing NY Rangers are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
New York most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing New Jersey are 6-4
After playing Boston are 6-4
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 0-4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 5 games
NY Islanders are 5-0-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 6 games at home
NY Islanders are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home
Next up:
Dallas at New Jersey, Wednesday, November 28
NY Islanders home to Ottawa, Wednesday, November 28
Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
- The Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers will both be gunning for a victory on Monday when they meet at Wachovia Center.
P.J. Axelsson marked the lone goal for the Bruins in their 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
The Isles cashed as -160 favorites as the game played under the 5.5-goal total listed by sportsbooks.
Daniel Briere had a goal and two assists to lead the Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
The Flyers upset the Sens as +170 underdogs as the game played over the 6-goal total listed by books.
Team records:
Boston: 11-8-2
Philadelphia: 13-7-2
Boston most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Ottawa are 3-7
After playing NY Islanders are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-2-2
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After playing Ottawa are 3-3-1
After a win are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Boston's last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Boston's last 25 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Boston
Next up:
Boston at Florida, Thursday, November 29
Philadelphia at Carolina, Wednesday, November 28
Buffalo Sabres vs. Washington Capitals
- The fans at Verizon Center will be treated to a game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Washington Capitals when they take their seats on Monday.
Jocelyn Thibault stopped 24 shots to lead the Sabres to a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
The Sabres upset the Habs as +140 road underdogs as the game played under the 5.5-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals to lead the Capitals to a 5-2 upset win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
The Caps cashed as +110 underdogs as the game played over the 6-goal total set by books.
Current streak:
Buffalo has won 4 straight games.
Washington has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Buffalo: 10-10-1
Washington: 8-14-1
Buffalo most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Colorado are 6-4
After playing Montreal are 8-2
After a win are 6-4
Washington most recently:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Calgary are 5-5
After playing Carolina are 3-7
After a win are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
Buffalo is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing Washington
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Buffalo
Washington is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
Next up:
Buffalo home to St. Louis, Wednesday, November 28
Washington home to Florida, Wednesday, November 28
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Edmonton Oilers
- The fans at Rexall Place will be treated to a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers when they take their seats on Monday.
Nikolai Zherdev scored the winner in the shootout as the Blue Jackets upset the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday night.
The Jackets cashed in as +150 home underdogs as the game played under the 5.5-goal total listed by sportsbooks.
Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff scored the shootout winner in Saturday's 3-2 win over Chicago, coming in as 105 home underdogs. The five goals scored were UNDER the posted total of 5.5.
Geoff Sanderson had a pair of assists, and Dwayne Roloson stopped 38 shots for the Oilers.
Current streak:
Columbus has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Columbus: 11-8-4
Edmonton: 9-13-1
Columbus most recently:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
Before playing Vancouver are 4-6
After playing Detroit are 5-5
After a win are 4-6
Edmonton most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Detroit are 8-2
After playing Chicago are 3-3-1
After a win are 2-8
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Columbus's last 8 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Columbus's last 15 games on the road
Columbus is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Columbus is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games at home
Edmonton is 15-4-3 SU in its last 22 games when playing Columbus
Next up:
Columbus at Vancouver, Thursday, November 29
Edmonton at Colorado, Wednesday, November 28
Thrashers Lehtonen taken off IR
November 26th, 2007
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Thrashers activated goaltender Kari Lehtonen off injured reserve Monday, and assigned him to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League for conditioning.
The 24-year-old Lehtonen missed the team's last 16 games since suffering a groin injury on October 18 against the New York Rangers.
Lehtonen has struggled for Atlanta this season with no victories in five games. The Finnish netminder also has a robust 4.49 goals-against average and .879 save percentage.