Real Madrid vs Schalke 04: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview in Santiago Bernabéu

Real Madrid drubbed Schalke 04 in the first leg of their UEFA Round of 16 Champions League match up. In order for Schalke to advance they’d need a 6-0 win, a near impossible match up.

We have a young team and this match can be a good experience, Jens Keller said, via UEFA. We have to do better than in the home game. We must be more compact and not let our opponents grow. We are going to try to do our best. Maybe players with small problems or injuries won’t play. I don’t have many options, but we will try to play our young players.

Real Madrid and Bayern München are the strongest teams in the world. Bayer Leverkusen played bravely against PSG in Paris and we want to do the same. We must be realistic Real Madrid are an amazing team and when you lose 6-1 in the first leg it is not easy to reach the quarter-finals.

Date: Tuesday, March 18
Start Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
Location: Madrid, Spain
Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
TV Info: FOX Sports 2, FOX Deportes, FOX Soccer Plus
Radio Info: Sirius XM FC
Live Stream: FOX Soccer.
source: fansided.com/2014/03/18/real-madrid-vs-schalke-04-live-stream-start-time-tv-info/

Chelsea vs. Galatasaray: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview in Stamford Bridge

Chelsea is set to host Galatasaray in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 match up. The first leg finished in a 1-1 draw, and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said the game will go down to the wire.

If you look at the result 1-1 and if you look at the game, one team was better in the first half, another was better in the second, Mourinho said, via UEFA. It’s the kind of match that could go to the wire. I very much doubt the game will be decided by half-time.

Drogba is one of the most important players in Chelsea’s history,” Mourinho said. “There is no doubt about that and it’s something all Chelsea supporters would agree on. Is he at the same level as he was at 26? Nobody is, but he is one of the best strikers in the world. Tomorrow is a big game but I am not feeling any pressure. Sneijder is one of the best in his position in the world. It is as simple as that.

When: Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. ET

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. GMT

Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England

Watch: Fox Sports 1; Fox Soccer 2Go; ITV 1 (U.K.); ITV Live Player (U.K.)

While Tuesday's other Champions League match, Real Madrid facing Schalke, is decided at this point Los Blancos won the first leg, 6-1 it's all up in the air between Chelsea and Galatasaray.

The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Turkey, as Fernando Torres scored in the ninth minute but Aurelien Chedjou equalized for Galatasaray in the 64th. While the main storyline for the first game was Didier Drogba facing his old club, in this contest, the main concern is which team will survive.

Chelsea certainly enjoy one major advantage in this one they've lost just one game at home in all competitions this season, to Basel in the Champions League group stage. And they don't even need to win this game, as a scoreless draw would see them through since they would hold the advantage in away goals.

But Chelsea also lost over the weekend to Aston Villa, a crucial loss that once again left barely any separation between the Premier League's top four teams. Will that loss, and a grueling domestic campaign in general, weigh heavily on the minds of the Blues? Or will they recover from that disappointment by disposing of visiting Galatasaray?

Drogba's return to Stamford Bridge will certainly be a bit emotional for the player (and likely the Chelsea supporters, as well). After all, Drogba made himself a legend with the club. He talked to Dirk Vermeiren of UEFA.com about his feelings when he heard Galatasaray would face Chelsea in the round of 16 and he would return to his old stadium.

Chelsea will likely be without Ashley Cole for the match as he didn't train on Monday, according to Sky Sports, but David Luiz could return, giving the Blues a boost either in defense or perhaps in central midfield. Nemanja Matic certainly looked like he could have used a breather late in the match against Aston Villa after dominating the first half.

Still, the Blues are the heavy favorites here. They are the more talented side, are nearly impossible to beat at home, face a Galatasaray team that has really struggled away from home this year and, of course, have the ultimate puppeteer in Jose Mourinho leading the way.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini is out to prove he can succeed in the Champions League. From Steve Douglas of The Associated Press, via the Miami Herald:

A 1-1 draw at home for Galatasaray was essentially a loss, since Chelsea now need only to hold them scoreless to win this match. Chelsea are the best defensive team in the Premier League and are at their best when they can either control possession and build up play slowly, or sink back defensively and spring against teams hard on the counter-attack.

Galatasaray doesn't have the luxury of caution in this contest, needing to either win, earn a 1-1 draw to force extra time or a 2-2 draw to go ahead on away goals. That plays directly into Mourinho's hands, as he'll probably play a defensively sound starting 11 and tell his team to look for offense by springing players like Eden Hazard on the counter-attack.

Drogba may yet have some Champions League magic in him, and the Blues certainly don't have a forward that can grab this game by the scruff of the neck like Drogba can. But in Hazard, Oscar and Willian, they do have attacking midfielders who can change the course of a game if given any daylight at all to operate in.

Gala needed to win in Turkey. Failing to do so will be their downfall. Chelsea wins, 1-0.
source: fansided.com/2014/03/18/chelsea-vs-galatasaray-live-stream-start-time-tv-info/
source: bleacherreport.com/articles/1996038-chelsea-vs-galatasaray-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview

Watch Opening Ceremony of ICC World Cup T20 in Bangladesh 2014

The roads leading to the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium are unfailing reminders that the World T20 set to be held in Bangladesh between March 16 and April 6 is upon us. There are billboards, arches, and a countdown-clock outside the Stadium emblazoned with the logo of the mega event.

According to Mahbub Anam, Director, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and member of the local organising committee of the T20 World Cup, the tournament is the biggest in the nation’s history.

“We have upgraded the stadiums and other facilities. Some of the works were delayed because we had a longer monsoon. There were also the elections that slowed things down. By the time the World Cup starts, everything will be in order, Anam told The Hindu recently.

The end of political turmoil in the country, he said, expedited the process. We had a meeting where all the countries sent their security representatives to confirm their participation. By the time the Sri Lanka series started, normality was restored in Bangladesh. Cricket unites the whole country.

Anam assured that the security provided to the teams was of the ‘top-most level. It’s been confirmed by the country’s highest authority. When asked if the security-cover provided was on a par with that accorded to visiting heads of State, he said: “In most cases, yes.”

New stadia
A large chunk of the preparation has been geared towards construction of new stadia and sprucing up the infrastructure.

“In 2004, we had the under-19 World Cup for which we built some grounds and in 2011, when we had the 50-over World Cup, we upgraded the venues. But for 2014, we built about eight new grounds. It will immensely improve our country’s cricketing facilities.

While two new practice grounds have been built in BKSP, Dhaka, a smaller facility has come up inside the Fatullah Stadium. Practice venues have also been readied in Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar. Anam said the works were co-funded by the Bangladesh government and the BCB.

About $40 million have been spent on the venues alone, the government contributing roughly over $20-30 million.

Face-lift
The cities hosting the tournament have been given a face-lift as well. “Additional access roads have come up around the Chittagong stadium. The Sylhet Stadium is inside a tea garden, and it’s is one of the most beautiful venues in Bangladesh. The government’s total contribution has been to the tune of $60-70 million.

Local reports suggest that ticket-pricing for the Asia Cup was on the higher side. Anam, however, clarified that wasn’t the case for the World T20. Except for four matches, tickets have been sold out completely. They were done 100 per cent online. The ICC wanted greater crowd attendance and so the tickets were priced reasonably the lowest is 50 BDT, which is less than a dollar, and the highest is 2000 BDT.

The BCB has also planned a concert featuring A.R. Rahman, Akon, and other local artistes on March 13 at the Bangabandhu Stadium. There is no such opening ceremony as such. It’s going to cost us over $3 million, but we feel it will give more impetus to the event,” said Anam.

Dhaka holds its breath for AR Rahman and Akon

The streets of Dhaka have worn a new look over the last month or so, in the countdown to the ICC World T20 the biggest T20 tournament of the cricket calendar. Well lit roads embellish the city that has had a major facelift as anticipation builds up. To add to the entertainment quotient of sport that has been the hallmark of the T20 format, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is organising a mega celebration concert on Thursday, February 13 bringing two major names of world music today to the Dhaka audience: AR Rahman and Akon.

AR Rahman needs no introduction to even the most casual of music listeners of this part of the world. The composer extraordinaire hailed as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer has transcended Indian borders to win two Oscars, two Grammys, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe aside from countless other awards in his country. He has fused Eastern classical music in world music genres to great effect, composed music for the Olympic opening ceremony, and has worked with musicians ranging from Mick Jagger to Vanessa-Mae to Michael Jackson.

Senegalese-American hip-hop/R&B artiste Akon took the global music industry by storm with his 2006 album Konvicted featuring hits like “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You” that resonated all over the world. The album went on to become a triple-platinum, paving way for him to have, till date, over 300 guest appearances in songs performed by the world's most popular musicians. The Guinness World record holder as the number one selling artiste of master ringtones, has one thing in common with AR Rahman, though: neither have performed in Dhaka before.

Apart from the two international sensations, the concert will also feature the best of Bangladeshi artistes Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Momtaz, Kumar Biswajit, Ornob and bands LRB and Miles.

While the 2011 World Cup Opening Ceremony was a spectacle in all senses, this year's concert is focused more towards entertainment, and with the line-up at hand, eager fans can be sure that there will be an abundance of it.

The concert to be held at the Bangabandhu Stadium is being managed by Grey and Blues Communications.
source: thehindu.com/sport/cricket/bangladesh-all-ready-to-host-world-t20/article5767564

Barcelona vs. Manchester City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Manchester City travel to Barcelona knowing nothing but a dominant win will ensure their passage to the Champions League's quarterfinal stage. The Premier League side face a 2-0 deficit after the opening tie and must rack up the goals to stand a chance of advancing.

Here's everything you need to know about the crucial Camp Nou fixture.

When: Wednesday, March 12, at 7:45 p.m. GMT/3:45 p.m. ET

Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Watch: Sky Sports (U.K.); Sky Go app, Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.)

Chances: Barcelona (69 percent), Manchester City (12.7 percent), Draw (18.3 percent), according to Bloomberg Sports.

Both teams head into this fixture in similar situations. Barcelona need to quickly recover from the embarrassing 1-0 La Liga loss to relegation candidates Valladolid, who were excellent value for their win at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

City suffered an even more surprising defeat with the 2-1 FA Cup loss to Championship side Wigan Athletic, reliving the heartache of last year's final loss to a hard-working and well-drilled Latics side. To make this failure even more difficult to take, it was at the Etihad, a feat screwed home by Uber Football Fact.

These results ensure both teams could be cautious at the Camp Nou, but Gerardo Martino and Manuel Pellegrini must send their players out with the intention of attacking. Barca's two-goal lead from the first leg ensures the first strike will be majorly important in Catalonia, effectively killing the contest or giving City something to fight for.

Like Arsenal against Bayern Munich, the English side must score at least two if they are to advance. Pellegrini's side are best-equipped to dominate La Blaugrana's defence in aerial situations and must make the most of set pieces.

During the opening leg, City wasted far too many crossing opportunities by playing the ball short from wide free-kicks, despite Alvaro Negredo outperforming Gerard Pique in the air.

La Blaugrana have been notoriously poor when defending high balls this season, summed up by the goal they conceded against Almeria. Perhaps Pellegrini will spot this and partner Negredo with Edin Dzeko, especially considering Sergio Aguero appeared rusty during the loss to Wigan.

For Barca, possession will be key. The Spanish side eventually got hold of the ball at the Etihad and reduced City to springing counter-attacks. This kind of control halts the momentum of Yaya Toure and forces Negredo to drop away from the area in order to receive passes, providing the defence with less problems in the air.

The easy bet is to go with Barcelona on this one, and while the Spanish giants should be expected to get through, expect City to make life extremely difficult.

Pellegrini's team are a relentless attacking force even when they don't need to keep hunting goals. They have nothing to lose at the Camp Nou and must go full throttle if they are to progress. It is profitable for City to hustle Barca's midfield out of possession right from the off, and they must ensure energy is matched with pacey, fully committed attacks.

City are more than capable of scoring two goals, but like their opponents, are also prone to defensive frailties. This encounter is likely to be settled on a miscue at the back, and with City piling on the pressure, Barca's ability to hit on the break will come to the fore.

source: bleacherreport.com/articles/1988389-barcelona-vs-manchester-city-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview

Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayer Leverkusen: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

It would take something beyond a miracle for Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain won the first leg of the round of 16 between these teams, 4-0, and now it hosts the second leg on its own grounds where it's lost just once this season in all competitions. So yes, Bayer Leverkusen needs something a little beyond a miracle.

But anything can happen in 90 minutes, so the German side isn't eliminated from the proceedings just yet. Let's break down this round of 16 clash.

When: Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. GMT)

Where: Parc des Princes, Paris, France

Watch: Fox Sports 2; Fox Soccer 2Go; Sky Sports 4 (U.K.); Sky Go (U.K.)

Given its huge cushion and the game being played at home, you couldn't fault PSG for coming into this match confident. But to hear its manager Laurent Blanc talk, you'd think the game itself was a mere formality.

Presumably, the only thing PSG might fear is complacency heading into the match or a Leverkusen side seething with revenge on the mind. But with a four-goal advantage in aggregate, perhaps even complacency or vengeance isn't to be feared.

According to Holyman's report, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi won't appear for PSG in this contest—with Yohan Cabaye and Adrien Rabiot likely to take their place in the midfield—while star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be able to play. Meanwhile, via BBC Sport, Edinson Cavani will return to action after taking personal time, while Leverkusen midfielder Jens Hegeler is out to injury.

Leverkusen likely won't simply throw out its reserves and open the match by waiving the white flag, but after the first leg, you couldn't fault the team for prioritizing the domestic campaign.

Even if Leverkusen had a hope of staging a comeback in this Champions League tie, PSG would still be heavily favored. It has far more star power, a very pronounced home-field advantage, and the pressure of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the roster and the expectations those dollars breed to inspire them.

Leverkusen is a strong team, so it should make this a game or even win. But overcoming a four-goal deficit in Paris?

Not happening. Leverkusen wins, 2-1, but PSG will move on to the quarterfinals.
source: bleacherreport.com/articles/1989028-psg-vs-bayer-leverkusen-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview

Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Bayern Munich will host Arsenal on Tuesday with a trip to the Champions League quarterfinals at stake.

The defending European Cup winners head into this week's pivotal clash with a two-goal advantage on aggregate after stifling the Gunners at the Emirates in the first leg on Feb. 19.

As a result, Franck Ribery and Co. will have additional room for error at home on Tuesday, putting the pressure squarely on Arsene Wenger's English side, who had no answers for Bayern the first time around.

The German powerhouse possessed the ball for four-fifths of the match and scored two second-half goals after Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off with a red card late in the first half. Adding to Arsenal's concerns on Tuesday is the fact Szczesny will be forced to sit out as a direct result of his sending off in the opening leg.

Still, Arsenal will be filled with belief after snagging a 2-0 win at Bayern a year ago.

With the stage set for another monumental Champions League matchup, let's get you set with everything you need to know ahead of kickoff.

Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Start Time: 8:45 p.m. local time, GMT (3:45 p.m. ET)

Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich

TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.), ITV 1 (U.K.)

Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)

Although they enter with a comfortable cushion on aggregate and as favorites to prevail, Bayern's hopes of repeating as European champions will be on the line on Tuesday. Despite their struggles in the first leg, Arsenal are a dangerous team with attacking weapons of their own.

Nonetheless, those weapons will be rendered ineffective if Arsenal are unable to retain the ball and generate scoring chances.

For Arsenal, Tuesday's match will provide a shot to avenge last year's Champions League round of 16 loss to Bayern. The Gunners should be energized and feeling good about their chances after scoring a 2-0 win over Bayern in Munich last season. However, a win won't be good enough, as Arsenal will need to erase their two-goal deficit and shut down the German side's vaunted attack in the process.

There's no guarantee that possession will lead to goals for the Gunners, but it's safe to say that they don't stand a chance unless they can earn their fair share of touches.

Considering how dominant Bayern were in that category three weeks ago, it's not difficult to see why they are expected to finish the job at home on Tuesday. Expect a much-improved Arsenal attack this time around, but not one potent enough to knock off Bayern on their home pitch.
source: bleacherreport.com/articles/1987184-bayern-munich-vs-arsenal-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview

Watch New Zealand vs India Live Streaming Test Series Online Tv Score highlights

The 21-year-old Ish Sodhi is all set to fulfill the long pending wish of his parents - playing international cricket against India, the country of his and their birth.
It has been quite a week for the Sodhis in Auckland ahead of the first Test match between New Zealand and India.
Ish, the leg spinner, was playing the domestic tournament for his team Northern Districts in Napier till Sunday. Rajbir Singh Sodhi, the cricketer's father, was away to Brisbane on a business trip and returned home only late on Tuesday. And, Simrat Sodhi, mother of Ish, has had a difficult time managing her teaching job, busy as she been handling alone all the congratulatory calls pouring in from India after her son was assured of his place in the playing eleven against the India in the first Test at the Eden Park.
No wonder the 21-year-old rising star of New Zealand cricket found nobody at home when he went to pick his Black Caps helmet on Tuesday morning.
"But, I know they are going to be there at the Eden Park on the first day. It is going to be a very special moment for me, mom and dad watching from the stands, watching me play against India," Ish told Mail Today.
Special it is certainly going to be for the family which migrated from Ludhiana in Punjab to Auckland in 1996. Ish was only a four-year-old then.
"I have got a great Indian heritage. We've been back there many times. It is still a very big part of my life. A lot of my family is there back in India. Getting a chance to play Test cricket against India is like cherry on top. It is very exciting to play against a team of a country where I was born. They are also one of the best teams in the world which throws up a huge challenge. It is also really big for an Indian or for the Indian community here to say that you can play for New Zealand if you do put in hard work. It is a big honour to represent the Black Caps . I am really looking forward to it. This (Eden Park) is a very special ground to me and I want to do well here," he says.
Coming from a family of academics, Ish, reveals his father, had his goals set right from the age of 14.
"Seven years ago, he came up to me and said 'Dad, can I ask for a favour. I love this game (cricket) and I want to do something big, please let me have a shot at this.' You see, it is very common in New Zealand for kids to get into sports. We had enrolled Ish in Papatoetoe Cricket Club. He had a natural interest in the game and had decided that he wants to become a cricketer. So, we never became a hurdle in his way," recalls 50-year-old Rajbir Singh Sodhi.
In 2009, when India toured New Zealand, Ish missed a chance to have a go at the Indian batsmen, albeit only in practice nets.
"I tried a couple of times but never got an opportunity to bowl in the nets. That was when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid were here. Few of my mates got a chance to bowl to them and I was quite jealous. So, to have an opportunity to play against them at the Eden Park is quite surreal."
Surreal as well as a huge learning curve it can be for the youngster knowing well that Indian batsmen, always very good players of spin bowling, will have a go at him.
"I know it is going to be a big challenge but I am ready for it. I will just try to do the basics as well as I can. If I know I have bowled well, regardless of the fact whether I have got wickets or not, it will be satisfying.
Being only a 21-year-old, I know that I have a lot of time to keep on getting better. So, it is not really on my mind to go out there and get a lot of wickets. Bowling well will make me a lot happy. I have never gone into a series targeting a certain number of wickets, anyways," says the spinner who's got 11 wickets from five Tests till now.
Dipak Patel and Jeetan Patel have been New Zealand cricketers of Indian descent before Ish. And, going by his success, the Ludhiana-born leggie would only inspire many more Indian youngsters residing in this part of the world.
"He absolutely loves the environment he's in right now. Ish is very proud to sport a fern logo on his chest," says Rajbir who perhaps will find himself in a strange situation on Wednesday afternoon at the Eden Park to whether support his son's team or the team from his own country.
source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/new-zealand-vs-india-ish-sodhi-first-indian-to-play-for-black-caps/1/341893.html

Watch Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Trailer 2

Well, this is a little different. We’ve seen instances in the last few years of studios offering “extended” versions of their Super Bowl movie previews. But this is the first time I can remember a studio, Walt Disney DIS +1% in this case, basically using its Super Bowl advertising time to sell a full trailer for the movie that was being teased. And yes here we are, at the end of the perfectly terrific 30-second commercial to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, telling us to go online and watch the second full trailer for the picture. I’m not sure how many of the hundreds-of-millions of football fans paused their DVRs and raced online to watch the whole 2.5 minute trailer, but I have to give Disney points to basically announcing their trailer in front of the largest possible audience in a given year. It was a Super Bowl teaser for a trailer.

The better news is that both the Super Bowl commercial and the second trailer are downright terrific. The Super Bowl trailer uses a skewed version of the Star Spangled Banner BANR +0.22%, while the second trailer is a more conventional sell. The action looks terrific but surprisingly grounded, while the film builds on the paranoia and distrust heavily sold in the first trailer a few months back. The clips hint at a major death (or maybe just a glorified red shirt) while refreshingly not even hinting at the identity of the Winter Soldier character. Of course, I imagine 99% of the audience watching the trailer, especially those watching online, will know his identity, but it’s nice that Disney is playing fair for those less aware of the comic book lore.

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What stands out in both of the trailers we’ve seen is the emphasis on character over action, even as the action takes up a larger portion of this trailer. There is less of Sam Jackson and Robert Redford pontificating this time around, but more screen time given to Anthony Mackie’s The Falcon. Fair or not, said Falcon will get a lot of attention as he’s the first major standalone African American superhero in the Marvel universe (I’d argue Don Cheadle’s Rhodes as War Machine, short-lived as it was, was more of an Iron Man supporting character, but feel free to disagree). Point being, with all of the talk of diversity in the superhero world, we may well see a situation where Avengers: Age of Ultron has two African American superheroes (if Falcon survives and if Rhodes shows up in Avengers 2) and two female superheroes, with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch appearing alongside (or against) Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.

Anyway, that’s for another day. Point being, Captain America: The First Avenger was easily the best of the Phase One Marvel universe films, and it’s still my overall favorite despite competition from Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. That pattern seems to continue in Phase 2, as Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks to be splendid popcorn entertainment. It drops in American April 4th, 2014, which will also make a test case for the ability for would-be May-July/November-December blockbusters to pull in blockbuster numbers outside of the summer/holiday season. And yes, it’s a little amusing (and clever) that Disney used its very expensive Super Bowl advertising time not just to sell its big movie but to announce the arrival of the trailer for said big movie. It’s a brave new marketing world, folks.

source: forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/02/02/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-does-super-bowl-teaser-for-its-trailer/

Watch Fulham vs Sheffield United Live Stream Online FA Cup Start Times, Match Preview,TV Info and more.

Watch Fulham vs Sheffield United Live Stream Online FA Cup Start Times, Match Preview,TV Info and more. The FA Cup 4th round replay takes place at Craven Cottage and is scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT.
Fulham will assess defenders Sascha Riether (calf) and Kieran Richardson (foot) ahead of tonight's game.
Manager Rene Meulensteen is set to shuffle his pack and has doubts over Fernando Amorebieta (knee) and John Arne Riise (hamstring).

Kostas Mitroglou, Johnny Heitinga and Lewis Holtby, who all joined the club on transfer deadline day, are not eligible to play.

Sheffield United will be without Billy Paynter and Elliot Whitehouse, who are both cup-tied.

Harry Maguire (knee) and striker Chris Porter (hamstring) are available.

What they've said ahead of kick-off:

Rene Meulensteen: "I have spoken to him (Sir Alex Ferguson) like I do, on and off. Sometimes he rings me and sometimes I ring him. He is always a phone call away. I have always felt that whenever we stared into adversity or disappointment, I have always found him remarkably strong in those moments. You could never spot any doubt in his words or behaviour, that always transferred back to the players and I want to do exactly the same (at Fulham)."

Sheff Utd manager Nigel Clough: "Whether it was physical or mental, it just seemed to catch up with a few people on Saturday. It was strange, because people who've done so well for us, like Jose Baxter, Ryan Flynn, Jamie Murphy - maybe it just caught up with them, it was a game too many. We have 19 more league games and at least one cup game to put things right. But we can go to Fulham and have a real go, as we did [against Aston Villa] at Villa Park in the third round.
source:crunchsports.com/category/soccer/fulham-fc-vs-sheffield-united-live-stream-team-news-and-fa-cup-match-preview-201402040005/

Watch All National Hockey League Match Live Streaming Online.

Watch All National Hockey League Match Live Streaming Online,Start Times, Match Preview,TV Info and more.

The National Hockey League (NHL; French: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH) is an "unincorporated not-for-profit association, which operates a major professional ice hockey league. Currently there are 30 franchised member clubs, 23 located in the United States and 7 in Canada. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world,[3] and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
The league was organized on November 27, 1917, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909. It started with four teams (all based in Canada) and, through a series of expansions, contractions, and relocations, is now composed of thirty active franchises. The "nation" referred to by the league's name was Canada, although the league has now been binational since 1924 when its first team in the United States, the Boston Bruins, began play. After a labour dispute that led to the cancellation of the entire 2004–05 season, the league resumed play under a new collective bargaining agreement that included a salary cap. In 2009, the NHL enjoyed record highs in terms of sponsorships, attendance, and television audiences.

The NHL draws many highly skilled players from all over the world and currently has players from about 20 different countries. Although Canadians have historically constituted the majority of the players in the NHL, over the past four plus decades the percentages of American and European players have increased both because of the NHL's continued expansion from six to thirty clubs since 1967, and the increased availability of highly skilled European players.
By:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League

National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star Teams

           Western Conference                                        Eastern Conference
Pacific Division            Central Division             Atlantic Division          Metropolitan Division
Anaheim Ducks             Colorado Avalanche         Boston Bruins                Carolina Hurricanes
Calgary Flames             Dallas Stars                    Buffalo Sabres               Columbus Blue Jackets
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Watch Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Live Stream Cricket 2nd Test Score TV Info and Preview

Watch Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Live Stream Cricket 2nd Test Score TV Info and Preview and more.

Bangladesh took a hammering in the first Test against Sri Lanka, losing by an innings and 248 runs. They have a chance to make amends in the second Test starting in Chittagong on Tuesday but will go in as heavy underdogs.

What: Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka, second Test

Venue: Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

When: Tuesday-Saturday, Feb. 4-8

Start time: 3:30 a.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. local time

Live on: Star Cricket, WillowTV, Geo Super, in UK on Zee Cinema

Weather: Accuweather forecasts clear skies and temperatures up to 30 degrees celsius for most of the Test. As it stands, there will be no rain to worry about.

There weren't many positives for Bangladesh from the first Test. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim fought valiantly in the first innings, but overall the hosts looked hapless and hopeless.

Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal led the Sri Lankan attack brilliantly in the first innings, taking seven wickets between them. Lakmal's ability to extract extra pace and bounce from any surface helped set the tone for how the game played out.

Bangladesh were weak against the new ball, and were it not for the late charge from the lower order, things might have been more embarrassing still.

Sri Lanka's batting was similarly ruthless with Bangladesh's bowlers largely toothless. It's hard to see anything changing drastically as the teams move to the second Test. It's hardly Bangladesh's fault; they play so little Test cricket that their cohesion as a unit has clearly been impaired.

They are out of practice and out of their depth against the experience that Sri Lanka, who came into the series off the back of three Tests in January, bring to the fore.

There are two injury issues for Sri Lanka to overcome, though, with Rangana Herath and Eranga withdrawn after suffering with a knee injury and a thigh strain respectively, per Sri Lanka Cricket, but even with a reshuffled bowling attack, the tourists, perhaps featuring replacements Kusal Janith Perera and Thisara Perera, are unlikely to be troubled.

A win to square the series is nigh-on impossible for the hosts, so they will have to shift their attention to smaller targets. The first target is to post a score of over 300 in their first innings. Setting small pockets of targets might not help Bangladesh win the Test, but it will help them grow a little bit in confidence before heading into the limited-overs matches.
source:bleacherreport.com/articles/1946082-bangladesh-vs-sri-lanka-2nd-test-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview

Watch National Basketball Association (NBA) Live Streaming Online

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. It has thirty franchised member clubs (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues. NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player.
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after absorbing the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Watch National Basketball Association (NBA) Game Live Streaming Online Start Times, Match Preview, Schedule, TV Info and more. Watch daily Live All NBA Regular Season Games Streaming- Free Access here.

Total National Basketball Association (NBA) Team:
Atlantic: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors.
Central: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks.
Southeast: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards.
Northwest: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz.
Pacific: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings.
Southwest: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs.
 By:wikipedia.org

Watch Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Stream Online NBA Match, January 27

Watch Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 27 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Team: Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins.
Time: 07:30 P.M. EST.
Venue: CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Consol Energy Center will be rocking when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres.

Buffalo easily dispatched scorching hot Columbus 5-2 to snap a five game winless skein. In the process the Blue Jackets saw an eight game winning streak come to an abrupt halt. Marcus Foligno and Christian Ehrhoff each recorded shorthanded goals with Ehrhoff posting a pair of assists. Cody Hodgson, Steve Ott and Matt Ellis also founds the back of the net to give Ryan Miller plenty of support. Miller didn't waste the offense although he saw plenty of rubber with 36 saves. Derek MacKenzie and Mark Letestu recorded goals and assists while Sergei Bobvrosky was yanked after letting in three goals on only ten shots.

Surging Pittsburgh came up empty...literally, in a 3-0 defeat at Dallas on Saturday. The Stars scored once in the first and twice in the middle frame in a surprisingly quiet performance from the dangerous Penguins attack. Pitt had won four of five before Saturday's contest but never able to solve Kari Lehtonen although the Pitt offense made him work in the third with 12 saves to preserve his third shutout of the season. Sergei Gonchar, Rich Peverley and Jamie Benn each beat Marc-Andre Fleury who faced 28 shots in a losing performance against a team he hasn't seen in two years.

I wouldn't blame anybody for taking a shot at the plus money with Buffalo especially the way these teams performed last time out. I hate playing the puck line and there is limited value with the Penguins no matter how you look at it. I'd personally avoid the risk here
source:sportschatplace.com/nhl-picks/2014/01/27/pittsburgh-penguins-vs-buffalo-sabres-pick-odds-prediction

Watch Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Team: Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics.
Time: 07:30 P.M. EST.
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Los Angeles Lakers will visit the Boston Celtics tonight in an NBA 2014 game that will live stream online free at 7:30 PM ET from TD Garden.
Rajon Rondo will be playing with the Celtics for the first time in nearly a year tonight. It should provide a jolt to Friday night's game against the Lakers in a matchup of storied franchises having dreadful seasons.
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The Lakers being in Boston is generally a hot ticket, but that didn't seem to be the case this year with Kobe Bryant (knee) still out, the Celtics having disbanded the Big Three and these teams separated by a half-game for the league's fifth-worst record.
Rondo's return changes that. He last played Jan. 25 when he tore his ACL.
The four-time All-Star practiced with the Celtics (14-26) on Thursday morning, after which general manager Danny Ainge said he would play Friday "barring any setbacks."
"He'll probably be playing five minutes a quarter, approximately," Ainge said via the team's official Twitter feed. "Knowing Rondo, he'll probably complain about that."
The speedy point guard hinted Tuesday this game would mark his comeback, sending a tweet saying "29,233,380 secs" -- an apparent reference to the time between his knee surgery and Friday's tipoff.
Rondo was sent to the Maine Red Claws -- Boston's NBA Development League affiliate -- for a workout Wednesday afternoon but was recalled to the Celtics less than two hours later. He joined the team for warmups shortly before that night's matchup with Toronto and was in uniform on the bench for the game.
Coach Brad Stevens said using him wasn't an option even with the team short-handed from a trade earlier in the day, not to mention fans chanting "Rondo! Rondo!" down the stretch of a tight game.
"I think the community is excited, as it should be, and the players are excited as well," Stevens said of welcoming back Rondo, whose 10.2 assists per game since the start of 2008-09 is tops in the NBA.
"... He gets the ball to people better than anybody around. But I don't think we can expect him to be Game 7 Rajon Rondo."
With Boston having avoided its worst slide since 2007, Los Angeles now tries to do the same. The Lakers have lost 12 of 13 with a pair of six-game losing streaks, and they haven't had a longer one since dropping seven in a row March 2-15, 2007.
They've also lost seven straight away from home, having kicked off a seven-game trip with a 121-114 defeat in Phoenix on Wednesday.
Los Angeles (14-25) has given up an average of 120.7 points during its six-game skid.
"We're having trouble keeping up with athleticism in the open court and at the rim," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "... Defensively we have a hard time stopping people at the rim."
Driving to the rim is how Rondo likes to score, something that could benefit a Boston team shooting 40.8 percent over the last 10 games.
This is the first game between these teams, who met in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals, in which both entered with losing records since 2005-06 -- the season before Boston got Rondo.
He missed both matchups last season -- each team won on the other's home floor -- as did Pau Gasol, who is averaging 20.4 points and 10.9 rebounds over his last eight games.
source: kdramastars.com/articles/14386/20140117/los-angeles-lakers-vs-boston-celtics-live-stream-watch-listen.htm

Watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Toronto Raptors Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Toronto Raptors Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Team:Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto Raptors.
Time: 07:00 P.M. EST.
Venue: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario.
The Timberwolves are coming off Wednesday's 111-108 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Target Center. Rudy Gay scored 33 points and DeMarcus Cousins posted his 12th straight double-double by amassing 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings.

Minnesota was led by Love's 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin and J.J. Barea all scored 14 points for the T'Wolves, who shot 44.3 percent for the game and have lost three of four and four of their last six games. Minnesota cut an 11-point deficit down to one with a late 17-7 surge capped by Barea's three-point play with 4.6 seconds remaining.

However, Isaiah Thomas sealed it at the line for Sacramento and Barea's desperation shot at the end was off the mark.

"I don't know who we think we are but that's just not going to do it," Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman said of his team's effort.

The Wolves, who are 7-12 on the road and just 6-18 when allowing 100-plus points, will start a home-and-home series with the Utah Jazz on Saturday. They are 12-2 when keeping the opposition under the century mark in scoring.

Meanwhile, Toronto will play two in a row at home versus Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers and is unbeaten in the last five games at Air Canada Centre.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors are 9-8 north of the border and look to get back into the win column following Wednesday's 88-83 loss at Boston. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Kyle Lowry had 18, 12 assists and seven rebounds and John Salmons added 13 points off the bench for the Raptors, who had won three straight and eight of 10 games.

"They had 19 offensive rebounds. Can't win games when you give up 19 offensive rebounds," Lowry said. "They outworked us tonight, which is rare for us. It stinks, guys are mad but they should be."

The Raptors made only 34.5 percent of their shots and 4-of-17 3-pointers. They hope to make it six straight home wins for the first time since Jan. 17 - Feb. 10, 2010, when Toronto posted eight straight wins at Air Canada Centre.

DeRozan has scored 20 or more points in six of eight games this month for the Raptors, who took both meetings with Minnesota a season ago and have won four straight and 16 of the past 17 matchups between the teams.

Toronto is riding a nine-game home winning streak versus the Wolves. The Timberwolves haven't tasted victory in Canada since Jan. 21, 2004 in a 108-97 triumph.
source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/17/3876853/minnesota-timberwolves-18-20-at.html

Watch Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Live Stream Onlone NBA Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Live Stream Online NBA Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Team: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers.
Time: 07:00 P.M. EST
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Miami Heat appear to have temporarily lost their identity during a rare losing streak.

To avoid drifting closer to the longest skid in the Big Three era, they'll have to knock off the Philadelphia 76ers, who stunned them at the beginning of the season.

The Heat try to avoid their first four-game losing streak in three years Friday night at Philadelphia.

Miami's skid is its first of three games since Jan 10-13, 2012, and it hasn't lost four straight since dropping five in a row from Feb. 27-March 8, 2011, its longest losing streak since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade.

The Heat are averaging 94.7 points over the last three games - 9.4 less than their season average - while surrendering 106.7 - 13.7 more than their previous three games. They're also allowing opponents to shoot 51.4 percent - including 39.4 from 3-point range - during the skid.

"We need to get connected," coach Erik Spoelstra said after Wednesday's 114-97 loss at Washington. "It's not a matter of knowing what we do, knowing where to go. It's a matter of connecting and doing it.

"We have to own it. We can't just slide this one under the rug. That won't benefit us."

Wednesday's result snapped a 22-game winning streak against divisional opponents for Miami (27-11) and wasn't a performance becoming of a team welcomed at the White House a day earlier for winning back-to-back championships. The Heat fell behind early due to a 20-0 first quarter run and trailed by as much as 34.

"We love adversity more than anything," James said. "We're definitely at that point."

James is averaging 31.0 points over the last three games, though he's committed at least four turnovers in each. Miami is 18-2 when he has three or fewer turnovers compared to 8-9 when he commits at least four.

The Heat continue to deal with multiple injuries, playing without Chris Andersen (knee) and Mario Chalmers (strained Achilles) on Wednesday, and it's uncertain if they'll be cleared for Friday.

Wade scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in 33 minutes after sitting out last Friday's loss at Brooklyn.

Andersen's absence versus Washington created an opportunity for Greg Oden's first playing time in more than four years. The 2007 No. 1 overall pick had six points in eight minutes.

Miami had won 15 straight over the 76ers prior to a 114-110 loss in Philadelphia's home opener on Oct. 30. James scored 25 with a season-high 13 assists but was 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter, outshined by Michael Carter-Williams' 22 points, 12 assists and nine steals in his debut.

Carter-Williams scored 20 and assisted on Thaddeus Young's go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left in Wednesday's 95-92 win over Charlotte, ending a four-game losing streak for the 76ers (13-25).

"You find those (wins) from time to time to help promote what you're doing," coach Brett Brown said as his team won despite committing 24 turnovers. "They work hard. They really invest time. They completely get along."

Ray Allen is 3 of 23 from the field during Miami's skid, including a 1-of-12 clip from beyond the arc. He scored a season-high 19 and was 4 of 9 from long distance versus Philadelphia.
source: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20140117_MIA@PHI/heat-76ers-preview

Watch Los Angeles Clippers vs. New York Knicks Live Stream NBA Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Los Angeles Clippers vs. New York Knicks Live Stream NBA Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Chris Paul's absence didn't hinder the Los Angeles Clippers as they completed a perfect homestand, and they're hoping the same can be said after their upcoming road trip.

Los Angeles plays its first of seven straight road games Friday night as it seeks a fourth consecutive victory over the New York Knicks.
Time: 07:00 P.M. EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.
The Clippers (27-13) have won four of five since Paul separated his shoulder Jan. 3 and are on the verge of a five-game winning streak that would match their season high.

J.J. Redick scored a career-high 33 points and Blake Griffin added 23 as the Los Angeles rallied from a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Dallas 129-127 on Wednesday to sweep its four-game homestand.

Matt Barnes had 25 points off the bench, and Jamal Crawford hit two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to give the Clippers the lead.

Darren Collison, averaging 16.6 points with a 3.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last five in place of Paul, had 13 points and 10 assists. Though the Clippers have had success since their star point guard went down, they're hoping to be even better on their second seven-game trip of the season.

Los Angeles went 4-3 on the previous trip Dec. 4-14.

"We want to play better. We really do, even without Chris," coach Doc Rivers told the team's official website. "I thought we were very inconsistent in our play. And you have to be a consistent team on the road. That doesn't mean you're going to win, but I think you give yourself a (better) shot."

Each game during the trip will be against an Eastern Conference foe, including a date Saturday with an Indiana team that is 20-1 at home.

"We want to perform a lot better than we did that last road trip," Griffin said. "I thought it was pretty disappointing last time around, so it's going to be tough being on the road in the same situation without our point guard. But guys have to step up and I'm sure guys will."

Griffin and Redick scored 15 points apiece to help the Clippers beat the Knicks 93-80 on Nov. 27. They've won three straight in the series by an average of 13.3 points and will look to deal New York a third straight defeat after it fell 117-89 to the Pacers on Thursday.

Carmelo Anthony, who needed 23 shots to score 27 points in the last meeting with Los Angeles, finished with 28 to lead the Knicks (15-24).

''They're a good team, but I don't think they're 30 points better than our team,'' said coach Mike Woodson, whose team shot 40 percent from the field. ''We were awful.''

Tyson Chandler had 13 points and Raymond Felton added 12, but New York lost former Clipper Kenyon Martin in the second quarter and Amare Stoudemire in the third quarter to sprained left ankles. It's unclear if either will play against Los Angeles.

The Clippers signed Hedo Turkoglu for the rest of the season Thursday to add another option off the bench. He's expected to join Los Angeles for its road trip.

"He's another shooter," Rivers said. "Sometimes you don't bring a guy in because someone's not doing something. It's because he does something that our other guys do as well. He can space the floor. He's very skilled and we'd like to take advantage of that."

Turkoglu hasn't played since Feb. 4 with Orlando, battling a hand injury while also serving a 20-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
source: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20140117_LAC@NY/clippers-knicks-preview

Watch Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks Live Stream NHL Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets Live Stream NHL Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.

Time: 08:00 P.M. EST

Venue: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Two of the game’s best meet up in Chicago as the league leading Ducks invade the United Center for a battle with the Central leading Blackhawks.

The Anaheim Ducks head into Chicago on Friday night looking to pad their lead atop the NHL standings and in the process pick up their 37th victory of the season in just the team’s 50th contest. Anaheim is certainly on a roll for the ages and if they can even play mediocre hockey for the rest of the year they have a great chance at wrapping up the Pacific division and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Ducks are a very big, and physical team that uses its size to their advantage and against a team like Chicago who has so much skill and finesse combined with their own grit and toughness it should make for a very exciting game. The Ducks have the luxury of having three solid starting goaltenders but it is Swiss national Jonas Hiller who has reaped the benefits of backstopping a strong Ducks team and he certainly deserves his fair share of the credit as well. Hiller gets the call for the Ducks tonight who look to improve their only flaw this season which has been their play on the road.

The Blackhawks meanwhile have shown they are certainly contenders to repeat as Stanley Cup champions as they have been atop the Central division since the puck dropped in October and have received special efforts from Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith this year. If there is any team in the NHL who matches up well against the Ducks it is the Blackhawks as they have a deeper forward unit and just as strong a defensive corps but it is the goaltending that separates these two teams as Anaheim has been far better in that department. Chicago trails the Ducks by just six points in the race for the league’s top mark and a large part of that deficit stems from Chicago’s inability to win games in overtime or shootout. They have 11 losses in the extra frame which is tops in the league and even if they had half of those back they would find themselves on top of the Ducks in the league chase. These two teams are very tight and while the Ducks at this price is very intriguing I can’t go against the Hawks at home especially with Anaheim coming off a nine goal effort against the Canucks.
source: http://sportschatplace.com/nhl-picks/2014/01/17/chicago-blackhawks-vs-anaheim-ducks

Watch Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets Live Stream NHL Friday, January 17 Match Preview

Watch Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets Live Stream NHL Friday, January 17 Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.

Time: 07:00 P.M. EST

Venue: Nationwide Arena

Their longest winning streak of the season has the Columbus Blue Jackets gaining confidence.

The Washington Capitals are also on the verge of matching a season-high streak - something they would prefer to avoid.

Seeking their fifth consecutive victory Friday night, the host Blue Jackets look to end a five-game losing streak to the Capitals, who will be trying to avert a season high-tying fourth straight defeat.

Columbus (22-20-4) beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Monday for its fifth victory in six games in the new year, as Mark Letestu redirected Jack Johnson's shot from the point with 2:38 left for the winning goal. It was the Blue Jackets' second power-play goal of the third period as they rallied for their longest run of 2013-14.

''We got our game back,'' coach Todd Richards said about the step up after a dismal second period. ''To me, that's a sign of the character you're looking for from your group. Teams are going to make pushes, get some momentum in the game ... but I like the way we went after it in the third period.''

Columbus outshot Tampa Bay 11-7 in the third after the Lightning held a 12-7 advantage in the second.

Forward Nathan Horton scored his 200th career goal to pull the Blue Jackets even in the final period. Horton, who missed the first 40 games this season while recovering from shoulder surgery after joining the team as a free agent last summer, has two goals and two assists in six contests since debuting Jan. 2.

''We showed some character coming back,'' Horton said. ''That's what we (got) when we needed it most.''

Washington (22-17-8) will need some as well as it looks to avoid another loss. The Capitals fell 4-3 to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, getting outshot 37-28 and allowing two straight Penguins goals - the final one with 1:54 left - after taking the lead on Alex Ovechkin's 34th goal at 8:35 of the third.

"We figured out a way to lose it tonight," coach Adam Oates told the team's official website. "We had two chances (to win it), two chances in the third, and (we made) too many mistakes on both goals."

Washington had scored one goal in each of its previous two defeats - both in shootouts - and has gone 2-3-4 in its last nine. The Capitals, winners of the Southeast Division last season, are 18 points behind first-place Pittsburgh in the newly formed Metropolitan Division.

"We did a lot of good things in the game. And obviously, you get tired of saying that too, especially when we blow it," Oates said. "Tonight we played a good game and we figured out a way to get leads in the third against a fresher team, and we didn't sustain it. You have to be able to."

Maybe Friday's matchup will allow Oates' club to get back on track. Washington has gone 5-0-1 in the last six in the series, taking both meetings of 2013-14 at home in the teams' first season as division rivals.

Ovechkin scored for the second straight game and third time in four Wednesday, and he has four goals and three assists in his past seven. He's scored in each of the last three meetings with Columbus, recording four goals in that span.
source:cbssports.com/nhl/gametracker/preview/NHL_20140117_WAS@CLB/capitals-blue-jackets-preview

Watch Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are both aiming for fourth straight win in a row. Only one of them will get it as the teams meet on Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Mavs’ streak improved their record to 23-16 at this point of the season—their best mark since being above the 0.500 record since the 2011-2012 season.

The Clippers, which averages 105.3 points per game or third in the league, have had no problem scoring in recent games despite playing without star point guard Chris Paul, who’s set to miss up to five weeks because of separated right shoulder.

L.A. has averaged 111.6 PPG in their last three wins as Darren Collison has stepped up in lieu of their starting PG, averaging 17.5 PPG and 6.7 assists per game the last four games. Curiously, Paul’s last game was against Dallas on Jan 3 when the Clips beat the Mavs, 119-112. DeAndre Jordan had a career-high 25 points in that game and added 18 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

The Mavericks are 9th in the league in scoring at 103.1 PPG led by Dirk Nowtizki (21.2 PPG) and Monta Ellis (20.2 PPG). After going 2-3 to start the new year, Dallas has won over New Orleans twice in a home-and-home and beat a lowly Orlando Magic squad via a 107-88 blowout.

L.A., meanwhile, has beaten the Magic, 101-81; Boston Celtics, 111-105, and Los Angeles Lakers, 123-87, in their last three games to improve to 26 and 13, good for 4th in the Western Conference.
source: au.ibtimes.com/articles/534424/20140115/dallas-mavericks-los-angeles-clippers-nba-live.htm

Watch Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Denver had its five-game winning streak snapped last time out, as it dropped a 118-103 decision to the Utah Jazz as six-point road favorites Monday, while going OVER the betting total for the sixth time in seven contests.  The Nuggets are 8-10 SU on the road, including a 4-8 mark versus Western Conference opponents, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NBA betting lines.  The franchise needs to start turning things around defensively, as it has allowed an average of 114 points over its last five games away from the Pepsi Center.  Denver is 5-10 SU and 9-6 ATS as road underdogs of 6.5 to 9 points the last two-plus seasons.
The Nuggets will need a big game out of point guard Ty Lawson, who is averaging 11.6 assists during this particular calendar month, as he’ll be matched up with Warriors leading scorer Stephen Curry.  Denver entered its last contest with the bench ranked third in the league in averaging 42.0 points per game.  The team’s reserves have outscored their opponents counterparts in 28 of its first 36 games of the 2013-14 campaign.
Golden State has won 11 of its last 12 games, including a 99-97 victory over the Boston Celtics as 11.5-point home favorites last time out, while going UNDER the betting total of 204.5.  The Warriors have four of five probable starters averaging in double figures, while that particular group has won 20 of 24 games when playing with one another since opening night.  Curry ranks second in the league in assists per game, third in 3-pointers made and eighth in scoring.  Golden State is 3-1 SUATS as home favorites of 6.5 to 9 points this season.
The Warriors are 12-4 SU at Oracle Arena, including a 9-4 mark versus conference rivals.  Golden State earned an 89-81 victory over Denver as 1.5-point road favorites in the first meeting this season on Dec. 23, with that contest falling short of the betting total of 208.  The franchise has played a league-high 23 road games in comparison to just 16 affairs in the Bay Area.
Sports bettors will likely back the Nuggets due to the underdog being 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash.  Long term packages are available now!
source: http://www.madduxsports.com/blog/nba-picks-denver-nuggets-vs-golden-state-warriors-32532/

Watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs Portland Trail Blazers Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs Portland Trail Blazers Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
With a four-game road trip against some of their top Western Conference competition looming, the Portland Trail Blazers will have to be careful not to look past their next opponent.

The way the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers have played lately, that would be a huge mistake.

The Trail Blazers seek a third straight win Wednesday night when they face the Cavaliers in their final home game before that challenging trek.

Portland (28-9) has bounced back from consecutive losses with two straight wins to move back atop the Northwest Division.

After rallying from a six-point halftime deficit for a 110-94 victory over Orlando last Wednesday, the Blazers again came from behind to beat Boston 112-104 on Saturday. That has been one of the strengths of this Portland team which outscored those two opponents by a combined 32 points in the second half to improve to 13-7 when trailing at the break.

"I like being a second-half team. If I had my choice, I'd rather be a second-half team," coach Terry Stotts said following the victory over the Celtics. "But we're still a work in progress. There's room for improvement. I've said that from the beginning. We had a good start of the season but we aren't a finished product. We've got to continue to incrementally grow - basketball-wise and everything else."

With Damian Lillard totaling only 26 points on 9 of 27 from the field the past two games, LaMarcus Aldridge has helped pick up the slack. He's averaged 28.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in the two wins, shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 90.0 percent from the free throw line.

Portland opens its trip at San Antonio on Friday and will also play Dallas, Houston and Oklahoma City before returning home against Denver on Jan. 23.

Before that, the Blazers face Cleveland (14-24) for the second time in less than a month. Lillard scored 36 points and sank a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Portland a 119-116 victory Dec. 17, its fifth win in the last six meetings.

Since then, the Cavaliers have acquired two-time All-Star forward Luol Deng in a Jan. 7 trade with Chicago. Deng is averaging 16.3 points in his first three games with his new team, helping Cleveland win twice.

Deng matched his second-highest total of the season with 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting and Dion Waiters scored 13 of his 17 in the fourth quarter in a 120-118 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Deng went 5 of 5 from 3-point range as part of the team's blistering 13-for-17 effort from long distance.

The Cavaliers have averaged 104.3 points in three games with Deng after scoring 80.8 in the previous four contests.

''There's a lot more optimism and a lot more talent now that Luol has been added to the mix,'' said Kyrie Irving, who had 13 points. ''He's a great addition, and to get him on this road trip was big for us.''

It was only the fourth win in 20 road games this season for the Cavaliers, who have won four of their last six visits to Portland. Irving had 31 points in a 93-88 victory there Jan. 16, 2013, as Aldridge and Lillard were held to a combined 28.
source: cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20140115_CLE@POR/cavalierstrail-blazers-preview

Watch Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Live Stream Wednesday NBA Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hurting in more ways than one, having dropped 11 of 12 heading into a seven-game road trip.
Things haven't exactly been going well lately for the Phoenix Suns, either.
Both teams will look to end their respective losing streaks as Phoenix seeks a fourth straight victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
The Lakers (14-24) dressed only nine players in Tuesday's 120-118 home loss to Cleveland, as Kobe Bryant, former Sun Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry are all out with various injuries.
Nick Young scored 28 points off the bench, while Jodie Meeks hit six 3-pointers and finished with 26 for Los Angeles, which now embarks on a 12-day road trip.
"This is hard," said Young, who missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. "We're losing, and we're losing players daily. It's frustrating, but we've still got to get up and play basketball. Nobody wants to get embarrassed. You've got to still take pride in that Lakers uniform."
Pau Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds playing with a sore big toe.
"It wasn't like our energy and focus weren't there," Gasol said. "The defense needs to improve drastically, that's for sure."
Kendall Marshall, who was drafted 13th overall by Phoenix and played 48 games as a rookie last season before being traded in October, had 10 points and 16 assists.
Marshall is averaging 13.0 points and 12.0 assists while starting the last six games for the Lakers, who have lost six straight on the road. The latest defeat in that stretch came to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Friday.
Phoenix (21-16) begins a five-game homestand after closing a 1-4 road trip with three straight defeats, including Monday's 98-96 overtime loss to the New York Knicks.
Goran Dragic had 28 points for the Suns, who are 2-5 since Eric Bledsoe went down with a knee injury that will keep him out 4-6 more weeks after surgery.
"It's a little bit harder now with Eric out," Dragic said. "It's much easier when you're playing together and you have two ballhandlers. But it is what it is and I have to keep my head up."
Gerald Green finished with four points on 2-of-16 shooting for Phoenix, which shot a season-worst 35.5 percent from the field.
"We didn't make shots," first-year coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Don't know if it's because it's the end of the trip."
Miles Plumlee remained a bright spot, though, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards. He's averaging 10.0 points and 9.1 rebounds in about 28 minutes while starting every contest.
Plumlee played a total of 55 minutes over 14 games for Indiana as a rookie last season before being traded to Phoenix along with Green in July.
"We're very confident throwing the ball in the post to him," Hornacek told the team's official website. "He's got a quick move. He's strong, so if he gets bumped he doesn't fall out of position. He's turned into a great player for us."
The Suns have won seven of nine at home and will be seeking their third win over the Lakers this season. Dragic had 31 points in a 114-108 win Dec. 10, while Plumlee had 17 points and 20 rebounds in a 117-90 victory Dec. 23. Green had six 3-pointers and 22 points off the bench in the last meeting.
Nash, a two-time MVP with Phoenix, hasn't played in either meeting due to a back injury.
source: cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20140115_LAL@PHO/lakerssuns-preview

Watch Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks Live Stream NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks Live Stream NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info and more. The Vancouver Canucks came the closest to ending the Anaheim Ducks' current seven-game win streak but ultimately couldn't slow down a red-hot offense earlier this month at the Honda Center.

Vancouver (24-14-9) held a 2-0 lead after the first period Jan. 5 in Anaheim and led by one goal with less than two minutes to go. Nick Bonino, though, tallied the tying score for the Ducks with 1:27 left in regulation, and Corey Perry scored with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime for a 4-3 victory.

The Ducks (35-8-5) have won three of their last seven games by one goal. They got the go-ahead score in a 4-3 victory in Nashville on Thursday in the second period and stymied Detroit in a 1-0 win Sunday.

Jonas Hiller made 22 saves in his 14th consecutive win, and Anaheim overcame Getzlaf's absence due to a lower-body injury to improve to 19-0-2 at home. The Ducks' leading scorer was hurt while blocking a shot with his right foot in Saturday's 5-3 win in Phoenix.

Andrew Cogliano tallied the lone goal Sunday, his sixth in 10 games. Anaheim, winners in 17 of 18, had scored four or more goals in each of its prior six games (29 total).

Getzlaf was at practice Tuesday and could return in time to help Anaheim try to match the NHL's fifth-longest home point streak to start a season. San Jose started 20-0-2 in 2008-09, and the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers hold the record at 26 games.

The Ducks will face a Vancouver team that's still seeking consistency. The Canucks snapped a five-game skid with a 2-1 win over visiting St. Louis on Friday but fell 1-0 in a penalty-filled game in Los Angeles on Monday.

Vancouver drew 69 penalty minutes, its most in a game in six seasons, and many in retaliation for Kings captain Dustin Brown injuring goaltender Roberto Luongo in a 3-1 loss Jan. 4. Eddie Lack gave up one goal for the second straight game but the Canucks were shut out for the first time this season while dropping to 1-3-3 in their last seven.

Vancouver scored two goals or fewer for the ninth time in 12 games but coach John Tortorella was pleased overall with his team's effort.

"I thought, in all parts of our game, that we played well. We didn't capitalize on a couple of offensive chances and we make a mistake early in the third (period) and they scored," he said. "There were a lot of things I thought we stepped out of and into a different level. ... We've just got to keep working at it."

Luongo is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury, and Lack has started the past four games for Vancouver, including the loss in Anaheim. Lack was also in net for a 3-1 road loss to the Ducks on Nov. 10

Hiller hasn't lost since Dec. 3, matching four other goalies for the second-longest winning streak in a single season in NHL history. His streak is the league's longest in two decades, and trails only Gilles Gilbert's 17-game run for Boston during the 1975-76 season.

"It's nice to make a name for myself, but winning as a team is what it's about," said Hiller, who has a 1.97 goals-against average during his run.

Perry has six points (four goals, two assists) in his last six matchups with Vancouver. Getzlaf has scored one goal in his last 10 games against Vancouver but has contributed six assists.

Vancouver's Henrik Sedin has one goal and 11 assists in his last eight games versus Anaheim. He had assists on all three goals in the Jan. 5 loss at the Honda Center.
source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/canucks-ducks-preview-235914511--nhl.html

Watch Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Stream NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live Stream NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
To help celebrate NBC Rivalry Night, NHL com will look at a rivalry within the rivalry of the featured game on Wednesday nights. For this week we are trying to determine which team has the better power play, the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals.

Body movement, puck movement and superior skill are three ingredients that make any power play successful. It's no surprise that the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins have been feasting on opposing penalty-kill units all season.

"I've seen power plays with lots of good players, but they're static," NHL Network analyst Craig Button told NHL.com. "It's different with these two teams."

The Capitals and Penguins have built the NHL's best power plays by utilizing all or some of the aforementioned three ingredients. They each had power plays that are clicking at a 25.2-percent clip entering play Tuesday. The Penguins, who were idle Tuesday, have scored on 39 of their 155 opportunities while the Capitals were successful on 40 of their 159 chances before playing the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Division rivals will match power play wits and skill Wednesday at Verizon Center (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2, RDS).

"It's really hard to keep track of the top players when there is so much movement," Button added. "And they have the skill levels to where they can move the puck into good spots. It's pretty impressive. And they can attack you from multiple areas on the ice. They can attack you from the wall, the middle, below the goal line. When you've got that much to defend … you get overwhelmed."

The Penguins and Capitals attempt to overwhelm the opposing penalty-kill units in different ways. Is one way better than the other?

source: nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=700603

Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info and more

Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
Five things to know about the Buffalo Sabres, who face the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre (7 p.m., TSN/Sportsnet 590 The FAN, live blog at thestar.com):
1. U.S. Olympic goalie Ryan Miller has 31 career wins vs. the Leafs, the most against any team in his splendid career. More bad news for the Leafs: Miller is very hot and has been for a month. There remains speculation that Miller — at the end of a five-year, $31.2 million deal — might be traded with the Sabres dead last overall (13-27-5). Miller was spectacular in a road win in Washington over the weekend, the club’s first since Nov. 5. Miller dived across his crease to rob ex-Leaf Mikhail Grabovski in that one, a candidate for save of the year.
2.  Buffalo, which lost 4-3 at home to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, could get top-six forward Drew Stafford back this week after missing three games with an upper-body injury.  Tyler Myers also returns from a three-game suspension. Injured Cody McCormick, Kevin Porter and Henrik Tallinder remain out.
3.Steve Ott has set a positive example as captain and is having an all-star level campaign. He didn’t practice Monday after taking a shot off the hand in Washington, but took a regular shift against the Flyers on Tuesday, picking up a pair of assists. “(Ott) is just one of those guys who competes hard all the time,” coach Ted Nolan told the Buffalo News. “(Missing practice was) just to give him rest. He played big minutes for us (against the Capitals). He blocks shots all the time. He takes hits. He’s not the biggest guy in the league, but he plays very big.”
4.Linus Omark, acquired recently from Edmonton, has been manning the point on the second power-play unit. Omark filled that role periodically with the Oilers. The Sabres rank 28th with the man advantage, and last on offence with just 80 goals in their first 45 games.
5. Buffalo’s John Scott — the man in the middle of on-ice shenanigans with Phil Kessel in the pre-season, an incident that led to David Clarkson’s 10-game suspension — was scratched for Tuesday night’s game.

source: thestar.com/sports/leafs/2014/01/14/buffalo_sabres_at_toronto_maple_leafs_wednesday_nhl_game_preview.html

Watch Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
The Dallas Stars appeared set to end their losing streak at five against the New York Islanders Sunday night, leading 2-0 after one period and 2-1 late in the third.

But they allowed John Tavares and company 13 third-period shots and eventually three third-period goals in a 3:24 span to surrender their first regulation loss when leading after two periods this season.

The six-game losing streak is the franchise's first since the 1995-1996 season.

The culprit began as defense, but now shifts to offense. At 2, 2, 0, 3, and 1 the Stars have managed just eight total in their last five games. The power play did not register a single shot against the Islanders Sunday, despite 31 at even strength.

From Stars PR: "The Stars host the Edmonton Oilers in the third and final meeting between these two clubs scheduled for the 2013-14 season. Dallas is 1-0-1 against Edmonton so far this season, and has earned points in 16 of its last 18 games against the Oilers (12-2-4). Goaltender KARI LEHTONEN has only allowed two goals against the Oilers this season for a .963 SV% and a 0.97 GAA in the two contests. LEHTONEN has posted wins in six of his last eight games against the Oilers (6-1-1), and owns an overall record of 10-3-1 in 14 games against them."

Monday was a CBA-mandated day off for the Stars, but when they last convened their lineup looked something like this:

Benn-Seguin-Cole
Roussel-Eakin-Garbutt
Horcoff-Peverley-Nichushkin
Whitney-Fiddler-Chiasson

It's usually said that it's a first line and perhaps a few thirds- But lately that can't even be claimed. Tyler Seguin is on his second five-game pointless streak of the year already, and is a -8 in the team's last eight games. To say that he and Benn are not producing right now is a bit of an understatement.

They'll try to get back on the metaphorical horse but will chase Hall and RNH. Or they'll chase Eberle and Yakupov. Or Perron and Hemsky. (Why are the Oilers so poor, again?)

Dan Ellis sparkled through about 55 mintues on Sunday night, spelling Kari Lehtonen after back-to-back set on the road, so the expectation is that the big Finn will be back between the pipes tonight.

Aaron Rome has reportedly suffered his third lower-body injury of the season already so the pairings will likely remain Goligoski-Daley, Dillon-Benn, and Connauton-Gonchar.

The Oilers, meanwhile, have dropped four of their last six. Or, if you like, they've collected points in six of their last ten, and the losses have been to Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose and St. Louis.

There's certainly no shame in that. Nor is there any in their 4-3 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night. They have the talent to score and they have little or nothing to lose.

They just allow too many goals per game. The most in the league, actually, and at a wide margin- 3.48. The next nearest team is the (here's a kick in the gut) New York Islanders.

They've allowed three or more goals in 15 of their last 17 contests, averaging 3.70 over that time frame (early December).

Devan Dubnyk was the victim in goal for their 5-3 loss to Chicago Sunday night at United Center as he was peppered with 41 shots.

Jim Matheson at the Edmonton Journalblamed their second period, opining that "For the umpteenth time this season, the Oilers became discombobulated in the middle period, turning a 1-1 tie into a 4-2 Blackhawks' cushion. Chicago out-shot Edmonton 19-6 and out-chanced the Oilers about 15-3 in the period."

Their lineup tonight, or something close to it:

Hall-Nugent Hopkins-Gagner
Yakupov-Arcobello-Eberle
Perron-Gordon-Hemsky
Gazdic-Smyth-Jones

Ference-Schultz
Schultz-Belov
Petry-Marincin

Dubnyk
Bryzgalov

The puck drops tonight at 7:30 on Fox Sports Southwest proper.
source: defendingbigd.com/2014/1/14/5306666/gameday-preview-dallas-stars-host-edmonton-oilers-7-30pm-cst

Watch Ottawa Senators vs Minnesota Wild Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Ottawa Senators vs Minnesota Wild Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
The Senators look to jump back in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they take to the road to face off against the Minnesota Wild.

The Senators will look for an inspired effort in the second half of the season as they hope to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs for the third consecutive season but this time will have to do so with much greater expectations. Ottawa has been a Cinderella team for the past two years as they were given virtually no shot to be competitive in each of those campaigns but made the playoffs regardless and were very strong in doing so. However, the team is playing its first season without Daniel Alfredsson is close to two decades as the long-time captain bolted to Detroit this offseason and the team has struggled to fill his void both on and off the ice. Ottawa gets a chance at retribution tonight as they head into Minnesota to take on former Senators forward Dany Heatley who is coming off one of his best games of the season in Minny’s latest victory. Robin Lehner gets the call for the Senators while Nik Backstrom will go for Minnesota.

The Wild have been a very solid team at home this season as they are 16-6-2 at the Xcel Energy Center and they’ll look to close the gap on the big three in the Central division by finding their 17th. Minnesota is a very well built team that is strong in all facets of the game but they are certainly missing their on and off ice leader in Josh Harding as he continues to battle illness. The confidence playing in front of anyone other than Harding seems to be much lower and while he could very well be back soon the team will have to move on without him and find a way to win hockey games with Backstrom in net. The Wild match up well against Ottawa as they are deep up front and can use the body but the Sens have the goaltending edge as Robin Lehner is one of the better young goalies in the game and will be looking to assert himself as the team’s starter for the rest of the year. It is very rare I go against the Wild at home but to me they’re a very solid option here and if I am going to splash in this game it’ll be with the visitors.
source: sportschatplace.com/nhl-picks/2014/01/14/minnesota-wild-vs-ottawa-senators

Watch Calgary Flames vs Nashville Predators Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Calgary Flames vs Nashville Predators Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info and more
The Nashville Predators, losers of three straight and league leaders in goal ineptitude, entertain the struggling and underwhelming Calgary Flames tonight.

The floundering of the Flames has been well documented, (head over to Matchsticks and Gasoline for proof) but it's all for a purpose, as rebuilds are. They did pick up their 16th win of the season last night against Carolina, possibly giving them a bit of incentive to get number 17 right away.

This is the first time these two teams meet this season, and the Predators need to beat them in the worst way. With the home stand already at 1-2-1, coupled with an effort against the Wild that was as flat as it was boring, the team needs to take advantage of a poor team. Just imagine what the comments on this site will be if they lose. Comments dripping with equal parts sarcasm and despair, with just a hint of ire and calmly nestled on a bed of futility. The Flames could light the torches for the pitchfork crowd.

CALGARY FLAMES:

Everyone knew the Flames were going to be bad this year, including the Flames. Last season they finally gave into the rebuild they had been avoiding for so long and shipped off Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester. Then earlier this season, General Manager Jay Feaster got shown the door. His replacement hasn't been named, but former Toronto GM Brian Burke is running things for the time being.

As a team, the Flames are 29th in goals for, 28th in goals against, 27th on the power play, 28th in CF% and 27th in FF%. They need to buy a fruit basket for Edmonton, partly out of pity but mostly to thank them from being even worse than they are.

Mike Cammalleri, who leads the team in goals, suffered a concussion when they played Saturday in Pittsburgh. He isn't on the trip and there is no timetable for his return. Former Red Wing Jiri Hudler will have to make up for the points he would be scoring, which shouldn't be too much of a problem. With Cammalleri out of the lineup, Hudler has almost twice as many points as the next leading scorer, rookie Sean Monahan. But injuries are nothing new for the Flames this year, as Curtis Glencross (24 games), Mark Giordano (18), Dennis Wideman (16), Matt Stajan (8) and Lee Stempniak (7) are just a few of the names that have missed significant time. Cammalleri has already missed 7 game at the start of the season.

With Karri Ramo picking up the shutout win last night, chances are good Reto Berra will lead the team out tonight. The two have pretty evenly split goaltending duties this season.

The Nashville Predators:

Coming up with insightful pieces of information is really hard following a shutout loss. Nothing has really changed since the last preview except for a few more minuses in the column. Craig Smith Still leads the team in goals with 13, Seth Jones is still a rookie, and Mike Fisher is just as handsome as ever.

I'm most interested to see if Viktor Stalberg gets a sweater tonight. Getting put on the fourth line is usually the first step to the press box (sorry, Paul) and he had some really terrible plays on Sunday. Then again, he would have assisted on the only Preds goal, were Rich Clune's stick not made out of Swiss cheese. Watch it again, the pain makes you stronger.

To add insult to injury, this is the final time this season the game won't be on TV. Whoever decided to put so many of those together needs to also be shown the door. Or maybe they are doing everyone a favor? Puck drop at 7:00 p.m. CST.
source: ontheforecheck.com/2014/1/14/5306574/calgary-flames-nashville-predators-2014-january-14-preview

Watch Phoenix Coyotes vs St.Louis Blues Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Phoenix Coyotes vs St.Louis Blues Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
The Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri will be the site of the Phoenix Coyotes and the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. This game will open a three game home stand for the red hot St. Louis Blues.

With 51 points on the season, the Phoenix Coyotes currently hold the spot as the last team out of the Western Conference playoffs. The Coyotes come into St. Louis playing the second of a back-to-back after dropping the first leg to the Winnipeg Jets. Phoenix took a 1-0 lead in the first against the Jets, but it was all Winnipeg from that point forward. After the 5-1 defeat to the Jets, the Coyotes have now lost three in a row and fall to a 2-5-3 mark in the last ten games overall.

The Blues are slowly beginning to get completely healthy. St. Louis is still missing a few players, one of which is offensive threat Alexander Steen, but nevertheless the Blues are getting healthier at the right time. In fact, Steen is has taken part in light skating this week for the Blues, who come into the game against Phoenix off of a tight 2-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver, a game that was the second in as many nights for St. Louis and that broke a seven game winning streak for the Blues. The Blues are 9-1-1 in the last eleven games overall, which is the best record in the NHL over that span aside from the Anaheim Ducks.

The Coyotes are just 2-6 in the last eight meetings between these two teams. I’ve already mentioned how well the Blues are playing, but against Western Conference opponents the Blues are 6-1 in the last seven such games. On the other hand, Phoenix is 0-5 in the last five games versus a team with a winning record. Each of the last five Coyotes losses has come by two or more goals, and each of the last four Blues wins has come by two or more goals. With the money line offering no value at all for the home team, I think the puck line is worth a shot with the top offense in the NHL.

source: sportschatplace.com/nhl-picks/2014/01/14/st-louis-blues-vs-phoenix-coyotes

Watch Colorado Avalanche vs Chicago Blackhawks Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info

Watch Colorado Avalanche vs Chicago Blackhawks Live Stream, Start Times, Match Preview Info and more.
In a battle of the Central Division, the Chicago Blackhawks welcome the Colorado Avalanche to the United Center on Tuesday night for what should be an exciting game.

The Colorado Avalanche come into the United Center after winning a game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday by a score of 4-2. In that game, the Avalanche were led to victory by a two goal performance from Ryan O’Reilly, who now has 16 goals on the season. The win moved the Avalanche to 5-2-3 in the last ten games, and helped keep the team in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Colorado is simply trying to manufacture points in any way possible in order to bridge the gap between now and the time that players begin to return from injury.

The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off of a 5-3 home victory over the Edmonton Oilers. In that game, the Oilers played Chicago to a one goal tie through the first period, but at the drop of the puck in the second the Blackhawks took over the game. After the first, the Hawks outshot the Oilers 30-14 and outscored them 4-2. Prior to the game against Edmonton, the Blackhawks went through a bit of an offensive downturn for a team that averages 3.6 goals per game. Chicago scored two or less goals in five of six games, which contributed to losses in five of seven games. Patrick Kane’s streak of games without a goal now tops out at a season high seven games, which is likely a significant part of Chicago’s recent offensive struggles.

This game will be the third of five meetings this season between Colorado and Chicago, and the first two games this year were split at one game per side. In the more recent of the meetings this season, the Chicago Blackhawks absolutely embarrassed the Avalanche by a score of 7-2, which you can bet the Avalanche have not forgotten. This game sets up nicely for a revenge spot, but its tough to go against the Stanley Cup Champions on home ice with a team that is as beat up as Colorado.

Looking to the total, the over is 4-0 in the last four meetings between the two teams. The over is 3-0-1 in the last four Avalanche road contests. The over is also 5-1 in the last six Hawks games versus the Central Division. I think the play here is on the over as both teams have proven the ability to score with the best in the NHL.
source: http://sportschatplace.com/nhl-picks/2014/01/14/chicago-blackhawks-vs-colorado-avalanche