puck humpday

[Aces High]

MINNESOTA WILD (25-27-20-3) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (21-42-8-4), 7 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - The expansion class of 2000 meets up tonight when the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Minnesota Wild to Nationwide Arena.

On Sunday, rookie Nikolai Zherdev scored a pair of goals and assisted on another during a three-goal third period, as the Blue Jackets rallied from a two-goal deficit to post an improbable 5-4 victory over the playoff-bound Vancouver Canucks.

Zherdev finished with two goals and two assists for the Blue Jackets, who snapped an eight-game losing streak. Columbus, coming off a 2-0 loss at Calgary on Thursday, hadn't won since March 2 at Carolina.

Todd Marchant chipped in the tying goal in the third and an assist, while Rick Nash and Brian Holzinger also scored. Marc Denis finished with 27 saves in the victory.

Nash tallied his 38th goal of the season, which ties him for second in the National Hockey League with Calgary's Jarome Iginla. Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk leads the league with 39 tallies.

Columbus will host Anaheim on Friday.

Minnesota, meanwhile, has lost two straight, including Monday's 3-2 overtime setback to visiting Phoenix. Mike Comrie scored with 24.2 seconds left in OT to lift the Coyotes, who won for the first time in 16 games.

Marc Chouinard notched a goal and an assist for the Wild, who fell for just the second time in nine games (4-1-3-1). Nick Schultz also scored and Manny Fernandez made 25 saves.

Minnesota, which will miss the playoffs after last year's surprising postseason run, had the first five shots of the extra period, but could not beat opposing goaltender Brent Johnson, who finished with 27 saves.

The Wild, who fell to 0-3-20 in overtime this season, will visit Chicago on Thursday.

Minny is 2-1 against Columbus this season, but is 0-3-1 in its last four trips to Nationwide Arena.

RECENT TRENDS
? MIN is 7-2 ATS in their last nine overall.
? Under is 23-5-1 in MIN's last 29 road games.
? MIN ranks 4th in defense allowing 2.23 goals/gm.
? CLB is 5-15 ATS in their last 20 overall.
? Over is 11-3-1 in CLB's last 15 overall.
? CLB ranks 29th in offense with 2.15 goals/gm.

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
3/14/2004 Min. 3 Clmb. 2 -0.5,-160/4.5 Min./O
1/31/2004 Clmb. 2 Min. 1 -0.5,125/4.5 Clmb./U
12/20/2003 Min. 5 Clmb. 2 -0.5,-160/4.5 Min./O
4/6/2003 Min. 4 Clmb. 3 -0.5,-180/5 Min./O
4/2/2003 Clmb. 3 Min. 0 0.5,115/5 Clmb./U
3/15/2003 Clmb. 5 Min. 0 0.5,-115/5 Clmb./P
1/8/2003 Min. 1 Clmb. 2 -0.5,-135/5 Clmb./U
3/20/2002 Min. 1 Clmb. 3 0,-170/5 Clmb./U
3/10/2002 Min. 5 Clmb. 0 0,-180/5 Min./P
2/12/2002 Clmb. 3 Min. 3 0,-120/5 P/O

MONTREAL CANADIENS (40-26-7-3) AT BUFFALO SABRES (33-32-6-4), 7:30 p.m. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - The Montreal Canadiens continue their quest for a higher playoff seed tonight when they visit the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena.

With 90 points, the Habs are seventh in the Eastern Conference -- two behind New Jersey. Montreal is three back of fifth-place Ottawa and four off of No. 4 Toronto in the standings.

On Saturday, Michael Ryder recorded a goal and an assist to lead the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Devils at the Bell Centre. Jim Dowd and Alexei Kovalev also scored for the Canadiens, who are 6-0-1-1 in their last eight games. Jan Bulis added two assists in the win.

Kovalev tallied his first goal in six games since coming over from the New York Rangers via trade earlier in the month.

Jose Theodore turned aside 33 shots for his 32nd victory of the season. He has won his last five starts, and 10 of his last 11.

Defenseman Sheldon Souray played his second game after missing 17 contests with a sprained left knee. Souray, who represented the team in the All-Star Game, was among the league scoring leaders among defenseman before going down, as he has 15 goals and 20 assists in 59 games.

Montreal earned three out of a possible four points in the home-and-home with the Devils after Friday's 1-1 tie.

The Canadiens, 3-0-1 in their last four away tilts, will host Ottawa on Thursday.

Buffalo, meanwhile, is six points behind the NY Islanders for the eighth and final playoff spot with seven games remaining for both clubs.

On Saturday, Miroslav Satan and Derek Roy each scored to lead the Sabres over Florida, 2-1, at the Office Depot Center. Satan has 24 points in his last 21 games.

Martin Biron stopped 23 shots for the Sabres, who had lost four of their previous five games (1-1-0-3).

The Sabres, who have dropped their last three on friendly ice, will host Pittsburgh on Friday to begin a home-and-home.

Buffalo and Montreal have split four meetings this season, with each club winning twice in its own rink. The Canadiens have lost in six straight trips to HSBC Arena.

RECENT TRENDS
? MON is 12-2 ATS in their last 14 overall.
? Over is 11-2-1 in MON's last 14 road games.
? Under is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings.
? BUF is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
? BUF is 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.
? Over is 13-3-3 in BUF's last 19 overall.

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
1/27/2004 Buf. 4 Mtl. 1 -0.5,120/4.5 Buf./O
1/6/2004 Mtl. 3 Buf. 1 -0.5,-110/4.5 Mtl./U
11/8/2003 Mtl. 3 Buf. 0 -0.5,100/5 Mtl./U
11/7/2003 Buf. 2 Mtl. 1 -0.5,-120/5 Buf./U
3/28/2003 Buf. 4 Mtl. 1 -0.5,110/5 Buf./P
2/19/2003 Buf. 2 Mtl. 1 -0.5,120/5 Buf./U
1/11/2003 Mtl. 2 Buf. 3 -0.5,-150/5 Buf./P
12/21/2002 Mtl. 6 Buf. 2 -0.5,-150/5 Mtl./O
10/12/2002 Mtl. 1 Buf. 6 -0.5,-110/5 Buf./O
4/13/2002 Mtl. 0 Buf. 3 0,-140/5 Buf./U

WASHINGTON CAPITALS (22-43-9-2) AT ATLANTA THRASHERS (30-34-8-4), 7:30 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - Two teams headed for an early offseason clash for the second time in five days tonight when the Atlanta Thrashers welcome the Washington Capitals to Philips Arena.

Last Saturday, Andy Sutton scored two goals, including the tying tally with 43 seconds left in the third period, to help the Thrashers skate to a 2-2 tie with the Caps at the MCI Center.

Pasi Nurminen stopped just 16 shots for the Thrashers, who are 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Sutton snapped a wrister from the blue line that got past goalie Olaf Kolzig for the equalizer. Kolzig, who appeared screened on the shot, did not make a clean save as the puck went off his glove and trickled into the cage with 19:17 gone by in the third.

Atlanta managed 14 shots on net in the third period, and outshot the Capitals 4-1 in overtime. The Thrashers managed a whopping 20 shots in the second frame.

Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk did not score Saturday, but remains the NHL leader with 39 goals. He is one tally ahead of Columbus' Rick Nash and Calgary's Jarome Iginla. Kovalchuk is trying to reach the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career, as the high in his first two seasons was 38 last year.

Atlanta, 4-1-0-2 in its last seven home games, will host New Jersey on Friday.

Washington has played since Saturday, falling, 3-0, to the host NY Islanders on Tuesday. Rick DiPietro made 17 saves and the Isles received goals from three different players in the win.

Kolzig allowed three goals on 19 shots in two periods before giving way to Matthew Yeats, who stopped all 14 shots he faced. The Caps saw their brief two-game unbeaten streak come to an end (1-0-1).

With 55 points, Washington is 14th in the Eastern Conference standings -- four ahead of last-place Pittsburgh.

The Caps were shut out for the fifth time this season, but three of those games have occurred this month.

Washington, which has lost four straight road outings and is 1-6-1 in its last eight contests overall, will visit Southeast Division-champion Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The Caps and Thrashers are 2-2-1 against each other this season, but Washington is 10-4-3 in the last 17 meetings overall.

RECENT TRENDS
? WASH has lost their last five road games ATS.
? WASH's last three as a dog have played under.
? WASH is 3-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
? WASH ranks 29th in defense allowing 3.08 goals/gm.
? Under is 15-5-1 in ATL's last 21 home games.
? ATL ranks 26th in defense allowing 3.00 goals/gm.

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
3/20/2004 Wash. 2 Atl. 2 0.5,-120/5.5 Wash./U
3/13/2004 Atl. 5 Wash. 2 -0.5,-180/5.5 Atl./O
12/16/2003 Atl. 0 Wash. 5 -0.5,-115/6 Wash./U
10/31/2003 Wash. 2 Atl. 1 -0.5,-130/5.5 Wash./U
10/11/2003 Wash. 3 Atl. 4 -0.5,-160/6 Atl./O
3/6/2003 Wash. 4 Atl. 4 -0.5,-170/6 Atl./O
2/12/2003 Atl. 1 Wash. 5 0.5,-115/6 Wash./P
12/6/2002 Wash. 7 Atl. 6 -0.5,-200/6 Wash./O
12/1/2002 Atl. 5 Wash. 4 0.5,-120/6 Atl./O
11/23/2002 Wash. 6 Atl. 3 -0.5,-220/6 Wash./O

 

[Aces High]

CALGARY FLAMES (38-28-7-3) AT PHOENIX COYOTES (21-31-18-6), 9 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - The Calgary Flames try to get back on the winning track tonight when they visit the Phoenix Coyotes at Glendale Arena.

On Monday, the Flames ran into a stumbling block on their road to the playoffs, as they were dealt a 4-0 setback by the Dallas Stars.

Calgary was shut out for the fifth time this season and for the first time since December 26. Miikka Kiprusoff made 20 saves in defeat.

The Flames began the night just three points behind Dallas for fourth in the Western Conference playoff race, but allowed three first-period goals and never recovered.

Dallas moved into sole possession of fourth in the West -- two points ahead of idle Vancouver and five in front of Calgary. The Flames, who have lost two straight after a 5-0-2 streak, are alone in sixth place -- four points in front of Nashville.

The Flames complete a two-game road trip in San Jose on Thursday before hosting Los Angeles on Saturday.

Phoenix, meanwhile, ended a long winless streak on Monday evening. Mike Comrie scored with 24.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the Coyotes to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Shane Doan and Dan Cleary also scored for the Coyotes, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit and won for the first time in 16 games (1-8-4-3). Phoenix, which played its fourth straight overtime game, hadn't left the ice victorious since a 3-2 triumph over Columbus on February 20.

The Coyotes also snapped a nine-game road skid and gave Rick Bowness his first win in 14 games as interim coach (1-7-3-3). Bowness replaced the fired Bob Francis back on February 24.

This was the third-longest stretch without a victory in franchise history for the Coyotes. When the team was in Winnipeg, it went 19 games without a victory in 1994-95 and went winless in 30 consecutive contests during the 1980-81 season.

The Coyotes, who were 0-7-1-1 in their previous nine road games, host San Jose on Friday.

Calgary has won four straight matchups with Phoenix after losing the previous six meetings. The Flames haven't fared well in the Valley of the Sun, picking up three wins in their last 13 trips to Phoenix (3-8-2).

RECENT TRENDS
? CAL has won the last four meetings ATS.
? CAL is 24-15 ATS playing with one day of rest.
? Under is 4-0-1 in CAL's last five overall.
? Over is 7-2 in the last nine meetings.
? PHO is 5-23 ATS in their last 28 overall.
? Under is 6-1-2 in PHO's last nine overall.

cent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
2/29/2004 Cal. 4 Pho. 2 -0.5,-150/5 Cal./O
1/27/2004 Pho. 1 Cal. 2 -0.5,105/4.5 Cal./U
3/24/2003 Cal. 2 Pho. 0 -0.5,140/5 Cal./U
2/23/2003 Pho. 2 Cal. 4 -0.5,-140/5 Cal./O
1/28/2003 Pho. 4 Cal. 3 -0.5,-105/5 Pho./O
1/23/2003 Cal. 1 Pho. 7 -0.5,-115/5 Pho./O
4/9/2002 Cal. 2 Pho. 4 0,110/5 Pho./O
2/12/2002 Pho. 4 Cal. 3 0,-160/5 Pho./O
12/19/2001 Pho. 6 Cal. 3 0,-125/5 Pho./O
10/8/2001 Cal. 1 Pho. 2 0,-150/5 Pho./U

DALLAS STARS (39-24-13-0) AT EDMONTON OILERS (33-27-12-4), 10 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - A pair of streaking teams meet tonight, as the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Dallas Stars to Rexall Place.

The Oilers have won five straight contests and played themselves right into the playoff race. Their latest victory came on Monday night at the Staples Center in crucial Western Conference matchup against the Kings.

Ryan Smyth scored late in the third period to snap a tie and lift Edmonton to a 2-1 win over Los Angeles.

The Oilers, coming off a 5-2 win at San Jose on Sunday night, moved into a tie with Nashville for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in the West with 82 points.

St. Louis is ninth, one point behind, while the Kings are now three points off the pace.

Fernando Pisani also scored for Edmonton and Ty Conklin made 25 saves. The Oilers have now recorded at least one point in 13 straight games (8-0-2-3).

Edmonton opens a three-game homestand tonight and continues it against Los Angeles on Friday.

The Stars are coming off a big win in Calgary on Monday evening. Marty Turco made 29 saves for his ninth shutout of the season, leading Dallas to a 4-0 victory over the Flames in a critical conference matchup.

Dallas swept the four-game season series and is 5-1-3 in the last nine meetings with Calgary.

Shayne Corson, Brenden Morrow and Jason Arnott scored in the opening period for the Stars, who won their third straight game and improved to 4-0-1 in their last five. Dallas has allowed just four goals during that span and has posted three shutouts -- two by Turco.

The Stars now have 91 points and trail San Jose by three points for first place in the Pacific Division. Dallas also moved into sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference playoff chase -- two points ahead of Vancouver and five in front of Calgary.

Dallas, 3-4-1 in its last eight road games, plays the third test of a four- game trip Saturday in Vancouver.

The Stars have won four of the last six meetings with the Oilers. Dallas has dropped two straight and three of its previous four trips to Edmonton.

RECENT TRENDS
? DAL is 22-8 ATS in their last 30 overall.
? Under is 8-1 in DAL's last nine overall.
? DAL ranks 2nd in defense allowing 2.08 goals/gm.
? EDM is 17-6 ATS in their last 23 overall.
? Over is 10-3-2 in EDM's last 15 home games.
? EDM is 28-19 ATS playing with one day of rest.

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
2/29/2004 Dal. 5 Edm. 4 -0.5,-150/4.5 Dal./O
1/20/2004 Edm. 3 Dal. 0 -0.5,115/4.5 Edm./U
4/19/2003 Edm. 2 Dal. 3 1.5,-220/5 Edm./P
4/17/2003 Dal. 5 Edm. 2 -1.5,125/5 Dal./O
4/15/2003 Edm. 1 Dal. 3 1.5,-220/4.5 Dal./U
4/13/2003 Edm. 3 Dal. 2 1.5,-240/5 Edm./P
4/11/2003 Dal. 6 Edm. 1 -1.5,115/4.5 Dal./O
4/9/2003 Dal. 1 Edm. 2 -1.5,125/4.5 Edm./U
3/15/2003 Edm. 4 Dal. 3 0.5,-110/5 Edm./O
12/31/2002 Dal. 4 Edm. 1 -0.5,-200/5 Dal./P

LOS ANGELES KINGS (28-24-16-7) AT VANCOUVER CANUCKS (37-24-10-5), 10 p.m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Sports Network) - A pair of struggling teams face off this evening, as the Los Angeles Kings battle the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place.

Los Angeles has lost four in a row -- all at home -- and five of its last six overall. On Monday, Ryan Smyth scored late in the third period to snap a tie and lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 2-1 victory over the Kings in a crucial Western Conference matchup at Staples Center.

The Oilers moved into a tie with Nashville for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in the West with 82 points. St. Louis is ninth, one point behind, while the Kings are now three points off the pace.

The Kings start a four-game road trip against Northwest Division opponents, and will continue it with games in Edmonton, Calgary and Colorado.

Despite the loss, Kings star Luc Robitaille had an assist to become the all- time leader in points for a left wing with 1,370. He surpassed the mark of 1,369 set by John Bucyk.

Meanwhile, the Canucks were handed a loss by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Nikolai Zherdev scored a pair of goals and assisted on another during a three-goal third period to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-4 victory.

Artem Chubarov scored twice for Vancouver, which blew a 4-2 lead with 11 1/2 minutes remaining. Brendan Morrison and Henrik Sedin also scored for the Canucks and Johan Hedberg made just 18 saves.

The Canucks fell to 1-3-2-1 since Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for the season after his attack on Colorado's Steve Moore on March 8.

Vancouver is currently fifth in the Western Conference playoff chase, two behind Dallas.

The Canucks, 0-3-2 in their last five home games, will play the third test of a four-game stand Saturday against Dallas.

Vancouver is unbeaten in three games (2-0-1) against Los Angeles this season. However, the Kings are 3-0-2 in their last five trips to Vancouver.

RECENT TRENDS
? LA is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 overall.
? Under is 4-1 in LA's last five road games.
? Under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
? VAN is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
? VAN is 7-20 ATS in their last 27 home games.
? Under is 6-3 in VAN's last nine overall.

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
1/8/2004 LA 1 Van. 3 0.5,-115/5 Van./U
12/22/2003 Van. 4 LA 4 -0.5,-135/5 LA/O
10/30/2003 LA 1 Van. 3 0.5,-130/5 Van./U
4/6/2003 Van. 0 LA 2 -0.5,-240/5.5 LA/U
3/29/2003 LA 1 Van. 5 0.5,130/5.5 Van./O
11/14/2002 Van. 3 LA 2 -0.5,-120/5.5 Van./U
10/19/2002 LA 2 Van. 2 -0.5,-110/5.5 Van./U
4/11/2002 Van. 5 LA 2 0,-155/5 Van./O
4/2/2002 LA 4 Van. 4 0,-160/5 P/O
3/26/2002 Van. 4 LA 0 0,-130/5 Van./U