In the Crease – Week 20

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Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Calgary 9-1-1 past 11 games overall Chicago Over 10-1 past 11 games
Dallas 5-0 past five games overall Detroit Under 4-0 past four games
Edmonton 0-4-2 past six games overall Edmonton Over 8-3 past 11 games
Ottawa 0-5 past five games overall N.Y. Islanders Under 9-1 past 10 games
Philadelphia 8-0 past eight games overall Ottawa Under 7-3 past 10 games

Philly Cheese Stakes
The Philadelphia Flyers continues to rack up victories and they're showing no signs of letting up. The goaltending duo of Carter Hart and Anthony Stolarz have stepped up, and the offense is providing more than enough support. Philadelphia hockey is fun again, and the Flyers are no joke. They'll look to make it nine in a row against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Kings have won a pair of road games on this trip, but they're still just 5-11 in the past 16 games as a favorite and 3-8 in the past 11 against Eastern Conference foes. For Philly, they have won just once in the past seven on home ice against the Kings, and the road team is 12-3 in the past 15 in this series.

Leaking Oil
The Edmonton Oilers fired their coach a few weeks ago, but there hasn't been much of a change in results. The Oilers are 0-4-2 over the past six games, and they'll look to stop the leaking in St. Paul on Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild. The Oilers have confirmed goaltender Cam Talbot will be in between the pipes, and he has been a train wreck this season, letting in more than three goals per outing. Edmonton has won just six of their past 19 on the road, and they're 5-16 in the past 21 as an underdog. They're also playing in a 4-in-6 (fourth game in six days) situation, and they're 7-18 in the fourth game in the past 25 tries.


Looking Ahead

Thursday, Feb. 7

Carolina at Buffalo: The Hurricanes pay old pal Jeff Skinner a visit in his new digs, and Carolina is projected to start Curtis McElhinney in between the pipes. He posted his first shutout of the season, and ninth of his career, in Tuesday's 4-0 road win in Pittsburgh. Speaking of goose eggs, the Hurricanes are 7-0 in their past seven meetings against the Sabres, too. Buffalo would certainly like to turn that ugly number around. Carolina is also 11-5 in the past 16 games overall, while Buffalo is just 4-12 in the past 16 against the Eastern Conference and 0-7 in their past seven trying to follow up a straight-up win.

San Jose at Calgary: The Sharks skate into Calgary looking to extinguish the Flames. San Jose has won six of their past seven against Western Conference foes, so this will be a big test for the homestanding Flames. The Sharks are also 6-1 in the past seven against teams with a winning overall record. Calgary has won six of the past seven at the Saddledome, and they're 20-8 in the past 28 games overall while cashing in 21 of the past 27 as a favorite. San Jose has won six of the past seven in this series, but the favorite is 8-2 in the past 10 meetings and the home team has also cashed in eight of the past 10 in this series. The over is also 3-1-1 in the past five battles in Calgary.

Friday, Feb. 8

Carolina at N.Y. Rangers: The Hurricanes hit the New York Thruway after Thursday's game (OK, they're probably flying) to battle the Rangers in MSG in the only game on the slate for Friday. Carolina will be playing the third game of a 3-in-4 (three games in four days) situation, and they're a perfect 6-0 in the third outing. While that's certainly a favorable trend, the Canes are a dismal 5-25-1 in their past 31 battles against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden, and the home team has hit in 16 of the past 21 overall. New York has won just four of their past 14 games at home, however.

Saturday, Feb. 9

Nashville at St. Louis: The Predators and Blues hook up for the first time since they played a home-and-home back on Nov. 21-23. The home team has defended their ice in both matchup, with the Blues winning 6-2 in the most recent battle as a slight home 'dog. While the last battle in this series went 'over', the 'under' has dominated lately. The under is 8-3-2 in the past 13 in this series, including 4-1-1 in the past six meetings on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi...the ol' Miss...the Old Man...deeeeeeep River. The home team has also cashed in each of the past four in this series.

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay: The Penguins hit the road for the Suncoast to battle the Lightning, and this could be a potential Eastern Conference playoff preview. The last time these teams met, Vegas set the line at 6 1/2. The Penguins came away with a 4-2 victory as the 'under' hit. That wouldn't be a big deal, normally, but that under snapped a 14-0 over streak in this series dating back to Nov. 29, 2014. The Lightning have won six of the past seven at home against the Penguins.

Calgary at Vancouver: The Canucks will look to snuff out the Flames, but that's easier said than done lately. Of course, Vancouver has won two of three against Calgary so far this season, including a 3-2 overtime win on Saddledome ice last time these two hooked up. The over has connected in six of the past seven meetings in this series since the start of the 2017-18 season, too. The road team is actually 5-2 in the past seven in this series, so that bodes well for the high-octane Flames.

Sunday, Feb. 10

Tampa Bay at Florida: The Lightning and Panthers hook up in the Sunshine State Battle, and plenty of goals are sure to follow. The 'over' has connected in six of the past seven meetings in this series since the start of the 2017-18 NHL campaign. Florida has had surprising success against Tampa, going 5-1-1 in their past seven at the BB&T Center in Sunrise against the Lightning since the start of the 2015-16 season. However, Tampa Bay has won five straight in this series, and seven of the past eight overall.