Rating: 2 Units

The Carolina Hurricanes attempt to avoid a third straight loss when they begin their three-game trek through Western Canada today by visiting the Edmonton Oilers. Carolina sputtered offensively in Nino Niederreiter's team debut on Friday as the club dropped a 4-1 decision to Ottawa at home. Carolina has allowed three or more goals in each of its last seven games.

Rating: 2 Units

The slumping Blackhawks might be the perfect cure to help the Capitals' offense get back on track - they have dropped five in a row and allowed at least four goals in each defeat. Chicago already has had a pair of eight-game losing streaks this season and has lost eight of its last 10 meetings with Washington, including a 4-2 road setback on Nov. 21.

Rating: 2 Units

New England lost five times on the road -- three by double digits -- and struggled in December, but put on a clinic against the Los Angeles Chargers a week ago, scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions en route to a 41-28 cakewalk. Brady, who has won five Super Bowl titles and earned game MVP honors four times, threw for 343 yards and a touchdown on 34 of 44 passing against the Chargers and had nearly identical numbers against the Chiefs in mid-October. Rookie running back Sony Michel rushed for 106 yards and two TDs in the first meeting versus Kansas City and warmed up for the rematch by rumbling for 129 yards and three scores against the Chargers. The clinchers:  New England is 21-5-1 ATS in their last 27 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while Kansas City is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 playoff games.

Rating: 2 Units

Second meeting of the season for these 2 squads, with the Saints taking a 45-35 barn burner on week 6, behind 346 passing yards & 4 TDs (no picks) from Drew, out dueling Goff, who threw for 391 yards (3/1), with a 10-0 windup. Total yards: New Orleans, a 487-483 yard edge. Just 3 punts. Brees a brilliant 28-of-38 last week (8th postseason 300-yd game). The Saints, ala the Patriots, are near invincible as playoff hosts, standing at 6-0 SU with Payton & Brees. Their win over the Eagles marked their first Divisional Playoff win since '09 (won Super Bowl that year), as well as their largest postseason comeback win (trailed Philly 14-0). These 2 teams have been at the pinnacle all season. Plenty of fireworks, with a nod to the Saints.

Rating: 2 Units

While the Wild are keeping tabs on a wild-card spot, Vegas is riding a 10-2-2 run to reside one point behind second-place San Jose in the Pacific Division. Jonathan Marchessault (team-leading 17 goals) collected his second career hat trick in Saturday's 7-3 victory versus Pittsburgh after tallying twice in his previous 16 outings.  The clinchers:  Minnesota is 8-22 in their last 30 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game while Vegas is 20-8 in their last 28 overall.

Rating: 2 Units

The Tar Heels have underachieved a bit so far. But they have started to make their move in the New Year by winning six of the last seven games and they just went to Miami over the weekend and won comfortably. As good as Virginia Tech has played this season, they have not faced the level of competition that North Carolina has. The Hokies did have to face Virginia on the road though and were blown out in that game, 81-59. That's not a good sign for tonight and only having to lay a relatively small number, points to the Tar Heels in this one.

Rating: 2 Units

The Bears' biggest improvement has come from beyond the arc as the club is shooting 48 percent (13.0 made 3-pointers per game) in its last two contests after shooting 29 percent (6.6) in its first 15. West Virginia, suffering its worst defeat in Big 12 history in a 98-67 loss to TCU on Tuesday after blowing a 21-point lead to Kansas State earlier in conference play, stunned No. 8 Kansas 65-64 on Saturday for its first conference win when Jermaine Haley capped a 7-0 closing run with a driving layup with 8.5 seconds left.  The clincher:  West Virginia is 5-16-2 ATS in their last 23 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

Rating: 2 Units

Mitch Ballock couldn't get shots to fall in the Bluejays' most recent loss to St. John's, ending a four-game run in which he made 18-of-28 from 3-point territory. The sophomore from Eudora, Kan., who leads the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1), has gone three straight games without a committing a turnover and has only one game this season in which he has more than two. Ballock is second in the Big East in 3-point shooting (46.6 percent) to Zegarowski (50.7) , a number that grows to 52.8 percent in five league games for the Bluejays, one of four teams nationally which makes better than 40 percent from 3-point land while attempting more than 40 percent of its field goals from beyond the arc.  Creighton, which leads the Big East in scoring at 83.5 points per game, is 6-0 against Georgetown when scoring 75 or more points and 0-6 when it scores fewer than 75. The Bluejays have won three straight games against the Hoyas, including their first win in Washington D.C. last season, to forge a 6-6 tie in the series.

Rating: 2 Units

The Grizzlies may offer up a soft landing spot for the Pelicans, having lost five in a row and 11 of their last 12. Included in that slide is a 19-point loss at New Orleans on Jan. 7. Memphis was also without a pair of big men in Saturday's 119-90 loss at Toronto, as Marc Gasol (back) and Joakim Noah (personal) missed the contest. It has been held under 100 points in 15 of the last 22 games and was hampered by 26 turnovers against the Raptors.

Rating: 2 Units

The Oklahoma City Thunder seemingly snapped out of a funk with a dramatic victory at Philadelphia on Saturday and will try to make it two straight on the road when they visit the New York Knicks on Monday for the traditional Martin Luther King Day matinee at Madison Square Garden. Paul George's four-point play with 5.1 seconds left lifted the Thunder past the 76ers 117-115, a big boost for a Western Conference contender that had dropped five of its previous six. The Knicks are near the bottom of that conference and have lost five in a row, the last coming on a last-second goal tending call in the annual London game Thursday. The 101-100 loss to Washington was New York's 18th setback in the last 20 games overall, and the club is 0-8 at Madison Square Garden in that stretch.

Rating: 2 Units

Dallas is 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 vs. Eastern Conference, and 33-15 ATS in their last 48 games following a ATS loss. In addition, the underdog is 21-9-2 ATS in the last 32 meetings.