NHL Betting News and Trends For Saturday, March 24, 2018

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The star representing the greatest season in NHL expansion team history has faded a bit as the Vegas Golden Knights begin a home-and-home series with the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Saturday afternoon. Vegas is 6-5-1 in its last 12 games after Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to San Jose but still boasts a seven-point lead over the second-place Sharks in the Pacific Division.

"It's impressive. It's a great season for our guys,'' the Golden Knights' James Neal told reporters Thursday after Vegas became the first expansion club in league history to accumulate 100 points. "Guys came together real quick. A great job so far, but we're not done yet." Vegas, which won the only previous meeting 7-0 in Nevada on Oct. 27, is likely to encounter an angry Colorado club that was blown out by fellow Western Conference playoff contender Los Angeles 7-1 on Thursday. The Avalanche, though, own one of the two wild-card spots in the West and are on pace to at least double the 48 points they totaled last season in a remarkable turnaround spearheaded by center Nathan MacKinnon, who owns a 14-game point streak. "We have eight games to go, and we know it's just going to get harder from here,'' Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog told reporters. "Nobody's going to hand you any points."

TV: 3 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific; AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), Altitude (Colorado)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (47-21-6): William Karlsson (66 points) has only five of his team-high 39 goals in 11 March games, including three in a 4-0 victory over Calgary on March 18. David Perron (66 points) has been kept off the scoresheet for the last two contests after recording eight of his club-most 50 assists in the previous eight games. Marc-Andre Fleury, who missed 25 games earlier this season with a concussion, sat out Thursday's game after taking a shot off the mask in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Vancouver, but will rejoin the team in Colorado.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (40-26-8): MacKinnon (38 goals, 92 points) trails Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov by three points for the league lead after recording 13 goals and 14 assists during his point streak. Fellow linemate Mikko Rantanen (27 goals, 80 points) continued his breakout season with a goal Thursday, giving him five scores and 11 assists during an eight-game point streak. Semyon Varlamov is expected to appear in his 20th straight game and start for the 17th time in the last 18 contests after allowing five goals on 20 shots versus Los Angeles and getting relieved by Jonathan Bernier.

OVERTIME

1. Vegas LW James Neal (24 goals, 41 points) has recorded one assist in four games since missing eight with a hand injury.

2. Colorado C Carl Soderberg (15 goals, 34 points) has missed the last two games because of illness.

3. The Golden Knights, who host the Avalanche on Monday, are 12-for-12 on the penalty kill over their last four games while Colorado has allowed a power-play goal in each of the past two contests after killing 16-of-16 penalties in its previous five.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Golden Knights 2

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
Two Pacific Division rivals veering off in opposite directions will collide when the surging San Jose Sharks host the skidding Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon. San Jose is riding a six-game winning streak and will try to complete a season sweep of the fading Flames, who have dropped four in a row to tumble out of playoff contention.

The Sharks solidified their hold on second place in the Pacific by knocking off division-leading Vegas 2-1 in overtime on Thursday night. "We're just trying to get our game to where it needs to be," said Logan Couture, who scored the decisive goal. "When you have this many games left in the season, you're trying to play your best hockey going into the playoffs." San Jose has won four in a row in the series, including a 7-4 victory in Calgary on March 16 that kicked off the Flames' current four-game slide. Injury-riddled Calgary was blanked for the second time during the skid in Wednesday's 4-0 home loss to Anaheim and is eight points out of the second wild-card slot with seven games remaining.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Calgary), NBCS California (San Jose)

ABOUT THE FLAMES (35-30-10): Calgary absorbed a huge blow when the Calgary Sun reported Friday that No. 1 center Sean Monahan is done for the season and will have to undergo surgery. Monahan leads the team with 31 goals, matching his career high. "I don't know how much longer Sean Monahan can play," coach Glen Gulutzan said after Friday's practice. "He's been playing through two significant injuries here. He's been gutting it out. He's been injected in two places for the last three weeks, just to get him through the games."

ABOUT THE SHARKS (42-23-9): Couture has scored in three consecutive games to push his season total to 31 -- one shy of his career high established in 2010-11. Defenseman Brent Burns finally put an end to a 15-game goal drought by netting his 11th while pouring 10 shots on goal and blocking three shots against Vegas. "We concentrate on the (defensive) side most of the time, play a structured game," Burns said. "That is our game. I don't think high scoring is really what we're aiming to do. It just happens off of good structure."

OVERTIME

1. The Sharks have not allowed a power-play goal in 10 straight home games.

2. F Kris Versteeg is also done for the season for Calgary, which is 1-for-35 with the man advantage in the past dozen games.

3. San Jose is 20-4-3 against the Pacific Division this season.

PREDICTION: Sharks 3, Flames 1

Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
With a trip to the postseason all but out of the question, the New York Rangers are hoping to just end the season on a positive note. New York begins that quest Saturday as it attempts to halt a three-game slide when it hosts the league-worst Buffalo Sabres.

The Rangers are 12 points behind New Jersey for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with only eight games remaining and two other teams in their path, making it likely they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10. The club has dropped six of its last eight (2-4-2) and each of its last three, including a 4-3 decision in Philadelphia on Thursday. Buffalo concluded a 1-4-1 homestand Friday with a 3-0 setback against Montreal - its second shutout loss in three contests. The Sabres are last in the NHL with 58 points but have recorded more victories on the road (12) than at home (11) this season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo, New York)

ABOUT THE SABRES (23-39-12): Former All-Star Zemgus Girgensons returned to the lineup Friday after missing two games with an undisclosed injury and posted a minus-1 rating in 17 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time. The 24-year-old Latvian center is two points shy of 100 for his career but is in the midst of a six-game drought. Chad Johnson, who exited Wednesday's loss to Arizona after being hit in the mask with a shot, did not dress for the game against the Canadiens and is day-to-day, although coach Phil Housley stated the goaltender has not been diagnosed with a concussion.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (32-34-8): Jesper Fast is riding a career-high seven-game point streak after recording two goals and an assist against the Flyers. The 26-year-old Swede has collected three tallies and six assists during his run, putting him within five points of 100 for his career. Mika Zibanejad also has been red-hot as he enters Saturday with a four-game goal-scoring streak during which he has registered six tallies - including his team-leading 26th on Thursday - and a six-game run on which he has collected 10 points.

OVERTIME

1. Rangers C Kevin Hayes needs two assists to reach 100 in the NHL.

2. Buffalo F Seth Griffith was assigned to Rochester of the American Hockey League upon Girgensons' return to health.

3. New York agreed to terms with 20-year-old D Ryan Lindgren, who was acquired from Boston in the trade involving Rick Nash, on an entry-level contract.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Sabres 2

St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the second-best overall run in franchise history and look to match their longest home winning streak when they host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. Columbus has ridden a string of 10 consecutive victories to third place in the Metropolitan Division and can move past Pittsburgh for second with a ninth straight win at home, which would tie the club mark set from Nov. 29, 2016-Jan. 3, 2017.

The Blue Jackets, who are coming off a 4-0 home triumph over Florida on Thursday, have not lost since March 2 at Anaheim and haven't fallen at Nationwide Arena since suffering a 5-2 setback against the Penguins on Feb. 18. St. Louis also is surging as it posted a 4-1 victory over Vancouver on Friday to extend its winning streak to four games and pull within one point of Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Patrik Berglund scored a pair of goals and Vladimir Tarasenko also tallied in his return from a two-game absence due to an upper-body injury to help the Blues record their first regulation win after three straight overtime triumphs. Tarasenko leads the team in tallies and is two away from reaching the 30-goal plateau for the fourth consecutive season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE BLUES (41-28-5): Jaden Schwartz set up a tally against the Canucks, giving him two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak. St. Louis could be without Carl Gunnarsson on Saturday as the defenseman exited the win over Vancouver with a lower-body injury, which he suffered when falling awkwardly into the boards following a collision with Bo Horvat. The 31-year-old Swede, who is three assists shy of 100 for his career, has registered five goals and nine points in 63 contests this season.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (42-28-5): Seth Jones returned to the lineup against the Panthers and scored a goal after missing three games with an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old defenseman has landed on the scoresheet in each of his last five contests, registering five goals and four assists to reach the 50-point plateau for the first time in his career. Brandon Dubinsky was a healthy scratch for each of the last two games but is expected to be in the lineup Saturday due to an upper-body injury to Lukas Sedlak, who was struck on the helmet by a puck during the win over Florida.

OVERTIME

1. Berglund has scored three goals in as many games after recording one over his previous 13 contests.

2. Columbus LW Artemi Panarin, who leads the team with 69 points, has registered six in his last three contests while notching 10 goals and 13 assists in his last 17 games.

3. St. Louis D Alex Pietrangelo has collected 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last seven games, registering four multi-point performances in that span.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Blues 1
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Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Washington Capitals look to continue their surge and solidify their position at the top of the Metropolitan Division when they visit the struggling Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The Capitals have won six of their last seven after Thursday's 1-0 victory at Detroit and lead rival Pittsburgh by three points with eight games remaining as they attempt to win a third straight division title.

"This was a huge win at this point in the season," Washington coach Barry Trotz told reporters after Thursday's triumph as Philipp Grubauer made 39 saves. "As close as things are in our division, we can't let any points get away." The Capitals hope to get second-leading scorer Evgeny Kuznetsov, who has missed three games with an arm injury, back as soon as Saturday when they take on a Canadiens team that officially has been eliminated from playoff contention. Montreal showed a little life Friday with a 3-0 victory over Buffalo as Antti Niemi turned aside 35 shots for his first shutout of the season. Former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price, who made 34 saves Wednesday in his first start in nearly a month due to a concussion, could be back in net but is 6-12-4 lifetime against Washington.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, NBCS Washington, Sportsnet, TVA (Montreal)

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (43-24-7): With former Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby struggling and now considered day-to-day with a knee injury, Grubauer has lifted his play - posting a .944 save percentage over his last 13 games. "He was a No. 1 goalie in the minors and he's been a backup to a guy who has been a Vezina Trophy finalist the last couple years," Trotz told reporters regarding Grubauer. "He's been learning and getting better, and now he has stepped up to become someone who can win games for us." Captain Alex Ovechkin has collected four goals and five assists over his last six games and leads the team with 81 points - 10 more than Kuznetsov.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (27-36-12): Brendan Gallagher, who scored his career-high and team-leading 27th goal into an empty net on Friday, is slated to make his 400th appearance in the NHL on Saturday. Alex Galchenyuk notched his club-best 29th assist against Buffalo to remain one point behind Gallagher with 45. Jonathan Drouin has recorded six of his 39 points in the last seven games while Paul Byron scored his 18th goal on Friday, putting him four away from the career high he set last season and moving him past captain Max Pacioretty for second on the team in 2017-18.

OVERTIME

1. The teams have split a pair of meetings in Washington this season, with the Canadiens winning the most recent one 3-2 on Jan. 19.

2. Washington signed LW Shane Gersich on Friday, and the 2014 fifth-round draft pick has joined the team in Montreal.

3. Montreal is 0-for-11 on the power play over its last four games after going 4-for-6 in the previous two contests.

PREDICTION: Capitals 4, Canadiens 2

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New Jersey Devils Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

24th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to set franchise records as they struggle to find consistency on the defensive end of the ice and face another challenge Saturday against the host New Jersey Devils. The Lightning have won a team-record 51 games and are two points shy of matching the 2014-15 team with a franchise-most 108, but they are allowing 3.9 goals per game this month after posting a 7-6 road win over the New York Islanders on Thursday.

"When you're in a game like (Thursday) going into the third, just close them out," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos told reporters after his team nearly coughed up a four-goal lead. "Don't give them a chance. The penalty kill is struggling. Then stay out of the box. That's a start. There's areas to improve on. It's all self-inflicted, which is the frustrating part." The Lightning lead Boston by four points in the race for the Atlantic Division crown and will face a focused New Jersey team that is three points ahead of Florida for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Devils earned a huge victory on Friday as Taylor Hall's overtime tally gave them a 4-3 triumph at Pittsburgh that concluded a 4-2-0 road trip, but they have played two more games than the Panthers. Hall leads the way with career highs of 33 goals and 81 points for New Jersey, which is beginning a four-game homestand but has lost four of its last six at Prudential Center.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (51-19-4): Tampa Bay gave up three more power-play goals in the win over the Islanders and entered Friday ranked 27th in the league on the penalty kill (75.9 percent) after yielding at least one man-advantage tally in 13 of its last 15 games. Nikita Kucherov notched an assist against New York and leads the league with 95 points - 13 in his last eight contests - while Brayden Point recorded three points to reach 100 in his career (101). Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman has scored in three consecutive games and is two goals away from matching his career high of 16 in 2016-17.

ABOUT THE DEVILS (38-28-8): Hall also registered two assists on Friday and has posted 33 more points than New Jersey's second-leading scorer Nico Hischier (17 goals, 31 assists), who was the first pick in last June's draft. Rookie defenseman Will Butcher scored his first goal since Nov. 20 on Friday and is tied with Kyle Palmieri for third on the team at 36 points. Keith Kinkaid (20-10-2) made 40 saves for the victory on Friday, but coach John Hynes stated after the game that he had not decided whether the netminder will make back-to-back starts or if Cory Schneider (17-15-6) would get the call.

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey C Pavel Zacha (upper body) returned to the lineup Friday after missing six games and recorded an assist.

2. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper needs one victory to overtake John Tortorella (239) for most in franchise history.

3. The Devils have won both meetings in 2017-18, posting a 5-4 shootout win at home on Oct. 17 and a 4-3 victory at Tampa Bay on Feb. 17.

PREDICTION: Devils 3, Lightning 2

Arizona Coyotes vs. Florida Panthers Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The Florida Panthers look to rebound from a disappointing result last time out and continue their quest for an Eastern Conference playoff spot Saturday night when they host the improving Arizona Coyotes. The Panthers, who had gone 11-2-1 to climb within one point of the second wild-card spot, suffered a 4-0 loss at Columbus on Thursday to end a 2-1-0 trip and have four straight road games after facing Arizona.

"We've been a good team all year facing adversity and bouncing back after a game like this," Florida coach Bob Boughner told reporters of the Panthers, who trail New Jersey by three points for a postseason position with two games in hand. Florida had averaged 3.7 goals in 10 games before being shut out Thursday when it allowed three tallies in the first six minutes of the second period and won't have it easy against the Coyotes, who have climbed out of the NHL cellar with a 13-6-2 stretch. Arizona has scored 14 times in the last three games, but settled for a 6-5 loss at Carolina on Thursday after battling from two goals down to take a lead into the third period. "We were (leading) again and a couple guys cheated, and you can't," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet told reporters after the loss. "That's not winning hockey. I don't care if it's eight games left or 80 games left. It's something that we will get right. You cannot cheat this game."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, FS Florida

ABOUT THE COYOTES (25-38-11): Clayton Keller is trying to stay alive in the Calder Trophy race with a seven-game point streak in which he has three goals and six assists. Keller, who is one away from Peter Mueller's franchise rookie record of 22 goals (2007-08), leads the team with 57 points while center Derek Stepan has 51 after posting three consecutive two-point games and leads the team with 38 assists. Oliver Ekman-Larsson owns four goals in his last seven games and fellow defenseman Alex Goligoski scored twice Thursday.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (37-28-7): Florida was shut out for the third time this season Thursday and will need more from two of its three top scorers - Vincent Trocheck (no points, three games) along with Jonathan Huberdeau (one, last five). All-Star center Aleksander Barkov (99 career goals) tops the team with 73 points after notching three (goal, two assists) in the past three contests, but has a minus-4 rating in the last four. Veteran goalie Roberto Luongo has also cooled off after a hot stretch with one win in his last four starts, allowing 11 goals in the three defeats.

OVERTIME

1. Arizona D Niklas Hjalmarsson (nine points, 48 games) left Thursday's contest with a lower-body injury and is questionable.

2. Florida D Aaron Ekblad (15 goals, 32 points in 2017-18) is slated to play his 300th NHL game Saturday.

3. The Panthers are 4-1-2 in the last seven meetings, including a 3-2 triumph Dec. 19 in Arizona.

PREDICTION: Panthers 5, Coyotes 3

Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Islanders Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
After turning in a wretched performance against one last-place team, the Chicago Blackhawks hope to turn in a better effort against another one when they visit the New York Islanders on Saturday night. Chicago takes a five-game losing streak into the matchup against the Islanders, who are bringing up the rear in the Metropolitan Division.

Two nights after they were eliminated from playoff contention, the Blackhawks absorbed a 5-2 beating at home from a Vancouver club that had scored only seven goals in losing its previous seven games. Chicago is the only team in the Central Division with a losing record and one of only three clubs in the Western Conference that has yet to reach 70 points after amassing 109 a year ago. New York has won only twice in its last 14 games (2-8-4) but showed some moxie with a belated comeback in Thursday's 7-6 loss to Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay. "It's not good enough but it was great to see the way some of the guys stepped up," coach Doug Weight said after the Islanders stormed back by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), MSG Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (30-36-9): Chicago's backup plan at goaltender since the late-December injury to Corey Crawford continues to be a nightmare, with Thursday's loss marking the 10th time this season that the team has yanked its starter. Jean-Francois Berube gave up four goals on 18 shots against the Canucks as the Blackhawks allowed at least five goals for the fifth game in a row. "You've all got to assume some responsibilities," coach Joel Quenneville said. "You can't point the fingers at just the goalies."

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (31-33-10): New York also is struggling to slow the opposition, allowing at least six goals for the third time in five games and becoming the first team since Toronto (2008-09) to permit at least six goals in 12 games. Three players scored twice for the Islanders, including Ryan Pulock, who became the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to notch two power-play goals in a game. "Pulie was the best player on the ice tonight," Weight said after Pulock extended his point streak to a career-best five games.

OVERTIME

1. The Islanders are 9-for-18 on the power play over the past four games.

2. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (upper body) will miss his second straight game. He will be re-evaluated next week.

3. New York ended a five-game losing streak in the series with a 7-3 win at Chicago on Jan. 20.

PREDICTION: Islanders 5, Blackhawks 3

Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
With their best player back in the lineup after missing a month due to injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs can go about the business of formally wrapping up a playoff spot as the regular season winds down. The Maple Leafs look to continue their late-season roll when they open a three-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

Matthews scored a goal in his return as Toronto won for the fifth time in sixth games, snapping Nashville's 15-game point streak with an impressive 5-2 victory on Thursday night. "Nothing new. Back to his usual self," said Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly on the play of Matthews, who had been sidelined for 10 games because of a shoulder injury. Toronto can match a franchise single-season record of 45 wins by beating the woeful Red Wings, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention after Thursday's 1-0 loss to Washington. Detroit has lost 11 of its last 12 games overall (1-10-1) and six of the past seven meetings against the Maple Leafs.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, CBC (Toronto)

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (27-36-11): The season-long offensive rut shows no signs of letting up for Detroit, which has been limited to two goals or fewer eight times during the 12-game tailspin. "It's been like this too many times we haven't been able to score when we've had pretty good efforts. We obviously had a pretty good effort," coach Jeff Blashill said after watching his team outshoot the Capitals 39-26. Defenseman Mike Green will miss the remainder of the season and undergo surgery next month to repair damage to his cervical spine.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (44-23-7): Matthews has collected 51 points in 54 games and moved within one goal of reaching 30 for the second time in as many seasons as Toronto handed league-best Nashville its first regulation defeat since Feb. 17. "It can't be easy, but he's so smooth out there and so smart so it doesn't take him long to get back in the rhythm of things and he did a lot of things he usually does," teammate James van Riemsdyk said. Van Riemsdyk is doing a lot of good things in his own right with eight goals in the past five games.

OVERTIME

1. Maple Leafs F Mitch Marner collected two assists Thursday to extend his point streak to seven games.

2. Detroit is 0-for-13 on the power play in the last four games

3. Toronto has scored at least one goal with the man advantage in seven consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 1

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho are keeping the Carolina Hurricanes' rail-thin postseason aspirations afloat on the strength of their simultaneous career-high seven-game point streaks. The two Finns aim to continue their individual success and bolster the visiting Hurricanes' standing on Saturday in the opener of a home-and-home series against the Ottawa Senators.

"They were dangerous. I thought Seabass (Aho) made some plays. He made a real good play with patience on the first one. ... Turbo's got a great release," Carolina coach Bill Peters said after Teravainen scored and set up a goal and Aho notched two assists in Thursday's wild 6-5 win over Arizona. Teravainen and Aho have combined for 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) in their past 20 games for the Hurricanes, who have answered a 1-5-0 mark with wins in two of their last three to reside nine points behind New Jersey for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators, who fell one goal short of a Stanley Cup appearance last season, officially were eliminated from postseason contention following Thursday's 6-2 setback to Edmonton. Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said on Friday that the team would attempt to work out a contract with forward Matt Duchene, who scored versus the Oilers to push his point total to seven (four goals, three assists) in the past six games.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolinas, Sportsnet1, CITY (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (32-31-11): Rookie Valentin Zykov registered a two-goal performance in his second game since being recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League. "He's a big, heavy, thick guy and he's got some courage and he goes to the net," Peters told the Raleigh News & Observer of the 22-year-Russian, who benefited from playing on the same line as Aho and Teravainen. Jeff Skinner matched Zykov with a two-goal effort, a strong performance considering he had just four points - all assists - in his previous 13 games.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (26-36-11): Dorion also told season ticket holders on Friday during a conference call that captain Erik Karlsson will be extended a contract offer from the team on July 1, the first day the club is allowed to do so. "Erik is a fantastic player," Dorion said, according to the Ottawa Citizen. "The relationship between he, Eugene (Melnyk, owner) and myself is strong, and I want all of you to know that. When we can offer Erik a contract on July 1, we will do so." A two-time Norris Trophy winner, Karlsson has one season remaining on a seven-year pact he signed in 2012.

OVERTIME

1. Carolina G Cam Ward improved to 16-8-3 in his career versus Ottawa with a .922 save percentage after turning aside 29 shots in the first meeting with Ottawa.

2. Senators C Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who scored in a 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Jan. 30, is mired in a five-game goal drought after scoring four times in the previous six.

3. Carolina D Jaccob Slavin set up three goals on Thursday to increase his point total to seven (two goals, five assists) in the past four contests

PREDICTION: Hurricanes 5, Senators 2

Nashville Predators vs. Minnesota Wild Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
The Minnesota Wild healed some bumps and bruises during their pronounced break in their schedule, but business is about to pick up for coach Bruce Boudreau's club. With a four-day respite between games now concluded, the Wild will play the first of three contests in a four-day stretch on Saturday when they host the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators.

"I think you could tell they're tired of practicing," Boudreau said on Friday. "They're tired of sitting on the sidelines and we want to be involved in this thing. ... I hope we got some rest, I hope we got some enthusiasm and I hope we got some good practice time in. Those are the three things we wanted to do." The Wild are 10-4-1 in their last 15 outings overall and have won two of three meetings this season versus the Predators, who saw their franchise-best 14-0-1 run come to a halt with Thursday's 5-2 setback to Toronto. "I think you look at this stretch we've had with 15 games with points, and we've been squeaking out wins and finding ways to win, but that's not playoff hockey," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "We've gotten away with that for some time, but it finally caught up with us playing a really good team."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Tennessee (Nashville), FS North-Plus (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (48-15-10): Viktor Arvidsson scored versus the Maple Leafs to extend his point streak to three games and boost his point total to 19 (nine goals, 10 assists) in his last 16 contests. The 24-year-old Swede has collected three points (two goals, one assist) versus the Wild, trailing only Ryan Johansen (one goal, three assists) and defenseman P.K. Subban (two goals, two assists) in the season series. Pekka Rinne doesn't have as fond of memories, as he owns an 0-2-0 mark with a 4.09 goals-against average versus Minnesota this season.

ABOUT THE WILD (41-24-8): Zach Parise scored his second goal in three games and sixth this month during Monday's 4-3 overtime setback to Los Angeles, and that offense hasn't been in short supply against Nashville. Parise has recorded 12 goals and 19 points in 25 career encounters with the Predators while fellow 33-year-old Eric Staal has 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 21 matches. Staal netted his team-leading 39th goal versus the Kings, moving him within one of his first 40-goal season since 2008-09 and within three of Marian Gaborik's franchise record.

OVERTIME

1. Minnesota RW Mikael Granlund netted his second career hat trick in a 4-2 win over Nashville on Dec. 29, upping his career total to 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 21 encounters.

2. Predators C Calle Jarnkrok has been held off the scoresheet in four straight contests on the heels of a five-game point streak.

3. The Central Division rivals will reconvene in Nashville on Tuesday night to conclude their season series.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Predators 2

Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers Preview and Predictions 03-24-2018

23rd March 2018 by Gracenote
Anze Kopitar wasn't shy about taking his show on the road in his last outing, and the Los Angeles Kings have made themselves at home in the opposition's arena for quite some time. Kopitar looks to ride the momentum of his first four-goal performance as the Kings bid to conclude a four-game road trip with a flourish on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

"I'm just trying to help us win, I'm not doing anything else. ... Our goal is to make the playoffs. That's all it comes down to," said Kopitar, whose sterling performance in Thursday's 7-1 rout of Colorado improved the Kings 2-0-1 on their road trip and 6-0-2 in their last eight away from Staples Center. The 30-year-old Slovene's 33 goals are one shy of his career high set in 2009-10, while his assist (53) and point (86) totals are personal bests after collecting 14 and 22, respectively, over his last 14 contests. While the Kings are tied with Anaheim for third place in the Pacific, the Oilers have been eliminated from postseason contention despite a strong 6-2-1 stretch in their last nine outings. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid collected two goals and set up two others in Thursday's 6-2 romp at Ottawa, boosting his point total to 41 (21 goals, 20 assists) in his past 26 games and 94 overall to reside one shy of Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), CBC, Sportsnet, Sportsnet1 (Edmonton)

ABOUT THE KINGS (41-27-7): Dustin Brown has been on a scoring binge with seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past five games overall, and his performance this season against Edmonton is impressive in its own right. The 33-year-old has three goals and an assist versus the Oilers, highlighted by a two-goal effort in a 5-0 rout on Jan. 2 in which Jonathan Quick turned aside all 32 shots he faced to add yet another shutout to his resume. Quick has posted a .932 save percentage in his last 15 starts after brushing aside 29 shots against the Avalanche.

ABOUT THE OILERS (33-36-5): Ty Rattie admitted he has a hard time accepting what he's seeing as he plays on a line with former top overall picks McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. "I pinch myself. ... I'm lucky enough to play with two good players and lucky enough to contribute (Thursday)," the 25-year-old Rattie said after the trio recorded nine points and a collective plus-12 rating against the Senators. Rattie has notched five points (three goals, two assists) in the past four contests while Nugent-Hopkins has 11 (five goals, six assists) in 10 games since returning from injury.

OVERTIME

1. Edmonton LW Drake Caggiula scored twice on Thursday to double his goal total in the past five games.

2. Los Angeles' top-ranked penalty kill has thwarted 23 of its last 24 short-handed opportunities.

3. Oilers LW Pontus Aberg has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past three games while D Darnell Nurse has five assists in his past four.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Kings 2