Cnotes National Hockey League October Rated Plays - Trends - News - Etc. !!

[CNOTES]

NHL Consensus Picks


SIDES (ATS)


Time Away Line Picks Pct Home Line Picks Pct Detail Odds


10:00 PM Calgary +125 334 33.00% Edmonton -138 678 67.00% View View


8:00 PM Minnesota +121 242 34.47% St. Louis -134 460 65.53% View View


3:00 PM San Jose +140 380 35.12% Dallas -155 702 64.88% View View


7:00 PM Boston +140 294 40.33% Tampa Bay -155 435 59.67% View View


7:00 PM Detroit +120 440 43.61% Ottawa -133 569 56.39% View View


4:00 PM Nashville +122 484 45.23% Los Angeles -135 586 54.77% View View


7:00 PM Washington -115 407 61.30% Florida +104 257 38.70% View View


1:00 PM NY Islanders -129 656 64.76% New Jersey +117 357 35.24% View View


7:00 PM Winnipeg -129 702 65.73% Columbus +117 366 34.27% View View


7:00 PM Pittsburgh -152 778 71.57% Toronto +137 309 28.43% View View


TOTALS (OVER/UNDER)


Time Away Total Over Pct Home Total Under Pct Detail Odds


7:00 PM Detroit 5.5 269 38.10% Ottawa 5.5 437 61.90% View View


4:00 PM Nashville 5 295 39.49% Los Angeles 5 452 60.51% View View


8:00 PM Minnesota 5 232 47.93% St. Louis 5 252 52.07% View View


1:00 PM NY Islanders 5 343 50.29% New Jersey 5 339 49.71% View View


7:00 PM Washington 5.5 245 50.94% Florida 5.5 236 49.06% View View


7:00 PM Winnipeg 5.5 341 51.12% Columbus 5.5 326 48.88% View View


7:00 PM Boston 5.5 251 52.40% Tampa Bay 5.5 228 47.60% View View


3:00 PM San Jose 5.5 412 56.91% Dallas 5.5 312 43.09% View View


10:00 PM Calgary 5.5 448 60.13% Edmonton 5.5 297 39.87% View View


7:00 PM Pittsburgh 5 556 73.54% Toronto 5 200 26.46% View View


---------------------------------


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31


Game Score Status Pick Amount




Pittsburgh - 7:00 PM ET Pittsburgh -152 500 OCTOPLAY
Toronto - Under 5 500


Detroit - 7:00 PM ET Detroit +120 500
Ottawa - Over 5.5 500


Boston - 7:00 PM ET Tampa Bay -155 500
Tampa Bay - Under 5.5 500


Washington - 7:00 PM ET Washington -115 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Florida - Over 5.5 500


Winnipeg - 7:00 PM ET Winnipeg -129 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Columbus - Over 5.5 500


Minnesota - 8:00 PM ET Minnesota +121 500 DOUBLE PLAY
St. Louis - Over 5 500


Calgary - 10:00 PM ET Calgary +125 500 *****
Edmonton - Over 5.5 500

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Average salary for an NFL head coach this year is $4,851,563.

-- Sean Payton/Pete Carroll ($8M) are highest paid NFL coaches. Five coaches make $3.5M, lowest head coaching salary.

-- Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator at Auburn, makes $1.7M.

-- Florida's backup kicker Saturday was a dental student who was chosen after an open tryout where 77 Florida students tried out.

-- New York City has 35,000 police officers. THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND!!!!

-- Between 10:30/11:15 Saturday night, there was a lot of drama in sports on TV. Wild football games at Minnesota and Duke plus the World Series game, then the end of the Temple game too. Hell of a fun Saturday night. .

Sunday's second six-pack

Westgate Super Contest (1,727 entrants-- prize pool is $2.5M)
six most popular picks in Week 7 season record: 23-18-2

6) Steelers even (462)-- Big Ben returns against the unbeaten Bengals.

5) Broncos +3 (470)-- Battle of unbeatens, both coming off of byes.

4) Bears +1.5 (499)- Vikings lost their last seven visits to Windy City.

3) Packers -3 (511). Lot of opinions both ways on this game.

2) Jets -2.5 (530)-- Jets will miss center Mangold if he can't go here.

1) Cardinals -5 (538)-- Arizona's last game before its bye week.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.....

13) Miami 30, Duke 27-- Hurricanes scored on a bizarre, 8-lateral kick return for the win as time expired, after Duke scored to take the lead with 0:06 left. Miami had one runner who appeared to be down before he lateraled and at least one illegal block, but since this wasn't basketball, Duke didn't get bailed out by the refs.

Officiating guru Mike Pereira of FOX: "they used replay to decide to pick up the flag for the block at the 25. Replay is not allowed to reveiw a call for that." OK then.

This is third Saturday in a row that a nationally televised game ended on a bizarre play on special teams. College football is wildly entertaining.

12) Michigan 29, Minnesota 26-- Coaching malpractice by the Gophers' staff, plain and simple. Minnesota has ball on 1-yard line after a TD was overruled by replay with 0:19 left. Gophers had one timeout left.

Refs wound the clock after the ball was re-set; Minnesota took so much time to run its play (incomplete pass) there were only 0:02 after the play- then they got stuffed on a QB sneak as the game ended. No way they shouldn't have gotten at least three plays-- those Minnesota kids played their asses off, they needed better coaching at the end.

11) Notre Dame 24, Temple 20-- This was also a really good game; channel 205 on DirecTV has eight screens on it-- it had four college football games, plus the World Series and some other stuff too. This guy who coaches Temple is going to get offers to move up the coaching ladder pretty soon- the Owls are legitimately good.

10) Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53-- Tech has home losses this year where they scored 52-53 points; here's some advice: RECRUIT DEFENSIVE PLAYERS!!!!

9) Virginia Tech 26, Boston College 10-- Maybe BC, Texas Tech could just trade some kids; BC has a putrid offense but a good defense. Recruit a bleepin' QB. Just go to Texas or Florida and sign a couple kids who can pass. Everyone else does.

8) Iowa State 24, Texas 0-- Longhorns have played three true road games, have been outscored 112-10 in those games. Why exactly did they fire Mack Brown?

7) Purdue 55, Nebraska 45-- Cornhuskers turned ball over five times, ran for only 77 yards, threw for 407 with a backup QB. Losing to Purdue in football isn't good for a coach's job security; luckily for coach Riley, its only his first year in Lincoln.

6) San Diego State 41, Colorado State 17-- Aztecs are sitting atop Mountain West, which seems to be down this year, but San Diego State ran for 276 yards here.

5) Golden State 134, New Orleans 120-- Steph Curry had 53 points, nine assists for the Warriors. Pelicans have severe injury issues, but 53-9 is a really big night, and has not happened a lot in NBA history.

4) USC 27, Cal 21-- Solid road win for Trojans and interim coach Helton, who is now 2-0 since taking over. Golden Bears lost their last three games.

3) Florida 27, Georgia 3-- If Miami wanted to hire alum Mark Richt as its new head coach, how many people in Georgia would object? This is another team without a QB; how does this happen at the SEC level?

2) Ole Miss 27, Auburn 19-- Will Muschamp makes $1.7M a year and he isn't head coach at Auburn; whoever foots that bill can't be real happy today. Rebels threw the ball for 402 yards against the $1.7M coordinator's defense. Auburn is 4-4.

1) Stanford 30, Washington State 28 -- Coogs missed 43-yard FG on last play, but it was their red zone failures in first half that cost them here. Kid was 5-5 on FGs for night before missing the last kick. Tough end to a rainy night in Pullman. Solid win for Cardinal, who haven't lost since the opener at Northwestern.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, November 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SAN JOSE (5-5-0-0, 10 pts.) at COLORADO (3-6-0-1, 7 pts.) - 11/1/2015, 3:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 4-2 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 4-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.2 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY (5-5-0-2, 12 pts.) at CAROLINA (5-6-0-0, 10 pts.) - 11/1/2015, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 5-1 (+3.5 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 5-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.7 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WINNIPEG (7-3-0-1, 15 pts.) at MONTREAL (10-2-0-0, 20 pts.) - 11/1/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 10-2 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 10-2 ATS (+10.0 Units) first half of the season this season.
MONTREAL is 28-12 ATS (+12.9 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 22-8 ATS (+12.1 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 59-42 ATS (+4.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 25-13 ATS (+38.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 15-9 ATS (+26.6 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 2-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-2-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUFFALO (4-7-0-0, 8 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (6-2-0-3, 15 pts.) - 11/1/2015, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 4-2-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.3 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NASHVILLE (7-1-0-2, 16 pts.) at ANAHEIM (1-7-0-2, 4 pts.) - 11/1/2015, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 5-2 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 5-2-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.8 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, November 1

Hot teams
-- Carolina won last three games, allowing five goals.
-- Montreal won nine of first eleven games. Jets won three of last four games.
-- Nashville won seven of its last ten games.

Cold teams
-- Sharks, Avalanche both lost five of their last six games.
-- Lightning lost last four games, scoring two goals.
-- Sabres lost three of their last four road games. Islanders lost last two games overall, both 3-2 (SO/OT).
-- Anaheim lost its last five games, outscored 15-5.

Series records
-- Sharks won their last three games with Colorado
-- Lightning won four of last six games with Carolina.
-- Canadiens won seven of last nine games with Winnipeg.
-- Islanders won four of last five games with Buffalo.
-- Ducks won eight of last ten games with Nashville.

Totals
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Colorado games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Tampa Bay-Carolina games.
-- Last five Montreal games went over the total.
-- Seven of last ten Sabre-Islander games stayed under.
-- Last eight Nashville-Anaheim games went over total.




NHL

Sunday, November 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. COLORADO
San Jose is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
San Jose is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games at home

5:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. CAROLINA
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Carolina is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games at home
Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

7:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. MONTREAL
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

7:30 PM
BUFFALO vs. NY ISLANDERS
Buffalo is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Buffalo is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 10 games when playing Buffalo

8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games on the road
Anaheim is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing at home against Nashville

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sharks (4-5) at Avalanche (3-6)
Date: November 01, 2015 3:00 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks continue to slump after their hot start, and while Pete DeBoer lamented his club's five-on-five play after the latest setback, it's special teams that continues to sink the Sharks.


Special teams have also been a point of weakness for the Colorado Avalanche.


Both will look to clean up those units Sunday at the Pepsi Center.


San Jose (5-5-0) has dropped five of six while surrendering 23 goals after allowing only two while winning their first four contests. They lost 5-3 at Dallas on Saturday, falling to former Sharks Antti Niemi and Jason Demers. Niemi made 26 saves while Demers had a goal and an assist.


All three San Jose goals came in the second period, with two on the power play and a short-handed goal by Matt Nieto.


"We have to be better 5-on-5," DeBoer said. "They had three 5-on-5 goals tonight, we didn't have any. Our power play started to heat up, which is a good sign."


But even despite Saturday's performance, the Sharks are still plus-three in terms of even-strength goal differential. Meanwhile, they've given up seven power-play goals on 24 chances over the last seven games, and had gone six consecutive games without a power-play goal of their own before Saturday.


The Avalanche (3-6-1) still haven't won consecutive games, losing 3-2 at Carolina on Friday after Thursday's 2-1 win at Tampa Bay snapped a four-game skid.


They allowed three straight goals to the Hurricanes after Alex Tanguay's second-period goal opened the scoring.


"We just don't score enough goals," coach Patrick Roy said.


Colorado has nine goals in dropping five of the last six. It scored 15 while splitting its first four games.


Special teams have gone south in a hurry for the Avalanche, who have allowed six power-play goals on 16 chances over the last four games. Meanwhile, they're 0 for 14 on the advantage over the last three after starting the season 7 for 28.


"We've made some good strides," Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the team with 10 points, told its official website. "We've been playing really well 5-on-5. Obviously, we need to chip in on the special teams. Power play and PK need to be a little bit better, but it's going to be a good test for us."


Colorado is 1-3-1 at home and hasn't lost five of its first six there since 2011, while the Sharks are in danger of losing four straight on the road for the first time since Dec. 5-14, 2013.


Martin Jones is likely to be in net for San Jose after backup Alex Stalock got the nod Saturday. Jones only gave up two goals in his first four starts, but has given up 12 in his last four. He won both previous starts against the Avalanche in 2013-14.


The Sharks are seeking their fourth straight victory in the series after outscoring Colorado 13-4 over the last three.


Patrick Marleau, who hasn't scored in six straight games after recording three goals in his first four, has six goals and five assists in his last nine matchups with the Avalanche.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Lightning (5-5) at Hurricanes (5-6)
Date: November 01, 2015 5:00 PM EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes stayed in a groove at the start of a home-heavy stretch of their schedule and will next face a former division rival that's heading in an opposite direction.


The Hurricanes seek to extend their win streak to four games Sunday while sending the Tampa Bay Lightning to a fifth consecutive defeat.


Carolina (5-6-0) beat Colorado 3-2 on Friday - its first in three home contests this season - in its return from a seven-game trip and will also get to play eight of its next nine on its own ice.


"We're getting closer," coach Bill Peters said. "We've got some traction now, a little bit of confidence. We've got both goaltenders going, and I think we're going in the right direction for sure."


The Hurricanes will try to use that home stretch to their advantage to secure their first four-game win streak since Nov. 1-7, 2014, their longest last season.


"(The win streak) continues to build our confidence," rookie defenseman Brett Pesce said. "Everyone's in a good mood. Everyone's flying out there. Everyone's happy and zipping the puck around. I think it's going to be good for (Sunday), and hopefully we can continue it."


Tampa Bay (5-5-2) in its midst of playing eight of 10 on the road and will close that out with a four-game trip that begins Sunday. The Lightning also didn't fare well in back-to-back home dates and were 3-1 losers to Boston on Saturday, giving them two goals over their last four games.


"We expect better from ourselves. Teams aren't just going to let us go out there and get two points," goaltender Ben Bishop said. "It's on us. This is maybe what we needed. We've got a game (Sunday) so that's a good thing so we can put this behind us. We have to wake up pretty quick."


Tampa Bay has often performed well in recent matchups with its former Southeast Division foe, taking nine of the past 11. The Lightning had won six straight in Carolina until a 4-2 loss Jan. 27.


Eric Staal scored just 22 seconds into that game, and Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist. Faulk put the Hurricanes ahead for good against the Avalanche on Friday with his fourth goal of the season.


"They're a very good team. They're the Eastern Conference champions so we're playing one of the best teams in the National Hockey League in our building," Peters said. "To me, it's an important game."


Nikita Kucherov, who scored Tampa Bay's lone goal Saturday, has four in five career games against the Hurricanes.


With Bishop starting the first of back-to-back games, it's unclear if he'll be in net again for the 11th time in the Lightning's 12 contests. Current backup Kristers Gudlevskis has made the only other start Oct. 24 in Chicago, and Tampa Bay might get its regular backup netminder, Andrei Vasilevskiy, back from vascular surgery for its road trip.


Carolina forward Elias Lindholm is doubtful because of a lower-body injury but Peters indicated that ailment might not keep him out for the long term. The Hurricanes will have plenty of time for Lindholm and their remaining players to rest after this game.


They won't play against until Friday against Dallas.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Jets (7-3) at Canadiens (10-2)
Date: November 01, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens experienced a two-game hiccup, but found themselves adding to their NHL-best win total once again with another high-scoring performance.


They'll have to fight off the Winnipeg Jets, one of the league's best road teams thus far, in order to carry on with another winning streak Sunday night.


Montreal (10-2-0) had its season-opening nine-game winning streak snapped with 5-1 and 4-3 losses at Vancouver and Edmonton, but got back on track with a 6-2 win in Calgary on Friday. The Canadiens are averaging 3.8 goals per game, trailing only Boston (3.9), with 22 over their last five contests - a span in which they've scored six times on 14 power-play chances.


They became the first club to 10 wins Friday, and Dale Weise recorded his first career hat trick to push his season goal total to six. He's already four shy of his career high set last season, and he has 30 shots after averaging 1.2 per game last season.


"We needed a win, and a lot of guys chipped in. It was amazing," Weise told the team's official website. "That's what we need going to forward to be successful. That's why we won nine in a row to start the year, with contributions from everybody."


Carey Price was given a breather after giving up all nine goals in the back-to-back losses, and rookie Mike Condon filled in nicely with 30 saves. Despite those two tough games, Price still owns a .936 save percentage - better than the .933 mark that he won the Hart Trophy with last season.


He's had more breathing room this season after the Canadiens ranked 20th with 2.6 goals per game in 2014-15.


Price is 5-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average and three shutouts in his last six starts against Winnipeg.


The Jets (7-3-1) have won three of four and started off in better fashion for at least one game in Saturday's 3-2 win at Columbus. All three of their goals came in the first period after they had been outscored 7-6 in the first 20 minutes of their previous 10 games. Winnipeg had given up the first goal eight times in those contests, but has been able to win a league-high five of those.


"It does seem like we've had some slow starts lately,' said Bryan Little, who had a goal and an assist along with Blake Wheeler. "That's something we talked about before the game. Coming out hard and kind of setting the tone for the game."


Winnipeg is 4-1-0 on the road, scoring five power-play goals on 15 opportunities. Montreal has outscored opponents 15-4 in winning all four at home, where it plays seven of its next eight after an early road-heavy schedule.


The Canadiens also began last season with four consecutive home wins but haven't opened 5-0-0 there since a 6-0-0 start in 1979-80.


Ondrej Pavelec stopped 19 shots Saturday for the Jets, potentially setting backup Michael Hutchinson up for his fifth start. Hutchinson, who has never faced the Canadiens, is 4-0-0 with a 1.75 GAA this season.


Montreal had won nine of 10 in the series before dropping two of three.


Little has only two points in his last 14 against the Canadiens.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sabres (3-7) at Islanders (6-2)
Date: November 01, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

A pair of points left on the table and illness spreading through the locker room have left the New York Islanders a bit vulnerable.


The Islanders may need to avoid any further damage without captain John Tavares on Sunday night against the visiting Buffalo Sabres.


The Islanders (6-2-3) followed a 6-1-0 stretch with losses in overtime and a shootout, and sickness has recently slowed them - most recently affecting their best player.


Tavares missed his first game in nearly two years Saturday with an unspecified illness, getting evaluated by team doctors and sent home before New York's 3-2 shootout loss at New Jersey.


It was the Islanders' third sickness-related scratch this week after goaltender Jaroslav Halak and Ryan Strome missed Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina.


Halak and Strome both played Saturday, and coach Jack Capuano said the team would know more on Tavares Saturday night or Sunday morning.


"Certain guys are a little under the weather, but hopefully they'll find out exactly what it is," Capuano told the NHL's official website. "Hopefully it's nothing at all, and they'll take a few days to get better."


Tavares is the club's leading scorer with five goals and six assists, and it would be a big boost for Buffalo (4-7-0) if he is scratched from Sunday's contests.


Tavares has 10 goals and 10 assists in 19 career games against the Sabres, including a pair of goals and three assists while logging at least one point in each of the last four.


The Sabres likely won't avoid seeing Halak, who will seek his sixth straight win over them if he is able to go. Halak has a 1.00 goals-against average and .952 save percentage against Buffalo during a streak that dates to April 3, 2010.


The Sabres, who are 1-3-1 in their last five against New York, are 1-3-0 on the road this season after posting a NHL-worst 9-23-3 away mark in 2014-15. Buffalo, though, enters its first game at Barclays Center playing better of late.


The Sabres have won two of three after a 4-3 overtime victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday and a 3-1 win over the Flyers on Friday. They've scored 13 goals in their last four games after finishing with the same amount through their first seven.


The penalty kill has also found some rhythm of late. After allowing two goals on three chances in a 7-2 loss against Montreal on Oct. 23, the Sabres have killed off eight of their last nine penalties.


"I think we're working more as a unit," defenseman Josh Gorges told the team's official website. "The penalty kill, it's a tough job but you need all four guys that are on the ice - including the goalie - to work at the same pace and move the same way and make the same reads."


The Sabres may be without a key player again as center Tyler Ennis has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury. He sat out practice Saturday and will be evaluated after pregame warmups. Ennis has three goals and two assists in nine games.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Predators (5-1) at Ducks (1-7)
Date: November 01, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The Nashville Predators had arguably their finest performance a little over a week ago against the struggling Anaheim Ducks.


The Predators will try for a repeat when they visit Anaheim on Sunday night as they aim to secure the best 11-game start in franchise history.


Nashville (7-1-2) recorded its most lopsided victory this season with a 5-1 rout of Anaheim on Oct. 22. The Predators waited until the second period to start their scoring then poured it on with four consecutive goals before the Ducks (1-7-2) responded.


"I thought we were good from start to finish tonight. It was a really good effort. They came out strong in the first period, and we had to be ready to play with them. After that, we seemed to get better as the game went on," coach Peter Laviolette said.


Ryan Ellis and Colin Wilson each had a goal and two assists in only Nashville's second win in the last 10 games in the series. The Predators have followed with two losses in their last three games but have earned a point in each.


They lost 4-3 in overtime Saturday against red-hot Los Angeles in the second of four consecutive road contests, failing to build on Ellis' tying goal in the third period. James Neal also tallied his seventh goal in seven games.


Nashville has one win in its last five trips to Anaheim, going 1-2-2 with a shootout loss Jan. 4 and a 4-2 defeat March 15.


If they can earn a win Sunday, the Predators would top their 17 points in 11 games from 2005-06 when they began 8-2-1.


Nashville is also seeking to keep an opponent scoreless in the first period for the 11th consecutive game. That would put it one shy of tying the NHL's longest season-opening streak by the 1974-75 Los Angeles Kings.


The Ducks have been blanked in all but two opening periods this season and have endured five shutouts in their first 10 games. Hampus Lindholm helped them avoid another blanking Thursday against St. Louis, but Anaheim finished 0-4-1 on its road trip with a 2-1 defeat.


The Ducks gave up the tiebreaking goal when Blues defenseman Colton Parayko's shot went off the boards and deflected in off netminder Frederik Andersen's left skate.


"We do need a break and we're not getting them right now and that's what usually happens when a dark cloud's over you," coach Bruce Boudreau said.


The Ducks won the final game before that trip, 4-1 over Minnesota on Oct. 18, after dropping their first three on home ice. They'll open a three-game homestand Sunday.


Anaheim captain Ryan Getzalf, who had one assist in eight games, will likely sit out again while continuing to recover from an appendectomy. Top-line players Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler also remain without a goal and are combined minus-10.


Neal had one assist in the most recent matchup with Anaheim and has totaled three points (one goal, two assists) in his last three. Mike Ribeiro has eight goals and 12 assists in his past 16 while Wilson has four goals and two assists in his last five.


The Ducks haven't lost six straight since an 0-6-1 slide in November 2011.

 

[CNOTES]

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1


Game Score Status Pick Amount


San Jose - 3:00 PM ET San Jose -103 500 *****
Colorado - Over 5 500


Tampa Bay - 5:00 PM ET Tampa Bay -113 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Carolina - Under 5 500


Winnipeg - 7:00 PM ET Winnipeg +169 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Montreal - Under 5 500


Buffalo - 7:30 PM ET NY Islanders -210 500 OCTOPLAY
NY Islanders - Over 5.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY


Nashville - 8:00 PM ET Nashville +107 500 OCTOPLAY
Anaheim - Over 5 500