In the Crease - Week 12
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com
Bedeviled
The New Jersey Devils have struggled mightily since the calendar turned to December, and they are in the midst of a 1-7-1 slide dating back to Dec. 8. Goaltending has been a major reason for the skid, as they have allowed three or more goals in 17 of the past 19 outings overall. Things do not figure to get any better, as Pittsburgh skates into town Tuesday following by a home-and-home with Washington and a visit from Boston. The Pens have outscored the Devils 8-4 in two earlier losses, while the Caps have yet to face New Jersey this season. Pittsburgh is 4-1 in the past five meetings, although the home team is 24-6 in the past 30 in the series and Pittsburgh has won just five of their past 21 trips to Newark.
Sour Notes in Music City
The Nashville Predators have been struggling on home ice lately. They were pounded 4-0 against Los Angeles in their most recent home game Thursday, and they are 2-3-2 in their past seven in Nashville. The next three home games feature the red-hot Minnesota Wild Tuesday night, as they skate in on a 10-game winning streak. One of those wins was a 5-2 Wild victory in Nashville Dec. 15. The Chicago Blackhawks follow that visit Thursday, and the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens come to town Jan. 3 for the first game of the New Year. It might be a good idea to continue to fade the Predators at home until they can solve their issues. Nashville has allowed 26 goals over their past seven games at home.
Looking Ahead
Tuesday, Dec. 27
The Rangers host the Senators in a battle between Eastern Conference contenders. The Senators have made themselves at home over the years in Madison Square Garden, winning 27 of their past 37 trips to Midtown Manhattan. The road team has won 22 of the past 31 meetings in this series, too. And if you're into totals, you might want to hammer the 'under' at MSG Tuesday. The 'under' is 19-5-2 in the past 26 meetings in New York, and 32-10-9 in the past 51 meetings overall in this series.
Two red-hot Golden State rivals do battle on the ice in Southern California. The Sharks have won six of their past seven games overall, and they're 4-1 in their past five against teams with a losing overall record. The Ducks have won each of their past four on home ice, and they're 6-2 in their past eight battles against teams with a .600 winning percentage or better. The Sharks have won just once in their past five skates in Anaheim, and San Jose is just 1-5 in their past six meetings overall. The home team has won 27 of the past 38 in the series.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
The Canadiens head to South Florida to try and add to the woes of the Lightning. Montreal hasn't been too good on the road recently, going just 3-7 in their past 10 away from Bell Centre and 7-18 in their past 25 road outings against a team with a winning home record. The Lightning have struggled since superstar Steven Stamkos went down, and they have won just four of their past 14 overall. They're also 0-4 in their past four against teams with a winning percentage over .600, while winning just two of their past eight against Eastern Conference foes. Montreal has won five straight in this series, and the over is 5-2-2 in the past nine meetings in Tampa.
The Hurricanes look to change their luck against the Penguins in the Steel City. Carolina has won just 25 of their past 80 games over the past couple of years against teams with a winning overall record, and they're just 1-6 in their past seven games within the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh has won 40 of their past 52 home games, and they're 26-9 in their past 35 against teams with a losing record. The Canes have won just six of their past 19 meetings overall, and they're 3-9 in their past 12 trips to Pittsburgh.
Thursday, Dec. 29
The Bruins look to stay hot on the road, and they look to keep the Sabres down in the process. Boston has won each of the first two meetings this season, including a 2-1 win in Buffalo Dec. 3. The Bruins have won nine of the past 11 meetings in this series, including each of the past five trips to Western New York. The 'under' is a perfect 3-0 in the past three meetings, and 2-0-3 in the past five skates in Buffalo. Boston enters the week 3-0-3 in their past six games away from home, and they have been much better overall on the road.
The Blackhawks invade the Music City looking to add to the woes of the Predators at home. Chicago has won six of the past nine regular season games in this series, although they have won just twice in the past six trips to Nashville. When these teams hook up there are generally plenty of goals. The 'over' is 3-1-4 in the past eight meetings overall, and 2-1-3 in the past six skates in Tennessee.
Friday, Dec. 30
The Predators head to St. Louis looking to tame the Blues. Nashville hasn't had a lot of success in the Gateway City, however, losing three straight along the banks of the Mississippi River, and five of their past seven. The 'under' is 5-2-1 in the past eight meetings in this series, too. The Blues have piled up an impressive 7-1-2 mark in their past 10 home games, including a 3-1 win back on Nov. 19 against the Predators.
Vancouver hosts Anaheim in the late game Friday. The Ducks won their most recent trip to the Pacific Northwest by a 3-1 count back on Dec. 1, cashing as a -165 favorite. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 7-3 in two meetings this season, and the Ducks have won eight of their past 10 trips to British Columbia. Anaheim has outscored Vancouver 36-15 during the 10-game span in Vancouver. The Canucks limp in with the third-fewest points in the Western Conference, and they haven't won back-to-back games at home since opening the season 4-0.