Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Feb. 16
Ottawa at Nashville (8 p.m. EST). Ottawa has won a season-high four straight games to improve to 4-1-1 since Cory Clouston took over as coach after Craig Hartsburg was fired. Nashville beat NHL-leading Boston on Saturday night for its second straight shootout victory.
STARS
Sunday
— Alex Ovechkin, Capitals, scored three times to push his NHL-leading total to 41 in Washington’s 4-2 victory in Florida.
— Ilya Kovalchuk, Thrashers, scored three goals in a 6:51 span of the second period, and also had an assist in Atlanta’s 8-4 victory in Anaheim.
— David Clarkson, Devils, scored a power-play goal—his second goal of the game—with 3:32 to play in New Jersey’s 6-5 win over San Jose.
— Andrew Raycroft and Jordan Leopold, Avalanche. Raycroft stopped 40 shots and allowed only one goal in five shootout attempts, and Leopold scored in the fifth round of the tiebreaker to give Colorado a 6-5 victory in Detroit.
— Cam Ward and Eric Staal, Hurricanes. Ward made 36 saves for his third shutout in 10 starts, and Staal had a goal and two assists in Carolina’s 3-0 win in Buffalo.
— Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Canucks. The identical twins each had a goal and an assist in Vancouver’s 4-2 home victory over Montreal.
SACKED
Pittsburgh fired coach Michel Therrien on Sunday, less than a year after he led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals. Dan Bylsma, coach of the team’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, was installed as interim coach. The Penguins are 10th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of eighth and the final playoff spot.
STREAKS
Mike Green’s NHL-record goals streak for defensemen ended at eight games Sunday in Washington’s 4-2 victory in Florida. Green fell one short of tying the overall Washington record for consecutive games with a goal set by Alan Haworth (1985-86) and matched by Mike Gartner (1986-87).
SHORT-HANDED
Philadelphia’s Mike Richards became the first NHL player to score three career 3-on-5 goals, scoring his NHL-leading fifth short-handed goal in the Flyers’ 5-2 home victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday.
STATS
San Jose was 1-1-3 on its five-game trip. … Washington is 9-2-2 in its last 13 games. … The New York Rangers are 1-5-2 in their last eight. … Vancouver has won five of six after losing eight straight. … Montreal has lost five of its last six games and 10 of 13.
SCOUTING
John Tavares scored his 200th Ontario Hockey League goal, beating Parker Van Buskirk in overtime to give the London Knights a 3-2 victory in Kitchener on Sunday night. Expected to be the top pick in the NHL draft, Tavares also had a power-play goal to push his season total to 43. … Philippe Cornet had a goal and two assists in the Rimouski Oceanic’s 11th straight victory, 6-2 over the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. … Cory Schneider made 23 saves to help the AHL-leading Manitoba Moose (Canucks) beat Providence (Bruins) on Sunday. The Moose tied a franchise record with points in 14 consecutive road games.
SPEAKING
“I’ve watched for a number of weeks and, at the end of the day, the direction is not that I wanted to have here. I wasn’t comfortable, and that’s why the change was made.”—Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero after firing coach Michel Therrien on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders
Matt Cooke and Bill Thomas scored for Pittsburgh in their 6-2 loss to Toronto on Saturday night.
The Leafs pulled out the victory as +125 home underdogs in that contest, while the combined score went OVER the night's posted total (6.5).
The Islanders suffered a fifth straight loss with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Flyers on Saturday, as +250 underdogs. That game's six goals made it OVER the day's posted over/under (5.5).
Andy Hilbert scored the lone Islanders goal, and Yann Danis made 29 saves in the loss.
Current streak:
New York has lost 5 straight games.
Team records:
Pittsburgh: 27-25-5
New York: 16-33-6
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Ottawa are 6-4
After playing Toronto are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
New York most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing New Jersey are 4-6
After playing Philadelphia are 3-7
After a loss are 1-9
A few trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Islanders last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of the NY Islanders last 13 games
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Next up:
Pittsburgh home to Montreal, Thursday, February 19
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, Wednesday, February 18
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Fabian Brunnstrom and Brian Sutherby scored in Dallas' 6-2 loss to Chicago on Saturday night.
The Blackhawks got the victory as -165 home favorites in that contest, while the combined score went OVER the night's posted total (5.5).
Kristian Huselius potted two goals on Saturday night as the Blue Jackets rolled to a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.
The Jackets picked up the victory as +140 road underdogs in that contest, while the combined score went just OVER the night's posted total (5.5).
Current streak:
Columbus has won 4 straight games.
Team records:
Dallas: 27-21-7
Columbus: 28-23-5
Dallas most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-4-1
Before playing Los Angeles are 3-7
After playing Chicago are 3-7
After a loss are 9-1
Columbus most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing St. Louis are 4-6
After playing Carolina are 2-7
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Dallas is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing Columbus
Dallas is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Columbus's last 18 games at home
Next up:
Dallas home to Edmonton, Thursday, February 19
Columbus home to St. Louis, Wednesday, February 18
New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues
The Rangers lost to Philadelphia 5-2 as a -125 favorite on Sunday. The seven runs scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Nikolai Zherdev scored his 16th goal of the season for the Rangers and Wade Redden had a pair of assists in the loss.
The Blues downed the rival Blackhawks 1-0 at the Scottrade Center Friday night.
St. Louis won as a +146 home underdog while the final score finished under the 6-goal total.
Current streak:
New York has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
New York: 30-21-6
St. Louis: 23-25-7
New York most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Florida are 6-4
After playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing Chicago are 2-8
After a win are 2-8
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of the NY Rangers last 14 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the NY Rangers last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing NY Rangers
St. Louis is 2-3-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
Next up:
NY Rangers home to NY Islanders, Wednesday, February 18
St. Louis at Columbus, Wednesday, February 18
Ottawa Senators vs. Nashville Predators
Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and an assist for Ottawa in their 5-3 comeback win over Minnesota on Saturday night.
The Senators rallied for the victory as +145 road underdogs in that contest, while the combined score went OVER the posted total (5).
David Legwand had the shootout winner on Saturday night as the Predators defeated the Bruins by a final score of 3-2.
The Predators claimed the victory as +140 home underdogs in that contest, while the combined score fell UNDER the night's posted total (5.5).
Current streak:
Ottawa has won 4 straight games.
Nashville has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Ottawa: 21-25-8
Nashville: 27-26-3
Ottawa most recently:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Boston are 6-4
After playing Minnesota are 3-3-1
After a win are 4-6
Nashville most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-4-1
Before playing Minnesota are 8-2
After playing Boston are 5-5-2
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
Ottawa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Ottawa is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Nashville
Ottawa is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Nashville is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Nashville's last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Nashville's last 20 games
Next up:
Ottawa at Colorado, Tuesday, February 17
Nashville at Detroit, Wednesday, February 18
Edmonton Oilers vs. Phoenix Coyotes
The Oilers blew a two-goal lead, but Sam Gagner and Robert Nilsson scored in the shootout to lift them to a 3-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday. The Oilers won the game as a +115 underdog, while the game's combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Shawn Horcoff scored on the power play, and Dustin Penner potted the other marker. Dwayne Roloson made 39 saves in the win.
Daniel Winnik and Viktor Tikhonov each scored twice in the Coyotes' 7-5 loss to the Flames on Saturday night.
The Flames pulled off the win as -145 road favorites in that contest, while the combined score went well OVER the night's posted total (5.5).
Current streak:
Edmonton has won 2 straight games.
Phoenix has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Edmonton: 28-23-4
Phoenix: 25-27-5
Edmonton most recently:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Detroit are 8-2
After playing Los Angeles are 6-4
After a win are 5-5
Phoenix most recently:
When playing on Monday are 4-6
Before playing Chicago are 4-6
After playing Calgary are 3-7
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing Phoenix
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Next up:
Edmonton at San Jose, Tuesday, February 17
Phoenix home to Atlanta, Thursday, February 19
Atlanta Thrashers vs. Los Angeles Kings
The Thrashers defeated Anaheim 8-4 as a +190 underdog on Sunday. The 12 goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Ilya Kovalchuk had a hat trick and an assist for Atlanta, while Ron Hainsey and Todd White each picked up a pair of assists in the win.
The Kings tied the game in the dying seconds, but fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Oilers last time out. That game's combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown scored on the power play for the Kings, who out shot their opponents 41-21.
Current streak:
Los Angeles has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Atlanta: 20-32-5
Los Angeles: 24-22-8
Atlanta most recently:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing NY Rangers are 2-8
After playing Anaheim are 2-2-1
After a win are 2-8
Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Dallas are 6-4
After playing Edmonton are 2-8
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Los Angeles is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Atlanta
Los Angeles is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Next up:
Atlanta at Phoenix, Thursday, February 19
Los Angeles at Anaheim, Wednesday, February 18
PITTSBURGH (27-25-0-5, 59 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (16-33-0-6, 38 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 27-30 ATS (-11.9 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 1-8 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 26-12 ATS (+11.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 28-56 ATS (-33.3 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 43-84 ATS (-48.3 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 1-14 ATS (+28.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 1-12 ATS (+23.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 12-7 (+3.3 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 12-7-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.9 Units)
DALLAS (27-21-0-7, 61 pts.) at COLUMBUS (28-23-0-5, 61 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 28-28 ATS (-2.2 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 129-71 ATS (+35.5 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 16-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in February games over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 7-14 ATS (-7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLUMBUS is 7-17 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 5-6 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 6-5-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.3 Units)
NY RANGERS (30-20-0-6, 66 pts.) at ST LOUIS (23-25-0-7, 53 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 8-16 ATS (-11.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 9-20 ATS (-12.3 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 1-0-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
0 of 0 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)
OTTAWA (21-25-0-8, 50 pts.) at NASHVILLE (27-26-0-3, 57 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 21-33 ATS (+55.3 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 95-89 ATS (-44.0 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
OTTAWA is 8-16 ATS (-12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
OTTAWA is 8-14 ATS (-19.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 26-41 ATS (-34.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 14-23 ATS (-15.4 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 12-4 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 2-0 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 2-0-0 straight up against OTTAWA 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)
EDMONTON (28-23-0-4, 60 pts.) at PHOENIX (25-27-0-5, 55 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 69-68 ATS (+148.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 34-27 ATS (+3.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 14-7 ATS (+6.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 24-23 ATS (+60.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 36-25 ATS (+67.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 46-80 ATS (-62.3 Units) in February games since 1996.
PHOENIX is 117-144 ATS (-98.7 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 8-2 (+4.5 Units) against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 8-2-0 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.0 Units)
ATLANTA (19-32-0-5, 43 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (24-22-0-8, 56 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 11-6 ATS (+17.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 83-107 ATS (+196.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 1-0-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES 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)
PITTSBURGH vs. NY ISLANDERS
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of the NY Islanders last 13 games
DALLAS vs. COLUMBUS
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games
RANGERS vs. ST. LOUIS
NY Rangers are 2-4-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 7 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-3-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
OTTAWA vs. NASHVILLE
Ottawa is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Ottawa is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Nashville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Ottawa
Nashville is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
EDMONTON vs. PHOENIX
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 6 games at home
ATLANTA vs. LOS ANGELES
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Los Angeles is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
Hot teams
-- Jackets won last four games, outscoring foes 14-5. Dallas won eight of its last eleven games.
-- Predators won six of their last eight games. Senators won last four in a row, scoring 16 goals.
-- Oilers are 5-4 in their last nine road games.
Cold teams
-- Islanders lost last five games, outscored 17-8. Penguins lost last four road games- they fired their coach yesterday.
-- Rangers lost seven of their last eight games. Blues are 0-4 in game after their last four wins.
-- Coyotes are 1-8 since the All-Star break.
-- Thrashers lost seven of their last ten games. Kings lost last two games, 2-0/3-2.
Totals
-- Last three Islander games all went over the total.
-- Four of last five Columbus games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Ranger road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Nashville games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Edmonton games; four of last five Coyote games went over.
-- Five of last seven Atlanta games stayed under the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Rangers are 6-2 if they played the day/night before.
-- Senators are 4-6 if they play again the next night.
-- Edmonton is 5-4 if it plays again the next night.
-- Atlanta is 5-6 when it played the night before.
Series Records
-- Penguins won eight of last ten games against the Islanders.
-- Dallas is 4-3 in its last seven games in Columbus.
-- Predators won last two games vs Ottawa, 6-0/6-5.
-- Oilers won their last four games against Phoenix.