Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Friday, March 6
Dallas at Anaheim (10 p.m. EST). Dallas claimed center Brendan Morrison off waivers from Anaheim on Wednesday. The former University of Michigan star had 10 goals and 12 assists in 62 games for the Ducks this season.
STARS
Thursday
— Olli Jokinen, Flames, scored two goals in his first game for Calgary, helping the Flames beat Philadelphia 5-1. Jokinen was acquired from Phoenix on Wednesday.
— Michal Handzus, Kings, scored his third goal of the game at 1:31 of overtime, capping his second career hat trick in Los Angeles’ 5-4 comeback victory over Dallas.
— Mikko Koivu, Wild, scored his second goal of the game with 13.3 seconds left in overtime in Minnesota’s 4-3 win in San Jose.
— Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy, Penguins. Crosby scored in his return from a groin injury that sidelined him for four games, and Kennedy scored twice in the third period in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 victory in Florida.
— Martin Gerber, Maple Leafs, made 37 saves in his Toronto debut, a 2-1 victory in Washington. Gerber was claimed off waivers from Ottawa on Wednesday.
— Jason Spezza, Senators, scored at 12 seconds—the fastest goal in franchise history—and set up Mike Comrie’s second-period goal in Ottawa’s 4-2 win over Edmonton. Spezza broke Daniel Alfredsson’s club mark of 13 seconds.
— Scottie Upshall, Steven Reinprecht and Ilja Bryzgalov, Coyotes. Upshall, acquired from Philadelphia on Wednesday, scored his first goal for Phoenix, Reinprecht broke a second-period tie, and Ilja Bryzgalov made 25 saves in Phoenix’s 2-1 win in Boston.
SEAN SIGHTING
Sean Avery, the agitating forward claimed off waivers by New York on Tuesday after being banished by Dallas, got into his first NHL game since Nov. 30 on Thursday night, helping the Rangers beat the Islanders 4-2. Avery was banished by Dallas in December because of crude comments he made about players dating his former girlfriends. He was suspended six games by the NHL, but then wasn’t welcomed back by the Stars, who pried him away from the Rangers last summer with a four-year deal.
STATUS
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby returned Thursday night against Florida after missing four games—all victories—because of a groin injury. He had a goal in the Penguins’ 4-1 victory. … NHL goals leader Alex Ovechkin missed Washington’s game against Toronto night because of a bruised heel. Ovechkin was injured Wednesday when he took a shot off his right skate during practice. … Philadelphia’s Daniel Briere left the Flyers’ 5-1 loss to Calgary on Thursday night after tweaking the groin injury that already forced him to miss 51 games this season. He returned to the lineup Sunday after sitting out 36 games. … San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov missed his fourth straight game because of a minor lower-body injury. The Sharks recalled Thomas Greiss from Worcester to back up Brian Boucher against Minnesota.
SUSPENDED
Tampa Bay farmhand Steve Downie was suspended for 20 games by the American Hockey League on Thursday for slashing an official with his stick late in a Feb. 28 game for the Norfolk Admirals. The 21-year-old Downie, suspended 20 games by the NHL in 2007 while with Philadelphia for a hit on Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond, was assessed a game misconduct and suspended indefinitely after the slash against Hershey.
SCOUTING
Andrew Engelage made 26 saves for his OHL-leading 44th victory of the season, and Dale Mitchell had three goals and an assist in the Windsor Spitfires’ 6-1 home win over Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday night. Engelage is a victory away from tying former London star Steve Mason’s league record.
SPEAKING
“That felt good to get that out of the way. If there was any nerves coming in, I certainly got rid of them quick. It felt good to be playing for this team again and getting the win. That’s what I came here to do, try to win some games.”—Sean Avery after returning to the NHL on Thursday night in the New York Rangers’ 4-2 victory over the Islanders.
“He didn’t get carried away. He is going to talk. That is part of his personality and part of what happens in the game. I don’t want him to lose that. We allowed him to play. He did a good job in just maintaining his discipline. That’s a step in the right direction. He can’t get involved in what people try to get him to do.”—Rangers coach John Tortorella.
Calgary Flames vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Olli Jokinen added instant spark to Calgary with a pair of goals in his debut in a 5-1 victory over the Flyers on Thursday. Calgary won this game as +120 road underdogs, and the six goals made it OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Michael Cammalleri scored once and had a pair of assists, while Jordan Leopold and Craig Conroy added the other markers in the win.
Cam Ward stopped 39 shots and Patrick Eaves netted a pair to lead the Hurricanes to a 5-2 victory over the Capitals on Tuesday, as +160 underdogs. The seven goals made it OVER the posted over/under (6).
Matt Cullen contributed with a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes. Eric Staal and Chad LaRose added the other goals in that win.
Current streak:
Calgary has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Calgary: 39-19-6
Carolina: 33-27-5
Calgary most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Los Angeles are 4-6
After playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
Carolina most recently:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Boston are 4-6
After playing Washington are 4-6
After a win are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Calgary is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary's last 8 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing Calgary
Carolina is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Next up:
Calgary at Atlanta, Sunday, March 8
Carolina at Tampa Bay, Saturday, March 7
Montreal Canadiens vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Tomas Plekanec scored the lone goal in the Canadiens 5-1 loss to the Sabres last time out, as +105 underdogs. The six goals went as a PUSH against the posted over/under (6).
The Thrashers were defeated 4-3 by the Panthers last time out, as +115 underdogs. The seven goals made it OVER the posted over/under (6).
Colby Armstrong, Jim Slater, and Ilya Kovalchuk tallied in that loss.
Team records:
Montreal: 34-23-7
Atlanta: 23-35-6
Montreal most recently:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Dallas are 5-5
After playing Buffalo are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6
Atlanta most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing NY Rangers are 2-8
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games on the road
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Montreal's last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Montreal's last 16 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 9 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Atlanta's last 16 games when playing Montreal
Next up:
Montreal at Dallas, Sunday, March 8
Atlanta home to Calgary, Sunday, March 8
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Buffalo Sabres
Steve Reinprecht scored the game-winning goal to lift the Coyotes to a 2-1 win over the Bruins on Thursday, as +270 underdogs. That game's three goals went UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Scottie Upshall potted the other marker for the Coyotes, and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots.
Patrick Lalime stopped 38 shots as the Sabres defeated the Canadiens 5-1 on Wednesday. The Sabres won the game as -125 favorites, while the six goals went as a PUSH against the posted over/under (6).
Paul Gaustad and Derek Roy netted a pair of goals each, and Jaroslav Spacek added the other marker in the win.
Team records:
Phoenix: 28-31-5
Buffalo: 32-25-7
Phoenix most recently:
When playing on Friday are 1-9
Before playing Chicago are 4-6
After playing Boston are 4-6
After a win are 4-6
Buffalo most recently:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Colorado are 7-3
After playing Montreal are 6-4
After a win are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 7 games when playing Buffalo
Phoenix is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Buffalo
Phoenix is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Buffalo's last 15 games
Buffalo is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 7 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Buffalo's last 10 games at home
Next up:
Phoenix at NY Islanders, Sunday, March 8
Buffalo at Ottawa, Saturday, March 7
St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Blues fell 5-0 to the Red Wings last time out, as +145 underdogs. The game's five goals went UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Chris Mason stopped 31-of-36 shots in a losing effort.
Vaclav Prospal scored the only Lightning goal in a 3-1 loss to the Penguins last time out, as -160 favorites. The four goals went UNDER the night's posted over/under (6).
Team records:
St. Louis: 28-27-8
Tampa Bay: 21-31-12
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing Detroit are 5-5
After a loss are 8-2
Tampa Bay most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing St. Louis are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 7-3
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Tampa Bay is 5-9-3 SU in its last 17 games when playing St. Louis
Tampa Bay is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
Next up:
St. Louis at Florida, Saturday, March 7
Tampa Bay home to Carolina, Saturday, March 7
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Stars scored all four goals in the second period as they defeated the Kings 4-3 on Thursday, as a -110 pick'em. The Stars won the game as a -110 pick'em, and the seven goals made it OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Loui Eriksson, Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro, and James Neal scored in that win.
The Ducks fell 3-2 to the Blackhawks on Tuesday, as +160 underdogs. The five goals went UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Drew Miller and Bobby Ryan scored for the Ducks.
Team records:
Dallas: 30-26-8
Anaheim: 31-28-6
Dallas most recently:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Los Angeles are 3-7
After playing Los Angeles are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
Anaheim most recently:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Minnesota are 5-5
After playing Chicago are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Dallas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Anaheim's last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Dallas
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
Next up:
Dallas home to Montreal, Sunday, March 8
Anaheim home to Minnesota, Sunday, March 8
CALGARY vs. CAROLINA
Calgary is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
Carolina is 1-4-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Calgary
MONTREAL vs. ATLANTA
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Montreal's last 12 games
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
Atlanta is 5-10-2 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Montreal
PHOENIX vs. BUFFALO
Phoenix is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Phoenix is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Buffalo is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Buffalo's last 15 games
ST. LOUIS vs. TAMPA BAY
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Tampa Bay is 5-9-3 SU in its last 17 games when playing St. Louis
DALLAS vs. ANAHEIM
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Dallas
CALGARY (39-19-0-6, 84 pts.) at CAROLINA (33-27-0-5, 71 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 18-6 ATS (+8.8 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CALGARY is 231-239 ATS (+503.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
CALGARY is 22-10 ATS (+32.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 124-122 ATS (-56.1 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
CAROLINA is 63-67 ATS (-39.0 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 2-0 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 2-0-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)
PHOENIX (28-31-0-5, 61 pts.) at BUFFALO (32-25-0-7, 71 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 42-26 ATS (+73.7 Units) in road games on Friday nights since 1996.
BUFFALO is 14-17 ATS (-5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 1-1-0 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)
MONTREAL (34-23-0-7, 75 pts.) at ATLANTA (23-35-0-6, 52 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 4-13 ATS (+18.3 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
MONTREAL is 3-11 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ATLANTA is 32-62 ATS (+106.1 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 6-4 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 6-4-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)
ST LOUIS (28-27-0-8, 64 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (21-31-0-12, 54 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 21-43 ATS (-22.2 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 26-53 ATS (+84.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-0 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 1-0-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)
DALLAS (30-26-0-8, 68 pts.) at ANAHEIM (31-28-0-6, 68 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 3-11 ATS (-13.7 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 12-24 ATS (-18.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
DALLAS is 27-18 ATS (+46.8 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 23-13 ATS (+9.3 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 36-24 ATS (+63.5 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
DALLAS is 69-47 ATS (+18.0 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
DALLAS is 15-9 ATS (+25.1 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 7-12 ATS (-15.9 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 26-24 ATS (-19.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 15-11 (+5.1 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 15-11-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
11 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.5 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)
CALGARY at CAROLINA
CALGARY: 11-5 SU when playing their 3rd road game in 5 days
CAROLINA: 1-6 SU at home after playing a game with 7+ total goals
PHOENIX at BUFFALO
PHOENIX: 0-7 SU when playing BB road games in 2 nights
BUFFALO: 7-2 SU off a division win
MONTREAL at ATLANTA
MONTREAL: 21-12 SU AWAY after covering 2 of their last 3
ATLANTA: 3-12 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
ST LOUIS at TAMPA BAY
ST LOUIS: 6-1 SU off a division loss
TAMPA BAY: 8-22 SU after playing a home game
DALLAS at ANAHEIM
DALLAS: 12-5 SU off a road loss
ANAHEIM: 18-27 SU at home after playing 4 consecutive road games
CALGARY at CAROLINA
CALGARY: 11-5 SU when playing their 3rd road game in 5 days
CAROLINA: 1-6 SU at home after playing a game with 7+ total goals
PHOENIX at BUFFALO
PHOENIX: 0-7 SU when playing BB road games in 2 nights
BUFFALO: 7-2 SU off a division winMONTREAL at ATLANTA
MONTREAL: 21-12 SU AWAY after covering 2 of their last 3
ATLANTA: 3-12 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 daysST LOUIS at TAMPA BAY
ST LOUIS: 6-1 SU off a division loss
TAMPA BAY: 8-22 SU after playing a home game
DALLAS at ANAHEIM
DALLAS: 12-5 SU off a road loss
ANAHEIM: 18-27 SU at home after playing 4 consecutive road games
Very nice trends Blade,especially the last post..Please keep them coming..Rocketman does it again with the Hurricanes this night! ;D