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Atlanta Thrashers (30-22-9) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (30-24-7)
Tuesday, February 20th --- RBC Center, Charlotte --- 7:00pm EST

The Thrashers are tumbling from the skies, and the playoff race, in a damn hurry. They will try to break their four game losing streak against Carolina on Tuesday. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have been unable to steady the ship winning three of their last five. The Stanley Cup Champions sit seventh in the Eastern Conference, while the Thrashers have fallen to sixth.

As usual, the Thrashers have been murdered by their penalty killing, which ranks dead last in the league at 77.5%. Goalie Kari Lehtonen has been steadily inconsistent during this stretch, giving up big rebounds on the penalty kill that have been finding their way across the red line. With big-man forward Erik Cole taking up space in his crease on Tuesday, Lehtonen and the Thrashers have to do a much better job of controlling the puck in their zone.

The Hurricanes have been battling the injury bug all season, and this has led to some pretty shaky line-up combinations that have failed to fall in to a consistent rhythm. Goalie Cam Ward, last year's playoff MVP, has shown signs of the sophomore slump, but he backstopped 43 shots from Montreal on Saturday in a 4-1 victory. The Canes are a solid home scoring team, ranking 11th overall and 13th at home. They should be able to put their strong power play unit to good use against the wobbly Lehtonen.

The Thrashers played a wild game against the Senators on Saturday, so they know that their offense can produce. But their defense has been horrible, and their goal tending has not been good enough to bail them out. Look for the Hurricanes to win this match with steadier play throughout their top three lines as the Thrashers continue to pour on the offense in a loss.

Atlanta – 3
Carolina – 4

Vancouver Canucks (34-22-3) vs. Anaheim Ducks (35-16-9)
Tuesday, February 20th --- Honda Center, Anaheim --- 10:00 pm EST

The Canucks have finally risen to the top of the Northwest Division after holding off Colorado Sunday night in a 5-4 thriller. They will take on the second place Ducks on Tuesday in a matchup that could very well be a playoff preview.

Vancouver may be riding a four-game winning streak, but all of those games have been decided by only a single goal. Against the lowly Avalanche, goalie Roberto Luongo was attacked consistently by a weak set of Colorado forwards. The Canucks will need to play better than their 26th ranked offense shows, as their third-ranked defense holds them within range of the Ducks.

The Canucks are usually the team to bust in the second-half, but this season it has been the Ducks. Despite their recent failures, the Ducks still rank in the top-seven in home scoring, home power play and overall defense. Also, the Ducks are the third best power play team in the league.

These two teams have not played since November and Anaheim holds the edge with seven wins in the past ten games against Vancouver. That includes wins in the last five contests. Though times have changed for both squads since last November, the Canucks will not be able to edge out a single goal win over the Ducks on the road.

Look for the road weary Canucks to lose their first game since February 10th against the second place Ducks and Chris Pronger's slap shot.

Vancouver – 2
Anaheim – 4

Dallas Stars (35-21-2) vs. Minnesota Wild (32-23-5)
Tuesday, February 20th --- Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul --- 8:00pm EST

The acquisition of forward Ladislav Nagy has seriously bolstered the Stars' depth, creating matchup nightmares for the opposition. The second line led by forward Mike Ribiero has been able to matchup against weaker lines, and pour on the offense. Coming off a 5-2 victory over San Jose, can the Stars continue their recent hot streak against the Wild?

The Wild have won eight of their last ten, but lost in a stunning 2-5 upset against the St. Louis Blues (yes, those Blues) in their last game. Goalie Niklas Backstrom is coming off his worst start in his last nine starts, and may be worn down by the tremendous workload he has been unexpectedly enduring. The Wild are a strong team at home, ranking in the middle at 16th best in home scoring while their home power play ranks 4th in the NHL.

The biggest problem for the Wild, who are trying to gain ground on Calgary and Vancouver in the Northwest, is that Dallas is one of the best teams on the road. They rank tops in road defense and second in road penalty killing. Their offense may rank 22nd overall, with their road power play ranked ninth, but Nagy brings a whole new dimension to this offense.

With Backstrom probably not taking the net on Tuesday, Dallas should stomp all over these Minnesota Wild. Dallas owns this series winning eight of the last ten against Minnesota, including the last six. Look for Turco and the boys to gain some ground in the Pacific Division where they trail the Sharks by one point.

Dallas – 5
Minnesota – 2

Calgary Flames (31-20-8) vs. Colorado Avalanche (28-27-4)
Tuesday, February 20th --- Pepsi Center, Denver --- 9:00pm EST

The Flames and Avalanche are getting very well acquainted lately. Playing back-to-back games in Calgary, the Flames won a 5-2 decision over the Avs on Saturday, but the Avs won a 7-5 thriller on Thursday. After splitting a four game road trip 2-2, the Avalanche return home to take on a familiar foe.

The Avalanche are virtually out of the playoff race, but captain Joe Sakic will never see this team lay down. They have lost three of their last five, but two of those losses saw them post 9 goals total. The feisty dogs are the third best power play team in the NHL at home, and their home scoring ranks an impressive 12th.

The Flames are a pretty miserable team on the road. Though the acquisitions of forward Craig Conroy and defenseman Brad Stuart have helped this team incredibly, they are still trying to find their overall chemistry. A road battle against the Avs will test to see if the Flames' 17th ranked road scoring and 22nd ranked road defense has improved.

Calgary has owned this series in the past ten games, going 7-3 SU against the Avalanche. Still, look for Sakic and the Avs to show some fight and play motivated and strong at home. The Flames are dwindling at seventh in the West.

Calgary – 3
Colorado – 4

Last Time – 1/4
This Season – 14/25

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Posted on 2/19/2007 2:23:41 PM
NHL Betting - Free Picks Feb 20
By Ringo Dalewood

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