Thursday 11-16-17 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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BEN BURNS
NBA | Nov 16, 2017
Warriors vs. Celtics
Celtics+7

More than 3,000 miles east of Oakland, the Celtics are reaping the rewards of a lightning-fast rebuild, and they take the ultimate test tonight when the defending champs come to Boston. Each is streaking – 13 wins in a row for the Celtics and seven straight for the Warriors. The Celtics have been doing it behind the offensive play of Kyrie Irving and a team defense that ranks No. 1 in the NBA. The raucous crowd will test the foundation at the TD Garden, and the Celtics will cover if not win outright in a game that has the potential to make the NBA a three-team playoff league instead of just a private party involving the Cavs and Warriors.

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BIG AL

Our complimentary selection for Thursday, Nov 16 is:

Evansville -11 over SE Missouri St.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have not looked the part of a dominant team but they keep finding ways to win and are tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the AFC. The Steelers will go for their fifth consecutive victory when they host the visiting Tennessee Titans on Thursday night in a matchup of division leaders.

Pittsburgh extended its winning streak in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat Indianapolis 20-17 on a last-second field goal by Chris Boswell. "There was a lot of negativity that we will talk about," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after his team improved to 5-1 on the road. "But we'll talk about negativity with a win. That's my preference." The Titans also have won four in a row to join Jacksonville atop the AFC South, rallying for a last-minute 24-20 win over Cincinnati -- its third straight victory over an AFC North rival of Pittsburgh. "I use the word resilient a lot, but I think that's the makeup of this team," Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said. "It's amazing that they believe in themselves, they just know we always have a chance to win."

TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, NBC, NFL Network. LINE: Steelers -7. O/U: 44

ABOUT THE TITANS (6-3): Tennessee must find a way to get its offense on track on the road after scoring a combined 36 points in its last three away from home, especially with four of the next five games away from Nashville. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has thrown seven touchdown passes against six interceptions, but he has led three-game winning drives during the winning streak and is coming off a 51-yard rushing day versus Cincinnati. Running back DeMarco Murray scored three TDs in last week's win while backup Derrick Henry added 52 yards on 11 carries. Tennessee has tightened up its rushing defense over the past four games, allowing a combined 277 yards in that span.

ABOUT THE STEELERS (7-2): Ben Roethlisberger owns a completion percentage of 61.1 and passer rating of 83.8 -- his lowest marks since the 2008 season -- but he rallied Pittsburgh with a pair of scoring passes in the second half last week. Le'Veon Bell, who is averaging 29.5 carries the past four games, leads the league with 840 rushing yards while wideout Antonio Brown has an NFL-best 882 yards, although he has only 12 receptions over the past four games. Rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to thrive with a touchdown catch in each of the past three games. Pittsburgh is second in the league, allowing an average of 16.4, and has held its last four opponents to 17 or fewer.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Roethlisberger has an NFL-high 121.7 QB rating in prime-time games since 2015 while Mariota is fifth at 105.4 (minimum three games).

2. Since Week 5, Tennessee's defense has allowed only 17 of 63 conversions on third down.

3. Bell rushed for 204 yards and a TD in the last meeting, a 27-24 victory on Nov. 17, 2014.

PREDICTION: Steelers 24, Titans 16

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Boston Celtics are the "team of the future in the East," according to Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, but the present looks pretty spectacular as well. The Celtics will test themselves against the defending NBA champions and try to run their winning streak to 14 straight when they host the Warriors on Thursday.

"It sure looks like Boston is the team of the future in the East, with the assets that they still have and their young talent and their coaching, and (Kyrie) Irving is amazing," Kerr told reporters. "That looks like a team that is going to be at the top of the East for a long time to come. Whether their time is now or the future, that's to be determined, but they sure look like they want it to be right now." The Celtics own the best defense in the NBA, limiting opponents to an average of 94.5 points, and will be going up against the NBA's best offense in Golden State, which is putting up an average of 119.6 points. The Warriors own the second-longest winning streak in the NBA at seven games, and they are crushing opponents by an average of 19.9 points in that span. "There's a reason why they haven't played a lot of close games, and it's because they're awfully freakin' good," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters of Golden State. "And so, we just have to, again, possession to possession, stay poised, stay in the moment. If one thing doesn't go our way, move on to the next."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (11-3): Golden State star point guard Stephen Curry sat out Monday's 110-100 win over the Orlando Magic with a thigh contusion but is probable to return when the Warriors kick off a four-game road trip on Thursday. "When Steph is out there, everything is just more free-flowing," All-Star forward Draymond Green told reporters. "It's just reads, more so than play calling. (Monday), we called a lot of plays. That's kind of the chaos he causes when he's on the floor." Golden State, which leads the NBA in assists (31.3) and field-goal percentage (51.9), still managed to hand out 35 assists and shoot 50 percent from the floor with Curry out of the lineup.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (13-2): Boston has its own point guard fighting through an injury in Irving, who sat out a 95-94 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday with a facial fracture suffered in the previous game but returned on Tuesday and played with a mask in a 109-102 victory at Brooklyn. "It's almost like having somewhat foggy blinders on," Irving told reporters. "When I take off the mask, I can see everything. And when I have the mask on, I'm really dialed into what's in front of me. My peripherals are a little cut off, up and down. It's something to get used to." Irving, who is expected to wear the mask again on Thursday, managed 25 points on 8-of-20 shooting at Brooklyn.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors SG Klay Thompson is 13-of-23 from 3-point range over the last three games.

2. Celtics C Al Horford is 16-of-19 from the floor in two games since returning from a concussion.

3. The visiting team took the last five in the series, and Golden State won in its last four trips to Boston.

PREDICTION: Warriors 108, Celtics 100

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Houston Rockets recently ripped off a six-game winning streak and own the second-best record in the Western Conference, and they are about to get better. The Rockets are expected to welcome point guard Chris Paul back to the lineup when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

Paul started the season opener but left in the second half and missed the next 13 games while recovering from a bone bruise in his knee originally suffered during the preseason. "He's ready to go," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters of Paul before practice on Wednesday. "I think he's playing tomorrow, so we'll see." While Houston has two solid options at point guard with Paul returning, the Suns are having trouble finding one. Phoenix traded away disgruntled former starter Eric Bledsoe and watched Tyler Ulis total four points on 2-of-12 shooting in two games as a starter after taking over for Mike James, who averaged 13 points on 38.9 percent shooting and 4.2 assists in 10 games as the starter.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (11-4): Houston is adding a future Hall of Fame point guard to a lineup that already includes the NBA's leader in assists in James Harden, who is averaging 10.3 assists and got used to playing point guard in D'Antoni's offense while thriving in the role last season. "What we've done up to now doesn't count," D'Antoni told reporters. "We've got a new team (Thursday). When you put that big of a rock into a pond, there's big waves. ... We have to endure the next two or three games and smooth it out as we go along." Harden is also second in the NBA in scoring (30.7 points) and is coming off a 38-point effort in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in which he went 19-of-19 from the free-throw line.

ABOUT THE SUNS (5-10): Phoenix shooting guard Devin Booker leads the team in assists (3.9) and is getting more responsibility within the offense. Booker, 21, is averaging 23.2 points and combined for 71 points on 27-of-49 shooting in the last two games - a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that dropped the Suns to 1-4 on a six-game homestand that ends Thursday. "He's shown the ability to make plays for others when two guys guard him, and when he's got it going offensively he's not afraid to be generous with who he gives it up to," Phoenix interim head coach Jay Triano told the Arizona Republic of Booker. "He's done a good job that way."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Suns C Greg Monroe (calf) is coming close to making his team debut after arriving in a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month.

2. Rockets SG Eric Gordon is 3-of-18 from 3-point range in the last two games.

3. Houston swept the four-game series last season, winning by an average of 17 points.

PREDICTION: Rockets 120, Suns 111

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Off to their best start at home in 35 years, the New York Islanders look to continue that run when they host the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. The Islanders are 5-0-2 at Barclays Center this season, but they have not enjoyed much success on their home ice against the Hurricanes.

New York has had four days off since a 5-2 victory at Western Conference-leading St. Louis on Saturday, which followed a 5-0 drubbing in Dallas 24 hours earlier. Yet the Islanders have won only two of their last 10 (2-6-2) at home against Carolina, which is 3-0-1 at Barclays Center. The Hurricanes recently went through a stretch with one win in seven games but they extended their point streak to five with Monday's 5-1 rout of Dallas. "It's coming, for sure. No question," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Now everyone is getting comfortable and we're getting some results and some wins."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Carolina, MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (7-5-4): Finish teammates Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho lit up the scoreboard on the same night that countryman Teemu Selanne was being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Teravainen recorded a natural hat trick -- his first in the NHL -- while Aho notched his first tally of the season and added a pair of assists versus the Stars. "Both very talented players. Both of them have great hands and great vision," said linemate Jordan Staal, who collected four assists. "I'm just trying to make some room for them and go to the net hard."

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (9-6-2): Although Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss each sport a goals-against average above 3.00, the latter has turned in two straight solid efforts, including a 35-save performance in St. Louis. "Thomas in the past two weeks has started to gain momentum," coach Doug Weight said. "It was a real good team we played, with some real dangerous shooters. He was confident and our team was feeding off it. I definitely took note of that." Captain John Tavares, who has 11 goals in the past 10 games, has torched Carolina with 20 goals in 30 games.

OVERTIME

1. After scoring nine power-play goals in a four-game stretch, New York is 0-for-8 over the past three contests.

2. Hurricanes G Scott Darling, who has yielded one goal in three of his last four starts, will be in net Thursday.

3. New York has won its last eight in a row following a loss of at least three goals.

PREDICTION: Islanders 4, Hurricanes 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are riding high with a season-best four-game winning streak, with the last three victories coming without Auston Matthews in the lineup. The reigning Calder Trophy recipient could return to the ice Thursday as the Maple Leafs aim to avenge an early-season loss when they host the New Jersey Devils.

"It's always frustrating to miss games - just watching (stinks). You want to be out there, and help contribute," Matthews told TSN. "At the end of the day, your health is important. For (the injury) to not fully recover and then (you) tweak it again, you're back to square one." The 20-year-old Matthews leads the team in goals (10) and points (19) despite missing the last week, and he netted a 5-on-3 tally in Toronto's 6-3 setback against New Jersey on Oct. 11. Devils forward Miles Wood scored twice in that contest and answered notching one point in his previous 10 games with three goals and an assist in Sunday's 7-5 win at Chicago. New Jersey's scoring output versus the Blackhawks was exactly half of the total from its previous six games this month.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New Jersey), TSN4 (Toronto)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (11-4-2): While New Jersey's offense was clicking in the last game, coach John Hynes was none-too-pleased with what he saw at the other end of the ice - and he let the team know it on Wednesday. "He was right, everything he said was right," defenseman Steven Santini told NorthJersey.com. "We've got to close guys out and be harder defensively, so I don't think it's a secret. He addressed it before practice, and he made sure he was addressing it during practice. I think the message got across and we'll have it figured out by Thursday night." Cory Schneider will get the nod after matching his career high with 47 saves in the first meeting at Toronto.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (12-7-0): James van Riemsdyk has picked himself up from a modest slump that bridged October and November, capping back-to-back multi-point performances with a goal and an assist in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Boston. The 28-year-old New Jersey native also scored in the first encounter with the Devils this season and has collected 11 goals and 19 points in 26 career meetings with the Garden State residents. Frederik Andersen, who was shredded for all six goals by New Jersey last month, has permitted just seven tallies in his last three outings.

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey C Travis Zajac (torn left pectoral muscle) is expected to be activated from injured reserve and return to the lineup on Thursday.

2. Toronto D Morgan Rielly recorded a goal and an assist against the Bruins, increasing his point total to 13 (three goals, 10 assists) in the last 14 games.

3. Devils rookie C Nico Hischier has notched seven points (one goal, six assists) in his last six contests.

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 4, Devils 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop returns for the first time to the place where he became a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist when the inconsistent Stars visit the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. Bishop won a club-record 131 games in five seasons with the Lightning before being dealt to Los Angeles around the trade deadline last season and signing with Dallas in May after another deal.

"This is where I learned so much about hockey, how to become a starting goalie," Bishop told reporters Wednesday. "I met my wife here. I got married here. It's kind of like a second home, so there's a lot of good memories here. It's fun to be back." The Stars need a big effort from Bishop (7-5-0, .908 save percentage), who has dropped three of his last four starts, after managing one point on the first two legs of their Southeast road trip. That won't be easy against the NHL-best Lightning, who have won four in a row and own at least a point in six straight (5-0-1) after outscoring three California teams 12-4 on a perfect road trip. Captain Steven Stamkos leads the league with 31 points and linemate Nikita Kucherov boasts an NHL-high 16 goals for Tampa Bay, which averages a league-best 3.89 tallies.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)

ABOUT THE STARS (9-8-1): Dallas has improved defensively after finishing second-to-last in the league in goals-against per game last season (3.17), standing 18th (2.83) through Tuesday, but has been up and down since a 5-3-0 start. Captain Jamie Benn has taken over the team lead with 19 points after posting three goals and two assists during a four-game point streak that included two tallies in the shootout loss at Florida on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg is next with 18 points while Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov, who boasts a nine-game point streak, have 17 apiece.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (14-2-2): Andrei Vasilevskiy, Bishop's replacement in net, has warmed to the No. 1 role with a 13-1-1 record to go along with a .930 save percentage this season and earned at least a point in his last 13 starts (12-0-1). The top-six defensemen have been intact all season in front of Vasilevskiy as Victor Hedman leads the blueliners with 13 points and the steady Anton Stralman boasts a team-best plus-13 rating. Vladislav Namestnikov has produced 19 points playing alongside Stamkos and Kucherov after finishing with 28 in 74 games in 2016-17.

OVERTIME

1. The Stars lead the league in power-play percentage (30.2) and Tampa Bay is second at 28.6.

2. Dallas F Jason Dickinson, who has zero points in four games this season, was reassigned to Texas of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

3. The teams split a pair of games last season with each winning at home and they combined for 16 goals.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Stars 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Montreal Canadiens have bounced back from a wretched start to the season by earning points in five of their last six games, but scoring continues to be an issue. The offensively challenged Canadiens continue a six-game homestand Thursday night when they host the Arizona Coyotes -- owners of the worst record in the NHL.

Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to Columbus marked the 12th time in 19 games that Montreal has been limited to two goals or fewer, and coach Claude Julien knows his team can't take two-win Arizona lightly. "We can't get caught in that situation," Julien said after Wednesday's practice. "They're an NHL team and just because they haven't won doesn't mean they haven't been good against teams and haven't had a chance to win some games." The Coyotes, who opened a four-game Canadian road trip with a 4-1 loss at Winnipeg on Tuesday, have scored only seven goals during their current five-game skid (0-3-2). "You've got to keep working at it. There's no method," coach Rick Tocchet said. "We're not going to go trade for Mario Lemieux."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, RDS, TSN2 (Montreal)

ABOUT THE COYOTES (2-15-3): Scott Wedgewood, acquired 2 1/2 weeks ago from New Jersey, could be in line for a bigger role in net after Arizona shipped goaltender Louis Domingue to Tampa Bay in exchange for veteran netminder Michael Leighton and forward Tye McGinn. Wedgewood stopped 16 of 17 shots in relief of Antti Rantta, who allowed three goals on 13 shots in Winnipeg. Domingue was 0-6-0 with a 4.33 goals-against average for the Coyotes, who have yielded a league-worst 78 goals.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (8-9-2): Rookie Charlie Lindgren will make his sixth consecutive start and has yet to allow more than two goals in all eight of his career NHL appearances. With No. 1 netminder Carey Price (lower body) shut down from skating for two days and Al Montoya (concussion) still sidelined, Montreal claimed veteran Antti Niemi off waivers and sent rookie Zach Fucale back to the minors. Captain Max Pacioretty was absent from Wednesday's practice session for a "therapy day."

OVERTIME

1. Montreal is 1-for-11 on the power play over the past five games.

2. Arizona is the first team in league history to fail to post a regulation win through the first 20 games of a season.

3. Canadiens F Artturi Lehkonen has been ruled out indefinitely.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 4, Coyotes 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Ottawa Senators have had plenty of time to reflect on their successful trek to Sweden last week, but even more time to dwell on last spring's double-overtime loss to Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Bobby Ryan is expected to return to the lineup Thursday as the host Senators hope to exact a bit of revenge against the two-time reigning Stanley Cup-champion Penguins.

"They are the team that we were one goal away from beating, for one, and they ended our season. Then they went on to win (the Stanley Cup)." Ryan told reporters. "You look at all that stuff and it's frustrating. There will be some added incentives for guys, absolutely." The 30-year-old Ryan is expected to be paired with recent acquisition Matt Duchene as he returns from an eight-game absence due to a broken finger for Ottawa, which posted a pair of 4-3 wins over Colorado in Stockholm. Pittsburgh also is coming off a victory - a 5-4 overtime triumph over Buffalo on Tuesday - that saw captain Sidney Crosby snap an 11-game goal-scoring drought. The two-time Hart Trophy winner had little difficulty finding the scoresheet in the Eastern Conference finals, scoring a goal in Games 3-5 while amassing six points (three goals, three assists) in the last five contests of the series.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, TSN5, RDS2 (Toronto)

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (10-7-3): Mike Sullivan has seen his team taken to task defensively far too many times this season, and the coach was quick to send a message during Wednesday's practice. "We have to force teams to have to work extremely hard to get those high-quality type chances," Sullivan told reporters. "It can't be because we have a lack of focus or discipline or concentration or whatever the term is you might want to use, where we become easier to play against because we don't manage the puck the right way or we don't stay on the right side of a puck battle or we don't change as smart." Pittsburgh has permitted at least four goals in each of the last three contests, and its 72 allowed is the second-highest total in the NHL behind struggling Arizona.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (8-3-5): Mark Stone has been on a tear with 10 goals and 17 points in his last 13 games, including a pair of tallies in Friday's overtime victory over the Avalanche and another the following day. Fellow forward Mike Hoffman netted a pair of goals in Saturday's triumph to give him 11 points (three goals, eight assists) during his eight-game streak. Captain Erik Karlsson also is contributing offensively, as the two-time Norris Trophy winner notched a pair of assists in both contests in his home country to give him 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) during a seven-game streak.

OVERTIME

1. Pittsburgh RW Phil Kessel has scored a goal in four consecutive contests and notched five assists during his five-game point streak.

2. Senators G Craig Anderson, who is expected to get the start on Thursday, owns a 5-8-2 career record versus the Penguins.

3. Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin has scored one goal and set up five others during his four-game point streak.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Senators 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Philadelphia Flyers have not scored a goal in 156 minutes, 9 seconds, so putting a puck in the back of the net is objective number one entering Thursday's road contest at the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers were shut out in back-to-back games while dropping a home-and-home series against Minnesota, and are looking to avoid being shut out in three consecutive games for the first time in team history.

"Sometimes when it rains, it pours when you can't score," Philadelphia goalie Brian Elliott told the media after he made 17 saves in Tuesday's 3-0 defeat to Minnesota, the Flyers' third loss in their past four games. Winnipeg is having no issues on offense, averaging 3.29 goals per game while winning 10 of its 17 games overall after Tuesday's 4-1 triumph over Arizona. The Jets own points in 10 of their past 11 games, winning six of their past eight games and scoring four or more goals six times in that stretch. "We have a lot of belief in this group," Winnipeg center Adam Lowry told reporters after Tuesday's victory.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN Philadelphia, TSN3 (Winnipeg)

ABOUT THE FLYERS (8-8-2): Philadelphia wasted a strong effort from Elliott and its defense Tuesday, holding Minnesota to just 20 shots on goal and allowing two empty-net scores in the final 1:09. Forward Wayne Simmonds has not scored in his past 10 games while forward Dale Weise, who could not convert a third-period breakaway Tuesday, has one score in his past nine games. Philadelphia is 1-for-18 on the power play in its past six games.

ABOUT THE JETS (10-4-3): Winnipeg's top line did not record a goal Tuesday but the Jets nonetheless got a quartet of tallies from its bottom three lines. Patrik Laine picked up an assist to extend his points streak to six games (five goals, two assists), and Bryan Little ended an 11-game goal drought with a breakaway tally as the Jets scored three times in the second period. The Jets killed off three first-period power plays and have not allowed a man-advantage goal in the past two games (9-for-9).

OVERTIME

1. Jets G Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves Tuesday, improving his record to 9-1-2.

2. Philadelphia has been shut out five times this season, most in the NHL.

3. Winnipeg is expected to activate C Mathieu Perreault (lower-body) for Thursday's game.

PREDICTION: Jets 3, Flyers 1

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Stringing together shutouts has become an annual event for Devan Dubnyk as the Minnesota goaltender tries for his fourth consecutive game without allowing a goal when the Wild host the red-hot Nashville Predators on Thursday. Dubnyk stopped 30 shots in Minnesota's 3-0 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday, setting a club record with a run of 195 minutes, 5 seconds and breaking his old mark of 183:16 set last season during a string of three straight shutouts.

"It's been good. I feel confident in there,'' Dubnyk told reporters. "The biggest key for me is just finding pucks and making sure my feet are set. That kind of trickles down into everything else as far as moving around and rebound control and all that stuff." While Dubnyk has been impenetrable, opponents cannot keep Jason Zucker from scoring as the Wild winger has seven goals in the last four games. Nashville defeated Washington 6-3 on Tuesday for its fifth straight victory as newcomer Kyle Turris continues to fit in with his new teammates. The line of Craig Smith and Kevin Fiala centered by Turris combined for two goals and two assists Tuesday, with Turris contributing a goal and two assists in two games with the Predators.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (10-5-2): Filip Forsberg scored his 100th career goal Tuesday and leads the club with nine tallies and 17 points. Nick Bonino, who scored twice in his first six games since signing as a free agent during the offseason after winning two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, returned Tuesday after missing 11 contests with an ankle injury. Pekka Rinne (9-2-2, 2.29 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) has allowed 11 goals during a four-game winning streak.

ABOUT THE WILD (8-7-2): Zucker's offensive explosion vaulted him to the team scoring lead with 10 goals and 15 points, and he is on pace to shatter his career high of 22 goals set last season. Zucker shares the club lead in shots on goal (48) with Eric Staal, who has six goals and 14 points after recording a tally and an assist Tuesday. Chris Stewart scored six goals in his first six games this season, but hasn't recorded a point in 11 contests since.

OVERTIME

1. Nashville placed LW Scott Hartnell and D Yannick Weber on injured reserve Tuesday with lower-body injuries. Hartnell is expected to miss 3-to-5 weeks while Weber will likely be out 2-to-4 weeks.

2. Zucker had scored Minnesota's last six goals before Nino Nieterreiter tallied 12 seconds into Tuesday's game. Zucker fell one goal shy of the NHL record for consecutive team goals by one player.

3. The Wild won three of the five meetings last season with the clubs splitting two games in Minnesota.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Predators 0

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Colorado Avalanche try to snap a six-game losing streak against Washington when they host the Capitals on Thursday with two players acquired in the Matt Duchene trade set to make their home debuts. The Pepsi Center crowd will welcome defenseman Samuel Girard and Vladimir Kamenev, who is expected to center a line with fellow Russian Nail Yakupov and Sven Andrighetto.

The disgruntled Duchene demanded to be traded and after months of speculation, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic pulled off a blockbuster three-team deal involving Nashville that sent Duchene to Ottawa on Nov. 5. "The guys in the room were waiting for it to happen,'' Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson told the Denver Post. ''We all want to play for this team and win in Denver. He wanted to go somewhere else. Now we have a group in this room that will all be pulling the same rope in the same direction.'' Washington is coming off a lackluster 6-3 loss at Nashville on Tuesday but is 5-2-0 in its last seven games after a 5-6-1 start. The Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, who is 22nd all-time with 571 goals, hasn't scored in three games and has six in 17 contests since exploding for seven in his first two outings of the season.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN Washington, Altitude (Colorado)

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (10-8-1): T.J. Oshie has three goals in his last three games and nine this season - second-most to Ovechkin on the club - after scoring twice Tuesday while Evgeny Kuznetsov boasts a team-high 20 points. Defenseman Matt Niskanen, who missed 13 games with an upper-body injury, returned to the lineup Tuesday and played 20 minutes, 33 seconds. Braden Holtby (10-4-0, 2.68 goals-against average, .918 save percentage) is expected to start after stopping 19 of 25 shots and getting pulled after two periods Tuesday.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (8-7-1): Girard, 19, who was acquired from Nashville, played on the top pairing with Johnson in his first two games with Colorado, both losses to Ottawa in the NHL Global Series in Stockholm on Friday and Saturday. Kamenev was assigned to San Antonio of the American Hockey League following the trade, and had four assists in four games as he is set to play his third NHL game after appearing twice for the Predators last season. Rookie center Alexander Kerfoot, who essentially took Duchene's place as one of the Avalanche's top two centers, has a team-high seven goals - four in the last three games - while center Nathan MacKinnon owns a club-most 15 points after his five-game point streak (four goals, six assists) was halted Saturday.

OVERTIME

1. Capitals D Christian Djoos left Tuesday's contest with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss Thursday's game.

2. The Avalanche are 7-for-20 on the power play over the last six games while Washington has killed 15 of 16 penalties in the past five contests.

3. The Capitals have won 12 of their last 14 games after allowing five or more goals in the previous contest.

PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Avalanche 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

One of the NHL stingiest defensive teams suddenly can't stop the opposition while the league's least productive offense finally broke out of its season-long doldrums. The St. Louis Blues will look to tighten up their defense when they resume their three-game Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

St. Louis owns the best record in the Western Conference but has been pierced for a dozen goals in back-to-back losses to the New York Islanders and Calgary. "We're going to have to reset everything and get back to the way we want to play, what we know is successful," Blues forward Paul Stastny said after the team allowed five third-period goals to the Flames in Monday's 7-4 setback. Edmonton had been dead last in scoring before erupting for eight goals -- two by reigning MVP Connor McDavid -- in a rout of expansion Vegas on Tuesday night. "It is definitely good for the confidence of the group," said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who also scored twice. "We can't get away from that now."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)

ABOUT THE BLUES (13-5-1): Coach Mike Yeo opted to shuffle his top two lines to start the road trip but he needed just one game to change his mind, moving star forward Vladimir Tarasenko back on the top unit with Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn while putting Vladimir Sobotka alongside Stastny and Alexander Steen. "Just get back to what we were doing when we were on top of our game," Yeo said. Tarasenko has five goals and 10 points in his last seven games overall and seven goals in 14 games versus Edmonton.

ABOUT THE OILERS (7-9-2): Just prior to the demoliton of Vegas, Edmonton addressed the offensive woes by acquiring Michael Cammelleri from Los Angeles in exchange for Jussi Jokinen in a swap of veteran forwards. Cammalleri, who has netted at least 19 goals in 10 seasons, had three goals and four assists with the Kings. "I'm excited to go there and have an opportunity to play," Cammalleri said. "I know it hasn't been the start they were looking for, but it's a team that can honestly be as good as it wants to be."

OVERTIME

1. Edmonton has won four straight in the series following a streak of eight straight victories by St. Louis.

2. Blues F Beau Bennett, who played alongside Schwartz and Schenn on Monday, was sent to Chicago of the American Hockey League.

3. McDavid has one goal and six points in six games against St. Louis.

PREDICTION: Blues 4, Oilers 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Vegas Golden Knights have seen the wheels come off after a blistering start to the season, with the expansion club being humbled in its last game. After being taken to task by one Pacific Division rival, Vegas will try its luck against another as it visits the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday looking to avert a seventh loss in nine contests.

"We weren't sharp, we weren't good, we weren't playing our game," Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland told reporters on the heels of Tuesday's 8-2 shellacking by Edmonton. "We sat back, we weren't in their faces like we normally play and a lot of us weren't ready to go." David Perron has been ready to go all season and carries a five-game point streak (one goal, six assists) into Thursday's tilt. The Canucks are headed back to British Columbia after splitting a four-game road trip against Pacific rivals, a trek that was capped by Tuesday's 3-2 win at first-place Los Angeles. Bo Horvat, who will play in his 250th career game on Thursday, scored against the Kings to pull into a tie with Derek Dorsett for the team lead in goals with seven.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (10-6-1): Maxime Lagace fully participated in Wednesday's practice to silence suspicion that Vegas' goaltending injury carousel had taken yet another unfortunate turn after the 24-year-old exited Tuesday's contest with nine minutes to play. Fellow netminder Malcolm Subban participated in a team practice for the first time since being injured against St. Louis on Oct. 21. "We're pretty close," the 23-year-old Subban told reporters. "That's all I know right now. I'm still talking with the coaches and the trainers. It's only one practice."

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (9-7-2): Captain Henrik Sedin has picked up the pace after a disastrous start to the season, collecting a goal and an assist against Los Angeles to give him two of each in his last five games after mustering just three points in his previous 13. Twin Daniel hasn't shared in Henrik's recent run of success, as the former has been kept off the scoresheet in each of the last three games to remain stuck on 994 career points. Fellow forward Brock Boeser, who notched his team-leading 15th point with an assist versus the Kings, has recorded just two in his last five games on the heels of a four-point outburst against Pittsburgh on Nov. 4.

OVERTIME

1. Vancouver G Jacob Markstrom has yielded 13 goals during his last four starts (1-3-0) after surrendering two tallies or fewer in each of his six previous outings.

2. Golden Knights LW James Neal has scored a goal in back-to-back contests and has registered three tallies and an assist in his last five games.

3. The Canucks scored twice on the power play in their last game after going 2-for-21 over their previous six.

PREDICTION: Canucks 3, Golden Knights 2