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Steve Merrill GOY

JOE GAVAZZI

Kansas City Chiefs (-3-) at Houston Texans
4:35 ET
A very rare situation has evolved in the 2016 NFL Playoffs. All 4 home teams are underdogs in the contest. This is notable because all Wild Card home dogs are 13-9 SU, 15-6 ATS. To kickoff this year’s playoffs, the KC Chiefs travel to play the Houston Texans as a (3-) point road favorite. Somewhat ironically, these 2 met in Week 1 of the regular season. In that game, the Chiefs led 21-0 in the 2nd quarter, before settling for a (27-20) victory on this field. Each of these teams finished at 9-7 SU last season leaving no recent experience edge in the playoffs.

That KC Week 1 victory was meaningful because it would not be until October 25th, when the Chiefs won at home vs. Pittsburgh that they would crack the victory column again. But after that 1-5 SU ATS start, the Chiefs would reel off 10 consecutive victories with a (+16) net TO margin leading the way. Before you get excited about that, note that in those 10 victories, they only outgained the opposition by an average of 11 YPG. And for the season, they held a narrow 331-329 yardage edge. That 10-game season ending win streak was a bit misleading, as the last 7 of those victories were all against non-playoff teams. Nonetheless, true to HC Andy Reid form, the Chiefs would finish 4-0 SU ATS on the road. Last week, KC closed out the regular season with a (23-17) win no cover vs. the Raiders. They did hold a 39/189 to 16/48 overland yardage edge. In that regard, we note the fact that teams who outrushed their opponent by 30 yards or more in a game this season were 128-47 ATS. Teams who ran the ball 30 times or more in a game, while their opponent did not, were 130-17 ATS this season. And, teams who ran the ball 22 times or less in a game, while their opponent did not, were 122-20 ATS PLAY AGAINST.

Houston was also finishing the 2nd half of the season on a strong surge. After beginning the year 2-5 SU ATS, Houston would finish on a 7-2 SU ATS run, losing only at Buffalo and to New England. But much like KC, they faced only New England as a playoff opponent (a 27-6 loss) in the final half of the season. Much like the Chiefs, Houston closed the season with a dominating overland win against Jacksonville. They outrushed the Jags 31/160 to 14/32 and prospered from a (+3) net TO margin in a (36-6) victory. With that pointspread victory, we note that teams who had a (+3) or more net TO margin in any NFL game this season went 42-2 ATS, good for 95% winners. Keying that closing stretch was the superior play of QB Hoyer, whose team had just 10 giveaways in their last 11 games. Unlike KC, they were a bit more dominant in the yardage column with a 348-310 edge for the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at Cincinnati Bengals
8:15 ET CBS
Noting that all Wild Card home dogs are 13-9 SU, 15-6 ATS for the playoffs, we must note that the record improves to 9-3 ATS, if our home dog has the better record. As a result, there is a definitive value edge when the division rivals (Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals) meet at 8:15 ET on Saturday night in this playoff game televised by CBS. For, while Pittsburgh authored a solid 10-6 SU season, the Bengals were 12-4 SU for the year. These teams met twice this season with the Bengals winning (16-10) in Pittsburgh before the Steelers returned the favor with a (33-20) victory at Cincinnati on December 13th. That was the game in which Bengals’ QB Dalton was injured. He has not played since and is not expected to play in this contest.

Dalton was replaced in the starting lineup by Alabama 2nd year QB McCarron, who led the Bengals to a 2-1 SU ATS mark down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Bengals, making the playoffs is no guarantee of success. For, they have gone 0-5 SU ATS the last 5 years when making the promised playoff land. In last week’s (24-16) win, no cover, vs. Baltimore, the Bengals went to their strong ground game, outrushing Baltimore 27/145 to 21/59. With a (+2) net TO margin aiding the victory, I must note that any NFL team who had exactly a (+2) net TO margin in their game this season was 43-14 ATS for the year. Much like his time at Alabama, McCarron has been a successful “game manager.” Again today, he will look to hand off the ball to RBs Hill and Bernard, while controlling the line of scrimmage. Once that has been established, McCarron has lethal weapons in TE Eifert, who has 13 TDC and WR AJ Green, one of the best wide-outs in the league. If the Bengals are to win, it will most probably be in a workmanlike fashion, as the Cats have yet to crack the 300 yard mark on offense in any of McCarron’s starts. They will also be aided by the No. 2 defense in the league that allows just 17.4 PPG.

The Steelers have injury concerns of their own, as RB Williams, who filled in quite ably for RB Bell, is listed as questionable for this contest with an ankle he injured last week in the Steelers’ (28-12) victory against Cleveland. In that contest, however, the Steelers rushed just 19 times for 30 yards. With Williams at less than full strength, the Steelers will revert to a strong passing game, behind QB Roethlisberger, throwing to one of the best WR corps in the NFL, including Brown, Bryant, Wheaton and TE Miller. Ben completed 66% of his passes for the season, leading the Steelers to 6.5 offensive YP play (the most prolific offense among teams playing this weekend). Unfortunately for the Steelers, Ben has not been as careful with the ball, as was necessary. This resulted in the fact that Roethlisberger enters the playoffs with a humbling 24/18 ratio for the season.

It is looking more and more that this will be an offensive matchup of the Bengals’ ground game against the Steelers’ passing game. An additional note regarding the selection shows us that when these teams last met on this field, the Bengals were a 3 point home favorite

NFL
Dunkel

Wildcard Round

Kansas City @ Houston

Game 101-102
January 9, 2016 @ 4:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Kansas City
138.081
Houston
138.868
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 1
44
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kansas City
by 3 1/2
40
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(+3 1/2); Over

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

Game 105-106
January 9, 2016 @ 8:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
138.920
Cincinnati
134.488
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 4 1/2
50
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
by 2 1/2
46
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-2 1/2); Over

NFL
Long Sheet

Saturday, January 9

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KANSAS CITY (11 - 5) at HOUSTON (9 - 7) - 1/9/2016, 4:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in playoff games since 1992.
KANSAS CITY is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 1-1 against the spread versus KANSAS CITY over the last 3 seasons
KANSAS CITY is 2-0 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PITTSBURGH (10 - 6) at CINCINNATI (12 - 4) - 1/9/2016, 8:15 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games this season.
CINCINNATI is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all lined games this season.
CINCINNATI is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points this season.
CINCINNATI is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest this season.
PITTSBURGH is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 68-94 ATS (-35.4 Units) versus division opponents since 1992.
CINCINNATI is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in January games since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-2 against the spread versus CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-2 straight up against CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

NFL
Short Sheet

Wildcard Round

Saturday - Jan, 9

Kansas City at Houston, 4:35 ET
Kansas City: 8-0 ATS off 2 or more consecutive unders
Houston: 16-4 OVER as a home underdog of 3 points or less

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 8:15 ET
Pittsburgh: 21-8 OVER in playoff games
Cincinnati: 13-4 ATS as an underdog

NFL

Wildcard Round

Trend Report

Saturday, January 9

4:35 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. HOUSTON
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games at home
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:15 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CINCINNATI
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games when playing Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh

NHL notebook: Stars sign GM Nill to extension
By The Sports Xchange

The Dallas Stars signed general manager Jim Nill to a five-year contract extension on Friday.
Nill, 57, is in his third season with the Stars. The extension keeps him with the team through the 2022-23 season.
Under Nill, Dallas is 110-72-5 and reached the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stars (29-10-4) currently lead the Western Conference with 62 points and are off to their best start in franchise history through 43 games.
Nill, who joined the Stars in April 2013, immediately hired Lindy Ruff as coach and executed a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins to bring in forward Tyler Seguin, who this season is tied for the NHL lead with 24 goals and third with 51 points.
Prior to joining the Stars, Nill spent 19 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, including 15 as assistant general manager, and was part of four Stanley Cup championship teams.

---The New York Rangers acquired forward Nicklas Jensen and a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL draft from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for right winger Emerson Etem.
Jensen has played in 27 games with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League this season, registering four goals and eight assists.
Etem played in 19 games with the Rangers this season, with three assists and two penalty minutes.

---Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will not play Saturday against the New York Islanders because of a lower-body injury.
Gostisbehere was injured late in the first period of the Flyers' 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. He returned to play two shifts in the second period but left the game at 5:08 of the second and did not return.
Gostisbehere leads rookie defensemen with seven goals and is tied for first with 16 points In 23 games this season.

---The Minnesota Wild recalled defenseman Mike Reilly from the Iowa Wild of the AHL.
Reilly has collected 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 32 games with Iowa this season.
The Wild also reassigned defenseman Tyson Strachan to Iowa. Strachan appeared in two games with Minnesota after being recalled from Iowa on Jan. 1, with no points.

---The San Jose Sharks recalled center Chris Tierney from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
Tierney has recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) and 14 penalty minutes in 36 games with the Sharks this season. In three games with the Barracuda, he has one goal and two assists.

Preview: Capitals (28-7) at Rangers (21-14)

Date: January 09, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

It's been an impressive first half of the season for the Washington Capitals, who appear en route to running away with the Metropolitan Division.

Red-hot Washington can put even more distance between it and one of its pursuers when it tries for a second straight victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday.

The Capitals (30-7-3) stayed one point ahead of slumping Dallas for the NHL lead with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday, giving them an 11-1-1 record in their last 13 and 18-2-2 mark in 22. Washington, completing a five-game road trip Saturday, is a league-best 15-4-2 away from home.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 497th goal and Braden Holtby stopped 34 shots for the Capitals, who have given up two or fewer goals nine times in the past 13 and are second in the league with 2.13 non-shootout goals allowed per game.

'Our goal is to finish as high as we can in the standings to give us the best opportunity in the playoffs,' said Holtby, 18-0-2 with a 1.83 goals-against average in his last 21 starts. 'We were definitely tested, our blocking and our protection in front of the net.'

With Saturday's contest marking the halfway point of Washington's season, it leads the Islanders by 14 points and the Rangers by 15.

"We've played a lot of good games. We've been consistent and that's something that's huge for us," defenseman Karl Alzner said of the first half. "We've struggled with it in the past, and we've always found ways to lose three, four, five games in a row at some point in the years before and we've done a really good job of bringing the same effort night after night (this season).

"We're happy with that, but it's only halfway."

Inconsistency has instead plagued the Rangers (22-14-4) throughout 2015-16, and that's certainly been the case recently. They've alternated wins and losses in the last five, bouncing back from a 3-0 road loss to Florida last Saturday with a 6-2 home victory over the Stars on Tuesday.

'Our process has been getting better,' coach Alain Vigneault said after Derek Stepan scored two goals and Rick Nash had three assists.

'We are playing better hockey right now. Our execution and our battle level are better.'

The team defense has also been somewhat better, with New York allowing seven goals in the past three after giving up five or more six times in the previous eight.

'Hopefully we are moving in the right direction,' said Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 21 shots.

One of those eight games came against Washington, a 7-3 loss at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20 in which Justin Williams had two goals and an assist and five other Capitals scored. Lundqvist was chased after two periods and five goals.

The Capitals dropped the first meeting of the season 5-2 on Nov. 3, also at MSG.

Holtby, expected to start Saturday, has gone 2-4-0 with a 3.38 GAA in his last six games in the series.

Ovechkin has a seven-game goal streak against the Rangers, scoring eight times in that span.

Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist against the Islanders and has recorded two and three in a four-game point streak. He had three assists Dec. 20.

Marcus Johansson has five goals and six assists in his last 10 games and three goals and two assists in his past three against the Rangers, but won't play after being suspended two games Friday. The center was penalized for a hit to the head of Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey.

Preview: Islanders (19-14) at Flyers (16-15)

Date: January 09, 2016 1:00 PM EDT

One game after outslugging the highest-scoring team in the NHL, the New York Islanders had no answer for one of the league's best goaltenders.

With their own goalie situation settling down upon Jaroslav Halak's return, a matchup against the light-scoring Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday could be just what the Islanders need to start turning things around.

New York (22-14-5) has been shaky in net over its last three games with a combined 14 goals allowed, though the talented opposition certainly played a significant role.

Sandwiched between a 5-2 loss at Pittsburgh last Saturday and Thursday's 4-1 home defeat against Washington was Sunday's 6-5 victory against a Western Conference-leading Dallas team averaging a league-high 3.4 goals this season.

It was the third time during a 4-2-0 stretch that the Islanders won with at least five goals, but they couldn't manage much against Capitals netminder Braden Holtby despite peppering him with 35 shots. That robust total even marked a dip for New York, which threw 44 shots at the Penguins and 40 at the Stars.

The Isles fell behind 2-0 after one period of a loss that extended first-place Washington's lead over them in the Metropolitan Division to 14 points.

"We have to be better out of the gate," said captain John Tavares, who was held off the scoresheet for the second straight game after earning his third consecutive All-Star selection a day earlier. "We were a little slow to start today. There's a reason they've only lost a handful of times. ... We have to raise our level and be better."

Halak was activated off injured reserve Tuesday after missing five games due to an upper-body injury and stopped 35 of 38 shots in his first action since Dec. 21.

He'll likely be in goal against the Flyers considering his strong play in the first two meetings. Halak won both those starts with a 1.92 GAA, and although he allowed three goals in a 4-3 shootout win at Philadelphia on Dec. 8, he faced a season-high 46 shots.

Frans Nielsen scored three goals in those two games, and Kyle Okposo had a goal and an assist, but Tavares was quiet with a single assist.

Philadelphia (17-15-7) is second to last in the league with 2.21 goals per game but has followed a three-game skid that featured five total goals with a pair of 4-3 wins.

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto scored his second of the game - and just his third of the season - with 37 seconds left in overtime to beat Minnesota on Thursday.

"I haven't had a ton of bounces go in for me or anything like that, so it was nice to be able to contribute offensively and help the team win," Del Zotto said.

After holding Montreal scoreless on four power plays in Tuesday's home victory, the Flyers stopped Minnesota on two chances with the advantage to end their road skid at five. They had allowed eight power-play goals in the previous five games.

The club returns home looking to extend a four-game win streak there since losing to the Islanders. Philadelphia, 6-1-1 in its last eight on home ice, has earned at least a point in its last nine at home in the series, going 5-0-4 in that span.

New York hasn't won in regulation at Wells Fargo Center since a 4-1 victory on Jan. 19, 2012, that snapped a 13-game skid in Philadelphia.

Preview: Bruins (19-14) at Senators (16-16)

Date: January 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Boston Bruins' best offensive showing of the season came last week against the Ottawa Senators, but they suffered a key loss thanks to Brad Marchand's low hit on Mark Borowiecki.

It's fittingly the Senators that Marchand will face Saturday night in his return from a three-game suspension for that hit.

Boston (21-14-4) scored four third-period goals to beat Ottawa 7-3 at home on Dec. 29 after falling 3-1 on the road two days earlier despite a 39-22 shots advantage.

While the Bruins were setting a season high in scoring and salvaging a split in the home-and-home set, Marchand up-ended Borowiecki in the first period. Although he wasn't assessed a penalty, Marchand received a three-game suspension as a repeat offender.

Marchand is tied with Patrice Bergeron with a team-leading 15 goals, and his absence was felt as Boston went 1-2 without him.

The Bruins, though, kicked off this trip Friday with a 4-1 victory at New Jersey, as Ryan Spooner had a goal and assist to back Jonas Gustavsson's 19 saves.

Boston is 12-3-2 on the road for a league-high .765 winning percentage. That's offset their 9-11-2 home record that ranks toward the bottom of the NHL.

"Maybe we keep it a little more simple on the road," Gustavsson said after the Bruins won for the fourth time in their last five away from home.

Jimmy Hayes scored Friday to give him four goals in four games. That stretch started Dec. 29 when he tallied his first career hat trick against the Senators (19-16-6).

He has no points in the last three visits to the Canadian capital.

Spooner has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past four games overall, and four goals and two assists in his last four against the Senators.

Tuukka Rask, who should be back in net, has been instrumental in Boston's road success. He's 7-2-2 with a 1.85 goals-against average away from TD Garden, but is 1-3-0 with a 3.50 GAA over his last five starts at Ottawa.

The Senators are 4-8-1 in their last 13 games, dropping four of five while being outscored 18-8. They gave up two goals in an 8-second span of the first period in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Florida despite yielding a season-low 16 shots.

Ottawa gives up a league-high 33.3 shots per game but has shown some improvement with 26.3 over the last four contests.

"We're playing better," center Kyle Turris told the team's official website. "It's funny how that works, when you start playing better and things start turning around in terms of how the team's playing, and things just aren't going your way.

"We've just got to realize it's going to come. We're going to start getting bounces and scoring goals. We've just got to stick with what we're doing."

Turris may heed his own advice as he's failed to score in 10 straight games. His current streak includes a pointless effort at Boston last month. However, he had two assists at home two days earlier, giving him two goals and three assists in the last two matchups there.

Mike Hoffman leads the Senators with 19 goals, but he's scored twice in the past 10 games. One of those tallies, though, came at Boston on Dec. 29.

The Bruins have lost four of five at Ottawa following an 11-game win streak there.

Preview: Penguins (18-16) at Canadiens (21-16)

Date: January 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens are starting to play better after a three-week span which featured one victory. The Pittsburgh Penguins were on a bit of a roll until running into the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Montreal looks to post back-to-back wins for the first time since late November on Saturday night when it faces a Pittsburgh team that's had recent success at Bell Centre.

The Canadiens (23-16-3) have alternated wins and losses in their last five games, and while that stretch doesn't necessarily mean they've turned things around, it's a dramatic improvement following a 1-10-0 record Dec. 3-26.

Montreal split the last four on a season-high eight-game trip before opening a three-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday. It hasn't won two in a row since taking four straight Nov. 20-27.

"It's time for us to play the right way for a couple of games in a row now. It hasn't been the case as of late," captain Max Pacioretty told the team's official website. "We played a good, strong game last game and we've got to build off that and play the right way against Pittsburgh."

Pacioretty scored on the power play for his 17th goal Wednesday and Torrey Mitchell added a short-handed score, Montreal's eighth to tie Ottawa for the NHL lead. The Canadiens, though, are 4 for 48 on the power play in their last 16 games.

"When you win the special-teams battle, you definitely give yourself a much greater opportunity of winning the game," Pacioretty said. "This game is so tightly checked that 5-on-5 goals are very tough to score."

Special teams have recently been a strong point for Pittsburgh (19-16-5), which has held opponents without a goal in 20 power-play opportunities over its last eight and is 10 for 28 (35.7 percent) on its own chances in the previous nine. The Penguins, though, were swept by Chicago in a home-and-home series this week following a 4-1-1 stretch.

Pittsburgh scored twice in the third period to send Tuesday's home matchup to overtime, where it lost 3-2, before allowing two goals in the third the next night in a 3-1 defeat at Chicago.

"I think just dictating the play has been more of our identity here lately and tonight when we don't do that you see the difference," captain Sidney Crosby said. "We are really a team that can skate and play on our toes and when we're doing that we're playing fast and we're tough to contain."

Crosby was held without a point Wednesday after registering six goals and six assists in his previous eight games. He had six goals in his first 32 contests.

"You always pay attention to Sidney. He's the best player in the world," Pacioretty said. "He's playing well. It was only a matter of time. You have to be aware of him on the ice. ... Our job is to make sure he doesn't get any chances."

These teams have split two meetings in Pittsburgh this season, a 3-2 win for Montreal on Oct. 13 and a 4-3 shootout victory for the Penguins on Nov. 11. Pittsburgh has won two straight in Montreal and is 5-1-1 in its last seven visits.

"They're a team that's desperate," Pacioretty said. "They'll do whatever it takes to win the game, especially in Montreal. We've got to put together a good game after a strong performance last game."

Preview: Maple Leafs (12-16) at Sharks (17-18)

Date: January 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

A tight division is keeping the panic button out of reach for the San Jose Sharks.

However, more than a month of mostly negative results is becoming difficult to pass off with a second straight season out of the playoffs after 10 in them emerging as a distinct possibility.

Still searching for their first win of 2016, they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night hoping to improve a dismal home record.

The Sharks (18-18-2) are 4-9-2 since the start of December after Thursday's 2-1 loss to Detroit. The defeat was their third in four games on a five-game homestand and dropped them to an NHL-worst 5-12-0 at home, with a league-low 38 goals.

They've been limited to 13 goals in going 1-6-0 in their last seven in San Jose.

Joel Ward scored Thursday's first-period equalizer and nearly had another goal just before the Red Wings got the third-period winner.

"It's definitely frustrating. You get a good chance on one end and the next thing you know they come down and score," said Ward, who scored for the first time in 10 games.

Brett Burns assisted and has 12 points in his last eight games after extending his point streak to a season-best five, but San Jose has been limited to a goal in each of the last two. That's made things more difficult on Martin Jones, who's been in goal for the entire homestand.

Jones has gone 3-3-1 with a 3.43 goals-against average in his last seven starts. The third-year player, who went 11-5-0 with a 2.02 mark and three shutouts in his first 17 games for the Sharks through Nov. 21, is 3-0-0 with a 1.65 GAA against Toronto.

"I thought we played a pretty good game, just needed a bit more," Jones said.

They've had that against the Maple Leafs. The Sharks have won the last six meetings - outscoring Toronto 24-11 - and 10 of 11. San Jose is 13-8-0 against the Eastern Conference, but Toronto is 11-6-1 against the West.

The Leafs' latest such game, though, was Thursday's 2-1 defeat at Los Angeles that snapped a three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, the Maple Leafs (16-16-7) have been going in the opposite direction of San Jose with an 8-3-2 surge, during which they've averaged 3.46 goals.

Peter Holland scored for the second time in three games, and coach Mike Babcock wasn't displeased after opening the three-game trip with a 4-0 win over Anaheim the night before.

"I like our preparation. I like the way we get ready," said Babcock, whose team has won five of seven on the road with 13 goals allowed. "Today we knew the first 10 minutes was going to be hard for us, and in the end we were still right there and gave ourselves a chance."

That's started in the defensive zone with the Maple Leafs giving up five goals in the 3-1-0 span. Jonathan Bernier's covered most of that in goal and will start after James Reimer returned from a groin injury against the Kings.

Bernier has won his last three starts with a 0.97 GAA, including a 39-save shutout of the Ducks. After starting the season 0-8-3 with a 3.46 GAA, he's gone 6-2-0 with a 2.21 mark.

Bernier is 1-3-1 with a 3.66 GAA in six games against the Sharks.

Preview: Hurricanes (17-18) at Blue Jackets (13-24)

Date: January 09, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella doesn't sound like he wants retribution for a blindside hit to his captain, though the Carolina Hurricanes are saying they'll be ready for anything.

The Blue Jackets will likely be without Nick Foligno on Saturday night when they meet the visiting Hurricanes to complete a home-and-home set.

Carolina (17-18-7) beat Columbus 4-1 at home Friday, and one of the major talking points was a blind-side hit by the Hurricanes' Brad Malone on Foligno early in the third period. Foligno was hit in the chin and left the game after laying down face-first on the ice for some time.

The Blue Jackets' Ryan Malone got in the face of Brad Malone after that incident. Later in the period, Brad Malone and Columbus center Brandon Dubinsky got 5-minute fighting majors.

Tortorella said he gave Dubinsky "high marks" for fighting on behalf of his fallen teammate, but the coach claims there won't be any carry-over into this contest.

"They'll figure it out, the league has to look at it," Tortorella said. "I am certainly not going to complain or try and position anything. In the situation we're in, we need to shut our mouths and play. So there's no complaining here, I'm not going to belly-ache about it. Let the league figure it out and we need to get ready to play another game."

The Hurricanes are insisting it wasn't a dirty play.

"I know on the play I don't think either of them saw each other, it's an unfortunate play," forward Jordan Staal said. "Bugsy (Brad Malone) stood up for himself and he did a great job. Whether or not it's going to happen tomorrow, we'll see but we'll be ready as a team."

The Metropolitan Division's two worst teams played a physical game even before the third period as they matched up for the first time. Elias Lindholm scored twice, Kris Versteeg had two assists and Cam Ward made 35 saves as the Hurricanes ended a three-game slide.

"I thought it was a highly contested game and so it should be in the division," Carolina coach Bill Peters said.

Peters said he would give consideration to handing Ward Saturday's start. Ward has started both ends of a back-to-back three times, winning the second game on the last two occasions.

Dubinsky scored and Anton Forsberg made 25 saves as Columbus (15-24-3) dropped a fourth straight road game. If Forsberg doesn't start Saturday, Joonas Korpisalo is the other option with Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney on injured reserve

Blue Jackets fans will get their first look at defenseman Seth Jones, who made his club debut Friday after being acquired in the blockbuster deal two days earlier that sent underachieving Ryan Johansen to Nashville.

Columbus has dropped its last three home games with Carolina.

"We've gotta (have) more of an attack mind-set," Ryan Malone said. "I think we were a little robotic out there and just thinking more about what to do instead of just feeling what to do."

Hurricanes center Victor Rask, second on the team with 26 points, could play after sitting out Friday with an upper-body injury.