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In the Crease - Week 17
Joe Williams
Toothless Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are fading fast, going 0-8-4 across the past 12 games. Despite the ugly skid they're still just two points behind the Edmonton Oilers for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with plenty of time to turn things around. In the past they're slide and 47 points through 47 games might be a death knell, but the last few playoff spots in the West this season might go to teams with point totals slightly lower than we've seen in recent seasons. The road trip continues at Minnesota on Thursday, at New Jersey on Saturday and at N.Y. Islanders on Sunday before returning home Wednesday against St. Louis to finish up before the All-Star break. If they don't break the skid then, they'll have to wait all the way until Feb. 2 due to the All-Star break, when they embark on another five-game road trip.
Calgary...On Fire
The Calgary Flames have fired to the top of the Pacific Division with an 8-1-2 mark across the past 11 outings, although they certainly haven't done it with a lot of attention. The Flames have posted a 15-4-5 mark at home this season, but they're a respectable 15-9-0 in 24 outings away from home to lead the Western Conference in road victories. Their plus-39 goal differential is also good for second in the NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (plus-58). The Flames face the Detroit Red Wings at home on Friday, and have a quick turnaround in Edmonton on Saturday night. Head coach Bill Peters will also face his former employer, the Carolina Hurricanes, in a pair of games on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Calgary, and Sunday, Feb. 3 in Raleigh.
Looking Ahead
Thursday, Jan. 17
Toronto-Tampa Bay: The Maple Leafs hit the road for the Sunshine State stretch against the Lightning and Florida Panthers. The public is investing heavily in the home side despite the fact the Maple Leafs are an impressive 15-6 in the past 21 road games while going 10-1 in their past 11 while playing on two or more days of rest. The Lightning will be playing in their fourth game in six days, and they're 23-6 in the past 29 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation. The public is likely backing the Lightning heavily, either straight-up or on the puck line, because of Toronto's woes in this series recently. The Leafs are 2-8 in their past 10 trips to Tampa, and 1-5 in the past six meetings overall. The 'under' is also 8-3 in the past 11 metings in this series.
Winnipeg-Nashville: The Jets roll into the Music City with five victories in the past six games overall, and they're 7-2 in the past nine attempts against a team with a winning overall record. In addition, Winnipeg has posted an 8-3 record across the past 11 on the road. The Predators are equally hot, going 4-0 in their past four against teams with a winning percentage over .600. Total bettors might be slapping the 'over', which is 4-0 in Smashville's past four overall and 5-2 in the past seven against the Western Conference. While the over is 8-1-2 in the past 11 road games by a team with a home winning percentage over .600, the under is 7-3-1 in the past 11 overall and 3-1-1 in the past five against winning teams. The over is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings in Nashville, and the road team has claimed four of the past five.
Los Angeles-Dallas: The Kings are Stars are both struggling, so something's gotta give in this one. The Kings are 2-5 in the past seven overall, while they're just 7-19 in the past 26 games away from home. For Dallas, they have dropped four of the past five overall, although they're a solid 11-4 in the past 15 against Pacific Division foes. The Kings are just 1-5 in the past six against the Stars, although the road team is 4-1 in the past five. While the under has been the play for both teams lately, going 8-2 in L.A.'s past 10, and 5-0-1 in the past six for Dallas, the 'over' is 7-3-4 in the past 14 meetings in this series.
Friday, Jan. 18
N.Y. Islanders-Washington: It might be rather overlooked, but the Capitals will welcome Stanley Cup champion head coach Barry Trotz to town on Friday night. It will be his first visit to D.C. since leaving after last season's title, failing to agree to terms on a new deal after the franchise's first championship. Washington greeted him rudely on the Island in the first meeting on Nov. 26, winning 4-1 behind Braden Holtby. He has been on the shelf with an injury, so it's likely Pheonix Copley gets the starting nod. The Capitals are 0-2-1 over Copley's past three starts, getting outscored 13-4 in the process.
Buffalo-Vancouver: The Sabres continue their road trip against the Canucks in the Pacific Northwest, and the home side is a slight favorite over the skidding side from Buffalo. The Sabres picked up a much-needed win, and a rather impressive one, in Calgary on Wednesday. Buffalo posted a 4-3 win in overtime thanks to superstar Jack Eichel just 70 seconds into the extra session. Vancouver is looking to bounce back after a 3-2 setback against the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout on Wednesday. They're looking for revenge after losing a 4-3 shootout in Buffalo on Nov. 10 earlier in the season, too. The Canucks are 5-2-2 over their past nine at home.
Saturday, Jan. 19
Anaheim-New Jersey: The Ducks and Devils will drop the puck at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Newark, or 10:00 a.m. PT, the local clock of the Ducks. It could be a sluggish start for a team not playing all that way lately. Anaheim enters 0-5-2 in their past seven against Eastern Conference teams, last winning in Pittsburgh of all places on Dec. 17 by a 4-2 count. They also were able to beat the Devils in a shootout by a 6-5 count back on Dec. 9, as John Gibson outdueled Cory Schneider. The Ducks lost 5-3 last season in Newark on Dec. 18, and they haven't won in New Jersey since Dec. 19, 2015.
Philadelphia-Montreal: The Flyers and Canadiens do battle for the first time this season, and they're set to meet three times between now and March 19. Philly might be showing signs of snapping out of their funk, winning back-to-back games Monday and Wednesday. It's the first time the Fly Guys had consecutive wins in regulation since Dec. 18-20. Their season high, accomplished once, was a three-game run from Nov. 5-10, sweeping a home-and-home with Arizona before blanking Chicago. All-Star goaltender Carey Price is back, posting a solid 18-13-4 mark with a 2.65 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as of Thursday AM. He also has three shutouts to his credit.
Pittsburgh-Vegas: The Golden Knights welcome the Penguins to town, and Marc-Andre Fleury will likely be in the crease for this one. Malcolm Subban started the first meeting the Steel City back on Oct. 11, as the Pens posted a 4-2 victory behind Casey DeSmith. Matt Murray will likely be holding down the fort in this one. In the only previous meeting in Sin City last season, Fleury bested Murray, his former understudy, by a 2-1 margin on Dec. 14, 2017. The 'under' is 7-2-1 across the past 10 outings heading into Saturday's showdown. On the flip side, the Pens have a 4-0 'over' mark across their past four road games heading into Friday's battle in Arizona. They have the difficult task of back-to-back desert games, while Vegas enters well rested and off since Tuesday.
Joe Williams
Toothless Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are fading fast, going 0-8-4 across the past 12 games. Despite the ugly skid they're still just two points behind the Edmonton Oilers for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with plenty of time to turn things around. In the past they're slide and 47 points through 47 games might be a death knell, but the last few playoff spots in the West this season might go to teams with point totals slightly lower than we've seen in recent seasons. The road trip continues at Minnesota on Thursday, at New Jersey on Saturday and at N.Y. Islanders on Sunday before returning home Wednesday against St. Louis to finish up before the All-Star break. If they don't break the skid then, they'll have to wait all the way until Feb. 2 due to the All-Star break, when they embark on another five-game road trip.
Calgary...On Fire
The Calgary Flames have fired to the top of the Pacific Division with an 8-1-2 mark across the past 11 outings, although they certainly haven't done it with a lot of attention. The Flames have posted a 15-4-5 mark at home this season, but they're a respectable 15-9-0 in 24 outings away from home to lead the Western Conference in road victories. Their plus-39 goal differential is also good for second in the NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (plus-58). The Flames face the Detroit Red Wings at home on Friday, and have a quick turnaround in Edmonton on Saturday night. Head coach Bill Peters will also face his former employer, the Carolina Hurricanes, in a pair of games on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Calgary, and Sunday, Feb. 3 in Raleigh.
Looking Ahead
Thursday, Jan. 17
Toronto-Tampa Bay: The Maple Leafs hit the road for the Sunshine State stretch against the Lightning and Florida Panthers. The public is investing heavily in the home side despite the fact the Maple Leafs are an impressive 15-6 in the past 21 road games while going 10-1 in their past 11 while playing on two or more days of rest. The Lightning will be playing in their fourth game in six days, and they're 23-6 in the past 29 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation. The public is likely backing the Lightning heavily, either straight-up or on the puck line, because of Toronto's woes in this series recently. The Leafs are 2-8 in their past 10 trips to Tampa, and 1-5 in the past six meetings overall. The 'under' is also 8-3 in the past 11 metings in this series.
Winnipeg-Nashville: The Jets roll into the Music City with five victories in the past six games overall, and they're 7-2 in the past nine attempts against a team with a winning overall record. In addition, Winnipeg has posted an 8-3 record across the past 11 on the road. The Predators are equally hot, going 4-0 in their past four against teams with a winning percentage over .600. Total bettors might be slapping the 'over', which is 4-0 in Smashville's past four overall and 5-2 in the past seven against the Western Conference. While the over is 8-1-2 in the past 11 road games by a team with a home winning percentage over .600, the under is 7-3-1 in the past 11 overall and 3-1-1 in the past five against winning teams. The over is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings in Nashville, and the road team has claimed four of the past five.
Los Angeles-Dallas: The Kings are Stars are both struggling, so something's gotta give in this one. The Kings are 2-5 in the past seven overall, while they're just 7-19 in the past 26 games away from home. For Dallas, they have dropped four of the past five overall, although they're a solid 11-4 in the past 15 against Pacific Division foes. The Kings are just 1-5 in the past six against the Stars, although the road team is 4-1 in the past five. While the under has been the play for both teams lately, going 8-2 in L.A.'s past 10, and 5-0-1 in the past six for Dallas, the 'over' is 7-3-4 in the past 14 meetings in this series.
Friday, Jan. 18
N.Y. Islanders-Washington: It might be rather overlooked, but the Capitals will welcome Stanley Cup champion head coach Barry Trotz to town on Friday night. It will be his first visit to D.C. since leaving after last season's title, failing to agree to terms on a new deal after the franchise's first championship. Washington greeted him rudely on the Island in the first meeting on Nov. 26, winning 4-1 behind Braden Holtby. He has been on the shelf with an injury, so it's likely Pheonix Copley gets the starting nod. The Capitals are 0-2-1 over Copley's past three starts, getting outscored 13-4 in the process.
Buffalo-Vancouver: The Sabres continue their road trip against the Canucks in the Pacific Northwest, and the home side is a slight favorite over the skidding side from Buffalo. The Sabres picked up a much-needed win, and a rather impressive one, in Calgary on Wednesday. Buffalo posted a 4-3 win in overtime thanks to superstar Jack Eichel just 70 seconds into the extra session. Vancouver is looking to bounce back after a 3-2 setback against the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout on Wednesday. They're looking for revenge after losing a 4-3 shootout in Buffalo on Nov. 10 earlier in the season, too. The Canucks are 5-2-2 over their past nine at home.
Saturday, Jan. 19
Anaheim-New Jersey: The Ducks and Devils will drop the puck at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Newark, or 10:00 a.m. PT, the local clock of the Ducks. It could be a sluggish start for a team not playing all that way lately. Anaheim enters 0-5-2 in their past seven against Eastern Conference teams, last winning in Pittsburgh of all places on Dec. 17 by a 4-2 count. They also were able to beat the Devils in a shootout by a 6-5 count back on Dec. 9, as John Gibson outdueled Cory Schneider. The Ducks lost 5-3 last season in Newark on Dec. 18, and they haven't won in New Jersey since Dec. 19, 2015.
Philadelphia-Montreal: The Flyers and Canadiens do battle for the first time this season, and they're set to meet three times between now and March 19. Philly might be showing signs of snapping out of their funk, winning back-to-back games Monday and Wednesday. It's the first time the Fly Guys had consecutive wins in regulation since Dec. 18-20. Their season high, accomplished once, was a three-game run from Nov. 5-10, sweeping a home-and-home with Arizona before blanking Chicago. All-Star goaltender Carey Price is back, posting a solid 18-13-4 mark with a 2.65 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as of Thursday AM. He also has three shutouts to his credit.
Pittsburgh-Vegas: The Golden Knights welcome the Penguins to town, and Marc-Andre Fleury will likely be in the crease for this one. Malcolm Subban started the first meeting the Steel City back on Oct. 11, as the Pens posted a 4-2 victory behind Casey DeSmith. Matt Murray will likely be holding down the fort in this one. In the only previous meeting in Sin City last season, Fleury bested Murray, his former understudy, by a 2-1 margin on Dec. 14, 2017. The 'under' is 7-2-1 across the past 10 outings heading into Saturday's showdown. On the flip side, the Pens have a 4-0 'over' mark across their past four road games heading into Friday's battle in Arizona. They have the difficult task of back-to-back desert games, while Vegas enters well rested and off since Tuesday.
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