Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Montreal at Washington (7:30 p.m. EST). The Canadiens are struggling, having lost 10 of 13, and general manager Bob Gainey has even sent All-Star Alex Kovalev home for a few days to rest. Montreal tries to break out of its funk against Alex Ovechkin and the first-place Capitals.
STARS
Tuesday
— Wojtek Wolski, Avalanche, scored off his own rebound 80 seconds into overtime to lift Colorado to a 3-2 win over Ottawa.
— Drew Stafford, Sabres, scored twice and Buffalo defeated Toronto 4-1.
— Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks, scored twice to help Chicago rally from a two-goal deficit and beat Tampa Bay 5-3.
— Tomas Vokoun, Panthers, stopped 36 shots for his fifth shutout of the season in Florida’s 4-0 win against New Jersey.
— Patrick Marleau, Sharks, scored two goals and San Jose beat Edmonton 4-2.
STOPPERS
Miikka Kiprusoff had 40 saves for Calgary and Roberto Luongo had 38 for Vancouver, and only Kiprusoff was scored upon in the shootout as the Canucks won 4-3.
STAMKOS
Steven Stamkos, the top pick in last year’s draft, had his first three-goal game but it wasn’t enough to keep the Tampa Bay Lightning from losing 5-4 to Chicago.
SCUFFLE
San Jose and Edmonton combined for 56 penalty minutes in the second period of the Sharks’ 4-2 victory, including two fights and several additional scuffles that could have been rung up as major penalties. Even 43-year-old Claude Lemieux got into the act for San Jose, losing a fight to 21-year-old Theo Peckham and then getting a misconduct for trying to keep the brawl going.
SNAPPED
The New Jersey Devils’ seven-game road winning streak was stopped in a 4-0 loss to Tomas Vokoun and the Florida Panthers.
FIRST
The Boston Bruins became the first team in the NHL to reach 40 wins by continuing their dominance of the Southeast Division. Boston rallied from an early deficit to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1.
SITTING IT OUT
Canadiens All-Star Alex Kovalev is getting a few days off to rest his body and mind. Montreal general manager Bob Gainey said he suggested to Kovalev that he skip a two-game road trip to try to help the right wing snap out of a slump. Kovalev did not accompany the team for games Wednesday night in Washington and Thursday night in Pittsburgh. His status for a home game Saturday afternoon against Ottawa and even beyond that is also uncertain. The Canadiens have lost 10 of their last 13 games, and Kovalev has only one goal and five assists in that span.
SUPER JOE
The Colorado Avalanche remain confident that Joe Sakic will return to the ice this season after he recovers from a back operation and three broken fingers. The Avs’ captain mangled his left hand in a snow blower accident in December and while he was sidelined he underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk that had been bothering him all season. The 39-year-old center has played in just 15 games with two goals and 10 assists. The Avalanche are in last place in the Western Conference.
SIDELINED
Dallas Stars center Brad Richards was placed on injured reserve Tuesday because of a fractured right wrist. He could miss the rest of the regular season. Richards had 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists) in 55 games.
HONORED
The Carolina Hurricanes paid tribute to the last original member of their franchise, honoring retired defenseman Glen Wesley by raising his No. 2 jersey to the rafters before their game against the Boston Bruins. He spent 13 of his 20 seasons with the Hurricanes’ franchise, and was the only player to play for them in each of their first 10 seasons since moving from Hartford to North Carolina in 1997. He ended his career sixth among NHL defensemen with 1,457 games played, and a club-record 728 of those came in a Hurricanes uniform. He played in four Stanley Cup finals—two with Boston, two with Carolina—and won it for the only time in 2006 with the Hurricanes.
SPEAKING
“This obviously was not our best effort.”—Devils center Brian Rolston, stating the obvious after New Jersey had its seven-game road winning steak snapped in a 4-0 loss at Florida.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
B.J. Crombeen's goal in the third period lifted the Blues over the Rangers 2-1 on Monday night.
St. Louis cashed as -115 home favorites as the teams played under the 5.5-goal total posted by oddsmakers.
R.J. Umberger lit up the lamp twice for Columbus in its 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas on Monday night.
Dallas won as +105 road underdogs as the game played under the 5.5-goal total listed by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
St. Louis has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
St. Louis: 24-25-7
Columbus: 28-23-6
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing NY Rangers are 5-5-2
After a win are 3-7
Columbus most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Toronto are 1-5
After playing Dallas are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games at home
Columbus is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games at home
Next up:
St. Louis at Nashville, Thursday, February 19
Columbus at Toronto, Thursday, February 19
New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers
Jeff Tambellini scored the winner in the shootout, as the Islanders upset the Penguins 3-2 on Monday.
New York cashed as +160 home underdogs as the game played under the 6-goal total set by oddsmakers.
New York center Lauri Korpikoski potted the lone marker for the Rangers in their 2-1 loss to the Blues on Monday night.
St. Louis cashed as -115 home favorites as the teams played under the 5.5-goal total posted by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
New York has lost 3 straight games.
Team records:
New York: 17-33-6
New York: 30-22-6
New York most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing New Jersey are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After a win are 4-6
New York most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Florida are 6-4
After playing St. Louis are 7-3
After a loss are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Islanders last 11 games on the road
NY Islanders are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the NY Islanders last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
NY Rangers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the NY Rangers last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of the NY Rangers last 16 games
Next up:
NY Islanders home to Carolina, Thursday, February 19
NY Rangers at Buffalo, Saturday, February 21
Nashville Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings
Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne stopped 22 shots in the Predators' 2-0 loss to the Senators on Mondau night.
Ottawa cashed as +120 road underdogs as the game played under the 5.5-goal total set by sportsbooks.
The Red Wings lost to Colorado 6-5 in a shootout as a -360 favorite on Sunday. The 11 goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (6).
Daniel Cleary and Marian Hossa each recorded two goals for the Red Wings in the loss.
Current streak:
Detroit has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Nashville: 27-27-3
Detroit: 37-12-8
Nashville most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Minnesota are 8-2
After playing Ottawa are 5-5-1
After a loss are 5-5
Detroit most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Edmonton are 7-3
After playing Colorado are 8-2
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Nashville's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Nashville's last 21 games
Nashville is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
Detroit is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Nashville
Detroit is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Detroit's last 10 games
Next up:
Nashville home to St. Louis, Thursday, February 19
Detroit home to Anaheim, Friday, February 20
Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
The Canadiens lost to Vancouver 4-2 as a +155 underdog on Sunday. The six goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Saku Koivu and Andrei Kostitsyn scored for the Canadiens and Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves in the win.
The Capitals defeated Florida 4-2 as a -125 favorite on Sunday. The six goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Alexander Ovechkin scored a hat trick for Washington, while Nicklas Backstrom picked up two assists in the win.
Current streak:
Washington has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Montreal: 30-21-6
Washington: 36-16-5
Montreal most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After playing Vancouver are 3-7
After a loss are 4-6
Washington most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Calgary are 4-6
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Montreal's last 8 games on the road
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Montreal is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Next up:
Montreal at Pittsburgh, Thursday, February 19
Washington home to Colorado, Friday, February 20
Los Angeles Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks
Anze Kopitar led Los Angeles with a pair of goals and two assists in its 7-6 shootout loss to Atlanta on Monday night.
Atlanta won as +185 road underdogs as the game played over the 5.5-goal total set by oddsmakers.
The Ducks lost to Atlanta 8-4 as a -230 favorite on Sunday. The 12 goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Teemu Selanne had a two goals and an assist for Anaheim and Andrew Ebbett recorded a goal and two assists.
Current streak:
Los Angeles has lost 3 straight games.
Team records:
Los Angeles: 24-22-9
Anaheim: 28-25-5
Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Dallas are 6-4
After playing Atlanta are 2-2-1
After a loss are 5-5
Anaheim most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Detroit are 7-3
After playing Atlanta are 4-4-1
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Los Angeles is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 9 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Anaheim is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Anaheim's last 18 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Next up:
Los Angeles at San Jose, Thursday, February 19
Anaheim at Detroit, Friday, February 20
NY ISLANDERS (17-33-0-6, 40 pts.) at NY RANGERS (30-22-0-6, 66 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 116-136 ATS (-72.1 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 72-83 ATS (-51.4 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 11-9 (+8.3 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 11-9-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.9 Units)
ST LOUIS (24-25-0-7, 55 pts.) at COLUMBUS (28-23-0-6, 62 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 9-5 ATS (+16.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
COLUMBUS is 7-15 ATS (+24.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLUMBUS is 7-18 ATS (-11.5 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
ST LOUIS is 11-7 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 11-7-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.3 Units)
NASHVILLE (27-27-0-3, 57 pts.) at DETROIT (37-12-0-8, 82 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 28-4 ATS (+18.5 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 57-53 ATS (+127.2 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
DETROIT is 17-16 ATS (-18.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 10-12 ATS (-18.5 Units) in February games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 16-8 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 16-8-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 23 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)
MONTREAL (30-21-0-6, 66 pts.) at WASHINGTON (36-16-0-5, 77 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 0-5 ATS (-5.7 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive road games this season.
MONTREAL is 3-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 36-21 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 15-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 16-6 ATS (+6.2 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-6 ATS (+13.1 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
WASHINGTON is 15-8 ATS (+23.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 9-1 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a division game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-6 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 6-5-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-0.6 Units)
LOS ANGELES (24-22-0-9, 57 pts.) at ANAHEIM (28-25-0-5, 61 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 19-49 ATS (+85.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 90-132 ATS (-49.8 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 122-104 ATS (+14.7 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 38-33 ATS (+80.0 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 16-21 ATS (-17.7 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 26-23 ATS (-18.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 8-13 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 13-8-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
11 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.1 Units)
NY ISLANDERS vs. NY RANGERS
NY Islanders are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the NY Islanders last 14 games
NY Rangers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Rangers are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
LOUIS vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
St. Louis is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Columbus is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Columbus is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
MONTREAL vs. WASHINGTON
Montreal is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Montreal's last 8 games on the road
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
NASHVILLE vs. DETROIT
Nashville is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Detroit's last 10 games
LOS ANGELES vs. ANAHEIM
Los Angeles is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 9 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Anaheim's last 9 games when playing Los Angeles
Hot teams
-- Blue Jackets won four of their last five games. Blues are 8-5 in their last thirteen games.
-- Washington won six of its last eight games.
-- Red Wings won four of their last five home games. Nashville won six of its last nine games.
Cold teams
-- Islanders lost five of their last six games. Rangers lost three in row and eight of last nine games.
-- Canadiens lost five of their last six games.
-- Ducks lost three of their last five home games. Kings lost last three games, 2-0/3-2/7-6.
Totals
-- Three of last four Islander games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Columbus games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Washington games.
-- Six of last eight Detroit games went over the total.
-- Five of Kings' last seven road games went over the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Islanders are 2-6 if they play again the next night.
-- Columbus is 10-3 if it played the night before.
-- Canadiens are 2-4 on road if they play again the next night.
-- Predators are 2-5 if they play again the next night.
-- Kings are 1-7 if they play again the next night.
Series Records
-- Rangers won five of last seven against the Islanders.
-- Blues are 2-0 vs Columbus this season, 5-2/4-2.
-- Washington won three of last four against the Canadiens.
-- Red Wings won seven of last ten games against Nashville.
-- Ducks are 8-3 in last eleven games against Los Angeles.
Twice the ice: Wednesday's NHL double header
By DUSTIN NIELSON
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
The NHL’s leading scorer will be in the spotlight on national television on Wednesday night as Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals faceoff against the Montreal Canadiens on TSN.
The Great Eight had a hat trick in the Capitals' 4-2 win over Florida earlier in the week. He has ten goals in his last eight outings.
"It was very important game for us," Ovechkin told the Washington Times. "We didn't want to give them any chances to think they can catch us."
Mike Green was unable to find the back of the net against the Panthers. Green had set an NHL record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman by scoring in eight straight contests.
In an attempt to improve their struggling power play, the Canadiens acquired Mathieu Schneider from Atlanta on Monday. Schneider, who won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993, is hoping the change of scenery will help him.
"I was off to a slow start this year," Schneider told reporters on a conference call from Los Angeles. "I had a shoulder separation and a couple of injuries early on. But over the last two months, I feel like I really started to play well and I feel strong every night.”
The Canadiens have lost five of their last six games and have lost three of four on their current six-game road trip. Things are so bad, the team is leaving star forward Alexei Kovalev behind for the two-game trip in which the Habs face the Pens after the Caps. General manager Bob Gainey informed the team Tuesday afternoon and said the team has "no need of (Kovalev's) services the way he's currently playing."
Worse news for Montreal is the Capitals offense has been unstoppable lately. Washington has 36 goals while winning six of its last eight games.
In three meetings this year, the Capitals have two wins over Montreal winning the most recent tilt 5-4 in Washington.
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks
The Kings and Ducks are both relieved they don’t have to face Ilya Kovalchuk Wednesday night. Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrashers swept through California scoring eight on the Ducks and then seven on the Kings.
After winning six of seven in late January and early February, the Kings have cooled off in the past week losing three straight at home including a 7-6 shootout loss to the Thrashers.
"This time of the year, you want to get two points, not just one," Anze Kopitar told the media. "Maybe we're fortunate enough to get one but that's not enough”
After sweeping a home and home with the Calgary Flames the Ducks were outgunned 8-4 by the Thrashers.
"We shot ourselves in the foot," center Ryan Getzlaf told reporters. "We've got to go back to work. Every bounce ended up on their stick. We're a team that prides itself on not giving up so many shots. We didn't respond the way we needed."
The Kings and Ducks have already met five times this season with the road team winning on four occasions. The Kings have won twice with both victories finishing over the 5-goal total. The Ducks' victories were under the total.
Los Angeles has three games in hand on the Ducks and is just four points behind its California counterparts in the tight Western Conference playoff race.