Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, April 1
New Jersey at Pittsburgh (7:30 p.m. EDT). The Atlantic Division-leading Devils are on a season-high five-game skid (0-4-1) that has dropped them to third in the Eastern Conference. The sixth-place Penguins are one point behind Carolina and two back of Philadelphia.
STARS
Tuesday
— Brendan Morrison, Stars, scored two power-play goals as Dallas snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Los Angeles 3-2.
— Scott and Rob Niedermayer, Ducks, combined for three goals and two assists in Anaheim’s 5-3 win at Edmonton.
— Alex Kovalev, Canadiens, scored for a fourth straight game and lifted Montreal to a 4-1 win over Chicago.
SURE THING
Raffi Torres is quite a good-luck charm for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are 11-0 when he nets a goal. That held true again Tuesday night when he scored early in the third period of Columbus’ 2-1 home win over the Nashville Predators.
SENT HOME
Wins by the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night knocked the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Florida beat Ottawa 5-2, setting the Senators up for elimination when the Canadiens topped Chicago 4-1. That victory also took out the Maple Leafs. Montreal remained a point ahead of ninth-place Florida.
SOARING
The Vancouver Canucks vaulted over the idle Calgary Flames into first place in the Northwest Division by beating the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday night.
SNAPPED
Dallas ended its seven-game losing streak by beating the host Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Tuesday night. The skid was three losses short of the Stars’ franchise record. They haven’t lost eight in a row since Nov. 11-29, 1978, when the team was in Minnesota. The franchise record was a 10-game losing streak in 1976.
STATS
Blake Wheeler and Chuck Kobasew became Boston’s seventh and eighth 20-goal scorers this season, and defenseman Zdeno Chara matched his career high with his 17th goal in the Bruins’ 3-1 home victory over Tampa Bay. … Edmonton’s Dwayne Roloson made his 33rd consecutive start in a 5-3 loss to Anaheim and became the oldest goalie in NHL history to appear in at least 60 games in a season, doing it at age 39.
SPEAKING
“It’s very important. Now we’re in charge of our own destiny. The division is up to us to have now, it’s not up to whether Calgary wins or loses. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a hold of it.”—Vancouver forward Ryan Kesler after the Canucks’ 2-1 overtime victory at Minnesota on Tuesday night pushed them one point ahead of Calgary and into first place in the Northwest Division.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Toni Lydman scored the shootout winner on Saturday, as the Sabres defeated the Canadiens 4-3. The Sabres won the game as +135 underdogs, while the combined score made it OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Adam Mair, Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur scored in regulation for the Sabres. Ryan Miller stopped 32 shots in that win.
The Thrashers exploded with four goals in the second period and defeated the Senators 6-3 on Saturday, as +110 underdogs. The nine goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (6).
Ilya Kovalchuk potted his 40th goal of the season for the Thrashers, while Nathan Oystrick, Tobias Enstrom, Marty Reasoner, Colby Armstrong, and Slava Kozlov also scored in that win.
Current streak:
Buffalo has won 3 straight games.
Atlanta has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Buffalo: 37-30-8
Atlanta: 32-38-6
Buffalo most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Colorado are 7-3
After playing Montreal are 6-4
After a win are 4-6
Atlanta most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing NY Rangers are 2-8
After playing Ottawa are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Buffalo
Next up:
Buffalo at Washington, Friday, April 3
Atlanta at Florida, Friday, April 3
New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals
The Islanders were defeated 4-3 in a shootout by the Flyers last time out, as +180 underdogs. The combined score went as a PUSH against the posted over/under (6).
Radek Martinek, Jeff Tambellini, and Mark Streit scored, and Yann Danis made 33 saves in the loss.
Alexander Ovechkin had two goals and two assists for four points to lead the Capitals in a 5-3 victory over the Lightning on Friday, as -380 favorites. That game's eight goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (6).
Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and an assist, while Brian Pothier added the other marke.
Team records:
New York: 25-41-9
Washington: 46-23-7
New York most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing New Jersey are 4-6
After playing Philadelphia are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
Washington most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Calgary are 4-6
After playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the NY Islanders last 9 games on the road
NY Islanders are 5-16-2 SU in their last 23 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Washington is 14-5-1 SU in their last 20 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Next up:
NY Islanders home to Montreal, Thursday, April 2
Washington home to Buffalo, Friday, April 3
New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur made 34 saves in the Devils' 3-0 loss to the Rangers on Monday night.
New York cashed as a -110 home pick 'em, as the game played under the 5.5-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Sidney Crosby scored at 9:56 of third period to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Saturday, as -175 favorites. That game's seven goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, and Ruslan Fedotenko added the other markers.
Current streak:
New Jersey has lost 5 straight games.
Pittsburgh has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
New Jersey: 47-25-4
Pittsburgh: 41-27-8
New Jersey most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 8-2
Before playing Buffalo are 8-2
After playing NY Rangers are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Ottawa are 6-4
After playing NY Rangers are 6-4
After a win are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
New Jersey is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing New Jersey
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against New Jersey
Next up:
New Jersey home to Tampa Bay, Friday, April 3
Pittsburgh at Carolina, Saturday, April 4
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Flyers lost to Boston 4-3 as a -115 favorite on Sunday. The seven goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5.)
Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia and Simon Gagne scored his 31st goal of the season in the loss.
The Maple Leafs lost a wide open contest 7-5 to the Bruins last time out, as +190 underdogs. That game's 12 goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (6).
Alexei Ponikarovsky scored twice, while Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell, and Niklas Hagman added singles in the loss.
Current streak:
Toronto has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Philadelphia: 41-24-10
Toronto: 31-32-13
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing Boston are 4-6
After a loss are 8-2
Toronto most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing San Jose are 3-3-2
After playing Boston are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing Toronto
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games at home
Toronto is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
Next up:
Toronto at Philadelphia, Friday, April 3
St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
The Blues defeated Columbus 5-2 as a +145 underdog on Sunday. The seven goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Patrik Berglund had a goal and two assists for St. Louis, while T.J. Oshie and David Perron each had a goal and an assist in the win.
Patrick Sharp potted the lone marker for Chicago in its 4-1 loss to Montreal on Tuesday night.
Montreal cashed as -125 home favorites as the game played under the 6-goal total posted by sportsbooks.
Current streak:
St. Louis has won 5 straight games.
Chicago has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
St. Louis: 37-30-9
Chicago: 40-24-11
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing Columbus are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Edmonton are 7-3
After playing Montreal are 8-2
After a loss are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Chicago is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing St. Louis
Chicago is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Next up:
St. Louis at Detroit, Thursday, April 2
Chicago home to Nashville, Friday, April 3
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Colorado Avalanche
Petr Prucha's power play in the extra frame lifted the Coyotes past the Stars 6-5 on Monday night.
Phoenix cashed as -120 home favorites as the game played over the 5.5-goal total listed by oddsmakers.
The Avalanche lost to Anaheim 4-1 as a +230 underdog on Sunday. The five goals scored fell UNDER the posted over/under total (5.5).
John-Michael Liles scored Colorado's lone goal in the loss.
Current streak:
Colorado has lost 7 straight games.
Team records:
Phoenix: 32-37-7
Colorado: 31-43-2
Phoenix most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Chicago are 4-6
After playing Dallas are 5-5
After a win are 2-8
Colorado most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
Before playing Buffalo are 8-8-1
After playing Anaheim are 7-3
After a loss are 2-8
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Phoenix's last 14 games when playing Colorado
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Phoenix's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Colorado's last 14 games when playing Phoenix
Colorado is 14-4-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games at home
Next up:
Phoenix home to Los Angeles, Thursday, April 2
Colorado at Vancouver, Sunday, April 5
NY ISLANDERS (25-41-0-9, 59 pts.) at WASHINGTON (46-23-0-7, 99 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-5 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS 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=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)
BUFFALO (37-30-0-8, 82 pts.) at ATLANTA (32-38-0-6, 70 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 76-81 ATS (-41.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 17-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
ATLANTA is 20-18 ATS (+20.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
ATLANTA is 10-4 ATS (+14.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
BUFFALO is 83-71 ATS (+159.8 Units) in road games after a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 7-4 (+6.3 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 7-4-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.9 Units)
PHILADELPHIA (41-24-0-10, 92 pts.) at TORONTO (31-32-0-13, 75 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 35-15 ATS (+11.6 Units) in home games in April games since 1996.
TORONTO is 29-28 ATS (+58.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 16-11 ATS (+30.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-2 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest this season.
TORONTO is 21-33 ATS (-30.3 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
TORONTO is 5-14 ATS (+20.1 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 77-91 ATS (-58.5 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 7-3 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 7-3-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.0 Units)
NEW JERSEY (47-25-0-4, 98 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (41-27-0-8, 90 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 30-10 ATS (+17.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 63-40 ATS (+16.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 35-13 ATS (+14.3 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 26-9 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 13-7 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NEW JERSEY is 47-29 ATS (+7.3 Units) in all games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 27-17 ATS (+44.7 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders this season.
PITTSBURGH is 24-34 ATS (-23.6 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 12-9 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 12-9-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
12 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.9 Units)
ST LOUIS (37-30-0-9, 83 pts.) at CHICAGO (40-24-0-10, 90 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 7-25 ATS (+46.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 37-39 ATS (+88.0 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-16 ATS (+43.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 12-9 ATS (+24.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 11-6 ATS (+19.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 20-20 ATS (+20.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 4-13 ATS (-18.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
CHICAGO is 185-231 ATS (+492.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 7-9 ATS (-9.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 10-11 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 11-10-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
11 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.5 Units)
PHOENIX (32-37-0-7, 71 pts.) at COLORADO (31-43-0-2, 64 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 11-22 ATS (-12.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 60-61 ATS (+142.3 Units) in road games after a division game since 1996.
PHOENIX is 71-65 ATS (+147.6 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
COLORADO is 71-73 ATS (-26.8 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
COLORADO is 7-21 ATS (+32.8 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
COLORADO is 16-25 ATS (+50.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLORADO is 4-16 ATS (-13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 6-5 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-5-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.9 Units)
BUFFALO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games
Buffalo is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo
NY ISLANDERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 6 games
Washington is 14-5-1 SU in their last 20 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
NEW JERSEY vs. PITTSBURGH
New Jersey is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New Jersey's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing New Jersey
Pittsburgh is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against New Jersey
PHILADELPHIA vs. TORONTO
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Toronto is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
ST. LOUIS vs. CHICAGO
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
PHOENIX vs. COLORADO
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
Phoenix is 7-14-2 SU in its last 23 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games at home
Hot teams
-- Washington won six of its last nine games.
-- Thrashers won nine of their last twelve games. Buffalo won its last three games, 5-3/5-3/4-3so.
-- Philadelphia won its last three road games.
-- Penguins won five of their last six games.
-- Blues won last five games, outscoring foes 18-9.
Cold teams
-- Islanders lost four of their last five games.
-- Maple Leafs are 3-4 in their last seven home games.
-- Devils lost last five games, outscored 16-6.
-- Blackhawks lost eight of last twelve games.
-- Avalanche lost last eight games, scoring total of 14 goals. Suns are 1-8 in game following their last nine wins.
Totals
-- Five of last six Islander games went over the total.
-- Eight of last nine Atlanta games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Philly games went over the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six New Jersey games.
-- Four of last five Chicago games stayed under the total; Blues's last three games all went over.
-- Three of last four Colorado games stayed under the total.
Back-to-Back
-- Islanders are 4-7 if they play again the next night.
-- Blues are 1-3 when playing first of two consecutive nights on road.
-- Phoenix is 3-5 if they play again the next night.
Series Records
-- Islanders are 0-3 vs Washington this year, losing 5-2/5-4ot/2-1.
-- Thrashers won six of last seven games against Buffalo.
-- Toronto won three of last four games against the Flyers.
-- Devils are 8-3 in last eleven visits to Pittsburgh.
-- Blues won four of last five games against Chicago.
-- Coyotes won five of their last seven games against Colorado.
NY ISLANDERS at WASHINGTON
NY ISLANDERS: 9-29 SU revenging a loss when scoring 1 or less goals
WASHINGTON: 22-8 SU off a home win by 2+ goals
BUFFALO at ATLANTA
BUFFALO: 5-12 SU after winning their previous game in overtime
ATLANTA: 6-1 SU off 2+ consecutive home wins
PHILADELPHIA at TORONTO
PHILADELPHIA: 8-2 SU AWAY when playing with 2 days rest
TORONTO: 6-18 SU after 2+ consecutive overs
NEW JERSEY at PITTSBURGH
NEW JERSEY: 7-0 SU after 3+ consecutive unders
PITTSBURGH: 11-24 SU off a division win
ST LOUIS at CHICAGO
ST LOUIS: 12-9 SU vs. division opponents
CHICAGO: 4-13 SU vs. division opponents
PHOENIX at COLORADO
PHOENIX: 3-14 SU AWAY after having won 2 of their last 3
COLORADO: 11-6 SU after having lost 6 or 7 of their last 8