Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Sunday, March 18, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
The Winnipeg Jets can thank their own St. Patrik for their success this season and potentially for years to come.
Patrik Laine was the consolation prize in the 2016 NHL draft behind generational talent Auston Matthews. But he has been a cause for celebration in Winnipeg as a franchise-changing superstar at age 19.
Mathieu Perreault saw the power Alex Ovechkin had to alter the direction of the Washington Capitals and turn them into a perennial playoff team and Stanley Cup contender. When Laine arrived from Finland, the winger started doing the same things in Winnipeg.
''The organization wasn't having a whole lot of success, and then they get Ovi as a young kid and he starts scoring goals, and all of a sudden the team starts winning,'' Perreault said.
''They became a very dominant team for many years. So you kind of sense that here, where the team's been struggling for many years, not making the playoffs. And then you get this young kid coming in and scoring goals for your team and helps your team win games. I think coming up in Winnipeg we'll have a dominant team for many years.''
That's because Laine is already a dominant player. With 16 goals and eight assists in his past 14 games, Laine has the longest point streak by a teenager and already passed Wayne Gretzky for the most goals by a player before turning 20.
The best part for the Jets? Laine is just getting started.
''It's really impressive when you factor in he's still learning the game,'' coach Paul Maurice said. ''His scoring has taken off of late, but so has his game, his all-around game. ... He's an impressive young man at 19. At any age, those numbers would be elite. But at 19, that's pretty exciting because there's lot of room as he physically matures, for his game to change and become a power forward and a big, strong man who can score off the rush. Take pucks to the net. There are lots of places Patty is going to improve over the years.''
Laine is drawing comparisons to Ovechkin for his shot, which teammates and opposing goaltenders say is even more deceptive than the Russian 600-goal scorer 's blast. Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who has taken Ovechkin shots in practice for years, said Laine's long stick changes the angle of where the puck is going.
''He shoots it, he pulls it in a little bit weird - long stick - and makes it really hard for us to read,'' Grubauer said.
As much as Laine looked up to Ovechkin as a kid, the respect is now mutual. When Ovechkin scored twice Monday to reach 600 and get to 42 this season, Laine answered with his 41st and showed he has what it takes to go goal-for-goal with hockey's best.
''He's a great talent and still young and still can produce lots of dangerous (chances),'' Ovechkin said.
Laine said it has always been a goal to win the Maurice ''Rocket'' Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer, and he's in the race to do that. Entering Saturday, he's one behind Ovechkin and one ahead of Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin.
''It's always been one of my dreams to win it,'' Laine said. ''It's good motivation for me.''
Laine is also motivated by trying to help set the Jets up for the playoffs and make a long run this spring. Winnipeg has been banged up and secondary scoring has been hot and cold, but Laine's scoring pace has his teammates believing anything is possible.
''You give him one opportunity and it's in the back of the net,'' Perreault said. ''Right now every shot it seems goes in. It helps us win games when he scores like that. It's been fun to see.''
Maurice doesn't know what he sees as Laine's ceiling, but doesn't think it matters. As Laine's game rounds out, he'll face different kinds of defensive challenges, and then it'll be up to him to prove he can sustain scoring the way Ovechkin has over the past decade-plus.
''The overall game Patty will play will become far more important than whether it's 40, 50 or whatever that number (of goals) ends up being,'' Maurice said.
''At some point, Patty is going to play 20 minutes a night. Maybe not at 19, but when that happens, he'll be playing against the `A' group. It's not as easy to keep scoring like Ovechkin has when you move up the lineup and you play more minutes and you play against the other teams' best.''
By The Associated Press
Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
17th March 2018 by Gracenote
After having their point and winning streaks halted by the league's best club, the Colorado Avalanche look to rebound against one of its worst when they host the bedraggled Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon. Colorado is holding the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference by a razor-thin margin with 11 games to go in the regular season.
The Avalanche had won three in a row and earned points in nine straight games (6-0-3) before dropping a 4-2 home decision to NHL-best Nashville on Friday. It marked only the second regulation defeat in 17 home games (14-2-1) for Colorado, which is tied on points with Dallas and Anaheim but has a game in hand on both teams. "They're all going to be big now," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog told reporters. "It's the best time of year, other than the playoffs. It's exciting. We're coming to the rink real excited every day and just itching to play." The same doesn't hold true for the Red Wings, who are staggering to the finish line and enter Sunday's matchup with a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1) - the franchise's longest skid since February 1986.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (26-34-11): Detroit has been pierced for at least four goals in seven of eight games this month and has produced more than three only once in 17 contests. Gustav Nyquist has scored in three straight games to move within one of reaching 20 goals for the second time in his career. "His competitive level has been unreal. It's been the best of the three years I've been here, maybe the best since I've coached him," coach Jeff Blashill told reporters. "The fact he's on a roll here doesn't surprise me."
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (38-25-8): Nathan MacKinnon continued to sizzle by extending his point streak to 11 games - two shy of his career best - with his 36th goal of the season versus Nashville, the most by a Colorado player since Joe Sakic (36) in 2006-07. He's not the only member of the team with an impressive streak, however. Tyson Barrie recorded an assist on the goal by MacKinnon to give him points in nine consecutive games, matching the longest run by a defenseman since the franchise relocated to Colorado in 1995-96.
OVERTIME
1. Avalanche RW Mikko Rantanen on Friday notched his 50th assist of the season and 19th point in his last 10 games.
2. Detroit also has lost eight in a row on the road.
3. Colorado is 13-for-13 on the penalty kill over its last four games.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Red Wings 2
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Calgary Flames vs. Vegas Golden Knights Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
17th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Vegas Golden Knights easily are the top story of the NHL, charging to the top of the Pacific Division and being well on their way to a postseason berth in their inaugural season. However, the aura of invincibility at home that has defined the Golden Knights has taken a hit heading into Sunday's game against the visiting Calgary Flames.
Vegas quickly made T-Mobile Arena a daunting stop for the opposition by winning nine of its first 10 there, but it has been outscored 21-10 in losing its last four at home. "I don't care who we're playing, it's time to get back to winning," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant told reporters after Friday's 4-2 loss to Minnesota. "We've had a great home record all year long. We've got to make sure we're the hardest-working team on Sunday and find a way to win." Calgary's biggest problem has been an inability to win at home, falling to 15-17-4 at Scotiabank Saddledome following Friday's 7-4 setback against San Jose. The Flames, who sit four points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, have been outscored 11-5 while dropping both meetings with Vegas this season.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, Sportsnet360, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific (Calgary), AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (35-27-10): Mike Smith called his performance "terrible" after he was yanked against the Sharks, his second shaky outing in three starts since missing a month with a lower-body injury, but he will be back in net against Vegas. Matthew Tkachuk, who has been sidelined for two games with an upper-body injury, did not accompany the team for its two-game road trip, but Kris Versteeg returned to the lineup Friday after missing 49 contests due to hip surgery. Johnny Gaudreau is riding a six-game point streak and has scored a goal in three straight.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (45-21-5): Malcolm Subban (upper body) was activated from injured reserve on Friday and could be in line for a start as Marc-Andre Fleury has suffered back-to-back regulation losses for the first time this season. With Reilly Smith missing five straight games due to an upper-body injury and absent from Saturday's practice, James Neal skated with Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson on the No. 1 line. Neal, who is third on the team with 24 goals, returned to the lineup Friday after sitting out eight games with an upper-body injury.
OVERTIME
1. Golden Knights LW Erik Haula has scored four times in three games to boost his season total to 28 goals.
2. Calgary is 1-for-28 on the power play over its last nine games but has killed off all 16 of its penalties in the last seven contests.
3. Vegas C David Perron has recorded a career-high 49 assists this season, including five during his four-game point streak.
PREDICTION: Golden Knights 4, Flames 3
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Edmonton Oilers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
17th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Tampa Bay Lightning are suddenly in a race for the Atlantic Division title after dominating much of the season, and badly need a victory when they host the loose Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The Lightning dropped a 3-0 decision to second place Boston on Saturday for their second straight loss and lead the surging Bruins by only two points, with one more game played, as the regular season winds down.
"That was a test and we got outplayed," Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman said after the setback. "Now we have to raise the bar." The Lightning are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games and captain Steven Stamkos told reporters the team needs to find positive emotion and have some fun again when they battle the Oilers, who are playing much better hockey in March. Edmonton is 4-1-1 in its last six contests after rallying for three goals in the third period of the 4-2 victory at Florida on Saturday afternoon with three points from Connor McDavid. McDavid, who registered four goals and an assist in the 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Feb. 5, has 18 of his 89 points in the last 10 games as the Oilers showed some signs of life during a disappointing season.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE OILERS (31-35-5): Center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been productive since returning from a long stint on injured reserve, recording four goals and three assists in the last seven games. Veteran power forward Milan Lucic has been kept off the scoresheet in five straight games, but played his 800th NHL contest Saturday, while 22-year-old center Leon Draisaitl had an assist to pull within one of 200 career points. Forward Ty Rattie, a 2011 second-round pick of St. Louis, notched a goal and an assist Saturday in his third game with the Oilers.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (48-19-4): Tampa Bay's special teams continue to be a major concern as the power play went 0-for-3 on Saturday with only three shots and the penalty kill gave up two more goals, pushing its total to 13 against in the last 12 games. Right wing Nikita Kucherov was held to one shot Saturday as he was kept off the scoresheet after putting up nine of his league-leading 91 points in a five-game span. Goalie Louis Domingue, who was recalled from the AHL on Saturday, or Peter Budaj will likely get the start in net Sunday.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay C Brayden Point led the team with four shots on net Saturday, but has gone four games without a point.
2. Edmonton D Kris Russell missed Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot Wednesday against San Jose.
3. Lightning D Ryan McDonagh has a goal and a plus-1 rating in three games since coming over from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline.
PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Oilers 2
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Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
18th March 2018 by Gracenote
Two teams that have played themselves out of postseason contention in the Eastern Conference face off Sunday as the New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. New York sits 12 points out of the second wild-card spot after winning only one of its last 11 games (1-6-4), while Carolina is 11 back thanks to a stretch during which it has lost five of six.
The Islanders return to action after a disastrous home-and-home series against Washington in which it was outscored 13-6 while being swept. Rookie Mathew Barzal recorded a goal and an assist in Friday's 6-3 setback to move two points ahead of captain John Tavares (70) for the team lead. Carolina is coming off its third straight home loss, a 4-2 setback against Philadelphia on Saturday. Teuvo Teravainen matched Sebastian Aho with an assist in the defeat, remaining one point ahead of his fellow Finn for the team lead with 57.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Carolinas, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (30-30-11): Noah Hanifin could miss his first game of the season Sunday after exiting the loss to the Flyers in the third period with an upper-body injury. Aho is riding a four-game point streak during which he has registered two goals and three assists. The 20-year-old right wing leads the team with 25 tallies - one more than his total in 82 games as a rookie last season.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (30-31-10): Thomas Greiss practiced Saturday for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury against Carolina on Feb. 16 and is expected to be more involved next week before he is able to return. The 32-year-old German has struggled while healthy this season, posting a 3.84 goals-against average and .891 save percentage despite sporting an 11-7-2 record. Defenseman Sebastian Aho is expected to be in the lineup Sunday for the first time since March 2.
OVERTIME
1. Islanders LW Anders Lee is two points shy of 200 for his career.
2. Carolina RW Lee Stempniak's next appearance will be his 900th in the NHL.
3. New York RW Cal Clutterbuck left Friday's contest with a migraine but participated in practice Saturday.
PREDICTION: Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2
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Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
18th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Washington Capitals sit atop the Metropolitan Division thanks to a four-game winning streak and hope to keep it going when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Washington finds itself two points ahead of Pittsburgh after scoring 13 goals during a home-and-home sweep of the New York Islanders.
Nicklas Backstrom, who netted a tally and set up another in Friday's 6-3 victory, is riding a four-game point streak during which he has collected three goals and four assists. The Capitals will need another strong offensive performance from Backstrom as Evgeny Kuznetsov did not make the trip to Philadelphia due to an upper-body injury. The Flyers are just ahead of Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan and trail Washington by six points after using a four-goal third period to defeat Carolina 4-2 on Saturday. Jakub Voracek has landed on the scoresheet in five of his last six contests after scoring a goal against the Hurricanes.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, NHL Network, NBCS Washington, NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (41-23-7): Kuznetsov exited Friday's game in the second period with his injury, but not before notching two assists to give him seven points in his last three contests. The 25-year-old Russian is second on the team with 71 points and is six away from matching the career high he set in 2015-16. Alex Chiasson made a case to remain in the lineup with his performance on Friday, as he recorded a goal and two assists after being a healthy scratch for the previous three contests.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (36-25-11): Sean Couturier leads the team with 29 goals and is one away from 100 for his career. The 25-year-old center has gone 14 games without a tally but has notched an assist in each of his last three contests. The Flyers, who are four points behind second-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan, ended February with a 12-game point streak (10-0-2) but lost seven of their first eight this month (1-6-1) before defeating Carolina.
OVERTIME
1. Flyers D Brandon Manning's next game will be the 200th of his career.
2. Philadelphia LW Oskar Lindblom notched an assist Saturday for his first point in 13 NHL contests.
3. Washington RW T.J. Oshie has recorded three goals in two contests following a 19-game drought.
PREDICTION: Capitals 4, Flyers 1
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Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
17th March 2018 by Gracenote
The Winnipeg Jets sit comfortably in second place in the Central Division, 10 points out of the lead with 11 games remaining, so the focus now is on getting key elements of the lineup healthy and back on the ice starting Sunday at home against the Dallas Stars. The Jets are hopeful centers Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry can play as well as defenseman Toby Enstrom, three days after defenseman Jacob Trouba returned and earned two assists in a 6-2 win over Chicago.
"Both felt good going into practice, and both got through it well," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice told reporters after Saturday's practice in referring to Scheifele and Lowry, adding Enstrom will be evaluated again at morning skate. "They're knocking on the door now." While the Jets held a seven-point lead over Minnesota for in the race for second and third in the Central entering Saturday, the Stars are in the middle of a crowded race for a Western Conference wild-card spot. Dallas is struggling at the worst possible time, going winless in its past four games following Friday's 3-2 overtime loss at Ottawa, and coach Ken Hitchcock told the media afterward he was still proud that his team earned a point. "To come back and get a point in this game after we almost gave it away is good," he said. "We move on."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TVA, FSN Southwest (Dallas), Sportsnet (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE STARS (38-26-8): One troubling aspect for Dallas of late is holding late leads, as evidence in giving up two third-period advantages in a shootout loss at Toronto, and losing a lead Friday before Tyler Pitlick's late score forced overtime. Goaltender Ben Bishop made 22 saves against the Senators in his first action in six games following a knee injury. Center Tyler Seguin set a new career high with his 38th goal to open the scoring for Dallas on Friday, and has 18 points (nine goals) in his past 12 games.
ABOUT THE JETS (42-19-10): Winnipeg went winless in the final three games of a six-game road trip, but blitzed the Blackhawks for five goals in the opening period in Thursday's victory. Forward Patrik Laine picked up an assist to give him points in 14 consecutive games (16 goals, 24 points) to set a new NHL mark for longest streak by a teenager. Forward Kyle Connor, who snapped an eight-game goal drought with one against Nashville on Tuesday, scored twice on Thursday to give him 25 on the season (second among NHL rookies) entering Saturday.
OVERTIME
1. Seguin entered the weekend fourth in the NHL in goals, three behind Laine's 41 and four behind league leader Alex Ovechkin of Washington.
2. Winnipeg G Connor Hellebuyck entered the weekend third in the NHL in wins (36), eighth in goals against average (2.35) and tied for eighth in save percentage (.925).
3. The Jets have won all three meetings with Dallas this season, outscoring the Stars 14-6 as Scheifele boasts six goals, Laine four and F Blake Wheeler owns eight assists.
PREDICTION: Jets 4, Stars 2
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St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
18th March 2018 by Gracenote
The St. Louis Blues are hanging around in the race for a playoff spot, but could be without their leading goal scorer when they visit the rival Chicago Blackhawks for a key contest Sunday night. Right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (27 goals) left Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory over the New York Rangers in the first period with an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated before Sunday's contest.
Brayden Schenn snapped a 10-game goal drought with the winner in overtime for the Blues, who are three points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference after a 4-2-1 stretch that followed seven straight losses (0-6-1). St. Louis plays three of its final 11 games against the Blackhawks, who are closing in on mathematical elimination from the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08. Chicago has dropped seven of its last 10 games after coughing up a one-goal lead in the third period en route to a 5-3 setback at Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. Captain Jonathan Toews scored once and set up another in the loss and has put up 11 of his 51 points in the last eight games while reaching the 20-goal plateau for the 11th time in 11 NHL seasons.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
ABOUT THE BLUES (38-28-5): Schenn's goal tied him with Tarasenko for the club lead with 58 points and Jaden Schwartz added an assist to reach 50 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had the biggest day Saturday with two goals and an assist and boasts seven of his 46 points in the last four games along with a plus-4 rating. Jake Allen has made five straight appearances (3-2-0, 11 goals allowed) in net and could get back-to-back starts with backup Carter Hutton still dealing with a neck injury.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (30-34-8): Toews is second on the team in scoring behind Patrick Kane, who has a goal and five assists in the last four games to push his season total to 69 points. Rookie Alex DeBrincat (22 goals, 42 points) has cooled off of late with one point in the last six games while fellow forward Tomas Jurco has registered all four of his goals in the last 10 contests, including one Saturday. Jean-Francois Berube was in net Saturday, which should give Anton Forsberg (9-15-3, .905 save percentage) the call against the Blues.
OVERTIME
1.The Blues won the only previous meeting this season 5-2 in October, and the teams play a home-and-home April 4 and 6.
2. St. Louis RW Nikita Soshnikov scored his first goal Saturday in his 11th game since coming over from Toronto in a trade.
3. Chicago D Jordan Oesterle has five goals this season after coming up empty in 25 games before 2017-18.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Blues 3
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New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Preview and Predictions 03-18-2018
18th March 2018 by Gracenote
The New Jersey Devils are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race while the Anaheim Ducks are fighting for their postseason lives in the West. New Jersey attempts to improve its standing and remain perfect on its six-game road trip when it visits Anaheim on Sunday.
The Devils sit in the second wild-card spot in the East but are just one point behind Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division with one game in hand. They kept pace in the race on Saturday by improving to 3-0-0 on their trek with a 3-0 triumph in Los Angeles. The Ducks are even in points with the Kings, Colorado and Dallas in the West but find themselves out of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining. Anaheim has posted back-to-back victories after losing three straight and is 9-1-2 in its last 12 at Honda Center as it concludes a four-game homestand during which it is 2-1-0.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS West (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (37-26-8): Keith Kinkaid put on quite the performance in his 100th NHL appearance on Saturday, turning aside 38 shots en route to the fourth shutout of his career - two of which have come against Los Angeles. New Jersey shares the league lead with 10 short-handed goals after Michael Grabner scored for just the second time in 10 games since being acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 22. Taylor Hall, who leads the team with 76 points and is four shy of matching his career high, has been kept off the scoresheet in three of his last four games after notching a point in 26 consecutive contests.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (36-24-12): Rickard Rakell, who leads the club with 60 points, is three assists shy of 100 in the NHL. The 24-year-old Swede is riding a 13-game point streak against Eastern Conference opponents during which he has collected 10 goals and 10 assists. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm needs two assists to reach 100 for his career and is one goal away from setting a new career high of 11.
OVERTIME
1. Devils D John Moore has gone 12 games without a point and is two shy of 100 for his career.
2. The Ducks are 33-for-35 on the penalty kill over their last 13 overall contests and 31-for-31 at home since Jan. 23.
3. New Jersey LW Patrick Maroon, who began his career with Anaheim, missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
PREDICTION: Ducks 4, Devils 2
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