Saturday 11/28/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Rangers' Stepan suffers broken ribs
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

New York Rangers center Derek Stepan left Friday's game against the Boston Bruins with broken ribs after taking a heavy check from left winger Matt Beleskey.

He will be out indefinitely, according to coach Alain Vigneault.

Stepan was hit by Beleskey and fell into the boards, leading to New York defenseman Dylan McIlrath instigating a fight with Beleskey and getting 17 minutes in penalties to Beleskey's five.

--Chicago Blackhawls center C Teuvo Teravainen played for the first time Friday after missing the past three games due to injury.

--The Philadelphia Flyers called up center Nick Cousins and sent left wing Taylor Leier back to American Hockey League affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Cousins played 11 games for the Flyers last season and went scoreless.

--Nashville Predators center Colton Sissons, who was recalled on Thursday, was inserted into the lineup Friday, replacing center Paul Gaustad, who left Wednesday's game with an upper-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (7-10) at Rangers (15-5)

Date: November 28, 2015 1:30 PM EDT

The New York Rangers had been playing some of the NHL's best hockey before running into a pair of disappointing results.

They'll look to bounce back Saturday when they host the rival Philadelphia Flyers, who have been the Eastern Conference's worst team over the last month.

New York (16-5-2) went a league-best 11-1-0 from Oct. 25-Nov. 23, but its home winning streak was snapped at nine with Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Montreal before the Rangers collapsed late in a 4-3 loss at Boston on Friday.

The defeat against the Canadiens was the Rangers' largest at Madison Square Garden in more than a year, while the loss to the Bruins marked their first consecutive losses since a three-game skid Oct. 13-18. Rick Nash scored his sixth goal in four games against Boston, but New York surrendered two goals in the final four minutes.

"For most of the year the bounces have been going our way, but it's always not going to be perfect and you're not going to win them all," defenseman Dan Girardi told the team's official website. "But we had the lead there and needed to close it out."

The Rangers were also concerned with the loss of Derek Stepan, who suffered broken ribs on a hard hit by Matt Beleskey in the second period. Stepan played another shift, but didn't return for the third and is out indefinitely. He has six goals and six assists.

"In our opinion, it was a late hit," coach Alain Vigneault said. "More than a second, and he was a couple of feet away from the boards. So we'll have to wait and see."

Philadelphia won 3-2 in a shootout at home against New York on Oct. 24, but has since gone an East-worst 4-8-4, including Friday's 3-2 overtime win against Nashville.

The Flyers (8-10-5) won behind Shayne Gostisbehere's power-play goal in the extra period after giving up the tying tally with 20 seconds left in regulation. Gostisbehere, playing his ninth career game, scored in overtime for the second time in three contests.

"It's a fun ride right now, and I don't have any plans of getting off it," he said. "I've never scored that many OT winners in my life, so it's a surreal moment."

They still rank last in the NHL with 1.8 goals per game, and a number of top players are going through rough droughts. Second-leading goal-scorer Brayden Schenn has two goals in his last four games, and just one in his last 15 against the Rangers. Wayne Simmonds led the team last season with 28 goals but has just three through 23 games.

Backup Antti Raanta will get the nod for New York after Henrik Lundqvist started Friday. Raanta is undefeated in four starts with a 1.25 goals-against average and one shutout. He's also 2-1 in three starts against Philadelphia after posting a 32-save shutout in his most recent matchup Oct. 21, 2014.

Michael Neuvirth started Friday, so Steve Mason figures to be between the pipes for the Flyers. Mason has lost eight of his last nine starts but is 6-3-1 with a 2.40 GAA in 11 career starts against the Rangers.

Philadelphia is one shy of its first three-game win streak in the series since taking five in a row April 11, 2010-Feb. 20, 2011.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (9-9) at Canadiens (17-4)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens have won all six of their meetings with teams from the New York Metropolitan Area.

They'll try to make it two in two days as they go for a sweep of a home-and-home series with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.

Montreal (18-4-2) owns the most points in the league and beating teams from the New York/New Jersey area has certainly helped. The Canadiens have won three meetings with the New York Islanders, two against the New York Rangers and one with the Devils (11-9-2).

That success, which includes scoring 4.0 goals per game, has also spurred a four-game winning streak. The Canadiens swept a home-and-home set with the Islanders last weekend before beating the Rangers 5-1 on Wednesday and winning 3-2 in a shootout at New Jersey two days later.

Sven Andrighetto and Alex Galchenyuk scored to erase a two-goal deficit in regulation, and they were the only Canadiens to find the net in the shootout.

"We never give up," said Andrighetto, who has two goals in three games since being recalled from St. John's of the AHL. "It shows we kept pushing and we all believed. We all pulled in the same direction with the bad start we had."

Galchenyuk has goals in three straight games after scoring twice through the first 21.

Montreal, though, will again have to overcome the absence of Carey Price, who is out with a nagging lower-body injury that forced him to miss nine games - eight this month.

It's unclear if Mike Condon will get the nod again after making 25 saves and turning aside four of five shootout attempts Friday.

"This is huge," said Condon, who is 8-2-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average in 13 games. "Anytime you get a win it's huge. It's not about one guy."

If Condon is rested, the Canadiens would start Dustin Tokarski, who was recalled from St. John's on Thursday. He allowed two goals on 13 shots after replacing an ineffective Condon in a 6-1 loss to Colorado on Nov. 14.

Tokarski, who was 2-2-2 with a 3.45 GAA in six games in the minors, had 16 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss at New Jersey on April 3.

The Devils have followed a 10-3-0 stretch by losing four of five despite Cory Schneider's 2.24 GAA while going 1-2-1. He made 25 saves before stopping three shootout attempts Friday.

"I think if you really look at the game, Schneider made some unbelievable saves and we could have been down," rookie coach John Hynes said. "That's a high-end offensive team."

Schneider didn't get the start in New Jersey's only set of games on back-to-back days, which were the first two of the season. That could change this time since backup Keith Kincaid is 1-3-0 with a 3.04 GAA in four starts. He had 38 saves in a 6-2 loss at Montreal on Feb. 7.

Adam Henrique leads the Devils with 11 goals, scoring one in each of the last three games. That's a welcome change after he had two over the previous 11.

He's only scored once in five visits to Montreal.

Mike Cammalleri has nine points over the last six games and three in his last four against Montreal.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Islanders (11-8) at Lightning (10-10)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The lack of offense that has plagued the Tampa Bay Lightning all season remains, though it hasn't prevented them from a recent run of success at home.

They can thank Ben Bishop for that.

Bishop will almost certainly be back in net looking to continue his success at Amalie Arena on Saturday night when the New York Islanders visit.

Despite matching a season-best three-game win streak with Bishop in goal, the Lightning rested their No. 1 with games on back-to-back nights and started backup Andre Vasilevskiy on Friday at Washington.

That decision didn't pay off as the Capitals scored the game's first four goals and held on for a 4-2 victory, sending Tampa Bay to its sixth loss in eight road contests.

"You've got to be sharp and for whatever reason we didn't start the way we wanted to," forward Brian Boyle said. "I don't know if we were too respectful of some of their skill or what, but it wasn't our game for the first 50, 45 minutes."

Vasilevskiy faced 31 shots over the first two periods and finished with a season-high 33 saves, but the Lightning (11-10-3) have lost his last three starts compared to their 4-0-1 record in Bishop's past five - all at home. He's surrendered one goal or fewer four times in that span, posting a 1.36 goals-against average.

Bishop's success on home ice is not limited to this season. He's 53-14-7 with a 2.13 GAA in 76 games there since joining the Lightning in April 2013.

Tampa Bay has totaled 11 goals in its past four games, an improvement for a team that ranks near the bottom of the league with 2.33 per contest.

Besides a poor start, the Lightning's other big problem Friday was their usually reliable penalty-killing unit. They were beaten three times in four opportunities after their opponents went 5 for 49 in the previous 18 games.

"Our special teams were not good tonight and that's ultimately what cost us the game," coach Jon Cooper told the team's official website.

That may not be an issue against an Islanders power play that is 2 for 36 in 12 games this month. An opportunity that carried into overtime gave them a chance to improve those totals Friday at Florida, but they failed to convert and lost 3-2 in a shootout.

It was the third defeat in four games for New York (11-8-4), which did rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period.

"First and foremost we had a great comeback, a very hard-fought one point," said Ryan Strome, who scored in his first game after a demotion to the minors. "Pretty good team effort in the third to battle back."

In need of a spark, New York could get it with the possible return of defenseman Thomas Hickey, who has missed 15 games with a lower-body injury. He would likely replace veteran Marek Zidlicky in the lineup.

Jaroslav Halak rarely plays on back-to-back days so Thomas Greiss is the likely starter for the Islanders. Greiss has allowed three goals or fewer in each of his nine starts this season and made 32 saves in his only game against the Lightning, a 6-3 victory for Pittsburgh on Jan. 2.

The Islanders have earned at least a point in eight of the past nine (6-1-2) against Tampa Bay, winning the final two last season.

Bishop, though, is 3-0-1 with a 1.66 GAA in his last four meetings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Capitals (15-5) at Maple Leafs (5-10)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals continued their strong play against Atlantic Division teams their last time out. The Toronto Maple Leafs have witnessed first-hand how dominant they can be.

Washington looks to extends its overall win streak to five with a fourth straight victory over Toronto on Saturday night.

The Capitals (16-5-1) beat Tampa Bay 4-2 on Friday to improve to 19-1-3 in their last 23 against Atlantic opponents. Jason Chimera had a power-play goal and an assist, Alex Ovechkin scored and Evgeny Kuznetsov had two assists for Washington, which has outscored teams 17-8 during its four-game run.

Chimera has three goals and two assists on the power play in eight games since being put on the second line with Kuznetsov, who leads the team with 26 points and has eight in the past four games.

"He makes things a little easy," Chimera said. "It's just one of those things where, he's a special kid, special player. He's making me look good, that's for sure."

Three of those 19 wins over Atlantic clubs have come against Toronto, including 3-2 in a shootout Nov. 7 after Nicklas Backstrom tied the game with 0.8 seconds left in regulation. The Capitals have outscored the Maple Leafs 12-4 in those matchups.

"The margin for error is really small," forward James van Riemsdyk told the Maple Leafs' official website. "They're going to make some plays out there with the players they have on their team, so you have to make sure you're sharp for the whole 60 minutes and not give them any freebies. They've shown what they can do when they have a lot of space."

Ovechkin has four goals in the last five games overall and Backstrom has seven points in the past six.

Ovechkin has 13 goals and 10 assists during the stretch against Atlantic teams with Backstrom equaling that 23-point total with five goals and 18 assists.

The Maple Leafs (7-10-5) are coming off a home-and-home sweep to the Bruins, losing 2-0 in Boston last Saturday and 4-3 in a shootout Monday. They fell behind 2-0 after the first period before rallying to tie it on Tyler Bozak's goal with 3:51 remaining in the second.

Toronto struggled on special teams, going 0 for 6 on the power play - including one in overtime - while allowing a short-handed goal. The Capitals are 4 for 6 on the power play over their last two games.

However, the Maple Leafs managed to pick up a point for the eighth time in 10 games following a 1-6-1 stretch.

"We're still a work in progress," left wing Joffrey Lupul said. "It's kind of the quarter pole (of the season) now, but you can see noticeable differences. We're better now than we were a couple months ago, but we're going to have to keep improving if we want to be a team that can stay in that playoff race."

Ovechkin and Backstrom each had a goal and an assist in the first meeting, with Ovechkin also scoring the only shootout goal in the fourth round. Ovechkin has four goals and two assists during the three-game win streak in the series, while Backstrom has seven points in his last six matchups.

"He scores goals and he's done it consistently through his whole career," Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf said of Ovechkin, who ranks third all-time behind Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux with 0.62 goals per game. "He's dangerous every time he has the puck, he's a shooter, he loves to shoot the puck, and he shoots it hard and shoots it very well."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (7-14) at Penguins (12-8)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The only use of the word luck when describing the Edmonton Oilers lately has been preceded by the adjective bad.

Already without their latest top draft pick for an extended period, the Oilers lost another this week following a freak accident on the ice. Without the pair of key youngsters, Edmonton will be tasked with changing its aging misfortunes against Pittsburgh.

The last-place Oilers will try to snap a three-game losing skid Saturday night when they visit the Penguins, who have owned this series.

Pittsburgh (13-8-1) is 8-0-2 against Edmonton in the last 10 meetings, including three straight wins. The Penguins have also won each of the last four matchups in Pittsburgh.

Things aren't going well for Edmonton against anyone right now. The Oilers (7-14-2) opened a five-game road trip with regulation losses to Washington and Carolina and an overtime defeat at Detroit this week.

Friday's 4-3 loss to the Red Wings dropped the Oilers to 2-6-2 in their last 10 and 0-4-1 in their past five away from home. Iiro Pakarinen snapped a 12-game point drought with two goals.

'It is nice to score some goals, but at the end of the night, we lost the game,' Pakarinen said. 'So you can't be happy.'

Edmonton will go at least the next two months without this summer's No. 1 draft pick Connor McDavid, who broke his clavicle in early November, and it learned Thursday that 2012 top selection Nail Yakupov will miss two to four weeks after spraining his left ankle during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

It's not an uncommon injury, but it happened in odd fashion for Yakupov, who has a pair of goals and 10 assists. He was hurt when linesman Matt MacPherson lost his balance and fell backward onto him following a faceoff.

The Oilers scored four goals in each of the last three games McDavid played, but they have struggled since with an average of 2.3 in 10 contests.

McDavid's first missed game was a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 6. Phil Kessel sealed the Penguins' sixth straight victory and ninth in 10 games with a goal midway through the third period, but they have been up and down since.

Pittsburgh followed losses in three of four with wins in three of four but took another step back with Friday's 2-1 overtime defeat at Columbus.

The Penguins took a 1-0 lead on Evgeni Malkin's fifth goal in five games midway through the third period but surrendered an equalizer less than three minutes later. The Blue Jackets controlled the extra period, which ended on Cam Atkinson's goal on a pretty setup by Brandon Dubinsky.

Dubinsky's cross check to the back of Sidney Crosby's neck sent Pittsburgh's star center to the locker room late in the second period. Crosby returned for the start of the third and finished the game.

'I'm OK,' Crosby said. 'There is always concern when that happens. Yeah, I'm good.'

Marc-Andre Fleury made 41 saves in the loss. Fleury has seven consecutive wins against the Oilers with a 2.15 goals-against average, but he allowed four goals during a 6-4 victory March 12 and didn't face them earlier this month.

If Fleury is given a day off, Jeff Zatkoff would earn his second start this season against the Oilers after making 27 saves against them.

Anders Nilsson is set to make his fifth start in six games for Edmonton after Cam Talbot suffered Friday's loss. Nilsson made 31 saves in the first meeting and is 0-2-1 with a 3.30 GAA in his career against the Penguins.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (10-14) at Blues (13-6)

Date: November 28, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

A mediocre eight-game span has St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock recalling the kind of assertive play his team showed earlier in the season, and 60 minutes of the more forgettable form came against Columbus.

The teams meet again Saturday night in St. Louis with the Blues looking to get back on track and end a three-game skid to the Blue Jackets, who will be trying to climb from last place for the first time this season.

After Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss in Pittsburgh, the Blues (14-6-3) are 3-3-2 with 3.25 goals allowed per game since ending a span of six wins in seven games with consecutive shutouts.

"We have too much slowness in our game," Hitchcock told the team's official website. "Too much slowness. From where we were before, we were in attack mode, and we're on our heels now. We're way too much on the heels now. We're constantly trying to slow the play down instead of trying to get the pace back up again. That's something we want to improve."

They did get some help with a goal and an assist from Paul Stastny in his second game back after missing 16 with a broken right foot, and Kevin Shattenkirk stretched his point streak to seven games.

St. Louis, though, has trailed entering the third period in six of the last eight games, including the last two at Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but it emerged from those games with four points.

"It's not easy playing comeback hockey," said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo after managing a goal and an assist following a seven-game point drought. "Good character shown coming back, but we have to find a way to get up on teams early and bury them."

The Blue Jackets swept the two-game series in 2014-15 and opened this season's with a 3-1 home win on Nov. 17 behind a pair of goals from Brandon Saad, which matched the former Chicago forward's scoring total in 18 previous games including the postseason against St. Louis while with the Blackhawks.

Columbus has a 14-4 scoring advantage on the winning streak but has been much more modest in its consecutive overall wins.

Friday's 2-1 home overtime win against Pittsburgh was its second straight by that score, and the Blue Jackets (10-14-0) have shown some defensive aptitude over a 6-2-0 span while limiting teams to 1.75 goals per game.

Sergei Bobrovsky has unsurprisingly been a big part of it, going 6-1-0 with a 1.42 goals-against average. He faced the Blues less than two weeks ago and has a 1.33 GAA during a personal three-game winning streak in the series.

Should backup Curtis McElhinney start, he'll be looking for his first win after going 0-4-0 in six games. He beat the Blues once last season but is 0-5-0 with a 4.91 GAA in St. Louis.

Against the Penguins, Cam Atkinson scored the game winner for his second in three games, and Ryan Johansen scored for the third time in four games and fourth in seven after starting the season with one goal in 15 contests.

"It's easy to get up for these games - big crowd, at home against a division rival like Pittsburgh," said Brandon Dubinsky, who assisted Atkinson. "We have to find the consistency (coach John Tortorella) has talked about and carry it over against St. Louis."

Jake Allen will start for the Blues after playing both games on the road trip. Since posting consecutive shutouts on Nov. 7 and 10, he is 3-1-2 with a 2.97 GAA in seven games. He didn't face Columbus in the most recent meeting and is 1-1-0 with 3.17 mark in three games against them.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Stars (17-5) at Wild (11-7)

Date: November 28, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

Jamie Benn leads the NHL in goals, but he's having trouble translating that production onto the road.

Tyler Seguin isn't having any such problems.

Benn and Seguin look to continue their scoring barrage as the Dallas Stars seek a sixth straight road win Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Only five of Benn's 17 goals have come on the road and none in the last five such games. That's in stark contrast to his output at home, where he has 12 goals in 12 contests, totaling seven during a five-game streak there.

Benn scored five times during a 2-1-0 homestand, one coming in the first period of Friday's 3-2 shootout win over Vancouver.

Seguin's production is practically the complete opposite despite playing on the same line as Benn. He ranks second on the team with 12 goals, scoring 10 in 11 road games, including one in each of the last three.

That's a big reason why the Western Conference-leading Stars (18-5-0) are 9-2-0 on the road with wins in their last five there.

The trend with Benn and Seguin continued in a 3-2 overtime win against Minnesota on Nov. 14. Benn had a goal and two assists, combining with Seguin on John Klingberg's winning tally.

Kari Lehtonen had 22 saves in that meeting, but he's out with an upper-body injury. Antti Niemi made 34 saves and turned aside all three shootout attempts Friday.

"I thought (Niemi) was excellent," coach Lindy Ruff said, "and made some big saves."

It's not certain that Niemi will start on back-to-back days for the first time this season. That could mean Jack Campbell might get his second career start after being called up from Texas of the AHL on Thursday. His only NHL appearance was a 41-save effort in a 6-3 loss at Anaheim on Oct. 20, 2013.

The Wild (11-7-3) have dropped five of their last six games after going 10-3-2 through their first 15. They fell to 1-2-0 on this four-game homestand with Friday's 3-1 loss to Winnipeg, mustering a season-low 15 shots despite the return of Zach Parise.

"I look at the first part of the season and I think our record was a little misleading. I think there were a lot of inconsistencies in our game," coach Mike Yeo said. "What happens is I think we're playing the same game that we were at the start of the year, but the league gets better. So right now we're not getting away with those things."

Parise was held without a point and registered one shot in his first game after missing eight with a sprained knee ligament. He has no points in five consecutive games, his longest drought since joining Minnesota as a free agent prior to 2012-13.

Parise hasn't gone six games without a point since March 2006 during his rookie season with New Jersey.

More importantly, his knee isn't bothering him.

"I felt a little behind in the conditioning, but I was kind of expecting that," Parise told the team's official website.

Parise has 11 goals and 14 assists in 18 career games against Dallas, scoring two of Minnesota's six third-period goals in a 6-2 home win Feb. 22.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sabres (8-12) at Predators (10-6)

Date: November 28, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

The only redeeming point of the Nashville Predators' road trip came when they ended a long scoring drought and beat the skidding Buffalo Sabres.

Returning home for three straight could be what they need to get on track, but Buffalo should be heading into Saturday night's rematch with a bit more confidence after ending its losing streak.

Nashville (12-6-4) finished a 1-3-1 trip with Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia, and it would've went without a point for the fourth time if Mike Fisher hadn't scored the tying goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Predators were shut out in the first three before ending a 227-minute, 39-second scoreless stretch in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Sabres (9-12-2).

'It's all about the points, obviously. Three points is not good,' said Filip Forsberg, who scored in the first period and added an assist Friday. 'We've been scoring a lot of goals during the year, but we lost three games in a row without a goal. It's not acceptable. It's been better the last two games, but any way you put it, it's not good enough if it's just five goals (on the trip).'

Forsberg finished second among rookies with 26 goals last season, but he has three and scored for the first time in 18 games.

"I think it was only a matter of time," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He was shooting the puck well also. It was good for him to have a good first shift. (His line was) humming in the offensive zone and (was) able to generate."

Nashville opens a three-game homestand riding a 3-0-1 stretch at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators, who have one regulation defeat in 10 home games, have scored seven goals twice during that run.

Buffalo wouldn't mind if they brought their scoring woes from the road back home with them, though. The Sabres netted seven goals during an 0-4-2 skid before busting out of their slump with Friday's 4-1 win over Carolina.

Josh Gorges scored for the first time in over two years in the first period. Rookie Jack Eichel snapped a six-game goal drought against the Predators, then scored the go-ahead goal Friday right after the Sabres killed off a penalty.

'It's a big goal and I thought after that play, after that penalty kill, the game changed for us,' coach Dan Bylsma said.

Eichel has one goal and two assists in nine games on the road, where the Sabres are 4-4-1 after dropping their last two.

Rookie Linus Ullmark likely will get the start after Chad Johnson made 27 saves Friday. Johnson relieved Ullmark midway through the second period against the Predators after Ullmark allowed three goals on eight shots, as Fisher, Craig Smith and Cody Hodgson scored.

Pekka Rinne was in goal Friday and has lost his last four starts with a 3.26 goals-against average. Carter Hutton stopped 30 shots against the Sabres and could face them again.

Nashville has outscored Buffalo 17-5 while winning five straight meetings. Smith has four goals and two assists in six career games against the Sabres.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Senators (9-5) at Coyotes (12-9)

Date: November 28, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Following an impressive win at Western Conference-leading Dallas, Ottawa coach Dave Cameron hoped the current road swing would become one the Senators could build upon.

Ottawa may have to figure out a way to contain Mikkel Boedker to sweep the three-game trip and extend its win streak to five Saturday night against the Arizona Coyotes.

The Senators (12-5-5) had difficulty coming through with timely goals during a 1-1-3 stretch before outscoring their opponents 19-7 during their longest streak of the season.

After Mike Hoffman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each had two goals in Tuesday's 7-4 win at Dallas to open the trip, Shane Prince scored the first two of his career in a 5-3 win at Colorado on Wednesday.

"I haven't been able to get a bounce so far this year," Prince said. "So my mindset was to throw everything on net and shoot every chance I get. Sure enough, first shift I get a little squeaker there and the floodgates open."

Hoffman and Kyle Turris, who has a team-high 11 goals, are playing well with three goals and two assists on the streak. Erik Karlsson, second among NHL defensemen with 24 points, has five goals and seven assists on a career high-tying eight-game point streak.

"We talked after we got the win in Dallas that we had a chance to make this a great road trip," Cameron said. "You win the first of three, you have a chance for a great road trip. A win in there and great becomes a reality."

Cameron's squad will try to get that done against the Coyotes (12-9-1), who are looking to sweep a three-game homestand following Friday's 2-1 overtime win over Calgary.

Martin Hanzal scored in the second period before Oliver Ekman-Larsson delivered the winner four minutes into overtime, giving coach Dave Tippett his 500th career victory.

"I've been involved in a lot of ugly games in that 500, so it's probably fitting that was an ugly game," said Tippett, who has 229 wins with Arizona and the rest with Dallas.

Brad Richardson has four assists over his last three at home, and first-year winger Max Domi has a goal and four assists during a three-game win streak at Gila River Arena.

Mike Smith improved to 6-2-0 with a 2.40 goals-against average in eight starts this month, though he could give way to backup Anders Lindback in the second of a back-to-back.

Lindback finished with 35 saves in a 4-1 win at Ottawa on Oct. 24, while Boedker also shined with a career high-tying three goals - one an empty-netter with two minutes left.

The left wing has four goals and five assists over a five-game point streak against the Senators.

Craig Anderson is expected to get the nod for Ottawa after making 20 of his season-high 40 saves in the third period Wednesday. He's posted a 1.75 GAA while winning his last four starts, but fell to 4-7-1 with a 2.58 GAA over his 12 versus Arizona in last month's 22-save effort.

Coyotes captain Shane Doan is day-to-day after missing his second straight game with a lower-body injury. The right wing scored at Montreal and Winnipeg in his last two games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (11-11) at Avalanche (8-13)

Date: November 28, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

The Colorado Avalanche knocked off the Winnipeg Jets earlier in the week, but that win looks more and more like an outlier in what has been a dismal stretch for Colorado.

Winnipeg will get another shot Saturday night when it visits Denver in a Central Division matchup.

The Avalanche (8-13-1) won 4-1 at Winnipeg on Monday, their only victory in a five-game span in which they've surrendered 22 goals. They returned home from a seven-game trip Wednesday but loss 5-3 to Ottawa, falling to an NHL-worst 2-6-1 at home.

"There's no moral victories. We need points," said Nathan MacKinnon, who has six goals and seven assists in his last 11 games after tallying one of each against the Senators. "This was a good opportunity to get them and we didn't show up."

Semyon Varlamov is expected to start in net despite struggling again. He was pulled in the second period in favor of Reto Berra after surrendering three goals on 15 shots, and coach Patrick Roy was particularly critical of the first one he allowed.

"When I saw the first one going in I said, `C'mon Varly. That can't happen,'" Roy said, hours after he issued a public vote of confidence for Varlamov following the team's morning skate despite his 3.22 goals-against average - the second-highest among qualifying goaltenders.

"That was not a dangerous shot at all. It was coming from the boards and it really hurt us a lot. It took some momentum off of our game."

Roy reiterated his support for Varlamov on Friday, however.

"He's our No. 1 goalie, and I'm behind him. I remember '93, it was a tough year (for me), and it would have been easy for coach (Jacques) Demers to put the other guy in," the third-year coach told the team's official website, referring to 1992-93 when he posted a 3.20 regular-season GAA before helping Montreal win the Stanley Cup. "He stood by my side, and in the end made a big impact. I said the same thing this morning with Varly, 'I'm with you for the good and the bad, and we'll find a way to get your game going.'"

Varlamov is just 4-3-2 with a 3.04 GAA in his last nine starts against Winnipeg, though he made 20 saves in Monday's victory.

Winnipeg (11-11-2) had also been giving up far too many goals, allowing 38 while dropping eight of 10 prior to Friday's 3-1 win at Minnesota.

Dustin Byfgulien recorded his seventh goal and assist of the season and Mathieu Perreault found the back of the net for the a second straight contest following a 16-game drought. Connor Hellebuyck only needed to stop 14 shots in his NHL debut to help the Jets snap a six-game road losing streak.

"A lot of things have been going wrong around here, and we needed some way to get back to our game plan," Byfuglien said. "New blood in the pipes never hurts, and the kid played great."

Michael Hutchinson figures to draw this start, however, and owns a 4.06 GAA in his last five games for the Jets.

Seven of the previous nine meetings before Monday's matchup went to overtime or a shootout.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flames (8-13) at Sharks (12-9)

Date: November 28, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Suffering a defeat in their first home game after a perfect road trip wasn't enough to get the San Jose Sharks panicking about what they basically wrote off as an off night.

What they haven't explained, though, is why winning at the SAP Center has been so difficult.

The Calgary Flames won all three times they've visited San Jose last season, and they'll try to extend that streak Saturday night after dropping the first two on their trip.

The Sharks (13-9-0) swept a six-game trip before losing 5-2 to defending champion Chicago on Wednesday, when it took more than 13 minutes to put their first shot on goal.

Brent Burns got San Jose on the board later in the first period, and Patrick Marleau scored in the third before Chicago added two goals to ice it.

'We were sloppy and a little soft in the first period and they made us pay,' coach Peter DeBoer said. 'The story of the game was the first period and how we started. We've got to go back to the drawing board and find a way."

Joe Pavelski, who assisted on Burns' goal, didn't seem too concerned. The Sharks ended up outshooting the Blackhawks 29-26, with 15 of those shots coming on five power plays.

"We're (22) games in," Pavelski said. "At the end of the day we just weren't good enough with the puck. We just didn't get the flow going. We'll regroup and come back and hopefully play a faster game next time."

Wednesday's loss, though, marked San Jose's third straight at home, where they are 3-6-0 on the season. The Sharks' 22 home losses last season were their most since dropping 23 in 1996-97.

Calgary (8-13-2) outscored San Jose 10-4 while winning the three road matchups last season, with Jiri Hudler scoring in each.

Hudler returned Friday after missing the previous two with an illness and assisted on Mark Giordano's goal, but the Flames fell 2-1 to Arizona in overtime. They dropped to 3-8-2 on the road and 0-1-1 on a three-game trip.

Calgary led 2-0 and had a one-goal advantage heading into the third period Tuesday, but it allowed three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes of a 5-3 loss at Anaheim.

'(Friday) was a good road game,' coach Bob Hartley said. 'We played smart, we played hard, it's just the result, we wish we could change it.'

Giordano's goal came on the power play after the Flames went 0 for 12 in their previous five with the man advantage. They came up empty on five other chances, though, and have converted just 14.1 percent of their opportunities on the season.

'Obviously, we'd like to score on those power plays and grab some momentum, but we did some good things,' defenseman Kris Russell said. 'I thought we played a good game throughout, but at the end of the day, on special teams, we get one there, that's the difference in the game.'

Karri Ramo is 6-5-1 with a 2.74 goals-against average while starting the Flames' last 12. That stretch includes one back-to-back set, but it's unclear if he'll get the nod in San Jose despite his 1.23 GAA in his last four against the Sharks.

Martin Jones had a 1.56 GAA while winning his previous five starts before losing to Chicago. He won his only career start against the Flames 3-2 on March 10 while with Los Angeles.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (13-8) at Kings (12-8)

Date: November 28, 2015 10:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks escaped with another victory on their circus trip, and they'll look to cap it with a second win against the Los Angeles Kings this month Saturday night.

The Kings, though, are just as eager for a win given their recent play.

Chicago is 3-1-1 on this season-high six-game trip while the Ringling Brothers Circus is at the United Center. The Blackhawks (13-8-2) won 3-2 in overtime at Anaheim on Friday, their second win past regulation on the trip after opening it with a 4-3 overtime victory against Edmonton on Nov. 18.

Artem Anisimov scored at the 1:53 mark of the extra period Friday, giving him five goals and four assists in his last nine games. That was after Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith found the back of the net in the final two minutes of the third period to force overtime.

"Well, I don't think that is the way we'd like to draw it up, but we'll take the win," Keith said. "I thought they outworked us most of the game. We just found a way at the end and snuck out with the two points."

Patrick Kane assisted on Keith's goal to extend his point streak to 18 games, tying Phil Kessel and Eddie Olczyk for the longest run by an American-born player. He has 10 goals and 19 assists in that span and his 35 points lead the NHL.

The Blackhawks also have a come-from-behind victory against Los Angeles under their belt, scoring three goals in the third period of a 4-2 home win Nov. 2. Anisimov and Kane each had a goal and an assist, and Kane has four goals and 10 assists in his last seven meetings including the playoffs.

Los Angeles (13-8-1) has dropped three of four, matching the amount of losses in the previous 15 games. The Kings closed a five-game trip with a 2-1 shootout loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, falling despite a 38-30 advantage in shots. They're 4-4-1 when recording at least 35 shots and rank near the bottom of the league with a 7.7 shooting percentage.

Marian Gaborik and Trevor Lewis combined for 11 shots but neither could convert. Gaborik has three goals this season despite taking 52 shots.

"We did a good job of creating opportunities," said Milan Lucic, who scored the lone goal. "But no matter how good the goalie is playing, you have to find a way to get a few past him."

Lucic has five goals in his last nine games but one in 11 meetings with Chicago.

The Kings have been better at home, winning seven of nine while scoring seven power-play goals on 27 chances. Leading goal scorer Tyler Toffoli has eight goals and four assists in 12 home contests compared to three and five in 10 on the road.

Jonathan Quick's performance against the Lightning was encouraging. He surrendered one goal for the second straight start after giving up three or more in six of his previous eight. He's 2-6-0 with a 3.92 goals-against average in his last eight starts against the Blackhawks, however.

Chicago backup Scott Darling will get the nod having won his only previous start against Los Angeles.

The Blackhawks have won 22 of the last 32 meetings including the postseason.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Rangers won eight of their last 11 games (2-3 in last five).
-- Montreal won five of its last six games.
-- Lightning won three of their last four games.
-- Washington won five of its last six games.
-- Blue Jackets won six of their last eight games.
-- Dallas Stars won nine of their last 11 games.
-- Ottawa won last four games, scoring 19 goals. Coyotes won six of last nine.
-- Sharks won six of their last seven games.
-- Blackhawks won five of their last seven games.

Cold teams
-- Flyers lost six of their last nine games.
-- Devils lost four of their last five games.
-- Islanders lost three of their last four games.
-- Maple Leafs lost three of their last five games.
-- Edmonton lost eight of its last ten games. Penguins are 3-4 in last seven games.
-- Blues are 3-5 in their last eight games.
-- Minnesota lost five of its last six games.
-- Buffalo lost six of its last seven games. Predators lost four of last five.
-- Winnipeg lost six of its last seven road games. Colorado lost four of last five.
-- Calgary lost five of its last eight games.
-- Kings lost three of their last four games.

Series records
-- Home side won eight of last nine Flyer-Ranger games.
-- Canadiens won seven of last ten games with New Jersey.
-- Islanders won six of last nine games with Tampa Bay.
-- Maple Leafs lost five of last six games with Washington.
-- Penguins won four of last five games with Edmonton.
-- Blue Jackets won last three games with St Louis.
-- Dallas Stars lost four of last six games with Minnesota.
-- Sabres lost their last five games with Nashville.
-- Senators are 6-4 in last ten games with Arizona (road team 4-1 in last five).
-- Avalanche won three of last four games with Winnipeg.
-- Flames won six of last seven games with San Jose.
-- Kings lost five of last seven games with Chicago.

Totals
-- Under is 3-0-2 in last five Philly games.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine Montreal games.
-- Under is 4-2-1 in last seven Tampa Bay games.
-- Under is 7-3 in last ten Washington games.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Edmonton games.
-- Four of last five Columbus-St Louis games went over.
-- Eight of last ten Dallas games stayed under.
-- Under is 3-0-2 in last five Nashville games.
-- Four of last five Ottawa-Arizona games went over.
-- Five of last six Winnipeg games stayed under.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Calgary-San Jose games.
-- Over is 8-0-2 in last ten Chicago-Los Angeles games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Raptors (10-6) at Wizards (6-7)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Wizards opened the season with high expectations after reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals. Instead, they're struggling through a drama-filled month.

In their first meeting since a first-round playoff sweep, the Wizards hope to avoid their fourth consecutive defeat Saturday night when they host the surging Toronto Raptors.

Bradley Beal averaged 20.8 points, Marcin Gortat added 17.3 points and 10.0 rebounds and John Wall scored 17.3 to go along with 12.5 assists as Washington eased past the Raptors last postseason.

The Wizards then lost to Atlanta in a six-game conference semifinal series after Wall suffered a broken left wrist in the opener. After an offseason in which its star point guard could heal, Washington was projected to be one of the top teams in the conference.

The Wizards, however, haven't played that way as they fell to 6-7 following Friday's 111-78 loss at Boston. They've allowed an average of 96.5 points in wins but a whopping 115.6 in defeats.

Coach Randy Wittman already stirred things up Nov. 10 when he called the team "too soft" following a 125-101 home loss to Oklahoma City that capped its first three-game skid. More recently, Wall reportedly criticized Wittman by saying he shouldn't have been on the bench with Beal early in a six-point fourth quarter that led to Wednesday's 101-87 loss at Charlotte.

Jared Dudley had 19 points and Beal added 16 on Friday, but Wall scored 10 on 4-of-11 shooting and Gortat had four while missing seven of eight from the field. The Wizards shot 32.1 percent and committed 22 turnovers.

'You can't play this game solely based on if you're making or missing shots,' Wittman said. 'We have energy to start the game, but when we miss shots we lose that.'

Wall has played better at home, scoring 17.2 per game. He's averaged 19.7 points and 11.7 assists in his last six against Toronto, including the playoffs.

Washington had dropped seven of eight regular-season meetings before its postseason sweep.

Two-time defending Atlantic Division champion Toronto similarly scuffled during a 2-6 stretch before turning things around with road wins over both Los Angeles teams. The Raptors (10-6) then pulled off perhaps their best victory Wednesday, 103-99 over visiting Cleveland.

'We're excited about the win, no question,' coach Dwane Casey said. 'But we can't go over the moon and lose our focus and lose sight of continuing to improve in a lot of areas.'

The Raptors have done that on the defensive end, giving up an average of 90.8 points in their last four games after they had surrendered 103.4 over the previous five.

Kyle Lowry led the way with 27 points Wednesday, DeMar DeRozan scored 20 and Bismack Biyombo had 11 points and 12 rebounds while filling in for injured starter Jonas Valanciunas. The 7-foot center is expected to miss at least six weeks because of a broken left hand.

Lowry has been on a roll with 20 points or more in eight of the past nine games. The All-Star point guard has averaged 20.8 points in his last four trips to Washington, including the playoffs.

The Wizards can't be happy about seeing DeMarre Carroll again. He averaged 16.7 points and made 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range for the Hawks in last season's playoff series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nets (3-12) at Cavaliers (12-4)

Date: November 28, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Cleveland Cavaliers followed up a pep talk from LeBron James by ending their road struggles. They certainly haven't needed extra motivation during a dominant run at home.

The defending Eastern Conference champions look to remain unbeaten Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena against a Brooklyn Nets team mired in its worst start in six years.

James, who spoke to the team following Wednesday's loss at Toronto, finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds and Kevin Love stayed hot with 18 points and 16 boards to help Cleveland snap a three-game road skid with a 95-90 win against Charlotte on Friday.

"I said what I had to say, the guys responded and we got a win," James said.

It also helped that the Cavs got healthier as Timofey Mozgov, Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavedova returned from injuries. Love even sat out the fourth quarter with Dellavedova, James, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson and J.R. Smith all playing well.

"Those five we had out there were rolling in the fourth quarter," the three-time All-Star said. "I was ready, but we kept those guys in and they did a great job."

Cleveland hasn't had trouble scoring at the Q, ranking among NBA leaders with 108.3 points per game, a 48.5 field-goal percentage and 38.3 mark from 3-point range. Love is averaging 21.5 points at home compared to 17.4 on the road, while Smith is scoring 19.7 per game and hitting 14 of 30 (46.7 percent) from long range in his last three there.

The Cavs (12-4), who also face Washington on Tuesday during this brief stay, have won 28 of their last 29 regular-season home games and are off to their best start in Cleveland (8-0) since opening 23-0 in 2008-09.

They appear to have a good chance to continue that run against the Nets, who haven't been able to slow anyone for most of the season. Brooklyn has been particularly porous of late, allowing an average of 111.8 points on 50.8 percent shooting in its last four.

The Nets are off to their worst start since setting a league record with an 0-18 mark to begin '09-10. They dropped 27 of their first 28 road contests that season en route to the fifth 70-loss campaign in NBA history.

Brooklyn dropped its fifth straight road game and fell to 1-9 away from home with a 110-99 loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, allowing the Thunder to shoot 52.6 percent from the field and 10 of 24 from 3-point range.

Brook Lopez finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Thaddeus Young had 18 points, eight boards and three steals. Joe Johnson scored five on 2-of-11 shooting and committed six turnovers. He's averaging 8.6 points and shooting 29.8 percent on the road.

Young has been a bright spot with 18.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game over his last six. The veteran forward did not play March 27 when Lopez and Johnson scored 20 apiece to help Brooklyn (3-12) snap a four-game slide in this series with a 106-98 home victory.

James averaged 20.0 points to help the Cavaliers take three of four in last season's series, but he shot an uncharacteristic 12 for 31 (38.7 percent) in two home meetings.

The Nets have dropped their last four visits to Quicken Loans Arena.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hawks (11-7) at Spurs (13-3)

Date: November 28, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

The Atlanta Hawks have tried to mimic his former club since hiring Mike Budenholzer away from San Antonio, though it hasn't stopped the Spurs from dominating the all-time series - particularly at home.

The Spurs go for an 18th straight home win over the Hawks on Saturday night.

San Antonio (13-3) is known for its methodical approach under Gregg Popovich, who uses a deep bench and in recent seasons has done a good job resting his veterans to get them ready for the playoffs. Five titles since 1999 are proof that his philosophy pays off.

Budenholzer, an assistant under Popovich starting in 1996, brought those ideals to the Hawks (11-7) two seasons ago and they led to a franchise-best 60-22 record in 2014-15.

The Spurs, though, have still maintained the upper hand in direct matchups and Popovich has beaten his former understudy's team in all four meetings.

San Antonio's dominance is staggering with 28 victories in the past 32 meetings, including nine in a row while holding the Hawks to 91.2 points per game.

The Spurs enter this one on a four-game win streak during which they've allowed an average of 82.3 points. They limited Denver to 40.3 percent shooting in a 91-80 road win Friday while resting Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili with three games coming in four days.

Kawhi Leonard continued his emergence as San Antonio's next star, scoring 25 points with seven rebounds, six assists, five blocks and four steals. The forward is averaging career highs of 22.0 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor, including 46.8 from behind the arc.

"He is playing well and playing under control," point guard Tony Parker said. "He is shooting the ball well and he is playing at both ends. Both defensively and offensively, he is playing great so far."

Leonard was terrific in the last meeting March 22, scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a 114-95 win at Atlanta.

He's deflecting any praise to Parker, who is averaging 13.6 points and 4.8 assists.

"T.P. has just been doing a good job ... of getting his rhythm going and when the defense collapses on him, he's just finding us out there and getting us wide-open shots," Leonard said. "It just gets you in a rhythm."

The Hawks are aiming for their first win in San Antonio since Feb. 15, 1997, during Popovich's first season on the Spurs' bench.

Atlanta ended its four-game road losing streak Friday, beating Memphis 116-101 after clamping down defensively. The Hawks yielded just 19 points in the fourth quarter while the Grizzlies made 6 of 20 from the floor.

"We buckled down. We made it tough on them defensively," said Paul Millsap, who led six Hawks in double figures with 23 points and added 14 rebounds. "We contested shots better. We got our hands on the basketball, got deflections and we boxed out pretty good.

"When you do that, it puts a little more pressure on them."

Millsap is averaging 23.3 points and 11.0 rebounds over the last three games. However, he's scored 11.7 points per game over his last six visits to San Antonio.

Jeff Teague hasn't been any better, averaging 7.3 points in the past three matchups.

Tiago Splitter has missed three straight games with pain in his right hip so he may not be available for his return to San Antonio. The center spent his first five seasons with the Spurs before being traded to the Hawks this past summer.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Nuggets (6-10) at Mavericks (9-7)

Date: November 28, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

While the Dallas Mavericks came away empty-handed from a tightly contested road trip, the Denver Nuggets didn't do any better through five not-so-close games at home.

The two struggling teams will look to regroup when the Mavericks return home to face the Nuggets on Saturday night.

After winning six in a row, including three straight on the road, Dallas (9-7) fell flat during a three-game trip through Oklahoma City, Memphis and San Antonio this week.

The Mavericks coughed up a double-digit third-quarter lead during a 117-114 loss to the Thunder and shot just 39.0 percent while matching a season-high with 19 turnovers in a 110-96 loss to the Grizzlies. They closed the swing with a season-low point total in Wednesday's 88-83 loss to the Spurs for their first three-game skid of the season.

"This last road trip left a sour taste in our mouth," Chandler Parsons said. "We felt like we left a few on the table there we could have gotten."

Dallas never led but also didn't trail by more than six during the fourth quarter in San Antonio on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Mavs, averaging 100.6 points this season, fell to 2-5 when failing to score 100.

"It's frustrating," said Dirk Nowitzki. "It was right there... It was a tough one."

Parsons missed his fifth game against the Spurs to rest after playing a season-high 25 minutes at Memphis the night before. He's slowly building his minutes after offseason knee surgery and Dallas is still not comfortable playing him on consecutive days.

The Mavs will likely be without point guard J.J. Barea for the next three games after he sprained his right ankle late against the Spurs. He will travel with the team when they head to Sacramento on Monday, according to coach Rick Carlisle.

Denver's latest defeat was also a low-scoring affair against San Antonio, which held the Nuggets (6-10) to 40.3 percent shooting in their 91-80 loss Friday.

They put up two more points than their season low against Minnesota in the second game of the season and fell to 0-10 when shooting 45.6 percent or worse.

A fruitless four-game homestand has pushed the club's overall skid to five. Denver lost at home against Phoenix, Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio by an average of 12.0 points and has turned the ball over 54 times in its last three.

"We can't sustain any effort," coach Michael Malone said. "We look great in stretches. And we look really bad in stretches."

Denver's most energetic player, Kenneth Faried, missed his third straight game against the Spurs with a left ankle sprain and the timetable for his return is unclear.

The Nuggets, looking for a spark in the opener of a five-game trip, have lost three of four away from home, while Dallas has won four straight at American Airlines Center.

"We have to be a lot more mentally tough," Malone said. "We have to find a way to play for 48 minutes. It's not a 30-minute game. It's not high school anymore. You have to play for 48, and until we do that we're going to continue to lose."

The Mavericks have won two straight meetings with Denver and the last two in Dallas.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pelicans (4-12) at Jazz (7-7)

Date: November 28, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

It's quite literally been a painful season to date for the New Orleans Pelicans, who had to watch their star get carried off the floor in their latest bout with adversity.

Anthony Davis sat out the last time New Orleans faced the Jazz, and that might be the case again Saturday night in Utah.

Davis averaged 26 points and 14.7 rebounds while guiding the Pelicans (4-12) to three straight wins before having 17 points when he suffered a right knee injury colliding with Chris Paul with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Friday's 111-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

He's already missed three games and left two others previously with shoulder and hip injuries. Reports said there is no structural damage to his knee, and Davis eventually returned to the bench.

Davis' latest setback could cause more problems for coach Alvin Gentry, who has used 11 different starting lineups. Tyreke Evans (recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery), Norris Cole (left ankle sprain) and Quincy Pondexter (left knee) haven't played this season, and big man Kendrick Perkins has sat out the last 13 because of a right pectoral issue.

Eric Gordon, who scored 16 points, is the only player to start each game. Ish Smith played 38 minutes off the bench with Jrue Holiday in foul trouble for the Pelicans, who shot just 36.2 percent.

'I've got to be on the floor. We have a lot of guys hurt. I can't afford to go down,' Davis said.

Gentry nor Davis would comment on the play during which Davis was hurt. Gentry also said it wouldn't have been "worth the risk" to put Davis on the floor in the fourth quarter if the game was closer and if Davis said he could play.

"We'll know more tomorrow, so we'll see," Gentry said.

Gordon had 31 points as Davis sat out with a right shoulder sprain in New Orleans' 100-96 loss to Utah in the most recent meeting Feb. 9. Gordon Hayward scored 32 points in that contest for the Jazz (7-7), who are coming off one of their best efforts of the season.

Hayward had a season-high 33 points and Derrick Favors added 22 in Wednesday's 102-91 road win over the Clippers. Utah shot 50.6 percent from the field and went over 100 points for only the second time.

The Jazz had lost five of their previous seven.

"I was able to knock down some 3s, and when you see the ball go in the first quarter like that, it's a good feeling and it kind of gets you going a little bit," said Hayward, who went 11 of 22 from the field and hit 5 of 7 3-point attempts. 'It's one game, so I don't think you can take too much from it, but it's definitely a confidence booster for us as a team."

Rodney Hood scored 13 points in just over 30 minutes despite playing with a bad back that has caused him consistent pain. He went to the locker room once during each half to receive treatment.

Trey Burke experienced back spasms in the first quarter and didn't return.

'Rodney's a guy that when he's hurting, he's capable of pushing through it,' coach Quin Snyder said. 'You want to be smart about it, but he felt like he wanted to be out there.'

Hayward is averaging 24.4 points in his last five against New Orleans.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lakers (2-12) at Trail Blazers (6-10)

Date: November 28, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

The Portland Trail Blazers' only wins in the past three weeks have come against the NBA's two Los Angeles teams.

The Blazers will get to face both clubs again in back-to-back games, beginning with a home game versus the Lakers on Saturday night.

Portland (6-10) ended a seven-game slide - its longest in three seasons - with a 102-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday and beat the Lakers 107-93 two days later. The Blazers couldn't keep that run going Tuesday, losing 93-88 to visiting Chicago.

Damian Lillard finished two assists shy of his first career triple-double and scored a team-best 19 points, but missed 18 of 22 shots and all six from 3-point range. He missed a potential tying free throw with 20.7 seconds remaining in what was a one-possession game for much of the final six minutes against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

"We know we can beat anybody," center Mason Plumlee said. "It's not, 'Oh we can play with anybody.' We know we can beat anybody. ... The next step is just winning."

Beating the West-worst Lakers (2-12) or the struggling Clippers on Monday at Staples Center might come easier.

The Blazers shot a season-low 35.2 percent Tuesday but did hold the Bulls to 38.4. Portland has limited its last six opponents to a combined 40.8 percent.

"I think we should also be excited the way we defended tonight and gave ourselves a chance to win the game," Lillard said. "We've got to keep that mindset and keep that type of focus and do it every game."

Portland had a more complete effort against the Lakers, shooting 49.4 percent while holding Los Angeles to its second-lowest mark of the season (36.4).

Lillard scored 30 points while dishing out a career-high 13 assists. C.J. McCollum chipped in 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting as the Blazers' backcourt outdueled the Lakers' young duo of Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell.

Clarkson had a team-leading 19 points in that game but was held to four on 2-of-11 shooting in a 111-77 drubbing at Golden State on Tuesday. Kobe Bryant was limited to four points while missing 13 of 14 shots in the Lakers' fourth consecutive loss and sixth in a row on the road.

"It's tough out there," guard Nick Young told his team's official website. "We've got to find our identity. Like I've been saying, everybody's a great one-on-one player, but we've got to work on team ball."

The Lakers, 0-8 against West teams, have lost six in a row to the Blazers for their longest skid in the series since an eight-gamer Feb. 18, 1993-Jan. 9, 1995.

Lillard has averaged 28.7 points during the streak, and his 25.8 career average in 12 meetings with Los Angeles is his second-highest versus any opponent behind a 26.2 mark against San Antonio. McCollum has totaled 46 points while making 18 of 29 shots in the last two meetings.

Clarkson is averaging 21.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting in his past three matchups with Portland.

Bryant, averaging 15.2 points on 31.1 percent shooting, had 18 points and missed 16 of 22 shots in last weekend's defeat. He's averaged 33.1 points in his last seven games in Portland but hasn't played there since scoring 47 in a 113-106 win April 10, 2013.

Los Angeles has lost 14 of 18 in Portland.