Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Nov. 5
St. Louis at Anaheim (10 p.m. EST). Paul Kariya, with 14 points in 10 games this season, looks to continue his fast start when the St. Louis Blues visit Anaheim to face his former team.
STARS
Tuesday
— Mike Fisher, Senators, scored his first goal of the season with just under 40 seconds left in overtime to give Ottawa a 2-1 win over Washington.
— Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ducks, made 35 saves to lift Anaheim to a 1-0 win over Los Angeles.
— Niclas Wallin, Hurricanes, scored 1:52 into overtime and Carolina blew a three-goal lead before pulling out a 5-4 victory over Toronto.
— Joey MacDonald, Islanders, had 35 saves filling in for injured goalie Rick DiPietro in a 2-1 win over the rival New York Rangers.
— Roberto Luongo, Canucks, had 24 saves to help Vancouver beat Nashville 4-0. It was his second shutout in four games.
SIDELINED
For the next three to four months, the New Jersey Devils are going to learn about life without Martin Brodeur. The 36-year-old Brodeur, a four-time Vezina Trophy winner who is on the verge of becoming the NHL’s all-time winningest goaltender, will be sidelined until at least February after tearing a distal biceps in his left elbow last weekend. He will undergo surgery Thursday.
SAY IT AIN’T SO
The NHL players’ association on Tuesday filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board regarding negotiations with clubs over European player releases. The latest move by the union followed notification that it lost a grievance challenging the NHL’s institution of defected player status on drafted and unsigned European players.
WELCOME BACK ALEX
Alexander Ovechkin returned to the Capitals’ lineup after he missed two games to visit his ailing grandfather in Russia. He didn’t have a point in Washington’s 2-1 loss.
STATS
Toronto has outshot its opponents in nine straight games. … Washington has played on the same day as a U.S. Presidential election twice. The Capitals beat Chicago 4-1 in a neutral-site game in Indianapolis on Nov. 3, 1992. … Minnesota’s Krystofer Kolanos scored his first NHL goal in over three years. The former Phoenix first-round draft pick last scored on Nov. 3, 2005 as a member of the Coyotes. He was recalled from the AHL on Monday, but was unable to practice with the team because his equipment didn’t make it to San Jose.
MILESTONE
Barry Trotz coached his 750th game, all with Nashville, becoming the 31st NHL coach to reach that milestone and just the 10th to do so with the same team.
POWER OUTAGE
The Ducks’ power play had been a sizzling 10-for-29 (35.5 percent) over the previous six games, but the Kings’ penalty killers were able to shut down all five Anaheim power plays.
SCORING MACHINE
Kyle Wellwood has scored six goals in seven games since he was placed on waivers but never actually made it to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate. He was recalled two days later after Pavol Demitra broke rib cartilage during an Oct. 19 game, but again had to clear waivers.
SPEAKING
“Unacceptable performance. The power play let us down. Take responsibility for it. Power play structure, if people are committed to it and work hard at it, it can work. We are playing outside of what we have been teaching our guys.”— Rangers coach Tom Renney after New York was 0-for-4 on the power play against the Islanders.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New Jersey Devils
The Lighting won their third straight game with a 3-2 shootout win over the Senators in Florida on Saturday night.
The Lightning won as -110 home favorites, while the final played under the 5.5-goal total listed by oddsmakers.
Kevin Weekes made 28 saves in a losing effort for New Jersey in its 2-0 loss to New Jersey on Monday night.
Buffalo won as +140 road underdogs as the game played under the 5.5-goal total listed by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
Tampa Bay has won 3 straight games.
Team records:
Tampa Bay: 4-3-3
New Jersey: 6-3-2
Tampa Bay most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 2-8
Before playing St. Louis are 3-7
After playing Ottawa are 4-6
After a win are 4-6
New Jersey most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Buffalo are 9-1
After playing Buffalo are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
Next up:
Tampa Bay at NY Rangers, Thursday, November 6
New Jersey at Detroit, Saturday, November 8
Edmonton Oilers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Oilers defeated Philadelphia 5-4 as +155 underdog on Sunday. The nine goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Ales Hemsky scored a pair of goals and added an assist for Edmonton, while Tom Gilbert recorded three assists in the win.
R.J. Umberger scored twice for the Blue Jackets in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders on Monday night.
New York won as +100 home underdogs as the teams played over the 5.5-goal total posted by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
Edmonton has won 2 straight games.
Columbus has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Edmonton: 6-4-1
Columbus: 4-6-2
Edmonton most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Detroit are 8-2
After playing Philadelphia are 2-2-1
After a win are 6-4
Columbus most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Montreal are 5-5-1
After playing NY Islanders are 1-1-2
After a loss are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
Edmonton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Edmonton's last 12 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Columbus's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Columbus's last 12 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Columbus is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
Next up:
Edmonton at Pittsburgh, Thursday, November 6
Columbus home to Montreal, Friday, November 7
St. Louis Blues vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Blues got rolled 6-3 by Sidney Crosby and the Penguins at home on Saturday night.
The Penguins were victorious as +100 road underdogs in that contest, and the final score went over the 5-goal total.
Chris Pronger buried a one-timer to give the Ducks a 1-0 overtime victory against California rivals the Kings at STAPLES Centre Tuesday night.
The Ducks managed to steal the win as -146 road favorites while the final played under the 5.5-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
St. Louis has lost 2 straight games.
Anaheim has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
St. Louis: 5-5-0
Anaheim: 8-5-1
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6
Anaheim most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Dallas are 6-4
After playing Los Angeles are 4-6
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of St. Louis's last 13 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
St. Louis is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Anaheim is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Anaheim is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing St. Louis
Anaheim is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games at home
Next up:
St. Louis at San Jose, Thursday, November 6
Anaheim home to Dallas, Friday, November 7
Hot teams
-- Tampa Bay won last three games, outscoring opponents 11-6.
-- Oilers won their last two games, 3-1/5-4, after losing previous five.
-- Ducks won seven of their last eight games.
Cold teams
-- Devils lost four of last five games, and now Brodeur is out (elbow).
-- Columbus lost last three home games, scoring six goals.
-- Blues lost four of their last five games.
Series Records
-- Devils won six of last seven games vs Tampa Bay.
-- Oilers won five of last six games vs Columbus.
-- Ducks won eight of last eleven games vs St Louis.
Totals
-- Five of last six Lightning games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 8-3 in Edmonton games this season; last three Columbus games went over the total.
-- Three of last four St Louis games stayed under the total.
TAMPA BAY (4-3-0-3, 11 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (6-3-0-2, 14 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 8-6-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)
EDMONTON (6-4-0-1, 13 pts.) at COLUMBUS (4-6-0-2, 10 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 20-10 ATS (+33.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 39-45 ATS (+95.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 47-46 ATS (+102.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 46-36 ATS (+87.5 Units) in road games in November games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 21-17 ATS (+42.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 7-23 ATS (-18.2 Units) in November games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 6-2 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 6-2-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)
ST LOUIS (5-5-0-0, 10 pts.) at ANAHEIM (7-5-0-1, 15 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 5-3-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-1.0 Units)
TAMPA BAY vs. NEW JERSEY
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
New Jersey is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
EDMONTON vs. COLUMBUS
Edmonton is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games
Columbus is 2-7-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
ST. LOUIS vs. ANAHEIM
St. Louis is 1-8-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games at home
Anaheim is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing St. Louis
Wednesday's best NHL bets
COVERS.com
Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils (NA)
With Martin Brodeur in net, the New Jersey Devils have been one of the NHL's dominant franchises. Without him, they may be just another team.
After learning Brodeur will be sidelined for three to four months, the Devils try to adjust to life without their goaltender Wednesday night when they host a Tampa Bay Lightning club seeking its fourth straight win.
Since the start of this decade, the Devils have won 323 games with Brodeur in net - nearly double their 165 regulation losses with him. On the rare occasions when Brodeur hasn't played, New Jersey has lost more than it has won, going a pedestrian 26-24-8 with three ties.
The Devils (6-3-2) now must try to thrive without Brodeur, who is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday to repair the distal bicep muscle in his left elbow - injured during Saturday's 6-1 victory over Atlanta.
Eleven-year veteran Kevin Weekes, who has 98 career wins but started only five games with New Jersey last season, turned in a gallant effort Monday night in Brodeur's absence. He made 28 saves, including 19 in the first period to keep the Devils close, but was outplayed by Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller as the Devils fell 2-0.
The loss to the Sabres was the fourth in five games for the Devils, who now must compete with a Tampa Bay team that has won three straight and four of five since opening the season with five consecutive losses. The Lightning (4-3-3) beat Ottawa 3-2 at home on Saturday night when Evgeny Artyukhin scored in the eighth round of a shootout.
Pick: Lightning
Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets (-110, 5.5)
The Oilers seek to win their third straight on their longest road trip of the season and continue their traditional success against the Blue Jackets when the teams face off Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena.
This will be the league-high ninth road game overall and fourth of a seven-game trip for Edmonton (6-4-1), which has played only three times at home. All four of the Oilers' regulation losses have come away from home, the most recent a 3-1 defeat to Nashville on Thursday that opened their trip.
That loss was the fifth straight overall for the Oilers, but they've since rebounded to win two in a row, defeating Philadelphia 5-4 on Sunday. Ales Hemsky scored two goals to snap a personal 18-game drought and added an assist, giving him an assist in five of his last six games.
After Dwayne Roloson made 22 saves to beat the Flyers, Mathieu Garon could be back in net looking to continue his individual success against the Blue Jackets. Garon defeated Columbus twice last season, improving to 6-1-1 with one tie, a 2.31 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in nine career meetings.
The last-place team in the Central Division, Columbus (4-6-2) suffered its fifth loss in six games Monday night, 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. It was something of a moral victory for the Blue Jackets, who salvaged a point after rallying from three goals down in the third period.
Pick: Oilers
NHL Forecast for Nov 5th
by Ron Raymond
Tampa Bay vs. New Jersey
Life after Marty begins for the Devils and it's amazing how the media has put a fork in a Brent Sutter's team! Big mistake in my view, the Devils still have some quality players on this team and they will just have to pay more attention to their defensive zone until Weekes finds his game. Granted, Weekes is not Brodeur, but if the Devils can stay out of the penalty box this evening, they could skate away with the win; as Tampa Bay is ranked 25th in the league in Goals For when they are 5 on 5, compared to the Devils who are ranked 11th. Plus, I look at this game from a coaching perspective and I feel the coaching edge has to go to New Jersey, as Barry Melrose is still in adjustment mode to the new NHL.
Prediction: New Jersey 3 Tampa Bay 2
Edmonton vs. Columbus
Here's a funny game to handicap! You have an Edmonton team who've won their last 2 games, they feel good about their game, but they are up against a team who's on a 2 game losing streak and the best player on the ice is still #61! Bit of a law of average play tonight and here's a NHL System favoring the home team this evening. Whenever you have an NHL Home Team and the OVER/UNDER is set at 5.5, they are on 1 days rest, scored 3 or less goals FOR in their last game and they are coming off a Road loss as a Favorite; the Home Team is 17-7 (SU) the last 4 years.
Prediction: Columbus 3 Edmonton 2
St.Louis vs. Anaheim
The Blues are coming off a 7 game home stand and that's probably not good from a conditioning point of view, as you're at home, you're eating well and you're not in that busy mode. Now, they've been off for 3 days and they jet out to the West Coast to meet one of the hottest teams in the NHL with their AHL goalie. Let's face it, Mason let in 6 goals against at home to a Penguins team who were struggling offensively and now they face a tough physical team in the Ducks. Anaheim is playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and one would think they are in a position of weakness tonight, but they are 13-5 SU in this spot the last 2 years.
Prediction: Anaheim 4 St.Louis 2
On the Ice - Wednesday
By Judd Hall
Wednesday’s NHL schedule is a light one with just three matches on the board. One of the games could be between possible playoff teams, but has lost its luster due to a huge injury. The other two tilts offer some Western Conference action.
Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils – 7:05 pm
New Jersey looked like it was just plodding along to another solid regular season, but all that changed this weekend. The Devils’ All-World netminder, Martin Brodeur, went down with an elbow injury that will keep him off the ice for the next four months. That means Kevin Weekes will be thrown into full-time duty. It shouldn’t be too bad right away as he stopped 30 of 32 shots on goal in his 2-0 loss versus Buffalo.
As much as the Devs need Weekes to respond, they really need Zach Parise to stay hot. In his last four games, Parise has made 16 SOG, lighting the lamp four times. If there is anything that Brent Sutter must do, it’s thin out the minutes his main offensive weapon spends on the ice. Parise has spent an average of 22 minutes on the ice in his last four games. Sure he’s scoring goals, but endurance is sure to become an issue.
While the Devils are learning to live without a star, Tampa Bay is beginning to become a team. The Lightning stumbled to a 1-3-3 start this year. But Barry Melrose has his club playing the gritty style he desires effectively as they’ve won their last three matches with a combined score of 11-6. A big reason for that is Mike Smith living up to his potential in goal, posting a 3-1-2 record with a 2.07 goals against average and stopping 94 percent of the shot fired his way.
Home ice has been important in the recent meetings between these clubs as they are 6-3-1in the last 10 games. The ‘under’ is on a 3-1 run for this rivalry as well.
Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets – 7:35 pm
The Oilers knew they had the offense, but couldn’t find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. Look no further than Edmonton scoring one or no goals in four of five games between Oct. 22 and Oct. 30. Well those floodgates opened once the calendar turned over to November as the Oilers have lit the lamp eight times in two matches; they hadn’t scored eight goals in their previous six contests. It also looks like Dwayne Roloson is making a case for himself to be the No. 1 goaltender as he backstopped Edmonton’s two wins this month. He won’t be in net tonight though as Mathieu Garon is 6-1-2 with a 92.6 save percentage in nine appearances versus the Blue Jackets.
Columbus is in the midst of its most consistent run of the season after tallying four points in its last three games. However, the sentiment is a win could have been had last Monday night at the Islanders had it not been for a mental lapse by goaltender Fredrick Norrena on a live puck in the 4-3 overtime loss. Despite that setback, Norrena is expected to start tonight for the Blue Jackets. Ken Hitchcock also has to be please with R.J. Umberger’s play as of late, scoring three goals in his last two games and a plus-two rating.
Bettors should take a hard look at the Oilers to win here as they are 5-1 in their last six matches against the Jackets.
St. Louis Blues at Anaheim Ducks – 10:05 pm
Things aren’t going well for the Blues right now as they’re mired in a 1-4 slump after a 6-1 start to the 2008-2009 season. Some folks could say that the recent issues deal with Manny Legace not being in goal for St. Louis right now. But that discredits Chris Mason, who has been a great goaltender at the NHL level for the Predators before having a slow start for the Blues currently. Instead, the Blues’ issues are coming on special teams where they have score four power play goals on 23 chances during this slump.
Anaheim was where the Blues are right now to start its season by winning just one of its first six tilts. The Ducks have turned the corner, winning seven of their last eight games. The good people of Orange County can thank Jean-Sebastien Giguere for this turnaround as he’s logged a 6-0 mark with a 2.68 GAA during this run.
The Ducks might look like a fade at home this year with a 3-3-1 record at the Honda Center. But you must take into account they are 4-1 SU at home against St Louis.
vegasinsider.com