BOSTON vs ST LOUIS
When: 6/3/2019 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blues 2

Oddsmakers currently have the BOSTON listed as 100-moneyline favorites versus the ST LOUIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The St. Louis Blues waited 49 years between hosting games in the Stanley Cup Final, and another such contest after Monday’s Game 4 might not be in the cards if they don’t take a more disciplined approach against the Boston Bruins. The Bruins scored four power-play goals on as many shots to breeze to a 7-2 victory on Saturday and take a 2-1 edge in the series.

Boston has scored with the man advantage in each of its past seven games to match a franchise postseason record, while its 23 power-play goals are one shy of the club mark for one playoff season (1991). Defenseman Torey Krug made St. Louis pay for its infractions in Game 3, collecting the primary assist on three of the goals with the man advantage and scoring on the other one for a franchise-best four points in the Finals. The power play surge contributed to five goals being allowed on 19 shots for Calder Trophy finalist Jordan Binnington, who was pulled for the first time in 52 starts this season. “You prepare the same way,” the 25-year-old Binnington told reporters of his mindset for Game 4. “Believe in your teammates and believe in yourself. Got to do your job. You just have to handle adversity. It’s not going to be perfect. These things will happen. You regroup and move on.”

ABOUT THE BRUINS: The members of the “Perfection Line” contributed to Boston’s potent power play, with Patrice Bergeron scoring a goal and setting up two others to lower the volume on audible speculation that he is playing through an injury. “Watch the game tonight. Does he look hurt?” linemate Brad Marchand told reporters of the four-time Selke Trophy recipient, whose NHL-best seven power-play goals are two shy of the league playoff record (Mike Bossy, Cam Neely). Marchand notched his ninth power-play assist on Krug’s goal and David Pastrnak scored with the man advantage just 41 seconds into the second period for his eighth tally of the playoffs.

ABOUT THE BLUES: St. Louis coach Craig Berube is at a loss as to why his club has been whistled for penalties as much as it has in the first three games of Stanley Cup Final. “First of all, we were the least penalized team in the league in the first three rounds; now all of a sudden we’ve taken 14 penalties in one series,” Berube told the media on Sunday. “So I don’t know. I don’t buy into all of that, to be honest with you.” While the Bruins’ power play is a staggering 6-for-14 in the series, the Blues have converted just one of their 10 opportunities with the man advantage.

OVERTIME

1. St. Louis F Ivan Barbashev has collected four points (three goals, one assist) in his last seven games.

2. Boston G Tuukka Rask has turned aside 164 of 168 shots to win his last five road starts.

3. The Blues were 1-2 in Game 4 of their first three postseason series.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blues 2

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BOSTON vs CAROLINA
When: 5/14/2019 8:00 PM
Where: PNC Arena

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS
LINE: -115
PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 2

Oddsmakers currently have the BOSTON listed as -115-moneyline favorites versus the CAROLINA, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been perfect at home through the first two rounds of the playoffs and they will need to keep that streak intact if they hope to get back into the Easten Conference finals. After getting blown out in back-to-back losses in Boston, the Hurricanes face a must-win situation when they host the Bruins in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Although Carolina overcame a 2-0 series deficit against reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington in the opening round, the team needs to make a statement that it can play with Boston. “Playoffs are all about putting pressure on the other team and seeing how they do with a little bit of pressure,” captain Justin Williams said. “So we need to get a win … and then push back a little bit and see how they respond. Just squeeze the other team a little bit. They’ve squeezed us twice. We need to do a little bit of punching back.” The Bruins came from behind to win each of their first two series but they have outscored the Hurricanes 11-4 in extending their postseason winning streak to five games. “It’s 2-0, that’s good,” goaltender Tuukka Rask said after his team scored the first six goals in Sunday’s 6-2 drubbing. “We took care of business at home, which is what we wanted to do.”

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Perhaps the best sign for Boston in the Game 2 mauling was that its vaunted No. 1 unit contributed only two assists while the third line of Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson and Dalton Heinen combined for seven points to boost their totals to 11 goals and 17 assists in the playoffs. “Depth scoring is so crucial for playoffs,” defenseman Torey Krug said. “I said it all along that if we were going to make it and go on a run, it was going to be those bottom two lines that feed energy into this team and score big timely goals and we’re going to need that going forward.” Krug and his fellow blue-liners did their part Sunday by supplying three goals and three assists.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES: Petr Mrazek was hurt in Game 2 of the second round against the New York Islanders and did not return until the series opener against Boston, but he said the injury and subsequent layoff were not factors in giving up 10 goals in the first two games. “I’m feeling good, no issue with that,” Mrazek said. “I don’t think it was that long a break, maybe nine or 10 days. I was feeling pretty good. I’m not going to look past, just look forward to the next one.” Coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged that he is contemplating a change in net for Game 3, which would mean a switch to Curtis McElhinney, who earned three wins by turning aside 71 of 75 shots in 7 1/2 periods against New York.

OVERTIME

1. Krug became the fifth Boston defenseman to register three assists in multiple games in the postseason.

2. Hurricanes F Teuvo Teravainen has scored four times in four games to lift his team-high total to seven goals.

3. Boston is 4-for-9 on the power play versus Carolina and has had 19 different players score in the playoffs, matching a franchise record.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 2

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ST LOUIS vs SAN JOSE
When: 5/13/2019 9:00 PM
Where: SAP Center at San Jose

TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA
LINE:
PREDICTION: Blues 3, Sharks 2

Oddsmakers currently have the ST LOUIS listed as + 115 moneyline favorites versus the SAN JOSE, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

Logan Couture routinely shines under the bright lights of the postseason, but the 30-year-old wasn’t alone as the San Jose Sharks won the series opener of their Western Conference final against the St. Louis Blues. Couture and linemates Timo Meier and Gustav Nyquist aim to ride the momentum of their eight-point performance into Game 2 of the series in San Jose on Monday night.

“(Meier) was a bull. When he skates and (with) his strength, he’s tough to defend. We’re fortunate enough to play with him on our line,” said Couture, who joined Meier with two goals and an assist in Saturday’s 6-3 win over St. Louis. Couture leads the NHL in goals (11) and points (17) in the playoffs, three tallies behind captain Joe Pavelski’s franchise record set in 2016 while his point total is a fair distance behind the 30 he recorded in that playoff year. The Sharks improved to 7-2 at home during this postseason after taking advantage of 12 giveaways to hand the Blues their second loss in the last seven road contests. “It wasn’t our best game. We didn’t take care of the puck well enough,” said Ryan O’Reilly, who snapped an eight-game goal drought by scoring in the second period of the opener.

ABOUT THE BLUES: Jordan Binnington is a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy on the strength of a sterling 24-5-1 run in the regular season, and the 25-year-old was not to blame in the eyes of his teammates despite surrendering five goals on 24 shots in the series opener. “He was great,” fellow rookie Robert Thomas told reporters. “He made a bunch of great saves. We hung him out to dry.” Jaden Schwartz set up defenseman Joel Edmundson’s first-period goal to boost his point total to 12 in the playoffs after mustering just 36 in the regular season.

ABOUT THE SHARKS: Couture’s 45 playoff goals trail only Washington captain Alex Ovechkin (50) for the most since 2010, while his double-digit goal totals in multiple postseasons made him the sixth active player with that distinction (Ovechkin, Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov). Couture resides two playoff points shy of 100, while Pavelski is one short of triple digits. Brent Burns (15) and Erik Karlsson (13) have combined for 28 points through the first 15 playoff games, the most for a defensive tandem since fellow former Norris Trophy recipients Paul Coffey (17) and Nicklas Lidstrom (15) accomplished the feat with Detroit in 1995.

OVERTIME

1. St. Louis RW Vladimir Tarasenko’s minus-3 rating in the series opener dropped him to minus-8, tied with Tampa Bay C Steven Stamkos for the worst in the playoffs.

2. San Jose is one home win shy of matching its franchise record for most in a postseason (2016).

3. Blues F Brayden Schenn has been held off the scoresheet in seven straight games and 11 of 14 in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: Blues 3, Sharks 2

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CAROLINA vs BOSTON
When: 5/12/2019 3:00 PM
Where:

TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 2

Oddsmakers currently have the CAROLINA listed as 130-moneyline favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Boston Bruins were 20 minutes away from losing home-ice advantage in the opener of their Eastern Conference final until an offensive eruption early in the third period enabled them to seize the upper hand in the series. Boston will attempt to hold serve again at home and grab a 2-0 edge in the best-of-7 set against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins won the opener by a deceptive 5-2 margin, erasing a one-goal deficit in the third by scoring a pair of power-play goals in a 28-second span to tilt the momentum in their favor against seventh-seeded Carolina. “We were fortunate to only be down one goal, and then when you get those chances on the power play, you’ve got to make them pay,” goaltender Tuukka Rask told reporters after winning his fourth consecutive start in the postseason. The Hurricanes showed their mettle in rallying from a 2-0 series deficit to oust defending Stanley Cup champion Washington in the first round before sweeping the New York Islanders, so they are not putting too much stock in the Game 1 defeat. “It’s good that we have been in this situation before. We were down in Washington, so it is all good,” forward Sebastian Aho told reporters after Thursday’s setback.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Charlie Coyle, a trade deadline acquisition, has made quite a splash with Boston, tying for the team lead with his sixth playoff goal after scoring into an empty net in the series opener. Fellow forward Marcus Johansson, imported from New Jersey for the postseason run, is also making an impact after overcoming a pair of injuries, igniting the comeback by netting the tying goal on Thursday after converting in the series-clinching win over Columbus. “It’s why we’re still playing,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters of the duo’s contributions. “If we don’t get secondary scoring, we’re probably not having this discussion right now.”

ABOUT THE HURRICANES: Petr Mrazek was victimized for three of the four goals in the third period but coach Rod Brind’Amour did not second-guess his decision to start the 27-year-old Czech for the first time since he was injured in Game 2 against the Islanders. “Petr was fine. We left him out to dry there at the end,” Brind’Amour said of Mrazek, who already has posted a pair of shutouts in the postseason. Aho, Carolina’s leading scorer in the regular season, has come alive after a slow start in the playoffs, scoring for the third consecutive game Thursday to boost his season totals against the Bruins to five goals and three assists in four matchups.

OVERTIME

1. Bruins D Charlie McAvoy will rejoin the lineup after sitting out the opener while serving a one-game suspension.

2. Hurricanes fourth-line C Greg McKegg has scored in back-to-back contests following a 23-game goal drought.

3. Bruins LW Brad Marchand collected two assists Thursday to give him a team-high 15 points in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 2

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FLORIDA PANTHERS vs ST LOUIS BLUES
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: ST LOUIS , FLORIDA

Oddsmakers currently have the FLORIDA listed as -105-moneyline favorites versus the ST LOUIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Florida Panthers had mixed results during their giant eight-game homestand and will head out on the road for six of the next seven, beginning with a stop in St. Louis to meet the struggling Blues on Tuesday night. The Panthers earned nine of a possible 16 points on the homestand (3-2-3) after dropping a 5-4 shootout decision against the New York Rangers on Saturday.

“I think we gave away some points,” Florida coach Bob Boughner told reporters after seeing his team suffer four one-goal losses – three after regulation – during the home stretch. “It could’ve easily been 12, 13 or 14 (points).” The Panthers have some ground to make up in the Atlantic Division with games in hand after the slow start, but St. Louis has dug itself a big hole and is close to sinking to the bottom of the league after a 6-1 loss to Vancouver at home Sunday. The Blues were coming off a promising 1-0 victory at Winnipeg on Friday, but have not won back-to-back contests in just over a month and veteran forward Alex Steen told reporters the team is not committed enough to accomplish its goals. “The way out is the same thing we preach day in and day out,” St. Louis interim coach Craig Berube told the media. “You have to go into every game, no matter who you play, and you gotta be committed to giving 100 percent effort and compete as hard as you can, every game. … We’re going to keep at it, we’re going to keep pounding it in their heads until they get it.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Midwest (St. Louis)

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (11-11-6): Florida averaged 3.5 goals per game on the homestand and boast five players with at least 27 points on this season, but the next most among the healthy players is 13 from defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson. “It’s a good group of guys,” Boughner told reporters. “The only problem I have is that it’s the same four or five guys scoring every night. We need some depth.” Jonathan Huberdeau has eight multi-point efforts in his last 10 games and leads the team with 34 while Mike Hoffman tops the Panthers with 14 goals.

ABOUT THE BLUES (10-14-4): Rookie forward Jordan Kyrou scored his first NHL goal Sunday in his 11th game, logging 13 minutes, 59 seconds of ice time – his second highest total this season with St. Louis. Center Ryan O’Reilly leads the team with 29 points, but managed just two assists in the past five contests, while Vladimir Tarasenko (nine goals, 11 assists) has been kept off the scoresheet in four straight games. Jordan Binnington got recalled after Sunday’s game and fellow goalie Chad Johnson (2-6-0, .884 save percentage) was placed on waivers Monday.

OVERTIME

1. The Panthers have at least one power-play goal in 18 of the last 19 games and the Blues are 13-of-13 on the penalty kill in the past three contests.

2. Florida F Nick Bjugstad (10 points) missed Saturday’s game and is questionable to face St. Louis with an upper-body injury.

3. St. Louis F Jaden Schwartz (upper body), who has missed the last 11 games, could return to the lineup Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Blues 4, Panthers 3

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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs WINNIPEG JETS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Bell MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: WINNIPEG , CHICAGO

Oddsmakers currently have the CHICAGO listed as 200-moneyline favorites versus the WINNIPEG, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Winnipeg Jets have won five of their previous six games entering Tuesday’s home contest with the Chicago Blackhawks but are not satisfied with some aspects of their game, even after a 7-1 blowout of Philadelphia on Sunday. The Jets spent Monday talking about the need for better starts after the Flyers outshot Winnipeg 10-1 in the opening minutes of the first period, requiring goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to record several difficult saves before the offense got on track.

“If we play a really good team, they’re not going to give us any easy goals,” Jets forward Patrik Laine told reporters after Monday’s practice, one day after seven Winnipeg players (none named Laine, whose 21 goals entering the week ranked tied for second in the NHL) scored in the Philadelphia victory. “We have to be ready from the start.” The Blackhawks gave up the game-winning goal with 1:17 left in Saturday’s 3-2 home loss to Montreal, extending Chicago’s losing streak to seven. Patrick Kane scored twice in the defeat as the Blackhawks lost for the ninth time in 10 games overall and dropped into a tie with Los Angeles for fewest points in the NHL (23). “Kind of the same old story thought,” Kane told the media after Saturday’s defeat. “We got behind and find ourselves back into the game and find a way to lose it late. Another tough loss.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, TSN3 (Winnipeg)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (9-17-5): Kane scored only twice in his previous 18 games before recording his two goals Saturday, extending his points streak to three games (four points). Defenseman Connor Murphy, sidelined all season with a back injury, finished with four shots on goal and three hits in 16:46 of ice time in his debut Saturday. Goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots Saturday but fell to 2-13-1 in his past 16 games, and has surrendered four or more goals nine times in that span.

ABOUT THE JETS (18-9-2): The recipe has been pretty simple for Winnipeg during this hot streak that has lifted the Jets within two points of the Western Conference’s top spot: An offense that’s scored four goals or more four times in six games, and strong play from Hellebuyck. After a sluggish start to the season, Hellebuyck is 4-1-0 with a .923 save percentage in his past five games. Offensively, forward Blake Wheeler (32 assists, 37 points) and center Mark Scheifele (16 goals, 35 points) continue helping lead the NHL’s sixth highest-scoring offense (3.45 goals per game).

OVERTIME

1. The Blackhawks have allowed the first goal in 10 consecutive games, and have scored on the power play in only two of their past 10 contests (going 1-for-8 Saturday).

2. Winnipeg F Mathieu Perreault did not practice Monday and will be a game-time decision after leaving in the third period Sunday following a big hit by Philadelphia’s Dale Weise.

3. Chicago F Artem Anisimov remains in concussion protocol after leaving Saturday’s game with 1:03 to play and will not travel to Winnipeg.

PREDICTION: Jets 5, Blackhawks 3

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OTTAWA SENATORS vs NASHVILLE PREDATORS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: NASHVILLE , OTTAWA

Oddsmakers currently have the OTTAWA listed as -111 moneyline favorites versus the NASHVILLE, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Nashville Predators hope the sweet sounds of Music City will alter their recent fortunes when they open a three-game homestand Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. The Predators were left with a bitter taste in their mouth after surrendering 10 goals en route to dropping both ends of a Western Canadian road trip, but the team has won eight of its last 10 at Bridgestone Arena.

“This team is good at staying within the day. We’ve done a great job of not looking in the rear-view mirror,” Nashville forward Craig Smith said of seeing his team’s winless stretch on the road extend to six games (0-5-1) with Saturday’s 5-2 setback in Calgary. The 29-year-old scored against the Flames to boost his December point total to four (two goals, two assists) in four games after mustering five (two goals, three assists) in November. While Nashville has lost four of six overall, Ottawa has scored only seven goals during its last four contests (1-2-1) heading into the opener of a three-game road trip. Life away from Canada’s capital hasn’t been a bowl of cherries for the Senators, who are 3-9-1 on the road this season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, RDS2, TSN5 (Ottawa), FS Tennessee (Nashville)

ABOUT THE SENATORS (13-14-4): Mark Stone boosted his team-leading goal (15) and point (35) totals after converting a one-timer from Colin White in the first period on Sunday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Boston. The 26-year-old has scored four goals and set up three others during his five-game point streak, while White has three points in his last three contests. Craig Anderson, who received a rare night off versus the Bruins, is expected back in net Tuesday and bids to improve upon a 5-9-4 mark with a 3.25 goals-against average in 21 career encounters with the Predators.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (19-10-1): Captain Roman Josi has set up a goal in three straight games and has 10 assists in his last 12 as attempts to help Nashville locate some much-desired offense in lieu of injuries to Filip Forsberg (team-leading 14 goals), Viktor Arvidsson, Kyle Turris and fellow defenseman P.K. Subban. Colton Sissons has stepped up with goals in back-to-back contests while Ryan Johansen has four points (one goal, three assists) in his last four games. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne has fared significantly better at home, posting a 9-3-0 mark with two shutouts and a 1.84 goals-against average.

OVERTIME

1. Ottawa LW Ryan Dzingel set up a pair of goals in a 4-3 overtime victory over Nashville on Feb. 8.

2. The Predators are 8-0-0 against Eastern Conference representatives while the Senators are 3-5-2 versus the West.

3. Ottawa D Thomas Chabot has recorded only nine of his club-best 25 assists on the road.

PREDICTION: Predators 4, Senators 1

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MONTREAL CANADIENS vs MINNESOTA WILD
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , MONTREAL

Oddsmakers currently have the MONTREAL listed as 150-moneyline favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Minnesota Wild sustained the worst result of their season after falling for the fifth time in six outings to conclude a Western Canadian road trip. The Wild look to get back on track Tuesday when they open a four-game homestand versus the Montreal Canadiens, against whom they have won seven straight encounters.

“It’s a test of character now. You either bounce back or you start blaming everybody else. We’ve got to look at ourselves,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. The view hasn’t been favorable for Devan Dubnyk, who dropped his fourth decision in five outings after yielding three goals on six shots before being relieved in Friday’s 7-2 setback in Edmonton – although he owns a 7-1-1 mark with one shutout, a 2.21 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in nine career encounters with the Canadiens. Carey Price likely will provide the opposition as the former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner has proven to be a workhorse by starting seven games in a row and 11 of the last 12 for Montreal, which has won three in a row heading into the finale of its three-game road trip. Price, who is 4-6-0, 3.21, .883 in 10 career meetings against Minnesota, turned aside 37 shots and foiled seven of eight power plays in Sunday’s 3-2 victory versus Chicago.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN2, RDS (Montreal), FS North, FS Wisconsin (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (15-10-5): Max Domi added to his team-leading totals by scoring his third goal in three contests against the Blackhawks. Fellow offseason acquisition Tomas Tatar netted the go-ahead tally on a deflection with 1:17 remaining in the third period to extend his point streak to three games and give him 12 goals, two shy of the 23-year-old Domi. Fellow forward Brendan Gallagher, who has 13 goals, scored twice in a 6-3 loss to Minnesota on Nov. 2, 2017.

ABOUT THE WILD (15-12-2): Boudreau expressed optimism toward the potential return of captain Mikko Koivu, noting that the versatile two-way center could return to action during the team’s homestand. “That’s the way we look at it,” Boudreau said of Koivu, who missed Minnesota’s game against the Oilers with a lower-body injury. “It’s nowhere near anything we thought. He’s working out hard right now. We’ll see how he goes (Tuesday).” Koivu is part of a three-way tie for the team lead in assists (17) with fellow center Mikael Granlund, who set up three goals in last season’s series versus Montreal to boost his point total to 11 (two goals, nine assists) in 10 career contests and defenseman Ryan Suter.

OVERTIME

1. Montreal D Shea Weber has recorded 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 43 career games against Minnesota.

2. Wild C Eric Staal has registered 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 46 career contests versus the Canadiens.

3. Montreal D Jeff Petry has answered a five-game point drought with four (two goals, two assists) in his last four outings.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Canadiens 1

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EDMONTON OILERS vs COLORADO AVALANCHE
When: 9:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: COLORADO , EDMONTON

Oddsmakers currently have the EDMONTON listed as 130-moneyline favorites versus the COLORADO, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Edmonton Oilers appear to be a different team under coach Ken Hitchcock as they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Edmonton defeated Calgary 1-0 on Sunday for its third straight victory and sixth in the last seven games, and is 7-2-1 – 6-0-1 in one-goal contests – since Hitchcock took over from Todd McLellan on Nov. 20.

“It’s a one-goal league, it always has been, and you have to find a way to win these tight games,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid told reporters after scoring Sunday. “We’ve been doing a good job to find a way to end up on the right side of the score.” Colorado plays five of its next six at home after a 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday capped a 2-2-0 road trip. The Avalanche won the first of three meetings this season 4-1 in Edmonton on Nov. 11, starting an 10-2-2 run that vaulted Colorado into a first-place tie with Nashville in the Central Division and halting the Oilers’ six-game point streak in the series (5-0-1). McDavid was kept off the scoresheet in that contest after recording seven goals and 15 points in his first eight games against the Avalanche.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), Altitude (Colorado)

ABOUT THE OILERS (16-12-2): McDavid, the two-time reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, was fourth in the league entering Monday with 41 points after compiling 18 (six goals) in the last 12 games while pointless in only one contest during that span. Mikko Koskinen, 30, whose only NHL experience prior to this season was four games with the New York Islanders in 2010-11, has outplayed Cam Talbot in goal. Koskinen, though, is 6-0-0 with a 0.91 goals-against average and .970 save percentage in seven home games but 3-3-1, 3.17, .889 in seven road contests while Talbot is 3-4-1, 3.52, .885 at home and 4-5-0, 2.79, .904 away from home.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (17-8-5): Nathan MacKinnon scored his team-high 20th goal Saturday, joining Joe Sakic (1995-96) as the only players in club history to record 20 goals in the first 30 games and giving him the second-most points in the league entering Monday with 45. Mikko Rantanen has five goals and 14 assists during an 11-game point streak and leads the NHL with 48 points and 36 assists. The line of MacKinnon, Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog (17 goals, 34 points) is responsible for 45.4 percent of the team’s goals and 43.6 percent of its points.

OVERTIME

1. Colorado, which owns the league’s top power-play unit at 30.2 percent, hasn’t scored with the man advantage in its last two games – the first time this season it hasn’t scored one in consecutive contests.

2. Edmonton is 0-for-17 on the power play in its last five games while the Avalanche have killed only 7-of-11 penalties over the past three contests.

3. Colorado C Carl Soderberg (10) is the only other Avalanche player with double-digit goals while F Colin Wilson and LW J.T. Compher have seven apiece.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Oilers 2

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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs CAROLINA HURRICANES
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: CAROLINA , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as -135-moneyline favorites versus the CAROLINA, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to see the return of leading goal-scorer Micheal Ferland on Tuesday when the team hosts the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs. Ferland, who has been sidelined four games with a concussion, scored on the power play in what proved to be the winning tally in Carolina’s 5-2 victory versus Toronto on Nov. 21.

The Hurricanes scored only five goals during a 1-3-1 stretch before locating their offense Friday in a 4-1 triumph at Anaheim to conclude a three-game road trip. “We’re not going to score a lot of pretty goals. We’ve pretty much established that,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We need to find other ways to get them. Obviously, getting to the net is paramount.” Toronto’s second-ranked offense has little issue scoring goals this season, however the Maple Leafs have been rather generous of late after surrendering 11 in the back-to-back losses that followed a five-game winning streak. “We haven’t been good enough. That’s a message sent. It should be received and now let’s do something about it,” Babcock said Monday, via TSN.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN4 (Toronto), FS Carolinas

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (20-9-1): Connor Brown will assume Zach Hyman’s spot on the line with John Tavares (team-leading 18 goals) and Mitch Marner (club-best 34 assists, 40 points) with Hyman serving the first contest of a two-game suspension for his actions against defenseman Charlie McAvoy in Saturday’s 6-3 setback to Boston. “I think he is going well (despite his stats),” Babcock said of the 24-year-old Brown, via TSN. “His job is to be real solid defensively and penalty kill for us and I actually think he’s been good.” Tavares, who is slated to play his 700th NHL game Tuesday, scored in the first encounter with Carolina.

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (13-11-4): Scott Darling was summoned from Charlotte of the American Hockey League with fellow goaltender and former Maple Leaf Curtis McElhinney nursing a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old Darling has struggled to find his place with the Hurricanes since being acquired from Chicago, posting a 15-25-8 mark with a 3.17 goals-against average – including a 2-4-1 record this season. Captain Justin Williams and Sebastian Aho (team-leading 19 assists, 27 points) each scored versus the Ducks and also tallied in the first meeting with the Maple Leafs.

OVERTIME

1. Toronto C Auston Matthews has collected six goals and four assists during his five-game point streak since returning from a shoulder injury.

2. The Hurricanes have recorded at least a point in five of seven encounters (4-2-1) versus Atlantic Division adversaries.

3. Toronto D Morgan Rielly has notched an assist in each of the past five contests.

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 5, Hurricanes 1

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