Content provided by Associated Press. Picks by Covers.com staff.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes 
(-145, 5.5)
Five months ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning believed Barry Melrose would be the coach to help them rejoin the NHL's elite.
For now, it will be up to Rick Tocchet to return them to respectability.
After Melrose's stunning dismissal, Tocchet will make his debut as the Lightning's interim coach on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Melrose was fired on Friday by Tampa Bay (5-7-4) following an unimpressive 16-game stint that came after he left the television booth to coach the team that finished with the league's worst record in 2007-08.
Tocchet has been in the NHL for 25 years as a player and coach. He played 18 seasons, most notably with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and was an assistant with three clubs.
However, Tocchet has some baggage. He was sentenced to two years' probation in August 2007 after pleading guilty in an investigation into a sports betting ring. Tocchet said he never bet on NHL games, and rejoined Phoenix's staff in February after a two-year absence that included a league suspension.
Tocchet inherits a team that's last in the league with 33 goals scored, and has been shut out three times this season despite having high-scoring All-Stars Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, and top overall draft pick Steven Stamkos.
Lecavalier - the franchise's all-time leading scorer - has just six goals and five assists in 2008-09. St. Louis, meanwhile, has 12 points after averaging 92.5 over the last two seasons.
Stamkos could be overmatched as a rookie. The 18-year-old center had one assist in his first eight games before scoring his first two NHL goals as part of a three-point night on Oct. 30. He's since failed to get a point in seven games.
After conducting his first practice on Saturday, Tocchet said Lightning players will be driven harder.
"We have to increase the energy level in some players," he said. "We've got to start getting these guys cranking on the ice, playing a high-tempo game."
Carolina (8-7-2) also has had trouble finding the back of the net recently. Including a 3-2 loss to Atlanta on Friday, the Hurricanes have tallied five goals during a three-game losing streak.
Pick: Lightning
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (+105, 5.5)
Few teams have gotten past the San Jose Sharks this season. It's been more than three years since the Chicago Blackhawks have done it.
The league-leading Sharks look to continue their impressive start Sunday night and beat the Blackhawks for the 12th consecutive time.
San Jose (14-3-1) bounced back from its first consecutive losses of the season and improved its NHL-best record Thursday with a 6-1 home rout of Calgary. Joe Pavelski and Milan Michalek each scored twice for the Sharks, who held a 46-24 advantage in shots on goal.
San Jose scored a season-high four power-play goals in nine opportunities versus the Flames, improving to 7-for-21 with the man advantage in its last three games.
Wins have been virtually automatic for the Sharks against Chicago (7-3-5) in recent years. Since losing 6-3 at the United Center on Oct. 7, 2005, San Jose has won 11 straight in the series - outscoring the Blackhawks 38-19 in that span - with five of those victories coming on the road.
Center Patrick Marleau has five goals and six assists in those 11 victories. He has 13 goals and 16 assists in 40 career games versus the Blackhawks.
Chicago has yet to lose in regulation at home this season, but fell to 2-0-2 on its five-game homestand after a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis on Friday night. Dave Bolland scored two goals and assisted on another for the Blackhawks, but his hooking penalty in overtime allowed the Blues' Andy McDonald to score the game-winner on the power play.
"We've got to let this one really sink in and get ticked off about it," captain Jonathan Toews told the Blackhawks' official Web site. "We have to come back and do better on Sunday."
The Sharks will likely start Brian Boucher, who played 15 games for Chicago in 2006-07, in net for the injured Evgeni Nabokov (leg). Boucher is 4-2-0 with two ties and a 1.84 goals-against average in eight career games against the Blackhawks.
Pick: Blawkhawks