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(NHL) Columbus vs. San Jose,
Money Line: -141.00 San Jose (Home)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -141.00 San Jose (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The San Jose Sharks acquired Evander Kane from Buffalo on Monday and he has added an offensive boost by notching three assists in two games, as the Sharks have scored a total of 12 goals in a pair of impressive home victories, 5-2 over the Oilers and 7-2 over the Blackhawks The 35-21-9 Sharks have 79 points (2nd-nbest oin teh Pacific) and look to keep their top-three status in the division intact (4th-place Ducks have 76 points) when they welcome the 32-28-5 Columbus Blue Jackets to the SAP Center on Sunday night. The Blue Jackets look to salvage the finale of their three-game road trip, after losing 4-2 loss at Anaheim on Friday (had lost 5-2 to the Kings in LA the night before). Columbus (69 points) is in a virtual tie with Carolina for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets opened the scoring at Anaheim but then allowed the Ducks to score four straight goals. "We find ways to lose," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told reporters after the setback. Alexander Wennberg (24 points in 50 games) missed Friday's game with an upper-body injury that he sustained after taking a heavy hit in Thursday's loss at Los Angeles. His status is uncertain for the matchup against San Jose. Artemi Panarin (18 goals is tied with John Anderson for the team lead) has recorded seven of his team-leading 53 points in his last seven contests while defenseman Seth Jones has registered five of his 41 over his last four games. Sonny Milano has scored two goals in three contests (10 goals in 38 games TY) since being recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League but newcomer Thomas Vanek has yet to notch a point in two games after being acquired from Vancouver.
San Jose: Kane recorded 20 goals in 61 games with Buffalo before joining San Jose and has fit in nicely with captain Joe Pavelski (18 goals and 52 points) and Joonas Donskoi (11 goals and 27 points). Pavelski has benefited the most from the acquisition, registering three goals, three assists and a plus-5 rating in his last two games, while Logan Couture has scored in back-to-back contests to push his team-leading total to 27 goals. Defenseman Burns is tied with Pavelski for the team lead with 52 points (42 assists).
The pick: San Jose has taken the first two contests of a season-high six-game homestand in impressive fashion (see above) and now looks to beat Columbus for the fifth consecutive time. San Jose goalie Martin Jones (21-16-6, 2.50 GAA & SP) has yielded four goals while winning each of his last three starts against Columbus, including a 3-1 victory at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 2. The Blue Jackets are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for fifth in the Metropolitan Division and are outside the top-eight in the Eastern Conference playoff race, thanks in part to a less-than-stellar 13-17-3 road record. Columbus is allowing 3.15 GPG away from home and that doesn't bode well here in San Jose, where the Sharks are 19-9-3 while averaging 3.35 GPG. Make San Jose a a 10* play.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets opened the scoring at Anaheim but then allowed the Ducks to score four straight goals. "We find ways to lose," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told reporters after the setback. Alexander Wennberg (24 points in 50 games) missed Friday's game with an upper-body injury that he sustained after taking a heavy hit in Thursday's loss at Los Angeles. His status is uncertain for the matchup against San Jose. Artemi Panarin (18 goals is tied with John Anderson for the team lead) has recorded seven of his team-leading 53 points in his last seven contests while defenseman Seth Jones has registered five of his 41 over his last four games. Sonny Milano has scored two goals in three contests (10 goals in 38 games TY) since being recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League but newcomer Thomas Vanek has yet to notch a point in two games after being acquired from Vancouver.
San Jose: Kane recorded 20 goals in 61 games with Buffalo before joining San Jose and has fit in nicely with captain Joe Pavelski (18 goals and 52 points) and Joonas Donskoi (11 goals and 27 points). Pavelski has benefited the most from the acquisition, registering three goals, three assists and a plus-5 rating in his last two games, while Logan Couture has scored in back-to-back contests to push his team-leading total to 27 goals. Defenseman Burns is tied with Pavelski for the team lead with 52 points (42 assists).
The pick: San Jose has taken the first two contests of a season-high six-game homestand in impressive fashion (see above) and now looks to beat Columbus for the fifth consecutive time. San Jose goalie Martin Jones (21-16-6, 2.50 GAA & SP) has yielded four goals while winning each of his last three starts against Columbus, including a 3-1 victory at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 2. The Blue Jackets are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for fifth in the Metropolitan Division and are outside the top-eight in the Eastern Conference playoff race, thanks in part to a less-than-stellar 13-17-3 road record. Columbus is allowing 3.15 GPG away from home and that doesn't bode well here in San Jose, where the Sharks are 19-9-3 while averaging 3.35 GPG. Make San Jose a a 10* play.
