Saturday 10/15/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (1-0) at Wild (0-1)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- New Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau likes his teams to play up-tempo, high-energy hockey. It's a hallmark he established during successful stints in Washington and Anaheim, which he hopes to show Minnesota fans on Saturday when the Wild hosts the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener.

If Boudreau's team is able to play that high-scoring, up-tempo style, it will be something Wild fans haven't often seen, and something they definitely haven't seen this season. The Wild comes home with a 0-1-0 mark after a generally lifeless 3-2 loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday night, which had even Boudreau admitting his team's effort wasn't there.

"We were a step behind all night long," Boudreau said, after the Wild managed just two shots in the opening 20 minutes and went 0-for-5 on the power play.

Those doldrums stand in sharp contrast to the Jets, who made NHL history in their season opener on Thursday in Winnipeg, becoming just the third team in league history to win its season opener after trailing by three goals in the third period. Winnipeg fell behind 4-1 to Carolina in the third before rallying for a 5-4 overtime win.

Ironically, the last team to accomplish that feat was Minnesota, just last season. The Wild trailed 4-1 in the third period at Colorado in the 2015-16 season opener, and stormed back to win 5-4.

This young Jets' team, which has made the playoffs just once and has not won a playoff game since moving to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011, got some signs of a bright future in the comeback, including the first NHL goal from rookie right winger Patrik Laine, who the Jets plucked second overall in last summer's draft.

"It was an amazing feeling," said Laine, who stands 6-5 and is expected to be an imposing force at forward for the Jets this season and into the future. "You score your first NHL goal just once, so it was nice to get it in the first game. It was amazing to feel the atmosphere at the rink."

After having the hot-and-cold Ondrej Pavelec in goal since the days they were the Thrashers, the Jets have undertaken a youth movement in the crease as well, putting Pavelec on waivers and inserting youngster Connor Hellebuyck for the opening-night start. With all of that youth in important roles, Jets coach Paul Maurice said the first win, and the first road trip, are important learning opportunities for players more used to major junior and/or college hockey.

"It's a different league, it's a different style of game and it's a hard game to play in," Maurice said. "The confidence goes a long way."

The season-opening loss for Minnesota was a rarity. The Wild had gone 9-4-2 in their previous 15 openers, which was the highest points percentage in NHL history. With Boudreau still learning how to coach this team, and the team still learning how to play for him, the ability to bounce back will get an early test versus Winnipeg.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (0-1) at Capitals (0-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals enter their home opener Saturday night as the defending Presidents' Trophy winners, but still in pursuit of their first Stanley Cup.

After rolling to 120 points -- 11 more than any other team -- the Capitals were eliminated in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals by their rivals and eventual cup winners, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Capitals opened this season Thursday night in the same building where last season ended and endured a similar result, dropping a 3-2 decision at Pittsburgh in a game decided by a shootout.

Trailing 2-1 after two periods, Washington tied it in the third and had several chances in overtime.

"I thought we had a good third period and I thought the 3-on-3 we were very good," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said.

Washington looks to carry that momentum into Saturday night against an Islanders team it went 3-0-1 against last season.

Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby made 28 saves against Pittsburg and right winger Andre Burakovsky scored twice while playing on the second line with Marcus Johansson and center Nicklas Backstrom.

"I think all three of us are thinking the same way. Me and (Johansson) have a lot of speed on the outside and Nicki is probably the smartest player in the league," Burakovsky said. "I think we have a lot of chemistry and we'll see a lot from it."

Trotz added: "That was by far our best line I thought tonight. All the other lines had spurts where they were okay, but they weren't as consistent as that line."

Rookie Zach Sanford, 21, made his NHL debut against Pittsburgh on the third line with center Lars Eller, who was acquired via trade from the Canadians in the offseason, and right winger Justin Williams.

In 41 career games against the Islanders, Alex Ovechkin has 32 goals and 15 assists, while Backstrom has 24 assists in 31 games. Holtby is 10-1-3 with a 2.21 career goals against average versus New York.

In their opener Thursday night, the Islanders rallied to tie the Rangers at 2 early in the third period before dropping a 5-3 decision at Madison Square Garden.

"There could be some changes," Islanders coach Jack Capuano told NHL.com. "We got guys hanging around here. We can't go with six defensemen. It's impossible to have six defensemen on your roster. We have to give other guys an opportunity here to find out early and see what we want to do on the back end."

The Islanders got goals from Nick Leddy, Cal Clutterbuck and Brock Nelson.

The Rangers went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Islanders failed in three attempts.

"Obviously even strength, it was a close game," Capuano said. "Shots were 25-25. They pounded pucks on their power play. There were 12 shots on their power play and they got the big goal when they needed it."

New York now faces a Washington team that cashed in 21.9 percent (fifth best in the NHL) of its power play chances last season.

In his first action since March 8 of last season due to a groin injury, Jaroslav Halak made 34 saves against the Rangers.

Saturday night marks a homecoming for Jason Chimera, who spent seven seasons with Washington before signing with the Islanders as a free agent in the offseason.

His line, including center John Tavares and fellow free-agent signee Andrew Ladd, was scoreless Thursday night.

Ladd has 14 goals and 19 assists in 42 games against Washington while Tavares owns 12 goals and 12 assists in 25 contests. Halak is 6-6-0 with a 2.73 goals against average versus the Capitals.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (0-1) at Penguins (1-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- If there is such a thing as a Stanley Cup hangover, the Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to avoid it. So they came up with their equivalent of taking an aspirin before the party.

The club talked a lot about taking a certain approach -- enjoy all the ceremonies and celebrations, including the banner-raising Thursday before their season opener at PPG Paints Arena, then make a point of turning the page to the new season.

So far, so good.

The Penguins beat Washington 3-2 in a shootout in the season opener, and felt back in the swing of things by practice on Friday as they prepared for a visit from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

"From training camp, to the visit to the White House, to getting our rings, to (Thursday) night, when Sid (Crosby) took the Cup on the ice, to the fans, we did all that," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the winner Thursday after making 39 saves and stopping Alex Ovechkin's shootout attempt to wrap up the win, said Friday. "After that, today, it feels like a new season. We're ready to start over, start fresh and get back into the routine."

With fellow goalie Matt Murray still recovering from a thumb injury, Fleury figures to get the start again.

It's not clear who will start for the Ducks.

John Gibson, a native of Whitehall, Pa., in suburban Pittsburgh, stopped 20 of 24 shots Thursday in a 4-2 loss at Dallas to open the season. The other option is Jonathan Bernier, who had a strong preseason.

"They had good chances," Gibson said of the Stars, according to the Los Angeles times. "Some nights I make those saves, and (Thursday) I didn't seem to make them."

Anaheim will be looking for its first win under new and former coach Randy Carlyle. The Ducks were 0-for-5 on the power play against Dallas, and Carlyle did not like his team's defensive effort in front of Gibson.

"How can you allow a team to score three from the top of the crease? That's blowing coverage and that's missed coverage, and those are assignments we will definitely recover from," Carlyle told the Times. "We'll make sure those things don't happen again."

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, almost surely will be playing without Crosby, their captain and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner who is out with a concussion.

The team is happy with his progress -- which allowed him to skate, in uniform, onto the ice with the Cup during Thursday night's pregame banner-raising ceremony -- but Crosby skated separately from the team Friday.

The Penguins' other star center, Evgeni Malkin, had a goal and assist and added a shootout goal on Thursday.

"Obviously, 'Geno' is an important guy for us," winger Chris Kunitz said. "(Thursday) night he showed he can change a game. He and (defenseman Kris Letang) are two guys out team needs to win some games while Sid's out.

"Most teams don't have that luxury. We're very fortunate."

And, if the Penguins can help it, they are living very much in the present rather than enjoying the vapors of that Stanley Cup win.

Playing a game 48 hours after their opener, and moving from a familiar rival to a Western Conference team that requires some extra homework, could help.

"The first shift (Thursday), when guys are coming at you, that's when you know it's time for the games," Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. "Preseason games are fun -- they're good to get back in the swing of things -- but that was a real game, especially against a good team like Washington.

"It's weird to start off with such a familiar team as Washington. Then I don't even remember the last time we played Anaheim."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (0-0) at Lightning (1-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. -- The new-look New Jersey Devils are determined to make sure a two-game swing through Florida produces more than a case of sunburn.

The Devils debuted a new lineup that includes the likes of Taylor Hall, P.A. Parenteau and a healthy Mike Cammalleri with mixed results in an opening night overtime loss to the Florida Panthers.

"We have to be way harder on the puck in every facet," New Jersey head coach John Hynes told the Bergen County Record. "How we manage it, how hard we are in the offensive zone. How quickly and hard we defend down low."

After facing the Panthers on opening night, the task does not get any easier for the Devils in the second game against a Tampa Bay Lightning team that has reached the Stanley Cup Final and Eastern Conference finals the past two seasons.

"It's not going to be perfect right away," Hynes told The Record. "But we've got to take some lessons out of that. We can play with structure. We can play with detail.

"To take that to the next step as a team, we have to be harder and more competitive for more of the time in the game continually on the puck. That's the biggest lesson out of that (first) game, and we get another opportunity to challenge ourselves again. We've got a team that's favored, possibly, to win the Stanley Cup. We've got to be a better team than we were against Florida."

Tampa Bay opened the season with a 6-4 victory against Detroit, using depth and team speed to create the necessary momentum to rally from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 while finding space through the neutral zone.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper figures space will be a little bit harder to find against an historically stingy defensive team with an elite goaltender, but now has more scoring threats.

"They are built from the back end out," Cooper said. "I think Corey Schneider is an upper-echelon goaltender in this league. They have a coach that plays to that system and they are really disciplined in their structure.

"The one knock has been the goal scoring, but you throw in a healthy Cammalleri and a Taylor Hall, now their speed element is up, their goal-scoring should go up. I expect them to score a lot more. Let's just hope it's not (Saturday)."

Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan, who underwent hip surgery during the summer that forced him to miss the World cup of Hockey, has been cleared for contact and participated in a full practice with the team on Friday wearing a normal colored white jersey. But the time frame on his recovery has not been altered, according to Cooper.

"His jersey color may change but the when-he's-returning-date won't change, that one is way more important to me," Cooper said. "But he's chomping to get back. His body is holding him back for the time being."

Callahan is not expected back until November.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (0-1) at Panthers (1-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

SUNRISE, Fla. -- It was just one game, but it rocked the collective psyche of the Detroit Red Wings.

It was just one game, but it lifted up as many as two South Florida franchises.

When the Wings visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday night at the BB&T Center, the latter team will arrive to its home arena fully confident while Detroit will be looking to make some very quick adjustments.

The Wings blew a 3-1 second-period lead to the host Tampa Bay Lightning and lost their season opener 6-4 on Thursday night. It wasn't just the loss that was troubling -- it was the fact that the Wings gave up three power-play goals.

Tampa Bay's go-ahead goal came on a power play that took just five seconds to result in a score -- downright embarrassing for a proud Wings franchise.

"We had lots of self-inflicted wounds," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "When you score three goals, you should at least go into overtime. But we gave up too many easy chances."

The Wings were disappointed in their penalty kill last year, when they were 14th in the league at 81.5 percent.

Detroit's Petr Mrazek made 30 saves on Thursday. But he couldn't survive a penalty-kill that was beaten 50 percent of the time (3-for-6).

Mrazek, 24, is coming off a season in which he won a career-high 27 games. He went 27-16-6 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .921 saves percentage. His numbers look ugly off his performance on Thursday -- a 5.08 GAA and a .857 saves percentage.

Detroit could give him a rest and go with accomplished veteran Jimmy Howard, the 34-year-old who went 14-14-5 with a 2.80 GAA and a .906 saves percentage last year.

Blashill, though, has indicated he will stick with Mrazek for Saturday's game and instead will mix up his lines and defensive pairings. One of the big changes Detroit will make on Saturday is to shift left winger Andreas Athanasiou from a healthy scratch all the way to the top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Frans Nielsen.

"(Athanasiou) brings a lot of speed," Blashill said. "He can get in on the forecheck and create turnovers. We need to tinker to get the most out of every line."

Detroit will still be without injured Niklas Kronwall, the Wings' top defenseman who is getting closer to a return.

His absence figures to be important as the Wings face a Panthers team that beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Aleksander Barkov.

The Panthers are coming off a season in which they made the playoffs and set franchise records for wins (47) and points (103).

Thursday's win was extra motivational because the Panthers honored the late Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins pitcher who died at age 24 in a Sept. 25 boating accident. All Panthers players wore jerseys with No. 16 -- Fernandez's old number -- during warm-ups.

In overtime, the Panthers' real No. 16 -- Barkov -- got the game-winner.

But now that the opener is over, the Panthers will be back to business. They will surely look to exploit Detroit's penalty-kill issues, especially with defenseman Keith Yandle at the point.

Yandle, who bolted from the New York Rangers, signed a seven-year, $44 million deal with Florida in June. The 30-year-old Boston native had an impressive 42 assists last year, and he is teaming with the Panthers' other star defenseman, 20-year-old Aaron Ekblad, on the power play.

The Panthers were 23rd in the power play last year at 16.9 percent. But they brought in assistant coach Dave Barr from the Buffalo Sabres to jump-start the unit.

Florida has also added rookie defenseman Michael Matheson to the mix. He got the game-winning assist to Barkov on Thursday.

"(Matheson) made a big play," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "He knocked his guy off the puck, created separation and made the play to 'Barky'. He had a solid game."

Matheson, 22, is part of what appears to be a bright future for Florida. Certainly, the Red Wings are the more tradition-rich franchise with 11 Stanley Cups -- 11 more than the Panthers. But the Panthers actually have shorter odds to win the Cup this year (21-1 as opposed to 32-1).

Everything is trending in Florida's favor with 37-year-old goalie Roberto Luongo continuing to show fine form in between the pipes and several young stars on the team such as Barkov and Ekblad.

The Panthers have new uniforms this year, and they struck a deal late last year that allows them to stay at the BB&T Center long-term.

Now it's just a matter of keeping the momentum going on the ice, and that effort continues on Saturday against a Detroit franchise that will have something to prove -- no matter how early it is in the season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (1-0) at Maple Leafs (0-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews has little chance of equaling his NHL debut when the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Boston Bruins on Saturday in the second game of the season for both teams.

The 19-year-old center, the first player taken in this year's draft, became the first player to score four goals in his NHL debut on Wednesday.

"It's in the past, it's on to the next one," Matthews said calmly as the Maple Leafs prepared for their home opener at Air Canada Centre amid celebrations of the franchise's 100th season.

The reality is that that despite Matthews' historic game, Toronto lost to the Senators 5-4 in overtime in its season opener in Ottawa.

"The kids were good, our veterans made a few mistakes, and we just have to keep the puck out of our net," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after practice Thursday. "But we did have the puck a lot and we did a lot of good things. It's nice to see the kids do so well, and we'll be better Saturday."

The Maple Leafs also hope for better goaltending from Frederik Andersen, who likely will start again Saturday. Andersen vows to be better.

"We did a lot of good things, but I know I can be a lot better," Andersen said of the loss to Ottawa.

The Leafs had six rookies playing Wednesday. Matthews and his young teammates figure to face a more physical opponent Saturday when they play Boston.

The Bruins won their season opener 6-3 Thursday against the Blue Jackets in Toronto, erasing a 2-1 first-period deficit with three goals in the second and three more in the third.

They received five points from Brad Marchand (two goals, three assists) to match a team record for points in a season-opening game. Phil Esposito had five points (three goals, two assists) against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 10, 1973.

The Bruins were without Patrice Bergeron, who has an ankle injury, on Thursday and it was not certain Friday whether he would be available to play in Toronto. He did not make the trip to Columbus.

"If he is not on the ice tomorrow morning, I will address it, whether he is coming in for the game . . . or I'll let you know if he's not," Bruins coach Claude Julien said Friday.

David Backes had two goals and an assist Thursday in his Bruins debut as he took Bergeron's place at center on the line with left winger Marchand and right winger David Pastrnak, who had two goals and two assists..

"That's what it takes sometimes to win hockey games," Julien said. "You need guys to be hot and that line was for us. For David Backes to step in there and replace one of the best forwards in the league and to have instant chemistry on the line was important. All three of them played extremely well and it was nice to see we were able to come through with a win when you're missing a guy like Bergeron."

When Bergeron returns, Backes will likely go back to playing right wing on another line. He started to play on the wing regularly last season with the St. Louis Blues.

Julien says Backes does not care where he plays.

"True, I really don't," Backes said. "I think with our depth, with our injuries, and the way things happen in this league, having that flexibility is a key component to being able to put together some solid lines that can make a difference."

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid is listed as questionable with a lower body injury and defenseman Kevan Miller is out six weeks after hand surgery.

The Bruins had four players make their NHL debuts Thursday for the first time on an opening night since 1985.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (1-0) at Blues (2-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS -- When coach Ken Hitchcock looked at the schedule his St. Louis Blues faced to start the season, he just was hoping for the best.

The Blues had to open with back-to-back Central Division games in Chicago and at home against Minnesota before hosting the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

"This is a hellacious start to the season," Hitchcock said. "I think we understand how critical the start to the season is and how important your competitive level in your first 10 games at home matters. You get behind the eight ball and don't have a winning record at home early, you're not going to be able to catch up.

"We knew we were opening up with three games in four nights against really tough teams. The Rangers are a heck of a team. We knew we had to get points in at least two of these games."

St. Louis took care of that goal with a 5-2 win in Chicago and a 3-2 victory Thursday night over the Wild, which featured a goal and an assist from right winger Nail Yakupov, acquired in a trade from Edmonton just five days before the season opened.

It's the first time the Blues have begun the season with consecutive wins since they opened the year 4-0 in 2013-14.

Yakupov, the first overall pick in the 2012 draft who had not played up to those lofty expectations with the Oilers, is hoping to make more contributions to his new team as he settles in to his new surroundings.

"This organization got you for some reason, right?" said Yakupov, who had only eight games out of the 250 he played for Edmonton in which he registered both a goal and an assist. "They didn't just take you for luck or something.

"I know this is a good team. I haven't been on a team all my life that was a really good team. This is a great opportunity to grow your game and grow as a person. When you are moving even from house to house you have to get used to your new house, but I'm happy."

The Rangers come into Saturday's game off a season-opening 5-3 win at home over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Their lineup featured seven new players, and five of them recorded at least one point in the victory.

"A lot of guys played with a lot of jump," said goalie Henrik Lundqvist. "There was a great energy in the room. We had a stretch in the third where obviously we just have to manage the puck a little bit better with odd man rushes.

"That's how you get hurt in this league. That's how we got hurt a little bit last year. If we just clean that up, we are in good shape."

After number one goalie Jake Allen won the first two games for the Blues, Hitchcock said backup Carter Hutton, who signed as a free agent over the summer, will start against New York.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (1-0) at Avalanche (0-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Jared Bednar waited a long time to be in an NHL game. He'll finally get his chance when the Colorado Avalanche open their season against the Dallas Stars.

Bednar, a career minor league player and coach, makes his debut behind Colorado's bench after his quick hire Aug. 25. Bednar brings championship experience from the minors, winning titles in the AHL and ECHL, but more important for the Avalanche he brings a different style after two disappointing seasons.

Bednar's system emphasizes speed coupled with an aggressive, pressure game.

"I have a style of play that I think works in today's NHL game," Bednar told NHL.com. "I think we have to be an aggressive team. The game is getting faster every day and I think you have to play an up-tempo style. You have to attack. And that's not just offensively but defensively as well."

Bednar has also stressed moving the puck out of the zone, so quick passes from the defensemen to the forwards to start the breakout. Colorado has spent too much time in its own end the past few seasons, which led to Avalanche goaltenders facing a lot of shots every game.

"We still go 'D' to 'D,'" defenseman Tyson Barrie told The Denver Post. "It's going to be 'D' to 'D' with a purpose, to get it in the forwards' hands."

The Avalanche have reached the postseason once in the last six seasons -- in 2014, when Patrick Roy led Colorado to 112 points and the Central Division title in his first year as the coach. The team struggled with poor starts the next two years and missed the playoffs.

Roy's abrupt resignation Aug. 11 forced an unexpected coaching search that snagged Bednar from the Columbus system. While Avalanche players said they were stunned by Roy's departure, they are embracing Bednar's system.

"It's great for me," 21-year-old center Nathan MacKinnon told The Denver Post. "I can just skate and not think so much. Be aggressive. I think the biggest thing is that if we're going to make mistakes, they're aggressive mistakes. We've been very passive the last couple of seasons."

One thing that contributed to Colorado missing the playoffs the last two years was bad starts to those seasons. The Avalanche are hoping a 6-0 preseason portends a fast start to this year, similar to the 12-1 mark they had at the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign.

It won't be easy against a Dallas team that won the Central Division last year and beat Anaheim 4-2 in its season opener on Thursday. The play of goalie Antti Niemi in the win, after a tough finish to last season, has the Stars feeling confident going into Saturday's game at Pepsi Center.

"I am really happy with the preseason and with all the practice we have done," Niemi told the Dallas Morning News. "I just want to keep doing the same thing here and not worry that this was the season opener."

Niemi was 1-3 with a 3.29 goals-against average in the playoffs last season, but if Thursday is any indication he is back on track.

He faced 17 shots in the first period against the Ducks and finished with 33 saves.

"I thought Antti was excellent," Stars coach Lindy Ruff told the Dallas Morning News. "That first period, we had some bad decisions, gave up some odd-numbered rushes, gave up three two-on-ones where he made real good saves."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (1-0) at Blackhawks (0-2)

Date: October 15, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- So how long could the Nashville Predators enjoy their season-opening 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night?

"We'll take the next hour or so to enjoy ourselves and then get back to work," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "There's 81 more."

The next one is Saturday night, against the same Chicago team they edged. It's in the United Center and since the Blackhawks are 0-2-0 for the first time in six seasons, they are a good bet to come out of the gate flying.

Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban, veteran of exactly one game in this Central Division rivalry, knows the Predators will have to up their level of play if they are going to score a sweep of the home-and-home series.

"We've got to be prepared to do it again tomorrow," he said. "That's a great hockey team over there; it felt like a playoff game. They're going back to their barn tomorrow and they lost their home opener, so they're going to be ticked. If we were good tonight, we'll have to be a lot better tomorrow."

In his first game with the Predators, Subban, who was acquired from Montreal for team captain Shea Weber on June 29, made an intriguing opening impression. He scored on his first shot, tried a team-high six shots in 23:04 of ice time and blocked three shots while showing a willingness to mix it up with the likes of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

While Subban may not have the 108 mph slapper or crushing bodychecks of Weber, he certainly appears to have added the elements Nashville was hoping for when it made the trade.

"He's certainly one of those players that you certainly have to be aware of offensively," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of Subban. "You want to make him play in his own end, much like most defensemen."

Chicago's main goal in the rematch might be to stay out of the penalty box. After yielding three power-play markers Wednesday night in a 5-2 loss to St. Louis, it ceded three more Friday night.

Every Nashville tally came off the same assembly line -- pass to the point for a blast by Subban or Roman Josi that beats Corey Crawford, the last one tipped by Mike Fisher for the tie-breaker late in the second period.

"It takes a lot of energy out of your game," Toews said of the constant penalty-killing. "So we just have to smarten up and find ways to stay out of the box."

The Blackhawks might have played their best period of the young season in the third Friday night, putting 13 shots on net to the Predators' seven and exerting steady pressure over the last five minutes.

But Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne stopped all 13 shots, stoning Kane at the right goal post with 3 1/2 minutes remaining and then making four saves over the final 1:46 as Chicago emptied the net after Subban was whistled for interference to give it a 6-on-4.

"I thought he was the best player on the ice," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said of Rinne. "He was just outstanding."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sharks (1-0) at Blue Jackets (0-1)

Date: October 15, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the wake of a 6-3 defeat in their home opener against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella will keep his lineup and lines intact in order to instill some confidence in the second-youngest team in the NHL when they host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Unlike in the past, Tortorella doesn't want to "get the blender out" if things aren't going well. He said he would like to give them a chance to develop some chemistry and gel.

Tortorella told the Blue Jackets' website that one of the keys is to continue to encourage his players to make plays, saying he felt as though they were tentative and didn't make the plays that were available in the opener.

The team will be without the services of defenseman Ryan Murray, out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot in Thursday night's loss. This will be the first game Murray has missed after playing 85 consecutive games.

Stepping in for the injured Murray is defenseman Dalton Prout, who was a healthy scratch for the home opener and the final two exhibition games.

Ahead of Saturday night's matchup against the Sharks, forward Brandon Dubinsky said, "My line, I've got to play better, I've got to make plays. I'm certainly disappointed with the outcome (vs. Boston). I prepared the right way and felt good coming to the game. I've got to work on my game and do better for the team."

Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky needs a major bounce-back game after posting a 5.17 goals-against average and an .861 save percentage against the Bruins on Thursday.

San Jose comes into Columbus with a 1-0-0 record after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in its home opener on Wednesday night, 2-1.

The nucleus of the Sharks team is largely intact from last season, but their new second line of Logan Couture, Mikkel Boedker and Joonas Donskoi was the team's best on Wednesday night. Couture and Donskoi also assisted on Brent Burns' game-winning goal against the Kings.

Despite having to travel across the country for their second game, the Sharks should be a well-rested team. No forward played more than Tomas Hertl's 17:47, showing the even distribution of ice time.

On the blue line, offseason free agent signing David Schlemko made his new coach happy with his play in his debut for the Sharks.

"I thought Schlemko was fantastic was tonight," head coach Peter DeBoer told csnbayarea.com. "That pair with (Brenden) Dillon and him looked really good."

The 29-year-old Schlemko had one shot, a pair of hits and a blocked shot on Wednesday and is expected to play an important role on this San Jose team that expects to contend for the Stanley Cup.

With DeBoer eschewing traditional forward lines, he feels confident in matching any of his four lines against the top lines of his opponents on a nightly basis.

"As a staff," DeBoer said to csnbayarea.com, "we came in and we want to start that way and give everyone an opportunity (to play). I think we all realize that we play our best when we're not chasing matchups or trying to hide guys."

Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson announced Friday that the club has recalled forward Ryan Carpenter from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), while forward Timo Meier has been assigned to the Barracuda.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flames (0-2) at Canucks (0-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Willie Desjardins is aware of the dire predictions, but the Vancouver Canucks coach thinks his club could surprise people this season.

"We have to believe that," said Desjardins as the Canucks prepared this week for their regular-season opener Saturday against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena.

"I think that's how you approach it. I like certain parts of our team, for sure."

But most pundits do not.

Critics were quick to put down the Canucks in the preseason -- way down. Many observers, including USA Today and EA Sports, have picked the Canucks to finish dead last in the 30-team league after compiling a 31-38-13 record and missing the playoffs in a 2015-16 campaign plagued by numerous injuries and inconsistency.

"I think we're solid," said Desjardins. "I think we're a better team than we were last year. But it doesn't really matter what you think. It's what you do on the ice. We just have to prove it. We can't say we're going to be a good team. We have to prove that we can be a good team. Until we do that, people get to pick us there."

Much of the proof will come if the Canucks can produce more goals after ranking last in the NHL with 186 in 2015-16. Vancouver's newcomers include high-scoring winger Loui Eriksson (via free agency), defenseman Erik Gudbranson (via trade) and Jack Skille (signed after preseason tryout.) According to Gudbranson, who was acquired from Florida for 2014 first-round draft choice (24th overall) Jared McCann in a deal that included draft picks, the Canucks are a good team with plenty of talent.

"We've set really high expectations of ourselves," said Gudbranson. "We've pushed ourselves over the last month of us being here. That's a tough pill to swallow, when you see everybody putting you at the bottom of the league. We have an opportunity to prove everyone -- everything -- wrong, and that's going to fuel us to come out strong here on Saturday and get off to a good start."

The Canucks also hope the season opener will help them get in the habit of winning at home. They went 15-21-5 at Rogers Arena in 2015-16. Gudbranson said the Canucks need to make sure they take care of business at home this season.

"It sucks to lose on the road -- don't get me wrong -- but it's embarrassing to lose at home in front of your fans, especially when you're playing poorly," said Gudbranson. "I think we have to have that in the back of our minds."

To start well at home Saturday, the Canucks will have to limit Calgary's top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Kris Versteeg, who was signed as a free agent in the preseason after initially trying out for Edmonton. Versteeg, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Chicago, indicated it will still take some time to get used to his offensively gifted new linemates. But he likes what he has seen thus far.

"You can really read their hockey I.Q. right away and see how smart they are -- and the plays they want to make," said Versteeg.

While the Canucks suit up for their first game, the Flames will be playing their third contest in four nights. But the Flames are still looking for their first win -- and point -- after bowing 5-3 at home to the Oilers on Friday night and losing 7-4 in Edmonton on Wednesday.

"This one stings," Calgary captain Mark Giordano said after Friday's loss. "But we've got to get one back right away (Saturday). It's going to be a tough game. It's the home opener for them. They're going to have a lot of energy obviously, and we've got to bring (a better effort)."

Offense was not much of a problem for the Flames in their first two games, as they produced their seven goals from a combined total of 76 shots. But the Flames will need to cut down on penalties, which severely limited their scoring chances Friday. Calgary recorded 24 shots in the first period, but only three in the second as penalties took their toll.

Calgary went scoreless on five power plays Friday, while the Oilers converted two of four man-advantage opportunities.

New Flames coach Glen Gulutzan, who served as a Canucks assistant for the past three seasons, hopes that his club will get more game action right after Friday's loss.

"That's your only saving grace," Gulutzan said. "You can't dwell too long, but we've certainly got to get better in a couple areas. (Friday), with our special teams, we made a couple mistakes -- so we've got to get better there. We're just going to keep going at it until we get good at it."

Backup goaltender Chad Johnson is expected to make his regular-season debut for the Flames after Brian Elliott took both of the opening losses. Ryan Miller is slated to start in goal for the Canucks.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (1-0) at Coyotes (0-0)

Date: October 15, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett can't remember the last time he started four rookies in an NHL season opener, but that will likely be the case Saturday night at Gila River Arena.

Defenseman Jakob Chychrun, center Christian Dvorak and left winger Lawson Crouse will make their NHL debuts against the Philadelphia Flyers and rookie Laurent Dauphin centers the fourth line after an eight-game NHL cameo last season.

"I could probably count on one hand how many times that's happened in my NHL career," said Tippett, who has coached for 14 seasons and played for 12 seasons. "The biggest thing about it is those players have earned their right into the lineup. They've had good camps and they showed they could play at this level."

One rookie who probably won't play for Arizona is 2015 first-round pick (No. 3 overall) Dylan Strome, the player the Coyotes are hoping becomes their franchise center. Strome is healthy, but he skated as an extra forward at Friday's practice. Asked if that was an indication of Strome's status for the season opener, Tippett all but confirmed it was.

"I would say there's probably a better chance that he'll watch tomorrow's game, but we'll come to that final conclusion in the morning," Tippett said. "We've got a lot of young guys here we're going to have to integrate. You can't just throw them all out there to the wolves. We're going to make sure everybody can do their best to play their best."

The Coyotes are trying to end a four-season playoff drought as they welcome the second wave of their youth movement that began last season with left wingers Max Domi and Jordan Martinook, right winger Anthony Duclair and backup goaltender Louis Domingue.

The Flyers are trying to build on last season's surprising playoff berth that was accomplished by going 12-5-3 in their final 20 games. To achieve that, Philadelphia hopes to avoid the slow starts that have plagued the team the last three seasons, including a 6-9-5 start last season.

"We can't put ourselves in a position where we have to battle back again," center Claude Giroux told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I think as a team, we feel more comfortable going into other buildings and getting wins.

"The first road trip is going to be really important for us. We're aware we're playing really good teams, so it's going to be a great challenge to see where we're at right away."

Philadelphia got off on the right foot when it opened the season with a 4-2 win on Friday night in Los Angeles against the Kings to end a four-game, opening-night losing streak. In that game, Philadelphia debuted two rookies with left winger Travis Konecny (two assists) and defenseman Ivan Provorov (one assist). It was the first game of a three-game trip that ends Tuesday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

Goalie Steve Mason is expected to start for Philadelphia against the Coyotes. Mike Smith will start in goal for Arizona.

The Flyers will be without two players because of suspensions. Defenseman Radko Gudas will miss the first six games after a high check on Boston center Austin Czarnik in the preseason. Flyers center Brayden Schenn will miss the first three games for charging Washington right winger T.J. Oshie during Game 6 of the teams' first-round playoff series last season.

Philadelphia escaped further loss when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere suffered a facial laceration from the skate of Kings left winger Kyle Clifford in Friday's first period but returned to action.

Tippett called Coyotes left winger Jamie McGinn "a real question mark" for Saturday's game with an upper-body injury that Tippett said is not a long-term injury. McGinn did not skate on Friday.

The Coyotes will be one of just three teams that will not have played a game when Saturday's NHL action begins. Colorado and Vancouver are the others. Tippett said he got a text message from Tampa coach Jon Cooper addressing the subject: "He said, 'don't you guys ever play?'"

Saturday's game is the latest season opener in Jets-Coyotes franchise history. The Coyotes are 7-2 all time when opening the season at home.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-10) at Toronto Argonauts (5-10)
Saturday, October 15th 2016 4:00 PM BMO Field

Riders visit Toronto seeking to play spoiler for Argos

TORONTO — The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ playoff hopes might have been dashed this past week, but the Riders will bring their A-game to Toronto this week in the hopes of putting a serious dent in the Argonauts’ playoff dreams.

At 4-10, Saskatchewan wouldn’t be out of the playoff equation in the struggling East Division — 5-10 Toronto is in the thick of things — but in the West, the Riders have already been essentially eliminated for some time.

This is not the Chris Jones team that stumbled out of the gate, nor is this the Argos team that raced out to a 4-2 start. The Riders have grown as the 2016 season has progressed, while the Argos have regressed as the calendar changed from August to September to what’s been a pitiful October.

Despite their trends, it will be the Argos with something left to play for on Saturday at BMO Field.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are one of the hottest teams in the CFL.

Unfortunately for them, their turnaround came a tad too late to make a legitimate playoff run in the ultra-competitive West Division. Still, the Riders have won three in a row with a few key injuries (i.e. star wideout Naaman Roosevelt) and are playing good football down the stretch.

“We have a lot of carry-over from the last two weeks in all three phases,” head coach Chris Jones told Riderville.com. “We’re trying to get guys confident and making plays.”

The Riders will seek to become the second West Division team to sweep the two-game Ontario road trip this season after the BC Lions did it in late August. Saskatchewan spent the short week in Ottawa, practising out of Carleton University’s MNP Park facility and even working out on Parliament Hill once.

“We have to go out and play A-game football in order to beat this football team,” explained Jones. “Drew (Willy)’s a good player, they gave up a first-round pick for a reason. They same some things they liked — Scott (Milanovich)’s a very smart guy, Jim Barker’s a very smart guy.”

In terms of shutting down Toronto’s offence, Jones knows his defence — boosted by the return of Greg Jones to the linebacking corps — will have to play smart.

“They know how to move the football, they’ve done that all year long, (so) we have to play solid man coverage, and when we do play zone, know where the ball’s going and rally,” explained Jones, the coach.

With his team out of the playoff picture, the final four games of the 2016 campaign will be more about getting young players their reps and evaluating Saskatchewan’s overall roster moving forward.

“We’re going to treat the next four games as evaluation — we want to evaluate our quarterbacks and win football games,” continued Jones. “Those are our two goals.”

Rookie Kennedy Estelle will slot onto the offensive line — a position group which has seen a lot of shifting throughout the season — for the Riders on Saturday. A West Alabama alum, the rookie hasn’t played since a Week-9 loss in Hamilton.

The Toronto Argonauts are just not playing good football right now, plain and simple.

Scott Milanovich’s team is 1-8 in its last nine football games, posting a minus-133 point differential in that span. Quarterback Drew Willy’s combined record as a starter between Winnipeg and Toronto in 2016 is 1-6. The Argos have surrendered a league-worst 467 points.

Yet thanks to results elsewhere, they’re still in the the East Division playoff race.

“Being around something for a long enough time, you know it’s never over until it’s over,” head coach Scott Milanovich told Argonauts.ca. “Eight (wins) will generally get you in, and we’re still in a position to win eight.”

The Argonauts struggled on both sides of the football in last week’s loss to Calgary, a 48-20 drubbing that was essentially over by the end of the first quarter.

“We haven’t done particularly well anywhere, after the first six games of the season,” admitted Milanovich. “We haven’t had much continuity on any phase of offence, defence, or special teams — it’s and excuse, for sure.”

It’s ultimately been an inability to come out with one critical series that’s sunk the Argos in a series of close, down-to-the-wire games.

“We play well in spurts, for quarters, but haven’t been able to just keep it together,” lamented Milanovich, whose career CFL coaching record sits at 43-43. “Defence giving up a play, or the offence turning it over or getting stuffed…there’s 10 or 12 plays that are going on our there that are keeping us from being able to find ways to win.”

The Argos will forge ahead with their rookie right-side duo of wideout Llevi Noel and slotback Brian Jones, despite the two having combined for just 39 yards — all under Jones’s name.

“Jones played a B-plus game, made a couple guys miss, ran verticals, (while) Llevi probably didn’t play quite as well,” summarized Milanovich. “We thought he’d be better from the start with perimeter blocking in space, because it relates to special teams. We hope he’ll pick it up this week.”

By the Numbers

22 – Average points surrendered by Saskatchewan over its last four games, a far cry from its defensive performances earlier this season.

42 – Turnovers by the Argo offence this season — the highest mark in the CFL.

85.7 – Kicking percentage for Riders K Tyler Crapigna, including last week’s game-winner in his native Ottawa.

830 – Rush yards on the year for Toronto RB Brandon Whitaker, good for second in the league.

The Skinny

This is the last stop on the train for the Toronto Argonauts.

If they can’t beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home, their playoff hopes will essentially be finished. Period. That’s it. The end.

If they fail to beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home, and fall to 1-9 in their last 10 games, one would be fair to question whether or not the Argos deserved to be a playoff team in 2016 — the year of western dominance and eastern mediocrity.

Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

CFL Betting Notes - Week 17
By David Schwab

While it still might be a case of too little, too late Saskatchewan posted its third-straight win on Friday by beating Ottawa 32-20 in overtime as a 6 ½-point road favorite.

In Saturday’s CFL action, Winnipeg won a crucial West Division showdown by beating British Columbia 37-35 as a slight 1 ½-point favorite at home.

There were two games on Monday’s CFL holiday slate starting with Edmonton doubling up Montreal 40-20 as a three-point road favorite.

In the other matchup, Calgary continued its winning ways with a routine 48-20 romp over Toronto as a 9 ½-point road favorite to extend its current SU winning streak to 12 games.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-10, 8-6 ATS) vs. Toronto Argonauts (5-10 SU, 5-10)
Point-spread: Toronto -1
Total: 51

Game Overview

The Roughriders’ late-season push to possibly sneak into the playoffs continued with their third SU win, but the bigger story for bettors has been six-straight covers ATS. Last week against Winnipeg, Darian Durant had one of his best road games of the season with 328 passing yards and two touchdown throws while going 22-for-38. The bad news is that after Armanti Edwards came up big in that game as well with six receptions for 83 yards he was lost for the season with a hand injury.

The Argonauts’ steady downward spiral that started with an early August loss to Winnipeg has resulted in just one win both SU and ATS in their last nine games. The total went OVER the 52 ½-point closing line in Monday’s loss to Calgary and it has now gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in five of their last six games behind a defense that has allowed an average of 38.5 points during this same span.

Betting Trends

Toronto has won five of the last six meetings SU while going 4-2 ATS including a 30-17 victory in Week 2 as a 3 ½-point road underdog. The total stayed UNDER 51 ½ points in that game after going OVER in six of the previous seven games between the two.

Montreal Alouettes (4-10 SU, 5-9 ATS) vs. Calgary Stampeders (13-1-1 SU, 12-3 ATS)
Point-spread: Calgary -15 ½
Total: 52

Game Overview

Montreal is another team from the East that has far more losses than wins since August with a SU 2-7 record in its last nine games. The Alouettes did manage to cover in two of their last three games and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in three of their last five contests. After showing some signs of life on offense with a 38-point outburst two weeks ago in a win against Toronto, Montreal slid back into its old ways behind quarterback Rakeem Cato with 330 yards of total offense and 20 points against the Eskimos this past Monday.

The Stampeders have been almost unstoppable during this impressive 12-game SU run and they have also been a financial boon to bettors with nine covers ATS in their last 10 games. They could easily run the table heading into the playoffs with games against Toronto and Montreal left on the slate before a Week 20 bye. Calgary has been scoring points at a high rate all season long but it has taken things up a notch or two with an average of 41.2 points over its last six games.

Betting Trends

This will be the first meeting this season and the home team in this inter-division tilt has won the last five meetings SU with Montreal covering ATS in the last three games. The total has stayed UNDER in five of the last six meetings overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Saturday’s games

Winnipeg won six of its last seven games with Minnesota, winning four of last five in this building (under 3-1 in last four). Wild lost their opener in St Louis; Jets won their home opener in OT.

Bruins won five of last six games with Toronto (under 4-2); they won three of last four visits here. Boston won its opener at Columbus. Leafs lost their opener in OT at Ottawa, despite Matthews scoring four goals in his NHL debut.

Montreal is 6-4 in its last ten games with Ottawa, 3-2 in last five in this building. Seven of last eight series games stayed under. Canadiens won their opener in Buffalo. Senators won their home opener in OT.

Tampa Bay won its last four games with New Jersey, which lost four of its last five visits here. Under is 7-2 in last nine series games. Devils lost their opener in OT at Florida. Lightning beat Detroit in its home opener.

Road team is 7-3 in last ten Detroit-Florida games; Panthers are 5-3 in last eight, just 2-3 in last five played here. Three of last four games in this building went over. Detroit lost its opener 6-4 at Tampa Bay. Florida won its opener in OT at home over New Jersey.

Penguins won five of last six games with Anaheim; three of last four went over total. Ducks lost four of last five visits here. Pittsburgh won its home opener in a shootout. Anaheim lost its opener 4-2 at Dallas.

Washington is 5-3 in its last eight games with the Islanders; under is 4-1-1 in last six. New York lost three of last four visits here. Caps lost their opener at Pittsburgh in a shootout. Islanders lost their opener 5-3 to the Rangers in Madison Square Garden.

Road team won four of last five San Jose-Columbus games; Blue Jackets won three of last four. Sharks are 2-4 in last six visits here (over 4-2). San Jose beat the Kings 2-1 in its home opener. Columbus lost its home opener 6-3 to Boston.

Rangers won three of last four games with St Louis; road team won four of last five series games. NY is 3-2 in its last five visits here. Rangers beat Islanders 5-3 in their home opener. Blues won their opener 5-2 in Chicago.

Home side won nine*of last 11*Chicago-Nashville games- Blackhawks lost 3-2 last night in Nashville; Predators lost five of last six visits here. Over is 5-2-3 in last ten series games. Chicago is off to an 0-2 start.

Flyers are 5-3 in last eight games with Arizona; home side won last four. Philly lost 2-1/4-2 in last two visits here. This is season opener for Coyotes. Flyers won*last night in LA.

Dallas Stars won last two games with Colorado, after losing seven in row to Avalanche before that. Four of last five series games went over. Dallas lost four of last five visits here; they won home opener over Anaheim. This is Colorado’s season opener.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-10) at Toronto Argonauts (5-10)
Saturday, October 15th 2016 4:00 PM BMO Field

Riders visit Toronto seeking to play spoiler for Argos

TORONTO — The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ playoff hopes might have been dashed this past week, but the Riders will bring their A-game to Toronto this week in the hopes of putting a serious dent in the Argonauts’ playoff dreams.

At 4-10, Saskatchewan wouldn’t be out of the playoff equation in the struggling East Division — 5-10 Toronto is in the thick of things — but in the West, the Riders have already been essentially eliminated for some time.

This is not the Chris Jones team that stumbled out of the gate, nor is this the Argos team that raced out to a 4-2 start. The Riders have grown as the 2016 season has progressed, while the Argos have regressed as the calendar changed from August to September to what’s been a pitiful October.

Despite their trends, it will be the Argos with something left to play for on Saturday at BMO Field.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are one of the hottest teams in the CFL.

Unfortunately for them, their turnaround came a tad too late to make a legitimate playoff run in the ultra-competitive West Division. Still, the Riders have won three in a row with a few key injuries (i.e. star wideout Naaman Roosevelt) and are playing good football down the stretch.

“We have a lot of carry-over from the last two weeks in all three phases,” head coach Chris Jones told Riderville.com. “We’re trying to get guys confident and making plays.”

The Riders will seek to become the second West Division team to sweep the two-game Ontario road trip this season after the BC Lions did it in late August. Saskatchewan spent the short week in Ottawa, practising out of Carleton University’s MNP Park facility and even working out on Parliament Hill once.

“We have to go out and play A-game football in order to beat this football team,” explained Jones. “Drew (Willy)’s a good player, they gave up a first-round pick for a reason. They same some things they liked — Scott (Milanovich)’s a very smart guy, Jim Barker’s a very smart guy.”

In terms of shutting down Toronto’s offence, Jones knows his defence — boosted by the return of Greg Jones to the linebacking corps — will have to play smart.

“They know how to move the football, they’ve done that all year long, (so) we have to play solid man coverage, and when we do play zone, know where the ball’s going and rally,” explained Jones, the coach.

With his team out of the playoff picture, the final four games of the 2016 campaign will be more about getting young players their reps and evaluating Saskatchewan’s overall roster moving forward.

“We’re going to treat the next four games as evaluation — we want to evaluate our quarterbacks and win football games,” continued Jones. “Those are our two goals.”

Rookie Kennedy Estelle will slot onto the offensive line — a position group which has seen a lot of shifting throughout the season — for the Riders on Saturday. A West Alabama alum, the rookie hasn’t played since a Week-9 loss in Hamilton.

The Toronto Argonauts are just not playing good football right now, plain and simple.

Scott Milanovich’s team is 1-8 in its last nine football games, posting a minus-133 point differential in that span. Quarterback Drew Willy’s combined record as a starter between Winnipeg and Toronto in 2016 is 1-6. The Argos have surrendered a league-worst 467 points.

Yet thanks to results elsewhere, they’re still in the the East Division playoff race.

“Being around something for a long enough time, you know it’s never over until it’s over,” head coach Scott Milanovich told Argonauts.ca. “Eight (wins) will generally get you in, and we’re still in a position to win eight.”

The Argonauts struggled on both sides of the football in last week’s loss to Calgary, a 48-20 drubbing that was essentially over by the end of the first quarter.

“We haven’t done particularly well anywhere, after the first six games of the season,” admitted Milanovich. “We haven’t had much continuity on any phase of offence, defence, or special teams — it’s and excuse, for sure.”

It’s ultimately been an inability to come out with one critical series that’s sunk the Argos in a series of close, down-to-the-wire games.

“We play well in spurts, for quarters, but haven’t been able to just keep it together,” lamented Milanovich, whose career CFL coaching record sits at 43-43. “Defence giving up a play, or the offence turning it over or getting stuffed…there’s 10 or 12 plays that are going on our there that are keeping us from being able to find ways to win.”

The Argos will forge ahead with their rookie right-side duo of wideout Llevi Noel and slotback Brian Jones, despite the two having combined for just 39 yards — all under Jones’s name.

“Jones played a B-plus game, made a couple guys miss, ran verticals, (while) Llevi probably didn’t play quite as well,” summarized Milanovich. “We thought he’d be better from the start with perimeter blocking in space, because it relates to special teams. We hope he’ll pick it up this week.”

By the Numbers

22 – Average points surrendered by Saskatchewan over its last four games, a far cry from its defensive performances earlier this season.

42 – Turnovers by the Argo offence this season — the highest mark in the CFL.

85.7 – Kicking percentage for Riders K Tyler Crapigna, including last week’s game-winner in his native Ottawa.

830 – Rush yards on the year for Toronto RB Brandon Whitaker, good for second in the league.

The Skinny

This is the last stop on the train for the Toronto Argonauts.

If they can’t beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home, their playoff hopes will essentially be finished. Period. That’s it. The end.

If they fail to beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home, and fall to 1-9 in their last 10 games, one would be fair to question whether or not the Argos deserved to be a playoff team in 2016 — the year of western dominance and eastern mediocrity.

Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

CFL Betting Notes - Week 17
By David Schwab

While it still might be a case of too little, too late Saskatchewan posted its third-straight win on Friday by beating Ottawa 32-20 in overtime as a 6 ½-point road favorite.

In Saturday’s CFL action, Winnipeg won a crucial West Division showdown by beating British Columbia 37-35 as a slight 1 ½-point favorite at home.

There were two games on Monday’s CFL holiday slate starting with Edmonton doubling up Montreal 40-20 as a three-point road favorite.

In the other matchup, Calgary continued its winning ways with a routine 48-20 romp over Toronto as a 9 ½-point road favorite to extend its current SU winning streak to 12 games.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-10, 8-6 ATS) vs. Toronto Argonauts (5-10 SU, 5-10)
Point-spread: Toronto -1
Total: 51

Game Overview

The Roughriders’ late-season push to possibly sneak into the playoffs continued with their third SU win, but the bigger story for bettors has been six-straight covers ATS. Last week against Winnipeg, Darian Durant had one of his best road games of the season with 328 passing yards and two touchdown throws while going 22-for-38. The bad news is that after Armanti Edwards came up big in that game as well with six receptions for 83 yards he was lost for the season with a hand injury.

The Argonauts’ steady downward spiral that started with an early August loss to Winnipeg has resulted in just one win both SU and ATS in their last nine games. The total went OVER the 52 ½-point closing line in Monday’s loss to Calgary and it has now gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in five of their last six games behind a defense that has allowed an average of 38.5 points during this same span.

Betting Trends

Toronto has won five of the last six meetings SU while going 4-2 ATS including a 30-17 victory in Week 2 as a 3 ½-point road underdog. The total stayed UNDER 51 ½ points in that game after going OVER in six of the previous seven games between the two.

Montreal Alouettes (4-10 SU, 5-9 ATS) vs. Calgary Stampeders (13-1-1 SU, 12-3 ATS)
Point-spread: Calgary -15 ½
Total: 52

Game Overview

Montreal is another team from the East that has far more losses than wins since August with a SU 2-7 record in its last nine games. The Alouettes did manage to cover in two of their last three games and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in three of their last five contests. After showing some signs of life on offense with a 38-point outburst two weeks ago in a win against Toronto, Montreal slid back into its old ways behind quarterback Rakeem Cato with 330 yards of total offense and 20 points against the Eskimos this past Monday.

The Stampeders have been almost unstoppable during this impressive 12-game SU run and they have also been a financial boon to bettors with nine covers ATS in their last 10 games. They could easily run the table heading into the playoffs with games against Toronto and Montreal left on the slate before a Week 20 bye. Calgary has been scoring points at a high rate all season long but it has taken things up a notch or two with an average of 41.2 points over its last six games.

Betting Trends

This will be the first meeting this season and the home team in this inter-division tilt has won the last five meetings SU with Montreal covering ATS in the last three games. The total has stayed UNDER in five of the last six meetings overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Montreal Alouettes (4-10-0) at Calgary Stampeders (13-1-1)
Saturday, October 15th 2016 7:00 PM McMahon Stadium

Stamps look to continue months-long streak against struggling Alouettes

CALGARY — It’s been roughly four months since the Calgary Stampeders lost their first — and only — game of the 2016 season.

In those same four months, the Montreal Alouettes have lost ten games, replaced head coach Jim Popp, and traded away veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn.

The two teams will meet in Calgary on Saturday night with the Stamps already having clinched the West Division and Montreal needing a win to stay alive in the East Division playoff picture.

For a brief week, it appeared that the tide had potentially shifted on the final third of the Montreal Alouettes season after the Als dumped Toronto 38-11 in head coach Jacques Chapdelaine’s Week-15 debut.

Apparently not.

Montreal laid a large egg at home in Week 16, falling 40-20 to the Edmonton Eskimos at Molson Stadium. The Als lost in all three phases, and were limited to just over 200 yards until a garbage-time score.

The team’s narrow road to the postseason depends on a win against the Stampeders this week at McMahon Stadium — a place no visiting team has won since 2015.

“We lost it in the third and fourth quarter,” Als offensive quality control coach Jason Hogan told MontrealAlouettes.com. “It’s time to find out what kind of offence we are. Each week we focus on execution. If everybody executes, we can beat anybody.”

In terms of Montreal’s approach, Hogan insists nothing changes despite facing the consensus best team in the Canadian Football League.

“We think of every team the same way,” said Hogan. “If we want to get better week by week, we have to be confident in ourselves. If we show up there and play the way we can in all three phases, I think we’ll be able to get out of there with the victory.”

Als special-teamer Nicolas Boulay reflected Hogan’s opinion.

“Our record doesn’t reflect the team we have,” said Boulay, who’s registered 15 special-teams tackles this season. “With the personnel and coaching staff we have, we expect nothing but to win.”

While the struggles of the Alouette offence under both Kevin Glenn and now — once again — Rakeem Cato have been well-documented, the team’s success on defence has gone relatively unnoticed.

Bear Woods has once again led Montreal’s linebacking corps in exemplary fashion, breaking the 100-tackle mark for the first time in his career. Jovon Johnson has turned in a unique three-pick, five-sack stat line from the defensive back position.

On the Calgary side of the matchup, the Stampeders have led the league in pretty much every major stat category for, well, pretty much the entire season.

Dave Dickenson’s football team has played at an incredibly high level and enjoyed relative health through the first 16 weeks of the CFL campaign.

“I have faith in our guys. They’re loose, having fun a bit, having a good season,” Dickenson told Stampeders.com. “These guys understand that we just want to improve and be the best we can come playoffs.”

Having clinched the West Division, Dickenson knows his team will have to guard against complacency as they face the 4-10 Alouettes.

“The trap is that we’ve clinched West, and there is a little bit of a sense of accomplishment in doing that — sometimes you let up a bit,” said the Calgary head coach. “Montreal needs this game to stay alive. They have good talent, good speed. Their coaching change gave them a little bit of energy, so I expect a good performance (from them).”

Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who will be gunning for a league-record 13th-straight win, sees Montreal as a tough challenge. The Stamps pivot currently sits tied with former Winnipeg gunslinger Ken Ploen, who threw the Bombers to wins in 12-straight starts back in 1961.

“They have one of the more solid defences in the league, they do a lot of different things and bring different looks,” said Mitchell, who leads the league in pass touchdowns with 29. “We pride ourselves in taking games like this very seriously (and) making sure we go in and execute.”

While Calgary’s festivities following the clinching of the West aren’t that far in the rearview mirror, the team’s quarterback says all eyes are focused up front on Saturday’s game against Montreal.

“We are very prepared,” said Mitchell. “We’re always going to be the most-prepared team on the field. We feel like we’ve got some pretty good athletes on our team, so we’re ready.”

By the Numbers

12 – League-high sacks recorded by Calgary’s Charleston Hughes.

307 – League-low points scored by Montreal this season.

525 – League-high points scored by Calgary this season — at least 71 more than anybody else.

836 – Receiving yards for Montreal’s Nik Lewis — he’s still got it.

The Skinny

Sure, the Montreal Alouettes will be hungry, tenacious, desperate — pick your verb.

But they’re playing the only team in CFL history to go 14-straight without a loss in a season. And they’re playing that team on that team’s turf, where that team hasn’t lost this year and has only lost six of its last 43 dating back to 2012.

The odds are not good for the Alouettes as they enter a veritable lion’s den at McMahon Stadium on Saturday.

Calgary has yet to lose at home, and the statistics and recent trends — as in, last week’s results — would lend themselves to the idea that the Stamps should win tonight and proceed to an 8-0 home record.

Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Week 17 CFL

Saskatchewan (4-10) @ Toronto (5-10) even, 51— Roughriders won last three games by total of 7 points, with two wins in OT, after their 1-10 start. Riders Argonauts won last six games against the Roughriders, winning first meeting this year 30-17 (+3.5) in Regina June 30. Riders lost last two visits to Toronto, 48-15/30-26, with last three played here over. Saskatchewan got its first road win in seven tries in OT at Ottawa LW. Toronto lost four in row, 8 of last 9 games after a 4-2 start; Argos are 2-6 SU at home, 1-2 as a home favorite.

Montreal (4-10) @ Calgary (13-1-1) -15, 52—* Underdogs covered five of last seven series games with last four staying under the total. Home side won last five series games. Alouettes lost last six visits to Calgary, with four of the six by 11+ points. Last four series games stayed under the total. Montreal lost five of last six games overall; they’re 3-3 as a road underdog. Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Calgary won its last 12 games, is 9-1 vs spread in last ten; they’re 5-2 against the spread as a home favorite.

Week 17 CFL games

— Underdogs*33-28-1, home teams 25-38-2 vs spread…….Over: 32-30-3

—*Saskatchewan @ Toronto (even, 51)
— Montreal Alouettes @ Calgary Stampeders (-15, 52)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

ACC Report - Week 7
By Joe Williams

2016 ACC STANDINGS
Team SU Conference ATS Over/Under
Boston College 3-3 0-3 2-3-1 2-4
Clemson 6-0 3-0 4-2 2-4
Duke 3-3 0-2 3-3 1-5
Florida State 4-2 1-2 3-2 3-2
Georgia Tech 3-3 1-3 2-2-1 2-2-1
Louisville 4-1 2-1 3-1-1 5-0
Miami (Fla.) 4-1 1-1 4-1 3-2
North Carolina 4-2 2-1 3-3 3-3
North Carolina State 4-1 1-0 4-1 3-1-1
Pittsburgh 4-2 1-1 1-5 5-1
Syracuse 2-4 0-2 2-4 2-4
Virginia 2-3 1-0 3-1-1 1-3-1
Virginia Tech 4-1 2-0 3-2 3-2
Wake Forest 5-1 2-1 3-3 3-3


Duke at Louisville (Fri. - ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Duke has been rather erratic this season, winning on the road at Notre Dame, taking care of Army in the rain and slop last weekend, but also losing games to Northwestern and Wake Forest. You never know which team is going to show up. They head to Louisville Friday night in a game which opened at 32, and now has Louisville favored by 35 1/2 as of Wednesday morning. The Blue Devils are 8-3 ATS in their past 11 road games, but they're 1-5 ATS in their past six against teams with a winning record and 1-6 ATS in their past seven inside the ACC. Louisville is 5-1-1 ATS in the past seven overall, and 4-1 ATS in their past five at home. They're coming off a bye following their loss at Clemson two weeks ago. The Cardinals are 0-4 ATS in their past four in the month of October, and 6-13 ATS in their past 19 on Fridays. They're also 2-5 ATS in their past seven coming off a bye.

North Carolina State at Clemson (ABC, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Wolfpack might finally be dried out after a 10-3 win in tropical storm conditions in Raleigh last weekend against Notre Dame. It was a sloppy game on both sides in a driving rain with plenty of wind, and really not much can be taken from the win except for the positive, which was the win. Other than that, it was a complete opposite to how N.C. State has played to date. They have scored plenty of points and allowed plenty of points. They head in 4-1 ATS in their past five games, but they're 1-5 ATS in their past six against teams with a winning overall record. Clemson has covered four straight league games, they're 4-0 ATS in their past four in the month of October and they're 6-1 ATS in their past seven against teams with a winning overall record. The road team is 12-4 ATS in the past 16 in this series, with the Wolfpack 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to Death Valley. Total bettors might like to know the 'under' is 4-1 in the past five in this series, and 13-6 in Clemson's past 19 at home. However, the 'over' is 8-3 in Clemson's past 11 ACC games, and 6-1-1 in N.C. State's past eight overall.

Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech (ACC Network, 12:30 p.m. ET)
The Ramblin' Wreck steps out of conference for an in-state game against Georgia Southern, but the Eagles of the Sun Belt Conference are definitely a quality team. They're 3-2 SU, but just 1-4 ATS on the season and the 'under' has hit in four of their five games overall. The Eagles enter on a two-game losing streak. Georgia Tech enters on a three-game skid themselves, but their losses have come against Clemson, Miami and Pittsburgh, not Western Michigan and Arkansas State. The Jackets enter as 10 1/2-point favorites as of Wednesday morning, and they look to stay hot against the number versus non-conference teams. They're 5-2 ATS in their past seven outside of the ACC, but they're just 2-9 ATS in the past 11 against teams with winning records and 1-4 ATS in their past five at home. Georgia Southern has covered 11 of their past 15 outside of the Sun Belt.

Pittsburgh at Virginia (ACC Network, 12:30 p.m.)
Pitt heads down to Charlottesville to battle UVA, looking for their fifth win of the season. The Panthers enter as a field-goal favorite, and bettors have been hitting Virginia hard after the line opened at Cavaliers plus-5. That's likely because Pitt is just 1-7 ATS in their past eight games overall, although they are an impressive 7-3 ATS in their past 10 road outings. They're hitting Virginia hard because they have covered seven straight conference games, and they're 15-5-1 ATS in their past 21 games against teams with a winning overall record. They're also 4-1 ATS in their past five games at Scott Stadium. The home team has posted a 3-1-1 ATS in the past five meetings in this series, although the favorite is also 4-1-1 ATS in the past six in this series.

Wake Forest at Florida State (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.)
Florida State salvaged their season with a win at Miami last Saturday night, blocking an extra point for a huge win, their first in the ACC in three tries. Wake won in the slop of Hurricane Matthew, taking down Syracuse by a 28-9 score. The Demon Deacons head into this one with covers in four of their past five road games, and they're 4-1 ATS in their past five road outings against a team with a winning home mark. The Seminoles have covered five of their past seven home games, and eight of the past 11 games overall. However, they're just 2-5 ATS in their past seven home games against a team with a winning road record, and 8-18 ATS in their past 26 games following a straight-up win. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings in this series, and Wake is 2-5 ATS in the past seven meetings.

North Carolina at Miami-Florida (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Unlike other schools from the Tar Heel state, North Carolina didn't fare very well in the wind and rain during last weekend's passing hurricane. Duke, N.C. State and Wake all won on their home fields in adverse conditions, but the Tar Heels were overmatched by the wind, rain and Virginia Tech. They look to rebound in Miami, ironically, against the Hurricanes. Miami in installed as a 7 1/2-point favorite for this one, as they look to get untracked following a devastating 20-19 setback to rival Florida State last week. The home team is 4-0 ATS in the past meetings in this series, with the Tar Heels 1-3-1 ATS in their past five visits to Miami Gardens. The underdog, though, is 8-3-1 ATS in the past 12. The under is also 4-1 in the past five meetings in Miami, while the under is 4-1 in Miami's past five against teams with a winning overall record and 11-5 in their past 16 games in October. For UNC, the 'under' is 4-0 in their past four games in October, but the over is 8-2 in their past 10 against winning teams and 4-1 in their past five on the road.

Virginia Tech at Syracuse (ESPN, 3:45 p.m.)
Virginia Tech won in the wind and rain in North Carolina, and should be very happy to be under the dome and out of the elements this week. The Hokies are 5-1 ATS in their past six ACC games, but 6-13-1 ATS in their past 20 against teams with a losing record. Virginia Tech is also 0-6 ATS in their past six road games against teams with a losing home record. The 'Cuse hasn't been very good against the number lately, going 1-4 ATS in their past five overall and 0-4 ATS in their past four games on fieldturf. They are a rather impressive 5-2 ATS in their past seven under the dome, however. The 'under' is 5-0 in Va. Tech's past five road games, and 38-18-1 in their past 57 inside the conference, while going 14-6-1 in their past 21 against teams with a losing overall record. The 'under' is 5-2 in Syracuse's past seven overall, and 4-0 in their past four following a straight-up loss. However, the 'over' is 5-2 in their past seven inside the ACC.

Bye Week
Boston College