NHL roundup: Jackets back on track
By The Sports Xchange
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It would take late game heroics from Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn to send Sunday's game into overtime, but he couldn't beat the overtime performance of Nick Foligno, who provided the game-winner in the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2-1 win over the Flyers.
Foligno got the puck on his stick in the slot and fired one past Steve Mason with 2:27 remaining in overtime. It was his 14th goal of the season. That came after Schenn, with the goaltender pulled for an extra skater with 16.5 to play in regulation, tapped the puck around Sergei Bobrovsky's left side for his 12th of the season.
David Savard scored the regulation goal for Columbus and Bobrovsky had 25 saves against his former club. Mason stopped 23 of the shots he faced for the Flyers.
Penguins 6, Lightning 2
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh shook off the rust from its bye week, scoring four goals in a row en route to a dominating win over Tampa Bay at PPG Paints Arena.
Conor Sheary, Eric Fehr, Chris Kunitz, Scott Wilson, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang scored for the penguins, who won their fifth straight.
Jonathan Drouin and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Lightning.
Hurricanes 4, Bruins 3
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho's second goal of the game came with 3:26 remaining in overtime to give Carolina a victory against Boston at PNC Arena.
Derek Allen and Jay McClement also scored for the Hurricanes, who have points in 12 of their last 13 home games. Aho, a rookie, has 10 goals. Cam Ward made 32 saves.
Tim Schaller, David Backes and Brad Marchand scored goals for the Bruins, who played beyond regulation for the first time in seven games. Zane McIntyre, making only his fourth career appearance, stopped 26 shots.
Senators 5, Oilers 3
OTTAWA -- Tom Pyatt's second-period goal stood as the winner, and Ottawa snapped a four-game winless drought by defeating Edmonton at Canadian Tire Centre.
Mark Stone led the way for Ottawa with a goal and two assists, while Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith and Kyle Turris had the other Senators goals. Smith and Turris each added an assist.
Patrick Maroon scored twice for the Oilers, and Leon Draisaitl added the other.
Blackhawks 5, Predators 2
CHICAGO -- Ryan Hartman recorded his first career hat trick with three goals in the third period, including a pair of empty-net goals, and Chicago from Nashville.
Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson also scored for the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane finished with three assists as the Blackhawks won their third game in a row.
Mattias Ekholm and Austin Watson scored for the Predators, who lost their second straight.
Wild 2, Ducks 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Minnesota used two second-period goals to beat Anaheim at Honda Center.
Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon scored less than two minutes apart in the middle frame to account for the scoring and Devan Dubnyk stopped 23 shots for the Wild, who out-shot the Ducks, 36-24.
Ryan Kesler scored the Ducks lone goal.
By The Sports Xchange
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It would take late game heroics from Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn to send Sunday's game into overtime, but he couldn't beat the overtime performance of Nick Foligno, who provided the game-winner in the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2-1 win over the Flyers.
Foligno got the puck on his stick in the slot and fired one past Steve Mason with 2:27 remaining in overtime. It was his 14th goal of the season. That came after Schenn, with the goaltender pulled for an extra skater with 16.5 to play in regulation, tapped the puck around Sergei Bobrovsky's left side for his 12th of the season.
David Savard scored the regulation goal for Columbus and Bobrovsky had 25 saves against his former club. Mason stopped 23 of the shots he faced for the Flyers.
Penguins 6, Lightning 2
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh shook off the rust from its bye week, scoring four goals in a row en route to a dominating win over Tampa Bay at PPG Paints Arena.
Conor Sheary, Eric Fehr, Chris Kunitz, Scott Wilson, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang scored for the penguins, who won their fifth straight.
Jonathan Drouin and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Lightning.
Hurricanes 4, Bruins 3
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho's second goal of the game came with 3:26 remaining in overtime to give Carolina a victory against Boston at PNC Arena.
Derek Allen and Jay McClement also scored for the Hurricanes, who have points in 12 of their last 13 home games. Aho, a rookie, has 10 goals. Cam Ward made 32 saves.
Tim Schaller, David Backes and Brad Marchand scored goals for the Bruins, who played beyond regulation for the first time in seven games. Zane McIntyre, making only his fourth career appearance, stopped 26 shots.
Senators 5, Oilers 3
OTTAWA -- Tom Pyatt's second-period goal stood as the winner, and Ottawa snapped a four-game winless drought by defeating Edmonton at Canadian Tire Centre.
Mark Stone led the way for Ottawa with a goal and two assists, while Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith and Kyle Turris had the other Senators goals. Smith and Turris each added an assist.
Patrick Maroon scored twice for the Oilers, and Leon Draisaitl added the other.
Blackhawks 5, Predators 2
CHICAGO -- Ryan Hartman recorded his first career hat trick with three goals in the third period, including a pair of empty-net goals, and Chicago from Nashville.
Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson also scored for the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane finished with three assists as the Blackhawks won their third game in a row.
Mattias Ekholm and Austin Watson scored for the Predators, who lost their second straight.
Wild 2, Ducks 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Minnesota used two second-period goals to beat Anaheim at Honda Center.
Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon scored less than two minutes apart in the middle frame to account for the scoring and Devan Dubnyk stopped 23 shots for the Wild, who out-shot the Ducks, 36-24.
Ryan Kesler scored the Ducks lone goal.
In the Crease - Week 14
By Joe Williams
Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Florida 1-6 past seven home Arizona Under 13-4-1 past 18 overall
New Jersey 2-5 past seven home Florida Under 6-0 past six overall
N.Y. Rangers 5-1 past six overall, 8-1 past nine road Los Angeles Under 9-1-1 past 11 overall
Washington 5-0 past five overall, 5-2 past seven road N.Y. Rangers Over 7-1 past eight overall
Winnipeg 4-1 past five road St. Louis Over 4-1-1 past five overall
Hab-itutal OT Offender
The Montreal Canadiens have won four of their past five games, but they're making bettors work for their money lately. Over the past six games for the Habs, five of the outings have been decided in overtime. The Canadiens have won three of their past four games decided in the 3-on-3 overtime session, with all three of those wins coming on the road. Over the past 24 games, Montreal has played nine overtime games and a shootout during the span. They're 4-5 in OT games this season, splitting each of their two games decided in a shootout.
Defense is King
The Los Angeles Kings defense and goaltending has been on point since mid-December, allowing three or fewer goals in 10 of the past 12 outings. They're allowing just 1.92 goals per game, and that includes the seven they've given up over the past two outings. In the past nine games with Peter Budaj in between the pipes, the Slovakian netminder is 5-3-1 with a 1.43 Goals-Against Average (GAA). He has been particularly effective on the road, giving up two or fewer goals each of his past seven outings.
Looking Ahead
Monday, Jan. 9
The Capitals and Canadiens hook up in Montreal, and each team has managed 25 victories and nine losses this season. Lately, though, Washington has been the hotter team, posting five straight victories, including four wins in a row against teams with a winning overall record. The Caps have won five of their past seven on the road, and they're an impressive 42-10 in their past 52 games against Atlantic Division teams. And for what it's worth, the Caps are 14-2 in their past 16 games played on Monday. The Habs have won four of their past five, and they're 16-5 in their past 21 games at home. Washington has had the upper hand in this series, too, going 9-1 in their past 10 trips to Montreal, and 13-6 in their past 19 against the Habs. The team team is also 19-7 in their past 26 meetings in this series.
The Stars head to Los Angeles trying to solve the defense and goaltending of the Kings. Dallas has had plenty of success in La La Land lately, winning seven of their past 10 trips to the left coast. The Stars are just 2-8 in their past 10 road games, and 0-5 in their past five road games against a team with a home winning percentage over .600. The Kings have won 12 of their past 17 home games, but they're just 5-11 in their past 16 against Central Division teams and 1-5 in their past six against a team with a losing record.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
The Flyers meet the Sabres in Buffalo for the second games between these Eastern Conference rivals this season. The Flyers edged the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout in the first meeting on Oct. 25. Philly has won three of their past four trips to Buffalo. The 'over' is 6-3 in the past nine meetings in this series, although the 'under' is 2-0 in the past two in Buffalo. The Fly Guys headed into Columbus Monday night with five straight losses on the road, while has split their past six games overally while averaging 3.0 goals per game over the span.
The Sharks head to Northern Alberta to battle the Oilers. While San Jose has won just four of the past seven meetings in this series lately, including a 3-2 overtime victory in the first meeting on Dec. 23, the Sharks have enjoyed plenty of success between these two teams overall. San Jose is 7-3 in their past 10 trips to Edmonton, and the 'under' has cashed in five of the past seven meetings in this meetings in the Oilers' arena. Four of the past seven in this series has been decided in overtime or a shootout, with the teams splitting two OT games and two in the SO. In fact, seven of the past 11 meetings have resulted in one-goal games.
Wednesday, Jan. 11
The slate is short and sweet Wednesday night, but there is a huge rivalry game. The Penguins and Capitals do battle in the nation's capital, and Pittsburgh will have revenge on its mind. The Caps embarrassed Sidney Crosby and the boys back on Nov. 16, winning 7-1. In the first meeting back on Oct. 13, it was the Pens eeking out a 3-2 shootout victory in the Steel City. The 'over' is 3-0-1 in the past four regular season meetings in this series, and three of the past five have been one-goal games. The past four meetings in this series have resulted in an average of 7.0 total goals per game.
The Canadiens and Jets meet in MTS Centre, as Montreal looks to stay hot. The Habs have won four of their past seven visits to Winnipeg, with the 'over' cashing in three of the past four trips. The Habs are victorious in 11 of the past 15 overall in this series. While the Jets have amassed 10 goals over the past three meetings, they have averaged just 1.9 goals per game over the past 15 meetings in this series. During the same 15-game span, the Habs are averaging 3.3 goals per game against the Jets.
Thursday, Jan. 12
The Red Wings and the Stars hook up in the Metroplex, and Dallas will be looking for a little payback after dropping a 3-1 decision Nov. 29 in their final visit to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. These two former Western Conference rivals do not meet as frequently since the Red Wings moved to the East, but Detroit probably wishes they could petition the league to play in Dallas more. The Red Wings have won seven straight trips to Dallas dating back to Oct. 14, 2010. In fact, the Stars have won just three of the past 14 meetings overall in this series.The 'under' is 8-4 in the past 12 meetings. Three of the past seven in this series have required overtime to find a winner, but just six of the past 14 have been one-goal games.
The Blues and Kings do battle in Southern California, and these games have been tight recently. The past three meetings have been one-goal games, and the 'under' has cashed in each of the past four in this series. Three of the past 13 meetings have resulted in 1-0 scores, with two of those games decided in a shootout. The Kings have defended home ice well in the past six regular season meetings, topping the Blues five times. The 'under' is 7-1 in the past eight meetings at Staples Center, too.
By Joe Williams
Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Florida 1-6 past seven home Arizona Under 13-4-1 past 18 overall
New Jersey 2-5 past seven home Florida Under 6-0 past six overall
N.Y. Rangers 5-1 past six overall, 8-1 past nine road Los Angeles Under 9-1-1 past 11 overall
Washington 5-0 past five overall, 5-2 past seven road N.Y. Rangers Over 7-1 past eight overall
Winnipeg 4-1 past five road St. Louis Over 4-1-1 past five overall
Hab-itutal OT Offender
The Montreal Canadiens have won four of their past five games, but they're making bettors work for their money lately. Over the past six games for the Habs, five of the outings have been decided in overtime. The Canadiens have won three of their past four games decided in the 3-on-3 overtime session, with all three of those wins coming on the road. Over the past 24 games, Montreal has played nine overtime games and a shootout during the span. They're 4-5 in OT games this season, splitting each of their two games decided in a shootout.
Defense is King
The Los Angeles Kings defense and goaltending has been on point since mid-December, allowing three or fewer goals in 10 of the past 12 outings. They're allowing just 1.92 goals per game, and that includes the seven they've given up over the past two outings. In the past nine games with Peter Budaj in between the pipes, the Slovakian netminder is 5-3-1 with a 1.43 Goals-Against Average (GAA). He has been particularly effective on the road, giving up two or fewer goals each of his past seven outings.
Looking Ahead
Monday, Jan. 9
The Capitals and Canadiens hook up in Montreal, and each team has managed 25 victories and nine losses this season. Lately, though, Washington has been the hotter team, posting five straight victories, including four wins in a row against teams with a winning overall record. The Caps have won five of their past seven on the road, and they're an impressive 42-10 in their past 52 games against Atlantic Division teams. And for what it's worth, the Caps are 14-2 in their past 16 games played on Monday. The Habs have won four of their past five, and they're 16-5 in their past 21 games at home. Washington has had the upper hand in this series, too, going 9-1 in their past 10 trips to Montreal, and 13-6 in their past 19 against the Habs. The team team is also 19-7 in their past 26 meetings in this series.
The Stars head to Los Angeles trying to solve the defense and goaltending of the Kings. Dallas has had plenty of success in La La Land lately, winning seven of their past 10 trips to the left coast. The Stars are just 2-8 in their past 10 road games, and 0-5 in their past five road games against a team with a home winning percentage over .600. The Kings have won 12 of their past 17 home games, but they're just 5-11 in their past 16 against Central Division teams and 1-5 in their past six against a team with a losing record.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
The Flyers meet the Sabres in Buffalo for the second games between these Eastern Conference rivals this season. The Flyers edged the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout in the first meeting on Oct. 25. Philly has won three of their past four trips to Buffalo. The 'over' is 6-3 in the past nine meetings in this series, although the 'under' is 2-0 in the past two in Buffalo. The Fly Guys headed into Columbus Monday night with five straight losses on the road, while has split their past six games overally while averaging 3.0 goals per game over the span.
The Sharks head to Northern Alberta to battle the Oilers. While San Jose has won just four of the past seven meetings in this series lately, including a 3-2 overtime victory in the first meeting on Dec. 23, the Sharks have enjoyed plenty of success between these two teams overall. San Jose is 7-3 in their past 10 trips to Edmonton, and the 'under' has cashed in five of the past seven meetings in this meetings in the Oilers' arena. Four of the past seven in this series has been decided in overtime or a shootout, with the teams splitting two OT games and two in the SO. In fact, seven of the past 11 meetings have resulted in one-goal games.
Wednesday, Jan. 11
The slate is short and sweet Wednesday night, but there is a huge rivalry game. The Penguins and Capitals do battle in the nation's capital, and Pittsburgh will have revenge on its mind. The Caps embarrassed Sidney Crosby and the boys back on Nov. 16, winning 7-1. In the first meeting back on Oct. 13, it was the Pens eeking out a 3-2 shootout victory in the Steel City. The 'over' is 3-0-1 in the past four regular season meetings in this series, and three of the past five have been one-goal games. The past four meetings in this series have resulted in an average of 7.0 total goals per game.
The Canadiens and Jets meet in MTS Centre, as Montreal looks to stay hot. The Habs have won four of their past seven visits to Winnipeg, with the 'over' cashing in three of the past four trips. The Habs are victorious in 11 of the past 15 overall in this series. While the Jets have amassed 10 goals over the past three meetings, they have averaged just 1.9 goals per game over the past 15 meetings in this series. During the same 15-game span, the Habs are averaging 3.3 goals per game against the Jets.
Thursday, Jan. 12
The Red Wings and the Stars hook up in the Metroplex, and Dallas will be looking for a little payback after dropping a 3-1 decision Nov. 29 in their final visit to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. These two former Western Conference rivals do not meet as frequently since the Red Wings moved to the East, but Detroit probably wishes they could petition the league to play in Dallas more. The Red Wings have won seven straight trips to Dallas dating back to Oct. 14, 2010. In fact, the Stars have won just three of the past 14 meetings overall in this series.The 'under' is 8-4 in the past 12 meetings. Three of the past seven in this series have required overtime to find a winner, but just six of the past 14 have been one-goal games.
The Blues and Kings do battle in Southern California, and these games have been tight recently. The past three meetings have been one-goal games, and the 'under' has cashed in each of the past four in this series. Three of the past 13 meetings have resulted in 1-0 scores, with two of those games decided in a shootout. The Kings have defended home ice well in the past six regular season meetings, topping the Blues five times. The 'under' is 7-1 in the past eight meetings at Staples Center, too.
Preview: Panthers (17-16) at Devils (16-17)
Date: January 09, 2017 7:00 PM EDT
The Florida Panthers were one of the great stories of the 2015-16 season. They set a franchise record with 103 points and looked primed to be a perennial playoff team thanks to a talented young roster.
As they come to New Jersey to face the Devils on Monday night, the 2016-17 season has been one disappointment after the next.
The Panthers (17-16-8) have struggled to find consistency and firing head coach Gerard Gallant has not had the desired effect -- the team was 11-10-1 with Gallant behind the bench and just 6-6-7 since Tom Rowe took over in late-November.
The Boston Bruins manhandled the Panthers 4-0 on Saturday night, leaving players wondering when they will get over the hump.
"It started on Oct. 13 (the season opener), our consistency is terrible," forward Jonathan Marchessault told the Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I don't even think we have a three-game winning streak. It's hard to be a good team when we can't even get on a streak."
Marchessault is right -- the Panthers have yet to string three consecutive wins together this season.
One piece of good news for the Panthers -- goaltender Roberto Luongo is expected to return from an illness and be ready to face the Devils. He will be a welcome sight for a team that is without Nick Bjugstad, Alexsander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and lost Greg McKegg to injury during the loss to the Bruins.
"It seems like every night there's an injury," Rowe said to the Miami Herald. "We just have to keep plowing through, play simple and not get fancy."
The Devils (16-17-8), meanwhile, have had a similar season except for their one five-game winning streak in October. They've dealt with injuries to key players and sloppy play from key cogs like Cory Schneider, who practically scored on himself in a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Friday.
Schneider responded with a sublime performance against the Oilers on Saturday, but the offensively inept Devils lost 2-1 in overtime despite their goaltender's 41 saves.
"It was a good opportunity for me to bounce back," Schneider said. "I appreciate coach coming back with me. He could have gone the other way. It was good for him to believe in me. That's part of the game. You have to bounce back from bad performances."
One problem for the Devils is one they had last year -- a lack of offense. They are averaging 2.24 goals per game, the third-worst mark in the league. Last season, they finished last in offense with an average of 2.22 goals per game.
A new problem that didn't exist last year is shot suppression. They held teams to an average of 28.6 shots per game in 2015-16, which ranked eighth in the league. This season, that number has ballooned to 31.3 per game, the seventh-highest total in the league.
Despite acquiring Hall from the Oilers to improve offense, it seems the only real change to the Devils is they've become a worse defensive team. They'll need to get better and start immediately against the Panthers if they want to keep their dim playoff hopes alive.
"We spent a lot time in our end tonight and we relied on (goalie Cory Schneider) a lot," forward Taylor Hall said to NJ.com after facing his old team for the first time since an offseason trade. "Schneids is a great goalie, he's going to be there to have our backs, but we've got to find a way to get out of our end and not play the whole game there."
Date: January 09, 2017 7:00 PM EDT
The Florida Panthers were one of the great stories of the 2015-16 season. They set a franchise record with 103 points and looked primed to be a perennial playoff team thanks to a talented young roster.
As they come to New Jersey to face the Devils on Monday night, the 2016-17 season has been one disappointment after the next.
The Panthers (17-16-8) have struggled to find consistency and firing head coach Gerard Gallant has not had the desired effect -- the team was 11-10-1 with Gallant behind the bench and just 6-6-7 since Tom Rowe took over in late-November.
The Boston Bruins manhandled the Panthers 4-0 on Saturday night, leaving players wondering when they will get over the hump.
"It started on Oct. 13 (the season opener), our consistency is terrible," forward Jonathan Marchessault told the Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I don't even think we have a three-game winning streak. It's hard to be a good team when we can't even get on a streak."
Marchessault is right -- the Panthers have yet to string three consecutive wins together this season.
One piece of good news for the Panthers -- goaltender Roberto Luongo is expected to return from an illness and be ready to face the Devils. He will be a welcome sight for a team that is without Nick Bjugstad, Alexsander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and lost Greg McKegg to injury during the loss to the Bruins.
"It seems like every night there's an injury," Rowe said to the Miami Herald. "We just have to keep plowing through, play simple and not get fancy."
The Devils (16-17-8), meanwhile, have had a similar season except for their one five-game winning streak in October. They've dealt with injuries to key players and sloppy play from key cogs like Cory Schneider, who practically scored on himself in a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Friday.
Schneider responded with a sublime performance against the Oilers on Saturday, but the offensively inept Devils lost 2-1 in overtime despite their goaltender's 41 saves.
"It was a good opportunity for me to bounce back," Schneider said. "I appreciate coach coming back with me. He could have gone the other way. It was good for him to believe in me. That's part of the game. You have to bounce back from bad performances."
One problem for the Devils is one they had last year -- a lack of offense. They are averaging 2.24 goals per game, the third-worst mark in the league. Last season, they finished last in offense with an average of 2.22 goals per game.
A new problem that didn't exist last year is shot suppression. They held teams to an average of 28.6 shots per game in 2015-16, which ranked eighth in the league. This season, that number has ballooned to 31.3 per game, the seventh-highest total in the league.
Despite acquiring Hall from the Oilers to improve offense, it seems the only real change to the Devils is they've become a worse defensive team. They'll need to get better and start immediately against the Panthers if they want to keep their dim playoff hopes alive.
"We spent a lot time in our end tonight and we relied on (goalie Cory Schneider) a lot," forward Taylor Hall said to NJ.com after facing his old team for the first time since an offseason trade. "Schneids is a great goalie, he's going to be there to have our backs, but we've got to find a way to get out of our end and not play the whole game there."
