The Bum's National Hockey League April's Playoff's Picks - Trends - News - Etc. !!

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4/24 - Results: 1 - 3 - 2.00

Overall: 25 - 20 - 5 + 5.41

MONDAY, APRIL 25

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ANA at NAS 08:00 PM

NAS -103

O 5.0


CHI at STL 08:30 PM

CHI -109

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Toronto 102, Indiana 99-- Pacers led by 15 in the fourth quarter.

-- Atlanta 110, Boston 83-- Home side won all five series games.

-- New Mexico State promoted from within, tabbed Paul Weir as its head coach to replace Marvin Menzies. Weir has a recruiting connection in Canada.

-- That leaves Delaware, Northern Colorado as the only D-I head coaching jobs that have yet to be filled for next season.

-- Delaware's Kory Holden transferred to South Carolina- good player.

-- Pirates 9, Rockies 4-- Andrew McCutchen hit three homers for the Bucs.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings.......

13) MSNBC's Hallie Jackson was in the gym where Hoosiers was filmed last night for a political rally, but admitted on air that she has never seen the iconic basketball movie. Ms Jackson will be 32 on Friday, two years before Hoosiers was made; she went to college at Johns Hopkins, an elite college, but so did Andy Enfield, the basketball coach at USC.

I've never seen Star Wars or The Godfather; I can't say anything.

12) Uh-oh. Prince didn't have a will or a trust, so his sister, six half-siblings are in line to divide his estate, estimated at $300M, which doesn't include the stash of hundreds of unpublished songs, which figure to be worth another small fortune. Hopefully they can divide everything up peacefully.

11) Over/under given by a doctor Tuesday on recovery time for Chris Paul's hand injury: four weeks. If Paul misses four weeks, his next game for the Clippers will be in October- they're not going far without him.

10) I like Steve Kerr, I'm a big fan of his, but how in God's name does a coach who missed 43 of 82 regular season games win Coach of the Year? No player who missed 43 games would ever win MVP-- it makes very little sense.

9) Dick Vermeil is only coach in NFL history who worked for three different teams, but was never fired by any of them.

8) Obscure trivia: Christian Yelich is an OF for the Miami Marlins; his great-grandfather is the guy who designed the LA Rams' football helmets back in the 40's, the first helmets with the team's logo on them.

7) Chicago White Sox are 6-0 in games where the winning run scored in the 7th inning or later; Toronto is 1-7 in such games.

6) Padres are only major league team that doesn't have a bobblehead giveaway night this year; they didn't have one LY, either.

5) Was surprised to hear that New Hampshire has produced 51 major league baseball players and four major league managers.

4) Kelly Ripa makes $26M a year? Seriously? And she blows off three days of work because no one told her a co-worker got another job? As a friend of mine likes to say and I'll clean it up here, "Grow the (bleep) up!!!"

3) What would happen if Bernie Sanders ran as a third party candidate in the Presidential election? Who would that help? Could he win?

2) These politicians must be tired; Bernie Sanders is 74, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both pushing 70, but they've all been bouncing around the country like rock stars. Has to be exhausting.

1) Tonight Nashville-Anaheim play a Game 7 in NHL playoffs. Nashville has never had a Game 7 in its franchise history; Ducks lost their last four Game 7's, are 2-5 in Game 7's in their franchise history.

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NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 27

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NY ISLANDERS (49-29-0-10, 108 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (50-32-0-5, 105 pts.) - 4/27/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 19-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.
TAMPA BAY is 15-4 ATS (+10.9 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 23-15 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TAMPA BAY is 14-21 ATS (-17.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 5-4 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 5-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.5 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

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NASHVILLE (44-30-0-14, 102 pts.) at ANAHEIM (49-28-0-11, 109 pts.) - 4/27/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 44-44 ATS (-16.0 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 8-15 ATS (-15.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
NASHVILLE is 20-34 ATS (+54.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 172-109 ATS (+283.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 72-39 ATS (+9.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 9-6 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 9-6-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.5 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, April 27

NY Islanders at Tampa Bay, 7:05 PM ET
NY Islanders: 25-14 SU after covering 2 of their last 3
Tampa Bay: 6-11 SU revenging a loss where opponent scored 4 or more goals

Nashville at Anaheim, 10:05 PM ET
Nashville: 4-15 SU as an underdog
Anaheim: 58-33 SU after playing a road game




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 27

NY Islanders-Tampa Bay (0-0)
Islanders won four of last five games with Tampa Bay, but lost three of last four visits here, in a series where hisme side won six of last seven games- over is 4-1-1 in last six. Islanders just beat Florida in six tough games; their last three wins were all in OT. NY won four of last five road games overall. Tampa Bay won four of its last five games, allowing eight goals in dispatching Red Wings in five games- they had three extra days to rest here. Lightning won its last four home games, allowing five goals.

Nashville-Anaheim (3-3)
First-ever Game 7 for Predators, who've won only two playoff series in franchise history, last of which was in 2012. Ducks are 2-5 in Game 7's, losing last four. Home side won last two series games, after losing first four; in last 16 series games, over is 10-2-4, 3-0-2 in last five played here. Predators are 2-3 in last five visits here, 2-1 in this series. Under is 5-2-3 in last ten Nashville games overall, 6-2-3 in last eleven Duck games. Anaheim is 3-21 on power play in the series, Nashville 1-23, 0-10 last three games.

Playoffs tally: Home: 23-23, Over: 16-16-14




NHL

Wednesday, April 27

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
NY Islanders are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

10:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ANAHEIM
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Nashville is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home
Anaheim is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville

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NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 27


Nashville @ Anaheim

Game 85-86
April 27, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
10.483
Anaheim
12.414
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-165); Under

Nashville @ Tampa Bay

Game 3-4
April 27, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
9.867
Tampa Bay
12.100
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-160); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Wednesday, April 27

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Wednesday's NHL betting preview
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David Perron and his Ducks teammates look at take a bite out of the Preds as heavy favorites to win Game 7.

We have a weird overlap board tonight with the opening game of the second round in the East (Islanders vs Lightning) and another thrilling Game 7 in the West (Predators vs Ducks).

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning (A: -110, H: -110, O/U: 5)

Series tied 0-0

Captain John Tavares leads the way as the New York Islanders enter the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 1993 on Wednesday when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1. Tavares scored the tying and winning goals in the series-clinching 2-1 double-overtime victory over Florida on Sunday, finishing with nine points in six games.

“When he plays the right way, it’s contagious for our group,” New York coach Jack Capuano told reporters. “I just think that’s what he’s done since I’ve been here. He’s got great creativity as we know, but he’s a great leader for our hockey club.” The Lightning come in with almost a week of rest after dispatching of Detroit in five games as Nikita Kucherov registered five goals and three assists while Ben Bishop posted a .950 save percentage. Tampa Bay is not expected to get captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) back soon, but top-pair defenseman Anton Stralman (broken fibula) could return by the end of the series. “It’s only going to get harder, and I know our group’s ready for it,” said Tavares, who owns 25 points in 23 career games versus the Lightning. “We’re looking forward to the next challenge.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS

PROBABLE GOALIES: Islanders - T. Greiss (0.928%), Lightning - B. Bishop (0.907%).

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (49-29-10, 37-51 ATS, 36-44 O/U): Kyle Okposo contributed six points, Frans Nielsen (three goals) had four and late-callup Alan Quine had three in the tight series against the Panthers. Jaroslav Halak (groin) has been skating, but the net belongs to Thomas Greiss after he went 23-11-4 in the regular season and more than did his part with a 1.79 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in the first round. Josh Bailey suffered an upper-body injury in Game 6 and will likely be replaced by fellow forward Ryan Strome in the lineup.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (50-32-5, 36-51 ATS, 35-41 O/U): Stamkos, who scored a team-high 36 goals this season, practiced with the team for the first time this month on Tuesday but will be on blood thinners for an undetermined amount of time. The Lightning will need others to step up again in the second round, including forwards Tyler Johnson (seven points), Alex Killorn (three goals, two assists) and Jonathan Drouin (four assists). Defenseman Victor Hedman led all Tampa Bay players in ice time at 27:02 per game in the first round and was second behind Kucherov (15) in shots with 14.

TRENDS:

* Islanders are 7-0 in their last 7 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Lightning are 12-2 in their last 14 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 5-1 in Islanders last 6 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Home team is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.



Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks (A: +135, H: -179, O/U: 4.5)

Series tied 3-3

The Anaheim Ducks have been bounced from the playoffs in each of the past three seasons via a Game 7 loss at home, a dubious streak they will try to end when they host the Nashville Predators on Wednesday in a winner-takes-all matchup. The Predators forced the deciding contest with a 3-1 victory on Monday to advance to the first Game 7 in franchise history.

Predictably, the Ducks were not thinking about their past history and their inability to close out an opponent despite holding a 3-2 series lead three years running. “It’s a new team,” Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters following Monday's setback. “New time. Every year is different. Every day is different. And we’re looking forward to the game.” So are the Predators, who advanced to Game 7 the hard way, losing three straight after winning the opening two games of the series in California. "We did everything all year to push ourselves to this point," Nashville forward James Neal said. "Why not win one more game?"

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVAS, Sportsnet, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN West (Anaheim)

PROBABLE GOALIES: Predators - P. Rinne (0.907%), Ducks - F. Andersen (0.922%)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (44-30-14, 37-51 ATS, 34-35 O/U): Netminder Pekka Rinne has not enjoyed his best season and the uneven play extended into the playoffs, surrendering 11 goals as Nashville dropped Games 3 through 5, but he was at his best with his team facing elimination and is embracing the prospect of a win-or-go-home matchup. "Just facing Game 7, you know what it means and what's at stake," Rinne said. "To be going to Anaheim, they have their home crowd, but I feel like we've been playing really well in their building. Just really excited about this one." Neal, held off the scoresheet since Game 1, scored on goal and set up another Monday.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (49-28-11, 42-46 ATS, 33-36 O/U): Corey Perry topped Anaheim by a wide margin with 34 goals -- the sixth time in the past eight seasons he has scored at least 30 times -- but he has yet to tally in the series against the Predators, although he has four notched four assists. Perry's frustration reached its peak with just over 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period of Game 6 as he took a pass all alone in the slot, only to have his point-blank tying attempt swallowed up by Rinne. "Those are ones I’ve got to bear down,” Perry said. "I just think I rushed the shot more than anything. Those things are just going like that right now."

TRENDS:

* Predators are 4-1 in their last 5 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Ducks are 1-4 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Under is 3-0-1 in Predators last 4 games following a win.
* Under is 4-0-2 in Ducks last 6 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (5) ST LOUIS@ (6) DALLAS | 2016-04-29 20:05:00 - 2016-04-29 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 9 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+8.25 units)

NHL > (85) NASHVILLE@ (86) ANAHEIM | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play AGAINST NASHVILLE using money line in All games after a win by 2 goals or more
The record is 15 Wins and 27 Losses for the last two seasons (-22.05 units)

NHL > (5) ST LOUIS@ (6) DALLAS | 2016-04-29 20:05:00 - 2016-04-29 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+10.45 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (5) ST LOUIS@ (6) DALLAS | 2016-04-29 20:05:00 - 2016-04-29 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 9 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+8.25 units)

NHL > (85) NASHVILLE@ (86) ANAHEIM | 2016-04-27 22:05:00 - 2016-04-27 22:05:00
Play AGAINST NASHVILLE in All games after a win by 2 goals or more
The record is 15 Wins and 27 Losses for the last two seasons (-22.05 units)

NHL > (5) ST LOUIS@ (6) DALLAS | 2016-04-29 20:05:00 - 2016-04-29 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+10.45 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (5) ST LOUIS@ (6) DALLAS | 2016-04-29 20:05:00 - 2016-04-29 20:05:00
Play OVER DALLAS on the totalin All games after allowing 4 goals or more
The record is 15 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+9.9 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Game 7 - Predators at Ducks
April 26, 2016


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The second Game 7 to take place in the quarterfinal round of the NHL playoffs happens in Anaheim on Wednesday night. The Pacific Division champion Ducks are pushed to the limit against the upstart Predators after Nashville won for the first time at home in this series in Tuesday’s 3-1 victory at Bridgestone Arena.

Anaheim dropped the first two games at home to Nashville by one goal apiece, but the Ducks rebounded by crushing the Predators on the road in Games 3 and 4 by three goals each. The Ducks continued their domination of the Predators in a 5-2 home blowout in Game 5, but Nashville stayed alive with its Game 6 triumph at home.

The Ducks head into Wednesday’s Game 7 at the Honda Center as a -160 home favorite according to Sportsbook.ag, while the total sits at 5. Three games in this series have been pushes on a 5 total, while only one contest has exceeded the ‘over’ of 5, coming in the Game 5 rout by Anaheim where seven goals were scored. In all six games of this series, the losing squad has scored two goals or fewer.

Anaheim fell short in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals last season to Chicago at home, 5-3 to be eliminated in a Game 7 for the third straight postseason. In the lockout-shortened season of 2013, the Ducks were knocked out by the Red Wings in the conference quarterfinals, followed by getting bounced by the rival Kings in the 2014 conference semifinals in seven games. The last time that Anaheim was victorious in a Game 7 of the playoffs came in the 2006 conference quarterfinals against Calgary.

The Predators are taking the ice in a Game 7 for the first time in franchise history as Nashville last advanced past the opening round in 2012 before bowing out to the Coyotes in the conference semifinals.

There have been 162 Game 7’s in the NHL Playoffs and the home squad owns a 95-67 (58.6%) record. In this season’s playoffs, the home team is 1-0 in Game 7’s, as home squads won three of five times in Game 7 in 2015.

Recent Game 7 History

Anaheim

2015 – Chicago Blackhawks 5 at Anaheim Ducks 3 (Conference Finals)
2014 – Los Angeles Kings 6 at Anaheim Ducks 2 (Conference Semifinals)
2013 – Detroit Red Wings 3 at Anaheim Ducks 2 (Conference Quarterfinals)

Nashville

First Game 7

NHL Game 7 Playoff History (2012-2015)

The winning team in four of five Game 7's in 2015 scored just two goals, as four of those games finished 'under' the total. The road team captured Game 7 victories in each of the conference finals last season (Chicago and Tampa Bay), while the Lightning were the only team to win a pair of Game 7's.

2015
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at New York Rangers 0
Chicago Blackhawks 5 at Anaheim Ducks 3
New York Rangers 2 at Washington Capitals 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at Detroit Red Wings 0
Washington Capitals 2 at New York Islanders 1

2014
Los Angeles Kings 5 at Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Los Angeles Kings 6 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Montreal Canadiens 3 at Boston Bruins 1
New York Rangers 2 at Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Philadelphia Flyers 3 at New York Rangers 4
Minnesota Wild 5 at Colorado Avalanche 4
Los Angeles Kings 5 at San Jose Sharks 1

2013
New York Rangers 5 at Washington Capitals 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Boston Bruins 5 (OT)
Detroit Red Wings 3 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Detroit Red Wings 1 at Chicago Blackhawks 2 (OT)
San Jose Sharks 1 at Los Angeles Kings 2

2012
Ottawa Senators 1 at New York Rangers 2
Washington Capitals 2 at Boston Bruins 1 (OT)
New Jersey Devils 3 at Florida Panthers 2 (2OT)
Washington Capitals 1 at New York Rangers 2

[StarDust Bum]

After 7-year wait, 'Sid vs. Ovi' back on
April 27, 2016

The two faces most responsible for bringing the NHL full-throttle into the 21st century are inextricably linked. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin get it, even if they'd rather not talk about it.

Their simultaneous arrival following the 2004-05 lockout served as the league's version of a winning lottery ticket. Yin and yang on skates. Crosby the ever-polite Canadian with the otherworldly skills drafted by Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and brought to Pittsburgh to help rescue a franchise in tatters. Ovechkin all snarling id, a hard-hitting, hard-shooting Russian born in Moscow near the tail end of the Cold War and brought to the U.S. to work a few blocks from the center of the free world.

''Sid and Ovi were perfect for the game to take off and appeal to a younger demographic,'' Penguins forward Beau Bennett said.

Yet the rivalry that has simmered around them, the one that will pick up on Thursday when Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host Crosby and the Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, has been largely relegated to jersey sales and scoring titles. They've only met with so much on the line once in 11 seasons: a brilliant showdown in the conference semifinals in 2009, the one that ended with the Penguins shaking hands and moving on after a Game 7 blowout in Washington on their way to the Stanley Cup.

At the time, it seemed as if seeing Crosby's blurring No. 87 across the ice from Ovechkin's bullish No. 8 would become an annual rite of spring, a patchy playoff bearded version of Brady vs. Manning. Crosby was 21 back then. Ovechkin only 23, their primes still in the offing.

It didn't quite work out that way. When the puck drops Thursday night, it will be 2,542 days since Crosby's first-period goal ignited a 6-2 rout in the decider that provided an oddly anticlimactic end to an electrifying 12-day stretch that included hockey's biggest stars trading hat tricks in Game 2 and a trio of overtime finishes. The memory still resonates in Pittsburgh nearly as much as the Penguins' eventual triumph over Detroit in the Cup finals.

In Washington, not so much.

''It's history,'' Ovechkin said. ''I don't like to look back. I'm looking forward. What was the past, it's over. Right now, it's a new challenge and a new moment in our life.''

Even though maybe it's only fitting that they meet now rather than at some other point in the interim, with both back at the peak of their considerable powers.

Crosby spent the better part of two seasons recovering from concussion-like symptoms that began with a blindside hit from Washington's David Steckel in the 2011 Winter Classic, which drew 68,000 to Heinz Field and the largest TV audience (4.57 million) to watch an NHL regular-season game in 36 years.

Ovechkin's path has been healthier but no less pockmarked after clashes with a string of coaches while developing a reputation for petulance that former Washington teammate Chris Clark - the captain on the 2009 team - feels is no longer deserved.

''He's been a lot more accountable,'' Clark said. ''I think he gets a bum rap that way. He plays so much, but I think his defense and his accountability and his leadership I think has been the biggest change.''

Having a supporting cast and head coaches who have found a way to empower their occasionally mercurial leaders certainly helps. Crosby took off around the time Mike Sullivan arrived in mid-December. Freed by Sullivan to go and do his thing, Crosby averaged 1.31 points over Pittsburgh's final 44 games, a surge that coincided with the Penguins returning to their usual perch as one of the league's most explosive teams.

It's much the same for Ovechkin, who clashed with Dale Hunter and couldn't seem to find any sort of real rhythm under Adam Oates even as the goals continued to pile up. Barry Trotz, however, seems to have broken through. Ovechkin's 50 goals led the league for the fourth straight year but also came in a season in which the Capitals posted the league's best record and he posted his best plus/minus ratio (plus-21) in five years.

The ''C'' on Ovechkin's jersey no longer seems ceremonial. Ditto Crosby. Though he never shied away from the obligation, ''Sid the Kid'' has become something decidedly more grown up. Crosby took aside Bennett recently and talked about the need to not be affected by the way the game is being called, a marked departure from earlier in his career. When Crosby took issue with the officials early in a Game 5 win over the New York Rangers last Saturday, he politely pleaded his case to the crew while skating off the ice at the end of the first period rather show them up.

''He said that he was just crazy when he was younger, just screaming about every call,'' Bennett said. ''He's pretty mild out there, never too high, never too low.''

While Ovechkin remains more of an open book both on and off the ice - providing peeks into his private life via his Instagram and Twitter accounts, social media outlets the more guarded Crosby may never embrace - he's comfortable doing his share of backchecking and speaking up when something needs to be said.

It's one of the few ways Ovechkin and Crosby may be alike. It's their differences, however, that make them so compelling. While they may downplay the importance of their roles, their teammates understand the presence of two opposite but equal forces give the series juice unlike any other.

''It's always been the talk, the matchup the league wants,'' Penguins forward Chris Kunitz said. ''Sid against Ovi.''

Again. Finally.

''I think it brings out the best in both of us,'' Crosby said. ''I feel like in the past that's been the case. I think there's a lot made of it but I think at the same time we want to be at our best for our respective teams. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.''

Neither does hockey.

[StarDust Bum]

Preds, Ducks end 1st after 2nd opens
April 27, 2016

The NHL and NBA have their playoffs at roughly the same time. When it comes to nail-biters, it's no contest in terms of volume.

The Anaheim Ducks will host the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night (10 p.m. EDT, NBCSN) as they close out the first round with a Game 7 - the 40th in the league since 2009. Over the last seven-plus postseasons, the NHL has had 35 Game 6s, 24 Game 5s and just 14 sweeps.

In that same time, the NBA has had 21 Game 7s along with 21 sweeps, according to STATS, while 27 series have gone to Game 5s and 39 have been pushed to a Game 6.

The Ducks are desperately hoping to fare much better against Nashville than the previous three times they were in a 3-3 series: Anaheim lost to eventual champion Chicago in Game 7 of the 2015 Western Conference finals, lost Game 7 to eventual champion Los Angeles in the second round two years ago and got knocked out by Detroit in Game 7 of the first round in 2013.

''There's no big speech or anything when it comes to Game 7,'' Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf said.

The Ducks are 2-5 in Game 7s in franchise history and winless in the decisive games since 2006, when Getzlaf was a rookie and helped them get past Calgary in the opening round. The Predators, who have reached the second round just twice in team history, forced the big game by beating the Ducks 3-1 on Monday night.

''Even my time in Milwaukee (in the AHL), we never went to a Game 7,'' Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne said. ''So, I'm really excited about that.''

The winner will advance to play the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.

For the first time since 1983, a round of the NHL playoffs will start before the previous round ends. And for the first time in league history, the final eight teams in the playoffs do not include a Canadian team or an Original Six franchise.

The New York Islanders, in the second round for first time in 23 years, open their series Wednesday night in Tampa Bay (7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN) before the puck drops in Anaheim.

Tampa Bay got nearly a week off without travel since eliminating the Red Wings in Game 5 last week. The Islanders were pushed to double overtime on Sunday by Florida in Game 6.

''I don't think we're going to dwell on it too much,'' New York center John Tavares said. ''Looking forward obviously to playing Tampa and getting started. We're looking to start off on the right foot and shift our focus to what we go to do to win the series.''

Tavares has scored five goals in the playoffs, tied with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov and San Jose's Joe Pavelski for the most in the league.

''He hasn't snuck up on anybody in the league,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

The Islanders beat Tampa Bay two of the three times they played during the season. The goalies in the series, Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop and Thomas Greiss of the Islanders, rank among NHL leaders by giving up fewer than two goals a game in the postseason.

Even though the Lightning have had a long break, star Steven Stamkos is still not close to being cleared to play anytime soon. He was, however, on the ice Tuesday for the first time since having surgery nearly a month ago to address a blood clot near his right collarbone. Stamkos was expected to be out for up to three months.

''Obviously you can't play on the blood thinners that I'm on right now,'' he said. ''Any contact, any bruising, anything like that can lead to complications. We have to be careful in that regard, even on the ice in practice.''

[StarDust Bum]

Orpik could be difference-maker vs. Pens
April 26, 2016

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Jay Beagle's sharpest memory of the Washington Capitals' 2009 playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins was when he tried to run over Brooks Orpik and instead got flattened at center ice.

Orpik is still capable of making that kind of mark seven years later, if he's able to play. Now with the Capitals, the veteran defenseman missed the final three games of the first round with a suspected concussion, and his status for the start of the second-round series against the Penguins is up in the air.

Feeling ''rusty'' in his first time on the ice with teammates since a big hit from Philadelphia's Ryan White on April 18, Orpik said on Tuesday he still has to ''do some stuff with the doctors to make sure everything is going right'' before getting cleared to play.''

It's difficult to overstate Orpik's impact on the highly anticipated series between Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, and his old teammates, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

''I think he's our best D, obviously,'' Ovechkin said. ''It's a huge key for us, especially against those guys like Sid and Geno. We have to make it tough on them. We have to play physical. We just have to dictate our game on them.''

At 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, Orpik brings a physical element that's hard to replace. He was a big piece of the Penguins' Stanley Cup run in 2009 and along with former Pittsburgh teammate Matt Niskanen has been instrumental in making the Capitals' defense championship-caliber.

''He brings a lot of good experience of knowing what it takes, being professional, his approach and on the ice - a battle-tested guy,'' Niskanen said. ''I come to do my thing: Defend well, positioning, stick positioning, skating, moving the puck efficiently and contributing in some different areas.''

The Capitals need strong play from their top four defensemen - Niksanen, Orpik, John Carlson and Karl Alzner - against the Penguins, who not only have Crosby and Malkin but offensively potent players like Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin.

Alzner had a ''maintenance day'' Tuesday, coach Barry Trotz said, after a rough-and-tumble series against the Flyers.

Orpik's presence was a positive sign eight days after he was leveled by White and appeared dazed as he was helped off the ice.

''It was just one of those ones I didn't see it coming,'' Orpik said. ''If I saw it coming, nothing comes of it. I've been hit a lot harder than that and been fine.''

Trotz, who would obviously like to have Orpik in the lineup, said the 35-year-old is fine but also said he is day-to-day.

''He's a big part of what we do,'' Trotz said. ''Primarily he's a good defender and a warrior and a good penalty killer. There's no question he can help us.''

Orpik is one of just three Capitals players with a Stanley Cup ring, along with forwards Justin Williams (three) and Mike Richards (two). By contrast, Pittsburgh still has five players left from its 2009 Cup team: Crosby, Malkin, forward Chris Kunitz, defenseman Kris Letang and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who's still working to return from his concussion.

There's significantly more gray hair in Orpik's still-burgeoning playoff beard than seven years ago, and his standing in the Capitals' locker room is bigger than it was for the Penguins. Trotz said Orpik is the ''father figure'' to younger players, and the alternate captain has immense respect from his teammates.

''Brooks is a team-leader guy and he's got lots of experience in the playoffs and he knows the people around the league,'' said center Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose stall is next to Orpik's. ''It's always nice to have him in the locker room and on ice, too.''

The Capitals can survive without Orpik but face a tougher challenge if he's not in the lineup.

''He's an important player for us,'' Niskanen said. ''Brooks is a good player. It's not a secret what his attributes are, and he brings a lot to the team.''

[StarDust Bum]

Stars move forward hoping frenzy helps
April 27, 2016

FRISCO, Texas (AP) Jason Spezza and the Dallas Stars believe that frenzied 15-minute finish when they barely hung on to close out their first-round series will come in handy moving forward in the playoffs.

They know the St. Louis Blues will certainly be able to charge at them like Minnesota did.

''If anything, it's a great period for us because we survived it and now get to learn from it,'' Spezza said Tuesday after the Stars returned from a day off. ''If we'd cruised to a 4-0 win, I don't know if we'd get as much out of that game. ... But when you survive something like that, I think it can be an advantage for us now to live through a situation like that and not just talk about it. You know kind of how it feels when teams put on that kind of pressure.''

Dallas, the top seed in the Western Conference, opens the second round Friday night at home against St. Louis. The Blues outlasted the Chicago Blackhawks, last year's Stanley Cup champs, in a seven-game first-round series that ended Monday night.

The Stars finished their first-round series in six games. They led 4-0 going into the third period on the road Sunday and held on to win 5-4 after the Wild came within a fraction of an inch of tying the game in the final minute.

''I think if it would have been on the other side, they would have been devastated,'' coach Lindy Ruff said. ''But to get through it, the desperation at the end of the game, even in the last few minutes, I thought was tremendous. ... I loved our desperation. We've just got to put that desperation in the right place.''

When the Stars got back together Tuesday, they watched video from that wild game.

''Well, we were relaxed because we knew we were already in the second round,'' Radek Faksa said. ''When we were on the bench, it wasn't that much fun. ... But it was a good experience for our future.''

Dallas won only once in five games in the season series against the Blues, who got three of their four wins in overtime.

The second-round series provides another playoff rematch between Ruff and Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who was coach of the Stars in 1999 when they won their only Stanley Cup, clinching it with a triple-overtime victory in Game 6 over Ruff's Buffalo Sabres. Hitchcock's Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated by Buffalo in a first-round Eastern Conference series in 2006.

Dallas was taking another day off Wednesday, getting some extra rest before what is expected to be physical series against the Blues - whose 107 points during the regular season were second-most in the Western Conference, behind the Stars' 109.

When the Stars were off Monday after getting home, left wing Patrick Sharp watched the Blues in their Game 7 against the Blackhawks, the team for which he was a Stanley Cup champion three times in six seasons before getting traded to Dallas last offseason.

Sharp thinks Dallas can be better off for the close third period Sunday.

''I think you flush out the bad, but there's a lot of positives that we can take from that game,'' Sharp said. ''Although it might have been an ugly period for us, it was a playoff series, it was a win on the road, and if we can learn anything from it, we'll be a better team going forward.''

[StarDust Bum]

Eastern Conference Semis
April 27, 2016


New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Season Series: Isles lead 2-1 SU/2-0-1 O/U
Over is 4-1-1 Last 6 Meetings
Favorite has won 6 of Last 7 Meetings

Tampa Bay Recent Trends
4-7 SU Last 11 Road Games
6-1 SU Last 7 Games as a Favorite
Currently on a 4-Game Home Winning Streak
PK Unit Killed 24 of 25 Penalties in 1st Round

Starting Goalie
Ben Bishop: 10-3 SU Last 13 Starts Overall
Lifetime Record vs NYI:5-5, 3.06 G.A.A; .890 Sv% in 10 GP

NY Islanders Recent Trends
1-4 O/U Last 5 Games
5-2 SU Last 7 Games as an Underdog
4-1 SU Last 5 Road Games
4 Power-Play Goals over Last 4 Contests

Starting Goalie
Thomas Greiss: 8-3 SU Last 11 Starts
Lifetime Record vs TB: 3-1, 3.29 G.A.A; .908 Sv% in 4 GP

Series Odds
Lightning -150
Islanders +130

Exact Game Props
7 Games Lightning Win 3/1
5 Games Lightning Win 7/2
6 Games Islanders Win 4/1
6 Games Lightning Win 4/1
7 Games Islanders Win 5/1
4 Games Lightning Win 8/1
5 Games Islanders Win 8/1
4 Games Islanders Win 15/1

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Season Series: Penguins lead 3-2 SU/2-1-2 O/U
Penguins are 13-7 SU Last 20 Meetings
Road Team has won 6 of Last 9 Meetings

Washington Recent Trends
2-4 SU Last 6 Home Games
1-5-1 O/U Last 7 Games Overall
7-13 SU Last 20 Playoff Road Games
PP Unit: 7/21 Over the Last 5 Games

Starting Goalie
Braden Holtby: 5-2 SU & 2-4-1 O/U Last 7 Starts
Lifetime Record vs PITT:5-8, 2.79 G.A.A; .914 Sv% in 13 GP

Pittsburgh Recent Trends
18-5 SU Last 23 Games Overall
4+ Goals in 14 of Last 19 Games
PK Unit: 58 Kills/64 Chances Over the Last 19 Games

Starting Goalie
Matt Murray: 12-3, 1.81 G.A.A; .936 Sv% w/2 SO in 16 GP
Lifetime Record vs WASH:1-1, 2.93 G.A.A; .910 Sv% in 2 Starts

Series Odds
Capitals -135
Penguins +115

Exact Game Props
7 Games Capitals Win 3/1
5 Games Capitals Win 7/2
6 Games Capitals Win 4/1
6 Games Penguins Win 4/1
7 Games Penguins Win 5/1
5 Games Penguins Win 7/1
4 Games Capitals Win 10/1
4 Games Penguins Win 15/1

[StarDust Bum]

4/26 - Results:: No Action
Overall : 25 - 21 6 + 4.41

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NYI at TB 07:00 PM

TB -149

U 5.0


NAS at ANA 10:00 PM

NAS +147

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Warriors 114, Rockets 81-- Not exactly a prideful effort by Houston.

-- Hornets 90, Heat 88-- Charlotte won three games in row after being down 2-0.

-- Blazers 108, Clippers 98-- Hard to win when your floor general breaks his hand.

-- Nashville 2, Anaheim 1-- Was first-ever Game 7 for the Predators.

-- White Sox 4, Blue Jays 0-- Surprising Pale Hose are 16-6, best record in AL.

-- Marlins 2, Dodgers 0-- Mattingly beat his old team the last three nights.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......

13) NFL Draft is tonight; since 1967, USC (68) has had the most first round draft picks, followed by Miami (58), Ohio State (56), Florida (46).

12) I enjoyed the mock draft on NFL Network this week, despite occasional screaming/yelling whenever Michael Irvin got involved. It was a little bit like a fantasy draft but without the laboring over picks, since mock drafts don't have any accountability, the way real teams or even fantasy teams have.

11) Giants' pitcher Jeff Samardzija was a pretty good WR in college; he scored 27 TDs and averaged 14.5 yards/catch.

10) RIP Ozzie Silna, former owner of the Spirits of St Louis of the old ABA, who reaped a bonanza from the NBA when he agreed to fold the Spirits before the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. One of the greatest business deals of all-time, Silna was paid millions and millions of dollars to do absolutely nothing.

9) Houston Astros are 7-15 and in trouble; its not just that they're losing lot of games, they're playing sloppily and their pitching has regressed.

8) Oakland and Detroit brought up their ace pitching prospects to make starts on Friday. A's will have Sean Manaea starting against Houston, Tigers gave Michael Fullmer the call to start against the Twins in Minnesota.

7) A's signed 36-year old lefty Rich Hill as a starter this year; Hill is 3-0, 1.42 in his first three road starts, but is 0-2, 9.00 in two starts at the normally pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum.

6) Detroit Tigers are paying Texas $6M a year for the next five years, part of the deal that sent Prince Fielder packing from the Motor City. As Billy Beane said to David Justice in Moneyball, "They're paying you to play against them."

5) San Diego Padres are 0-5 when James Sheidls starts on the mound; they've scored a total of six runs in his five starts. Padres are also the only team that hasn't scored a first inning run on the road this season (10 games).

4) Eric Byrnes is the only player (Oakland, 2003) who has hit for the cycle at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Pablo Sandoval is the last Giant to hit for the cycle-- would like to see a clip of the triple he hit.

3) Georgia Tech still owes former basketball coach Paul Hewitt $2.7M; he has not been the coach there since 2011. Quite a deal his agent made for him.

2) Columbia graduate transfer Grant Mullins chose Cal over Michigan; young Mullins is a 6-3 guard who shot 44.1% on the arc last year.

1) Cool thing about the NFL Draft is that no one knows what will happen when these college kids become pros this summer. Flash back to 1998, just as many people liked Ryan Leaf as Peyton Manning. How did that turn out?

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 28

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PITTSBURGH (52-27-0-8, 112 pts.) at WASHINGTON (60-20-0-8, 128 pts.) - 4/28/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 72-94 ATS (-47.6 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 33-37 ATS (-22.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 45-52 ATS (-32.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 60-28 ATS (+26.8 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 47-25 ATS (+19.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 52-35 ATS (+4.8 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 18-11 ATS (+29.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
PITTSBURGH is 34-16 ATS (+11.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 38-44 ATS (-32.7 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 17-26 ATS (-20.9 Units) in home games after shutting out their opponent in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 8-5 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-5-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, April 28

Pittsburgh at Washington, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 8-1 ATS in road games after 2 consecutive division games
Washington: 3-13 ATS after 3 games where both teams scored 2 goals or less




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 28

Pittsburgh-Washington (0-0)
Pens-Caps split last ten series games, with road team going 5-2 in last seven series games. Pittsburgh is 3-1 in last four visits here; over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. Penguins won eight of last tn games; winning last three while allowing total of four goals- they dispatched Rangers Sunday- over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games. Washington beat Philly in six games despite scoring total of only two goals in last three games- they've been off since Monday. Under is 5-1-1 in Washington's last seven games.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 0-1, Over: 1-0




NHL

Thursday, April 28

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington
Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Washington is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Pittsburgh