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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Mavericks 85, Thunder 84-- Kevin Durant was 7-33 from floor. 7. for. 33.

-- Warriors 115, Rockets 106-- Stephen Curry didn't even play.

-- Raptors 98, Pacers 87-- Toronto evens this series, 1-1.

-- Washington 6, Philly 1-- Caps are now up 3-nil in series.

-- Wild 5, Dallas Stars 3-- Home side won all three series games.

-- Kings 2, Sharks 1 OT-- LA's first win in six playoff OT games vs San Jose.

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Oklahoma City Thunder is now 3-13 in their last 16 games that were within five points with 5:00 to play.

NBA replay system came up big here, nullifying the Oklahoma City hoop that came just after the buzzer; Felton missed two FTs with 0:07 left, but Dallas survived and now the series heads to Texas tied 1-1.

12) #1 seeds are 45-1 in NBA playoff series if they lead the series, 2-0.

11) Jets are going into the NFL Draft without knowing who its QB will be in the fall, which is obviously a problem. Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets haven't been able to get an agreement on a contract- do they really want Geno Smith to be their guy?

10) Kevin McHale is pretty good as a TV cmmentator; couple of people I know say he's a good guy and it came thru over the air Monday. The best analysts make you feel like you're listening to a conversation between him and the play-by-play guy.

9) Parts of Houston had over 10 inches of rain in the last few days; crazy weather.

8) Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen ran the Boston Marathon Monday; if I drive my car 26 miles, I'm looking for a drive-thru window or a convenience store to get some Cherry Coke. Running 26 miles seems craxy to me.

7) Cubs were -$310 against Colorado Saturday, the heaviest April favorite in over 10 years, when Bronx was -$354 in a game against the Royals.

6) Dwyane Wade hasn't made a 3-pointer since December; he is 7-44 outside the arc for the season, which explains why he doesn't try many anymore. In 2009, Wade was 88-278 (31.7%) behind the arc- his career mark is 28.4%.

5) Big East/Big East will play series of early season games in November to kick off the season: Villanova-Purdue, Wisconsin-Creighton, Seton Hall-Iowa are three of the better games that have been scheduled. St John's-Minnesota will also play.

4) Mike Trout was the 25th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, one pick after Cardinals' OF Randal Grichuk. Scouting is an inexact scienece.

3) Angels didn't score a first inning run until their 11th game, despite Trout batting third in the batting order.

2) Dustin Pedroia has been on base 48 games in a row against AL East opponents. The all-time record for most consecutive games reaching base is held by Ted Williams, who reached base in an amazing 84 consecutive games.

1) John Madden's only three rules when he coached the Oakland Raiders:
-- Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 19


St. Louis @ Chicago

Game 11-12
April 19, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
10.226
Chicago
13.254
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 3
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-160); Over

Anaheim @ Nashville

Game 13-14
April 19, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Anaheim
13.304
Nashville
11.672
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-115); Over

Tampa Bay @ Detroit

Game 7-8
April 19, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
12.214
Detroit
10.739
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
-130
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+110); Under

Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers

Game 9-10
April 19, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.339
NY Rangers
12.401
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
(-105); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 19

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TAMPA BAY (48-32-0-5, 101 pts.) at DETROIT (42-32-0-11, 95 pts.) - 4/19/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 5-12 ATS (-12.3 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
TAMPA BAY is 338-392 ATS (-121.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
DETROIT is 16-24 ATS (-10.9 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 31-39 ATS (-23.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 15-8 (+5.1 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 15-8-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
14 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+6.6 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (49-27-0-8, 106 pts.) at NY RANGERS (47-28-0-9, 103 pts.) - 4/19/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 13-22 ATS (-16.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 30-37 ATS (-25.1 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 111-74 ATS (+22.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 70-42 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 48-25 ATS (+14.9 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 31-16 ATS (+8.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 59-43 ATS (+104.8 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 90-80 ATS (+178.0 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 55-61 ATS (-37.9 Units) in home games on Tuesday nights since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 35-46 ATS (-35.9 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 113-112 ATS (-54.6 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 121-120 ATS (-75.2 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 182-213 ATS (-169.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 15-11 (+5.2 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 15-11-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
12 of 23 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

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ST LOUIS (51-25-0-9, 111 pts.) at CHICAGO (48-27-0-10, 106 pts.) - 4/19/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 415-404 ATS (-51.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 51-34 ATS (+6.3 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-13 ATS (+10.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 16-8 ATS (+7.4 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-6 ATS (+10.7 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 21-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 26-16 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 15-7 ATS (+6.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CHICAGO is 14-18 ATS (-7.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 13-11 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 13-11-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.1 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

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ANAHEIM (46-27-0-11, 103 pts.) at NASHVILLE (43-27-0-14, 100 pts.) - 4/19/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 169-108 ATS (+15.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 37-25 ATS (+10.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 69-38 ATS (+12.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 238-217 ATS (+468.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 43-41 ATS (-6.7 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 19-31 ATS (+51.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 5-6 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 6-5-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+8.8 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, April 19

Detroit-Tampa Bay (T 2-1)
Home side won last eight Detroit-Tampa Bay games; under is 5-2-1 in those eight n games. Lightning is 2-3 in last fiver visits to Motor City, losing 3-1/2-1/2-0 in last three - over is 2-1-1 in last four series games. Over is 4-1-2 in last seven Tampa Bay games- Lightning won three of last five games, but lost four of last five on foreign ice. Detroit won its last four home games. Teams combined to go 2-30 on power play in Games 1-2, with Wings 1-17, Tampa 1-13. Lightning had scored a goal in all six periods before getting blanked in Game 3- they had only 16 shots on goal, seven in last two periods. .

NY Rangers-Pittsburgh (1-1)
Rangers snapped 4-game skid vs Pittsburgh in Game 2, tying series 1-1; road team won seven of last ten games in this rivalry. Penguins won three of last four visits here. Over is 3-0-1 in last four games in this rivalry. Rangers won four of last six games overall- over is 8-0-4 in their last 12 games. Pittsburgh won nine of its last 11 games, seven of its last nine games went over the total. Rangers are 1-8 on power play in series; Penguins are 3-10. Teams haven't played since Saturday.

St Louis-Chicago (S 2-1)
Blues won four of last five games with Chicago, with three wins by one goal, three in OT/SO; under is 4-0-2 in last six series games. St Louis won four of its last five visits here. Chicago lost four of last five games overall, with three losses in OT; they outshot Blues 110-85 in first three games- they had 24 shots in second period alone Sunday. Over is 4-2-2 in last eight Chicago games. Blues won nine of their last 12 games, winning four in row on road. St Louis is 2-8 on power play in series; Chicago 2-12.

Nashville-Anaheim (N 2-0)
Ducks lost four of last five games with Nashville (over is 9-0-3 in last 12); Anaheim lost 5-1/3-2 in last two visits here- they've lost four of last six games overall, but won three of their last four road games; under is 4-1-2 in their last seven games overall. Nashville won four of last five games overall, but split last four at home; under is 3-1-2 in its last six games. In 17 years of existence, Nashville has only two playoff series, first round series in 2011, 2012; they've been over .500 11 of last 12 years- this is golden chance for them to pull an upset and advance to second round.

Playoffs tally: Home: 13-9, Over: 8-7-7




NHL

Tuesday, April 19

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. NY RANGERS
Pittsburgh is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
NY Rangers are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Rangers last 12 games

7:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. DETROIT
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay

9:30 PM
ANAHEIM vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing at home against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Nashville's last 10 games at home

9:30 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CHICAGO
St. Louis is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lightning (46-31) at Red Wings (41-30)
Date: April 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle skated toward the locker room at the end of Game 3 flapping his arms, indicating Justin Abdelkader was too chicken to fight him. Abdelkader said he gladly would've obliged, only that fighting with a taped hand calls for a game misconduct.

Detroit was, in fact, the aggressor while trimming its deficit to 2-1 in a contentious series that's seen the Lightning's grip become a bit looser. Now the Red Wings have a chance to even it with another victory at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night, a turn of events that seemed unlikely after the series' first two games.

What's changed? Detroit's goaltender, for one. Jimmy Howard was in net for Wednesday's 3-2 loss and Friday's 5-2 defeat before coach Jeff Blashill decided to give Petr Mrazek the nod in Game 3. Mrazek faced only 16 shots Sunday, but his contributions helped the Red Wings shut down Tampa's top line.

Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn combined for 15 points in the first two games but that line didn't even register a shot on net in a 2-0 loss. The newly formed trio of Abdelkader, Luke Glendening and Riley Sheahan had plenty to do with that.

"It's just one game and it's a big win for our team," Glendening said. "It's a step in the right direction, but it's one game and they're gonna come ready next game, so we have to as well."

And another physical battle likely awaits. Line brawls have broken out after the last two games that have featured plenty of action after the whistle, and the scrap between Boyle and Abdelkader took a humorous turn after Boyle's taunts. Blashill instructed Abdelkader not to throw a punch with his taped hand, and the Detroit forward laughed off Boyle's actions.

"It's kind of funny, but if he wants to do that, that's what he wants to show, whatever," Abdelkader said. "It doesn't affect me at all because I know what type of player I am. I stand up for myself when I'm healthy."

Maybe the Lightning's lack of health is catching up with them. Steven Stamkos had surgery that reportedly included removing a rib to address blood clots, and standout defenseman Anton Stralman still isn't recovered from a fractured left leg.

Coach Jon Cooper isn't panicking after just one defeat, but he wasn't happy with how the tides turned so drastically in Game 3. Tampa combined for 65 shots in the first two games, then had seven over the final two periods Sunday.

The Lightning also could be in a much different position had Detroit converted more with the man advantage. They killed all of the Red Wings' seven power plays in Game 3 and have kept Detroit scoreless on 16 of 17 in the series.

"You're just killing the whole night, and whether you debate the calls here or there, we didn't give ourselves a chance," Cooper said. "If you are going to sit in the penalty box all night it's hard to do anything."

Ben Bishop has been instrumental on the penalty kill and kept Tampa in Game 3 with 28 saves. He's stopped 92 of 98 shots in the series, and another solid effort - along with some adjustments from Cooper - could put the Lightning back in control ahead of Thursday's Game 5 at home.

"I'm not so sure myself, their coach or anyone in this room was picking this to be a sweep," Cooper said. "It went from us pinning them up against the wall to now it's a series."

---------------------

Preview: Penguins (48-26) at Rangers (46-27)
Date: April 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Henrik Lundqvist's return sparked the New York Rangers to level this first-round playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan McDonagh could provide the latest lift.

With the status of their injured captain unknown, the Rangers look to take the series lead as it shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

New York was dealt a major blow in Game 1 when Lundqvist had to leave after the first period with an eye injury after Marc Staal's stick hit him through his mask. Backup Antti Raanta stopped 16 of 19 shots in the 5-2 loss Wednesday.

Lundqvist was back Saturday for Game 2 and made 29 saves in a vintage performance that included three in the final 35 seconds of the 4-2 win.

"I don't think going down two games to nothing would have been a good idea, so I think that sort of raised the level or urgency and emotion," coach Alain Vigneault said. "Our guys have to understand by now, we're playing against the best team in the league since Christmas and if (coach Mike Sullivan) would've been there sine Day One, they would've challenged Washington.

"There's no doubt that we need to be at our best."

That means having a healthy McDonagh, who has been out since injuring his hand at Columbus on April 4.

McDonagh practiced Monday for the first time since, but Vigneault wouldn't say if he's ready to go, only saying "stranger things have happened."

"It's a good thing that he is skating," Lundqvist said. "That's the best part. We know that he is close. We just don't know what game."

The same could be said of fellow defenseman Dan Girardi, who missed Game 2 and is day to day with an undisclosed injury.

The Rangers' 27-10-4 home record ranked only behind Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington and Dallas, the top seed in the Western Conference. However, New York has lost its last two against Pittsburgh at MSG after taking five of the previous six, including playoff series over the last two seasons - both won by the Rangers.

"Playoff hockey at home in New York is just a great feeling," said Lundqvist, who went 22-6-3 with a 2.31 goals-against average at MSG. "Every time you go out there it's goosebumps. You're excited and nervous and you just want to go out there and win."

The Penguins look to spoil the party and might have an unexpected guest in net. Matt Murray practiced Monday after hurting his head in a collision during the season finale at Philadelphia on April 9.

"I'm progressing the way I want and it's a day at a time process," Murray told the team's official website. "When I'm healthy and 100 percent then I'll be ready to play in games. Until that point I'm not really thinking too much about it."

Marc-Andre Fleury also practiced Monday, taking another step as he recovers from a concussion on March 31.

'To me it's frustrating to not play and still be talking about it,' Fleury said. 'It's tough. It feels (like) forever.'

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was coy about his choice for a Game 3 starter.

Unless Fleury or Murray returns, third-string Jeff Zatkoff is in line for a third straight start. He's stopped 59 of 65 shots in the series but surrendered three goals in a span of 4:14 of the second period Saturday.

"I think given the situation, my mindset is just that I'm preparing like I'm playing every single game," he said. "You don't know what's going to happen with it and you've just got to make sure you're ready."

Phil Kessel had two goals Saturday after getting one assist on Patric Hornqvist's Game 1 hat trick. The right wing has 12 points over his last 10 meetings with the Rangers, including five in the past three.

Sidney Crosby is looking to get back on the score sheet after failing to do so in Game 2. He had three points Wednesday as part of his 32 during a 23-game stretch.

Crosby has 37 points in 36 overall games at MSG, including four goals and two assists in the past four.

---------------------

Preview: Blues (49-24) at Blackhawks (47-26)
Date: April 19, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

A mistake from the league's points leader led to a rare late collapse from the Chicago Blackhawks, costing them home-ice advantage.

Now the St. Louis Blues can all but bury the reigning Stanley Cup champions on the road.

With the Blackhawks frustrated following another wild third period - this time not in their favor - the Blues will try to grab a commanding lead in Tuesday night's Game 4 of a Western Conference quarterfinal series that has been tight since the opening faceoff.

St. Louis gained a 2-1 series edge with Sunday's 3-2 win in Chicago, offsetting the Blackhawks' 3-2 victory Friday that briefly swapped home-ice advantage into their favor.

The Blues trailed 2-1 entering the third but rallied with goals from Patrik Berglund and Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz scored on a power play following a costly four-minute penalty from Patrick Kane after he was caught high-sticking defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

Two days after a pair of coach's challenges went against St. Louis, it rallied to hand Chicago its first regulation loss when leading after two periods since Game 2 of the 2014 West finals against Los Angeles. The Blackhawks were 70-0-4 since the start of last season when leading at the start of the third.

'That was a tough loss,' coach Joel Quenneville said. 'Let's get back into it. But it was a pretty competitive game, kind of comparable to what we saw in the first two.'

The separation between these teams continues to be razor thin as each of the last five games have been decided by one goal, four of them St. Louis wins.

While Corey Crawford was sharp again for Chicago with 33 saves in Game 3, Brian Elliott was yet again the difference with a postseason career-high 44. Elliott has pushed aside 105 of 109 shots in this series and has a .956 save percentage in his last five starts against Chicago.

The Blackhawks fired 24 shots at Elliott in Sunday's second period - Artem Anisimov tallying the only one that reached the back of the net - but that total was sliced in half in the third.

'We've got home ice back again,' Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. 'To me, that's the whole thing. We've got to find a way to keep it now.'

The Blues will still hold it for Thursday's game in St. Louis, but their fifth win in six tries at the United Center would create a massive uphill climb for the Blackhawks. Two of the final three games are in St. Louis as the Blues will go for their first playoff series win since 2012.

St. Louis has won its last six road games and is riding a 14-3-0 stretch away from home. To regain momentum, Chicago will need to win for just the third time in its last nine games at the United Center.

The Blues won Game 1 on David Backes' overtime goal that caromed off Chicago defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk's skate, and they tied Sunday's contest when Berglund's shot bounced off defenseman Michal Rozsival's right leg and past Crawford.

Chicago forward Andrew Ladd hit both goal posts on a single shot Sunday.

"I think all three games could have gone each way ... that's how close it's been," Quenneville said. "The margin of error is very limited or very minimal. I just think we've got to keep persevering and find a way to get that momentum back here at home next game and turn it around."

-----------------

Preview: Ducks (46-25) at Predators (41-27)
Date: April 19, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks surged to the Pacific Division title by winning 29 of their final 41 games, including 14 of 19 on home ice.

Suffice it to say that nobody expected them to be facing an 0-2 deficit when they boarded the plane for the trip to Music City.

Looking to avoid falling into a seemingly insurmountable hole, Anaheim needs to pick up a crucial win against the Nashville Predators as this Western Conference first-round series shifts to Bridgestone Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

The Ducks were outstanding at home beginning midway through January, outscoring the opposition 62-31 while earning 30 of a possible 38 points, but that dominance seems like a distant memory after the first two of this series.

Nashville got timely scoring and excellent goaltending from Pekka Rinne in a pair of 3-2 victories that gave the club a 2-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time.

"I know this is cliche, but we can only worry about one game at a time," center Nate Thompson told Anaheim's official website. "No one thought we would be in this situation. We're dealt that hand, and we have to deal with it.

"We have to go into their barn and win the next one."

The Ducks had won four in a row at Bridgestone prior to this season before Nashville reversed the trend with a 5-1 victory Oct. 22 and a 3-2 win Nov. 17. Rinne was in net for both and stopped 65 of 68 shots, improving to 10-3-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average at home against Anaheim, including two wins in three playoff starts.

He had 27 saves in each of the first two games of this series, and one more strong performance can help put the Predators on the verge of winning a postseason series for the first time since ousting Detroit in the first round in 2012.

"We're playing one of the better teams in the West, and starting on the road," Rinne said. "So far, we've done a really good job. I know it's boring, but you just try to live in the moment and focus on the next one."

Nashville has responded defensively to Anaheim's aggressive approach and kept its big guns in check, limiting Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler to a goal apiece and Cory Perry to an assist. Those three combined for 178 points in the regular season.

Conversely, it's been the Predators' top two in points who have sparked a crisp and balanced offense. Filip Forsberg has a goal and two assists and Roman Josi has totaled three assists to help Nashville get its goals from six players.

"Everyone in this room believes that we're capable of doing this, and I think we showed we can beat any team," defenseman Mattias Ekholm told the team's official website after scoring in Game 2 on Sunday.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said prior to the series that he would stick with one goalie, favoring John Gibson after he played a bulk of the minutes down the stretch because of a concussion Frederik Andersen sustained March 30, but a change may be due. Gibson has allowed all six goals in the series on 60 shots.

Andersen stopped 40 shots in a 4-2 home win over the Ducks on Nov. 1, but he came on in relief of Anton Khudobin late in the second period Nov. 17 and gave up all three goals on seven shots.

"The one thing about this team is our resiliency," Boudreau said. "This team has been through some really tough times this year, so this is no different right now."

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (15) WASHINGTON@ (16) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games after a division game
The record is 13 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+10.9 units)

NHL > (11) ST LOUIS@ (12) CHICAGO | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
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 8 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+7.9 units)

NHL > (7) TAMPA BAY@ (8) DETROIT | 2016-04-19 19:05:00 - 2016-04-19 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TAMPA BAY using money line in All games
The record is 1 Wins and 10 Losses for the this season (-8.95 units)

NHL > (7) TAMPA BAY@ (8) DETROIT | 2016-04-19 19:05:00 - 2016-04-19 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TAMPA BAY using money line in All games on Tuesday nights
The record is 5 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (-11.5 units)

NHL > (11) ST LOUIS@ (12) CHICAGO | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 15 Wins and 7 Losses for the this season (+10.1 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (11) ST LOUIS@ (12) CHICAGO | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
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 8 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+7.9 units)

NHL > (7) TAMPA BAY@ (8) DETROIT | 2016-04-19 19:05:00 - 2016-04-19 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TAMPA BAY in All games on Tuesday nights
The record is 5 Wins and 12 Losses for the this season (-11.5 units)

NHL > (11) ST LOUIS@ (12) CHICAGO | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 15 Wins and 7 Losses for the this season (+10.1 units)

-----------------

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (9) PITTSBURGH@ (10) NY RANGERS | 2016-04-19 19:05:00 - 2016-04-19 19:05:00
Play UNDER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Road games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 5 Overs and 17 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.8 units)

NHL > (13) ANAHEIM@ (14) NASHVILLE | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
Play OVER NASHVILLE on the totalin Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 25 Overs and 9 Unders for the last two seasons (+15.6 units)

NHL > (9) PITTSBURGH@ (10) NY RANGERS | 2016-04-19 19:05:00 - 2016-04-19 19:05:00
Play UNDER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 8 Overs and 22 Unders for the last two seasons (+14.25 units)

NHL > (11) ST LOUIS@ (12) CHICAGO | 2016-04-19 21:35:00 - 2016-04-19 21:35:00
Play UNDER ST LOUIS on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 12 Overs and 25 Unders for the this season (+12.45 units)

[StarDust Bum]

4/18 - Results: 1 - 2 - 1.93

Overall: 11 - 12 - 3 - 1.27

TUESDAY, APRIL 19

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


PIT at NYR

NYR +102

U 5.5


TB at DET

TB +112

O 5.0


ANA at NAS 09:30 PM

NAS -108

O 5.0


STL at CHI 09:30 PM

CHI -144

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Hawks 89, Celtics 72-- Favorites are 9-4 vs spread in NBA playoffs.

-- Spurs 94, Memphis 68-- If this series was a fight, it would've been stopped.

-- Blues 4, Blackhawks 3-- Chicago is in trouble, down 3-1 in series.

-- Ducks 3, Predators 0-- Road team won all three series games.

-- Lightning 3, Red Wings 2-- Tampa Bay grabs 3-1 series lead.

-- Penguins 3, Rangers 1-- Road team won all four NHL games last night.

**********

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

13) Chicago Cubs are off to an 11-3 start; their starting pitching lasted at least six innings n all 14 games, which is huge, takes the strain off the bullpen.

Cincinnati is 7-7, despite it starting pitcher lasting 6+ innings four times.

12) Since 2010, the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays are 60-53 against the Boston Red Sox, 59-52 against the Bronx Bombers, their big money rivals.

11) Jacob deGrom is having a good week; his newborn has come home from the hospital after a medical scare last week and then deGrom threw 71 pitches in a simulated game Monday, meaning he probably avoids a stint on the DL.

10) Oakland A's won their fifth one-run game of the season last night; last year, they won their fifth one-run game of the season on June 16.

9) Big 14 Conference hasn't had a QB taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since Kerry Collins in 1995.

8) Lookalikes: New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio and Bills' coach Rex Ryan.

7) Over last three years, Florida State has had 13 players taken in first two rounds of the NFL Draft; next highest is Alabama, with ten.

6) The original Rocky was on last night, a great movie; hard to believe it is 40 years old. Can still remember sitting in the theater watching it for the first time; The theater I watched it in is long gone, replaced by a car delearship.

5) NHL teams with a 3-0 lead in playoff series are 179-4 in those series, but two of the four losses have come since 2010.

4) '85-'86 Celtics are the only NBA team to win consecutive playoff games by 30+ points; Spurs came close last night, beating overmatched Memphis by 26 in Game 2.

3) Bernie Sanders went to the same high school in Brooklyn as Chris Rock and the great actor Martin Landau.

2) North Carolina had 99 basketball practices this season; they played 40 games and had 99 practices. Spurs have played 84 games (not counting preseason games) this season. Wonder how many practices (not counting game day walk-thru's) they've had?

1) Its about time Major League Baseball got off its butt and made a decision on the Jose Reyes situation; criminal charges in Hawai'i were dropped three weeks ago, the Rockies are already 8-6 and Reyes hasn't even had his spring training yet. Reyes is still being paid, so the Rockies can't be happy and Reyes isn't happy, since he can't play. Make a decision already!!!!

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 20


Washington @ Philadelphia

Game 15-16
April 20, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
12.800
Philadelphia
10.707
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-175
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-175); Over

Florida @ NY Islanders

Game 17-18
April 20, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
11.654
NY Islanders
13.059
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Islanders
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(-115); Over

Dallas @ Minnesota

Game 19-20
April 20, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
10.162
Minnesota
11.654
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+100); Under

Los Angeles @ San Jose

Game 21-22
April 20, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
12.869
San Jose
11.832
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(+100); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON (59-18-0-8, 126 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (41-30-0-14, 96 pts.) - 4/20/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 25-19 ATS (+44.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 24-20 ATS (+48.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 59-26 ATS (+17.6 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 20-9 ATS (+8.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
WASHINGTON is 43-34 ATS (+84.2 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 24-8 ATS (+11.1 Units) after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 31-10 ATS (+12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 35-56 ATS (+97.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 8-8 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 8-8-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)

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FLORIDA (48-27-0-10, 106 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (47-28-0-10, 104 pts.) - 4/20/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 95-143 ATS (+242.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 21-14 ATS (+3.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
FLORIDA is 48-37 ATS (+5.1 Units) in all games this season.
FLORIDA is 21-13 ATS (+6.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-19 ATS (-14.8 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 7-5 (+3.5 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 7-5-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.8 Units)

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DALLAS (52-24-0-9, 113 pts.) at MINNESOTA (39-35-0-11, 89 pts.) - 4/20/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 4-9 ATS (-7.7 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
DALLAS is 52-33 ATS (+5.9 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 22-16 ATS (+41.4 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 15-3 ATS (+10.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
MINNESOTA is 39-46 ATS (-36.1 Units) in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 19-30 ATS (+49.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 12-19 ATS (-9.4 Units) after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 9-8 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 9-8-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (49-30-0-6, 104 pts.) at SAN JOSE (48-30-0-7, 103 pts.) - 4/20/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 89-78 ATS (-27.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 32-41 ATS (-15.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 47-45 ATS (-19.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 28-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 18-10 ATS (+5.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
LOS ANGELES is 23-8 ATS (+9.4 Units) after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 7-16 ATS (-15.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 13-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 13-16 ATS (-15.4 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 8-11 ATS (-12.6 Units) in home games after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 22-27 ATS (-16.7 Units) in home games revenging a home loss versus opponent since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 87-86 ATS (-67.8 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 13-12-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, April 20

NY Islanders-Florida (N 2-1)
Islanders scored 12:31 into OT to grab 2-1 series lead, after they came into series on 1-4 skid against Florida. Panthers split last six visits here. Islanders lost three of last five home games; over is 6-1-1 in their last eight games overall. Panthers won six of last nine games (over 6-3-1 in last ten)- they won three of last five road games. So far in series, NY is 3-9 on power play, Florida 1-7; Panthers were shut out in third period/OT in Game 3, their first scoreless period of series.

Philadelphia-Washington (W 3-0)
Flyers have been outscored 12-2 in losing first three series games; they outshot Caps 41-20 in the first period in series, but lost poise in Gasme 3 at home and gave up four goals on 13 shots. Caps scored five power play goals in total of 18:14 with man advantage. Philly is 0-13 on power play in series, Caps lost three of last five visits here- home side won four of last five series games. Under is 6-3-2 in the last eleven series games, 3-2 in last five played here.

Minnesota-Dallas (D 2-1)
Minnesota lost six of last eight games against Dallas- Stars won three of last four visits to Twin Cities. Minnesota lost seven of last eight games overall, outscored 25-12- they scored five goals in Game 3, after scoring total of seven in previous seen games; under is 5-2-3 in their last 10 games. Dallas won eight of last ten games; six of their last eight stayed under. Stars had only 17 shots on goal in Game 3, after having 32-28 in first two games. Dallas is 1-12 on power play (Minnesota is 2-9).

San Jose-Los Angeles (SJ 2-1)
Road team won first three series games. San Jose is 7-6 in last 13 series games; road team went 9-4 in those games- Kings won four of last five visits here. Over is 4-2-2 in last eight tilts in series. San Jose won seven of last ten games; five of last seven stayed under. Kings are 5-8 in last 13 games. Sharks are 2-14 on power play in series, Kings 3-11. LA had only five shots on goal in 23:47 of third period and OT, but fifth one found back of net. total of six goals were scored in last two games.

Playoffs tally: Home: 13-13, Over: 9-8-9




NHL

Wednesday, April 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. PHILADELPHIA
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games on the road
Philadelphia is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Philadelphia's last 25 games when playing at home against Washington

8:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. NY ISLANDERS
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Florida's last 13 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of the NY Islanders last 13 games when playing Florida

9:30 PM
DALLAS vs. MINNESOTA
Dallas is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games

10:30 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Los Angeles is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Capitals (56-18) at Flyers (41-27)
Date: April 20, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

As the situation got ugly on the ice and on the scoreboard, it got uglier in the stands at Wells Fargo Center in Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers.

That's where the series could end Wednesday night when the top-seeded Capitals look to complete a dominating sweep of the first-round matchup.

Washington overwhelmed Philadelphia with its power play Monday, scoring five times - four in the third period - en route to a 6-1 victory. The Flyers, fired up after a pregame ceremony honoring late owner Ed Snider, actually led when Michael Raffl scored on the first shot of the game 57 seconds in.

Washington leads a series 3-0 for the first time in team history.

'It's a huge opportunity for us to come back home with the win and see what's going to happen and who's going to be next,' Alex Ovechkin said after recording two goals and an assist.

Philadelphia made it easy, as a startling lack of discipline and seeming determination to revisit the "Broad Street Bullies" era led to nine Washington power plays. Fans followed suit in the third period, throwing wristbands used as part of a pregame lights show and other garbage on the ice despite the PA announcer's plea to "show some class" and Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds urging them to stop.

"Our power play has lots of confidence," coach Barry Trotz told the Capitals' official website. "And (the Flyers) keep giving us lots of practice."

Ovechkin has had plenty of help. Defenseman John Carlson continued his outstanding series with a goal and two assists in Game 3 to tie him for the team lead with six points (three goals, three assists). Nicklas Backstrom has a goal and five assists, while Marcus Johansson has recorded one and four.

Even if the Flyers tighten up their play, they'll have to find a way to solve Braden Holtby if they want to extend the series. They've scored two goals in the three games, with Holtby stopping 72 of 74 shots in the past two.

Holtby left practice Tuesday with an apparent left leg injury after colliding with a teammate, though Trotz expects him to play Wednesday.

'Basically just got nicked up a little bit, went off and we'll see where he is,' Trotz said. 'But I don't anticipate Braden not playing.'

Somewhat tempering the excitement over the Game 3 win was an upper-body injury to defenseman Brooks Orpik that will keep him out Wednesday.

'Anytime you lose a guy like Brooks Orpik, with his experience, he's been through the grind before, it's tough,' said Taylor Chorney, who could see his first action of the series. 'But at the same time, we've kind of been through it this year. He spent some time where he was hurt earlier in the year, and we had guys step up.'

While Washington has eight power-play goals in the series, the Flyers are 0 for 13. Claude Giroux, who led Philadelphia with 67 points, has none in the three games.

The Flyers are tasked with trying to stay alive against the team that's looked like the one to beat all season long and appears to have raised its level in the playoffs.

"They are a dangerous team offensively and if you give them too many chances, eventually they are going to punish you for it and you have to play especially smart defensively and stay out of the box," defenseman Mark Streit said.

First-year coach Dave Hakstol faces a tall order in getting his team refocused.

"We're not going away. We're going to pick up and go back to work tomorrow like we always do, like we have all year long, and get ready to go out and win a game (Wednesday)," he said.

It's uncertain whether the beleaguered Steve Mason will start in net in Game 4 or Hakstol will go with ex-Capital Michal Neuvirth in an attempt to spark his club.

'If I get the call I'm going to be ready and I'll try to enjoy it and help my teammates,' Neuvirth said.

Philadelphia forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is suspended for this game for checking defenseman Dmitry Orlov from behind Monday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Panthers (47-26) at Islanders (45-27)
Date: April 20, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

On paper, the Florida Panthers' deep, skilled roster seemed like too much for the New York Islanders to overcome in order to capture their first playoff series in 23 years.

It's starting to look like the guts and persistence of the Islanders on the ice might be more than the Panthers can handle in order to snap their own postseason slump that dates to the same era.

After their second come-from-behind win helped the Islanders claim an edge in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, they can jump far ahead with a Game 4 victory in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

New York hasn't won a playoff series since 1993 and entered this one as an underdog to the surprising Panthers, who have a slump stretching back to 1996 but had been considered a Stanley Cup contender after winning the Atlantic Division.

However, the Islanders' two comeback wins during an exhausting stretch of three games in four days has them in the driver's seat.

After splitting a pair in Florida, New York kept home-ice advantage with Sunday's 4-3 overtime win in its postseason debut in Brooklyn. The Islanders rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to force overtime, and Thomas Hickey one-timed a pass from Brock Nelson to end it.

'We had a good shift and grinded them out a little bit,' Hickey said. 'Somebody went to change, I saw a gap, and an unbelievable pass and (it) just got off my stick.'

Hickey's description of the overtime shift could be used for the entire series. The Islanders rallied from a 3-2 deficit to grind out a 5-4 victory in Game 1, and Hickey's winner may not have happened if not for a coach's challenge that wiped out Florida's third goal.

The Panthers seemed to take a 3-0 lead in the second period on an Aaron Ekblad tally, but it was overturned after video showed Florida was offside.

The final play of the game continued a promising trend for the Islanders, who entered this series leaning on the top line of John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen for scoring. That trio was great again Sunday, collecting a goal and four assists, but Shane Prince, Ryan Pulock and Hickey each logged their first career playoff goals while Nelson had his first assist.

That coincides with a negative trend for Florida, the play of Roberto Luongo. The six-time All-Star made 41 saves in Friday's 3-1 win but surrendered nine goals on 65 shots otherwise for a save percentage of just .862.

"I need the rest," Luongo told the team's official website. "Three games in four nights with an overtime, so I'm pretty exhausted right now. I need a couple days to re-energize here to get ready for Wednesday."

New York's Thomas Greiss has four postseason appearances to Luongo's 67, but he has outplayed the veteran in this series to the tune of a .922 save percentage. He has bent at times but hasn't quite broken, allowing seven goals but making 78 saves in the two wins.

While Florida forward Reilly Smith has found plenty of success with four goals and four assists, Jaromir Jagr has yet to record a point. Smith tied Dave Lowry for the franchise record with goals in three straight playoff games Sunday, but Jagr went without one for his 34th consecutive postseason contest.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Stars (50-23) at Wild (38-33)
Date: April 20, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

Less than five minutes into Game 3, it looked like the series was as good as over. The Dallas Stars had a 2-0 lead in the series and the game, and the Minnesota Wild were on their way to 400 minutes of postseason hockey without a lead.

But by the end of the second period, that span was over, and 20 minutes later, so was a six-game playoff losing streak. Rather than being up against a potential sweep, the Wild host the Stars in Game 4 on Wednesday night with a shot at evening the Western Conference playoff series many would have picked to be over first.

After Monday's 5-3 loss in Minnesota, Stars coach Lindy Ruff conceded the series could stretch on.

"It could be a heck of a series," Ruff said. "The parity in this league is incredible, and if you don't play well you're not going to win."

Dallas took control with two early goals from Patrick Sharp, but Minnesota's Chris Porter scored in the final minute of the period. After a pep talk from coach John Torchetti during the intermission, Erik Haula and Jason Pominville put the Wild in the lead.

"Leaders calm the group down and then we go," Haula told the team's official website. "It was 2-1, 40 minutes of hockey left. There's really not much (to say), everybody knows what to do, everybody knows when we're playing well, and everyone knows what it looks like."

Mikko Koivu extended the lead, and after Colton Sceviour cut Dallas' deficit in half with 6:15 to go, Pominville restored the two-goal advantage with an empty-netter.

Pominville also had an assist after being limited to two points in his previous nine playoff games. Koivu, the team's points leader, had gone five postseason contests without a point.

"We could have easily (folded)," Pominville said. "We could have done that a while ago, too. We're not that type of group. We're not that group that's going to fold. We're going to keep fighting and keep pushing."

The first two games followed the Wild's five-game losing streak to end the regular season, so the win let them avoid matching their worst skid of the season. It was just their second win in eight games against Dallas this season.

The Stars, meanwhile, had gone 11-2-0 over the previous month while never allowing more than three goals prior to Monday.

"We didn't play near as well as we needed to play," Ruff told the team's official website. "Probably as bad as I've seen us play in maybe five weeks."

Jamie Benn had an assist to give him a series-high five points, and the Dallas points leader has 18 on an 11-game streak against the Wild. For Sharp, it was his third two-goal playoff game against the Wild and eighth overall.

Pominville's was just the 11th in franchise history for Minnesota. Two of those belong to Zach Parise, the Wild's injured top scorer.

But both teams have been without key players. For Minnesota, Parise and Thomas Vanek are yet to play due to upper-body injuries, and there hasn't been any encouraging news for either. Dallas' Tyler Seguin, who played in Game 2 after missing a month with an Achilles injury, didn't travel with the team for Game 3 and is considered day to day.

In goal, Dallas had been thrilled with the play of Kari Lehtonen prior to allowing four goals on 24 shots in Game 3. Even so, he's 7-2-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average and .932 save percentage over the last month.

Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk faced 17 shots for his lightest workload in a full game since October to end a six-game losing streak. The 1-6-0 span over his last eight games comes with a 2.83 GAA and .883 save percentage.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Kings (48-28) at Sharks (46-30)
Date: April 20, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

Already down 2-0 in the series, the Los Angeles Kings fell behind 30 seconds into Game 3. It wasn't the start they wanted, but they've climbed out of deeper holes.

The Kings recovered to win the game and will now look to even the series Wednesday night with a fourth straight playoff win in San Jose, while the Sharks try to avoid the memory of their 2014 collapse in the same first-round matchup.

After Los Angeles' 2-1 overtime win Monday, the road team has won each game by a goal, and the Kings are trying to wrestle back home advantage - though it just doesn't seem to mean all that much.

The Sharks are 4-0-0 in Los Angeles this season and the Kings 3-1-0 in San Jose. They've won the last three playoff games there as part of a 6-2-0 span, which dates to that 2014 series in which Los Angeles rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Sharks on its way to a second Stanley Cup title.

Tanner Pearson scored the winner and is on a season-best five-game point streak - one shy of his career-best run from May 2014, which came entirely in the postseason.

"It's not the start that we wanted, obviously, but we trust each other in here that we were going to bounce back," Pearson told the league's official website. "It's a confident group when our backs are against the wall. We're still there and we've got to fight back to even up the series."

Anze Kopitar tied it midway through the first period to give the Kings a power-play goal in five straight games against the Sharks after ending the regular season by going 3 for 38 in their last 16 overall.

Regardless of how the goals came, Drew Doughty said the result likely instilled a level of uneasiness for San Jose.

"You know they're thinking a little bit about it now, so we're right where we want to be," said Doughty, who played 35:01 of the game's 63:47.

San Jose isn't so sure there's been any real momentum shift.

"It's the first team to four," coach Peter DeBoer said. "I couldn't care less where we win the game. We played well enough to win the game tonight. We outshot them, outchanced them. We didn't win."

Shots, however, have meant little. In the last seven meetings, the team with fewer shots has won six times and the other ended with both teams recording 32.

Overall, San Jose has now dropped six of its last eight at home as part of a season long since defined by road success and home struggles. The Sharks have won 18 of 42 home games, while every other playoff team has won at least 22.

"The effort was there, the crowd was great," said Joe Pavelski, who leads the series with four points. "We felt like we did a lot of good things again. They were definitely a better team than the first couple of games. It's nothing we can't play with and we don't feel like we can't get our game going.

"It's still a big challenge out there, and we're excited."

After Joe Thornton's early goal, Jonathan Quick settled in for a 29-save night and has gotten better in each playoff game after Los Angeles missed the postseason last year. He's been in goal for the three straight playoff wins in San Jose while posting a 0.65 goals-against average and .980 save percentage.

Counterpart Martin Jones has faced his former team eight times this season, going 5-2-1 with a 2.34 GAA. He's 2-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA in five career playoff games.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE using money line in All games in a home game where where the total is 5 or less
The record is 15 Wins and 29 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.1 units)

NHL > (15) WASHINGTON@ (16) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games after a division game
The record is 13 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+10.9 units)

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play ON LOS ANGELES using money line in Road games after a division game
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+9 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 7 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (-15.25 units)

NHL > (17) FLORIDA@ (18) NY ISLANDERS | 2016-04-20 20:05:00 - 2016-04-20 20:05:00
Play ON NY ISLANDERS using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+11.65 units)

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play ON SAN JOSE using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 3 Losses for the this season (+9.75 units)

NHL > (15) WASHINGTON@ (16) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in All games
The record is 53 Wins and 19 Losses for the this season (+22.95 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games second half of the season
The record is 18 Wins and 30 Losses for the this season (-20.75 units)

-----------------

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE in All games in a home game where where the total is 5 or less
The record is 15 Wins and 29 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.1 units)

NHL > (15) WASHINGTON@ (16) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-04-20 19:05:00 - 2016-04-20 19:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in Road games after a division game
The record is 13 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+10.9 units)

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play ON LOS ANGELES in Road games after a division game
The record is 10 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+9 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in Home games second half of the season
The record is 7 Wins and 14 Losses for the this season (-15.25 units)

NHL > (17) FLORIDA@ (18) NY ISLANDERS | 2016-04-20 20:05:00 - 2016-04-20 20:05:00
Play ON NY ISLANDERS in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 16 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+11.65 units)

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play ON SAN JOSE in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 3 Losses for the this season (+9.75 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in All games second half of the season
The record is 18 Wins and 30 Losses for the this season (-20.75 units)

-------------------------

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games revenging a home loss versus opponent
The record is 8 Overs and 0 Unders for the this season (+8.35 units)

NHL > (27) ANAHEIM@ (28) NASHVILLE | 2016-04-21 20:05:00 - 2016-04-21 20:05:00
Play OVER NASHVILLE on the totalin Home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game
The record is 11 Overs and 1 Unders for the last two seasons (+10.4 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play OVER DALLAS on the totalin All games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 14 Overs and 4 Unders for the this season (+9.8 units)

NHL > (19) DALLAS@ (20) MINNESOTA | 2016-04-20 21:35:00 - 2016-04-20 21:35:00
Play OVER DALLAS on the totalin Road games after allowing 4 goals or more
The record is 17 Overs and 5 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.45 units)

NHL > (21) LOS ANGELES@ (22) SAN JOSE | 2016-04-20 22:35:00 - 2016-04-20 22:35:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 12 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+9.15 units)

[StarDust Bum]

4/19 - 2 - 3 - 1.88
Overall - 13 - 15 - 3 - 3.15

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at PHI 07:00 PM

WAS -152

O 5.0


FLA at NYI 08:00 PM

FLA -103

U 5.0


DAL at MIN 09:30 PM

MIN +102

O 5.0


LA at SJ 10:30 PM

SJ -117

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 107, Pistons 90-- Cleveland was 20-38 behind the arc.

-- Heat 115, Hornets 103-- Favorites are 12-4 vs spread so far in playoffs.

-- Clippers 102, Trailblazers 81-- LA held Lillard to 6-22 from floor.

-- Florid 3, NY Islanders 2-- Series heads south tied 2-2

-- Flyers 2, Washington 1-- Philly staves off elimination, at least for one night.

-- Sharks 3, Kings 2-- All four NHL games last night were decided by one goal.

**********

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

13) Cleveland traded the #2 pick in the NFL Draft to the Eagles, for two #1's, a second, third and fourth round draft picks. Browns cit seven starters during this offseason, so they need to re-stock their team. It also means they're going with Robert Griffin at quarterback, which should be interesting.

12) Not sure what the Eagles' new regime is doing; they're obviously going to take whichever QB the Rams do not take, so they must like both players to be OK with trading so many choices, when they don't know which QB it will be. Wonder what Sam Bradford thinks about all of this?

11) Last time the top two choices in the same draft got traded was 1997-- the #3 pick that year got traded too.

10) Carolina Panthers took the franchise tag off CB Josh Norman, making him a free agent; 49ers are rumored to be the team that can afford him that wants him the most.

9) Alabama's spring football game got better TV ratings Saturday than the NHL playoff games played that day.

8) Steve Spurrier would make a terrrific college football analyst, right? I'm hoping one of the networks signs him up so we can learn from him this fall.

7) Random prediction: Jose Reyes winds up as the shortstop for the Bronx Bombers. Reyes' contract and Trevor Story make Reyes expendable in Denver.

6) RIP Dwayne (Pearl) Washington, one of the Big East's first great players, who passed away too early this week at age 52. Washington was a playground in Brooklyn who became a terrific college player.

5) DeAndre Jordan committed a foul on the opening tap last night, before any time came off the clock; don't think I've ever seen that before.

4) Minnesota Timberwolves signed Tom Thibodeau to run their franchose, a smart move; I'm still disappointed he never showed up on TV this season-- would've been fun listening to him talk hoops. I'm wondering if any college programs approached him about coaching their team-- he is a basketball genius.

3) Over/under total for all three NBA games combined last night was 613.5; total wound up being 598, an easy win for the under.

2) Quote of the Day, part II: "Last time I hit was eight years ago."

That was A's pitcher Kendall Graveman, after the Oakland A's lost their DH for the fourth time in 15 games this season, this time because 3B Danny Valencia got hurt and DH Jed Lowrie had to take his place in the field.

1) Rough day for Andrew Jackson, who got taken off the front of $20 bills by the US Treasury, replaced by Harriet Tubman. Jackson moves to the back of $20 bills. It is amazing to me that there are people collecting a paycheck for deciding stuff like this.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Thursday, April 21

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Thursday's NHL betting preview
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Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Blackhawks was a spirited affair (140 minutes in penalties) that put the Blues in a great position to advance.

There are four great matchups on the NHL schedule for Thursday night with both the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks facing elimination and the New York Rangers and the Anaheim Ducks looking to avoid going down three-games-to-one.

Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning (A: +145, H: -165, O/U: 5)

Lightning lead series 3-1

The short-handed Tampa Bay Lightning can advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with a victory when they host the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 on Thursday. The Lightning, playing without captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and top-pair defenseman Anton Stralman (broken fibula), received three goals from their much-maligned power play for a 3-2 victory in Detroit on Tuesday to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

“Hopefully this keeps going, because that’ll be a huge boost for us,” Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson told reporters of the power play, which finished 28th during the regular season and was 1-for-14 before Tuesday in the postseason. “. … We worked on it, and it paid off.” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill told the media that special teams lost Game 4 and the Red Wings must find a way to ignite their power play, which is 1-for-21 in the series. Detroit has managed only two goals in each game and do not have a player who has scored more than one as Tomas Tatar leads the team with three points. “We feel like when we do it right, we can play with anybody,” Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall told reporters. “But it’s a matter of doing it every night. … We have to be better. We have to be more desperate.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS2, FSN Detroit, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (42-33-11, 32-54 ATS, 32-37 O/U): Detroit will need its big guns to step up if it is to stay alive in the postseason and none more than veteran center Pavel Datsyuk, who has no points and a team-high 15 shots on goal in the series. Gustav Nyquist scored for only the second time in 21 games Tuesday, captain Henrik Zetterberg has managed two goals in his last 28 outings - including one in Game 3 - and rookie Dylan Larkin has tallied once with only six shots in the series. “I have to be better, and have to produce more,” Zetterberg told reporters. “I’ve got a chance (Thursday) to improve on that.”

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (49-32-5, 36-50 ATS, 35-40 O/U): Jonathan Drouin had assists on all three power-play goals Tuesday, including a nifty centering pass to Ondrej Palat for the winner with 2:59 left. “He’s a guy with unbelievable skill,” Johnson said of Drouin, who was suspended for almost two months earlier this season when he left his minor league team after requesting a trade. “Some of the things he does, it’s just remarkable. I think he just needed the confidence to be able to do that in the game.” Nikita Kucherov has five goals in the series - two Tuesday - and Johnson is one point behind him with seven.

TRENDS:

* Red Wings are 1-7 in their last 8 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 6-1-5 in Red Wings last 12 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 8-2-1 in Lightning last 11 games following a win.
* Red Wings are 0-5 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay.



Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers (A: -118, H: -105, O/U: 5)

Penguins lead series 2-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins wasted no time reclaiming home-ice advantage and can put a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series when they visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night in a pivotal Game 4. The Penguins rebounded from a 4-2 home loss in Game 2 with a stifling defensive effort in Tuesday's 3-1 victory.

"We understand if you want to win games, that's how you're going to have to win them this time of year," Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said after the Rangers were limited to 17 shots. Pittsburgh also earned a victory of sorts off the ice Wednesday when the NHL decided not to punish star defenseman Kris Letang for a high-sticking incident that knocked out some teeth from New York's Viktor Stalberg. “We might feel that it seems deliberate,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "So just gotta deal with it and focus on the next game." Of more concern for New York is the fact that the team has lost its last four playoff games at Madison Square Garden.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CNBC, TVAS, Sportsnet, ROOT (Pittsburgh), MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (50-27-8, 39-46 ATS, 38-33 O/U): After being forced to start third-string netminder Jeff Zatkoff in the first two games, Pittsburgh received a boost when backup goaltender Matt Murray returned from a concussion to earn the victory in the postseason debut. With starter Marc-Andre Fleury sidelined since March 31 with a concussion and his status remaining day-to-day, Murray's return looms large after he won four consecutive starts before he was injured in a meaningless regular-season finale. "The nerves were definitely going at the start of the game. That's understandable," Murray admitted. "It was my first playoff game, at MSG no less. I was able to control it and that was all I could ask for."

ABOUT THE RANGERS (47-29-9, 40-45 ATS, 38-29 O/U): Daptain Ryan McDonagh, sidelined since Apri 4 with a hand injury and not expected to play in Game 3, not only returned to the lineup but led the team with 22:48 of ice time while blocking one shot and delivering five hits. “Obviously he’s a big part of our group, no doubt about it,” Rangers center Derek Stepan said of McDonagh. “He’s our leader. He’s an All-Star, too. It always helps your lineup when you can put him back in. I thought he did a good job.” Fellow defenseman Dan Girardi, who returned to the lineup for the series opener only to sit out the past two games due to an undisclosed injury, was at Wednesday's practice but no update was given on his status.

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 10-1 in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Rangers are 0-4 in their last 4 Thursday games.
* Over is 9-1-2 in Penguins last 12 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 6-0-3 in Rangers last 9 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Penguins are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.



Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators (A: -110, H: -110, O/U: 5)

Predators lead series 2-1

Home-ice advantage has been anything but that for the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators, with the away team prevailing in each of the first three contests. The Ducks, fresh off what could have been a postseason-saving 3-0 victory on Tuesday, look to continue the trend of road dominance when they visit the Predators in Thursday night's Game 4.

After suffering a pair of 3-2 losses at home, Anaheim returned to the formula that netted the team the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed in Tuesday's triumph. "When we play defense first, the other things tend to work themselves out," said Ducks forward Chris Stewart, who scored one of the goals. "If we've got to win 1-0, 2-0, that's fine. We've been doing that the majority of the year, and that's when we're at our best." The Predators haven't suffered back-to-back regulation losses at home since Feb. 2-4 and closed the regular season with a 9-1-4 run at Bridgestone Arena. "It's a really good hockey team there and we're still leading 2-1," Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne said. "Now it's a series."

TV: 8 p.m. ET NHL Network, TVAS 3, FX Canada, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)

ABOUT THE DUCKS (47-27-11, 40-45 ATS, 32-35 O/U): While no one was pointing a finger at goaltender John Gibson for the two losses in Anaheim, coach Bruce Boudreau opted to start Frederik Andersen in Game 3 and was rewarded with a 27-shutout performance that earned the third-year netminder the nod for Game 4. Boudreau made a more subtle change in his lineup by replacing Chris Wagner with veteran forward Shawn Horcoff, who set up the game's opening goal by Jamie McGinn. “With Horcoff, here’s a guy that went to Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final," Boudreau told reporters. "My thought with him is experience, especially when you’re in a sort of a desperation situation, (that) would be really come forward.”

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (43-28-14, 36-49 ATS, 33-34 O/U): Nashville must deal with the potential absence of forward Craig Smith, who was third on the team with 21 goals and topped the club with six game-winning tallies. Smith suffered a lower-body injury in the opening moments of Game 3 and is listed as day-to-day after missing Wednesday's practice session. “Obviously he’s been a great player for us and gives us some depth, so it’s time for other guys to step up — if it’s going to be extended — and fill his role,” Predators captain Shea Weber told reporters following the contest. Colin Wilson, who scored six times during the regular season but has six goals in his last nine postseason games, will likely take Smith's spot.

TRENDS:

* Ducks are 5-1 in their last 6 road games.
* Predators are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals.
* Under is 6-0-1 in Ducks last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Predators last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Ducks are 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Nashville.



Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues (A: +110, H: -130, O/U: 5)

Blues lead series 3-1

After losing in the first round in each of the last three years, the St. Louis Blues have a chance to oust the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks from the playoffs when the Central Division rivals play Game 5 in the Gateway City on Thursday. Vladimir Tarasenko increased his series point total to five (three goals, two assists) and his playoff goal tally to 13 in 17 career games after he scored twice and added an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 victory.

"I don't know if it's just Chicago; we have the belief that we can beat anybody," coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters after St. Louis seized a 3-1 advantage in the series. Andrew Shaw collected one goal and two assists, but the Blackhawks' first-line forward's costly interference penalty late in the third period sealed his team's fate on Tuesday. The 24-year-old compounded his problems by making an inappropriate gesture toward an official and mouthing a homophobic slur toward someone on the ice in full view of television cameras - actions for which he apologized the following day. The Blackhawks said they were "extremely" disappointed by the incident and the league took action by suspending Shaw for Game 5, issuing a $5,000 fine and ordering him to undergo sensitivity training.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVAS, SN, CSN Chicago, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (48-28-10, 37-49 ATS, 31-33 O/U): While Shaw is set to serve his one-game suspension, defenseman Duncan Keith has scored three goals and set up another since completing his six-game ban for a hit on Minnesota's Charlie Coyle. "We know it takes four to win a series, so we're going to do everything we can to make sure we have our best game. We have to," Keith told reporters. "We're facing elimination and we've got to leave it all out on the ice." Keith's four points have him tied for the team lead with Shaw (two goals, two assists) as well as Patrick Kane (four assists), who joins captain Jonathan Toews and veteran Marian Hossa in search of their first goal in the series.

ABOUT THE BLUES (52-25-9, 39-47 ATS, 33-41 O/U): After failing to record a point in his last four regular-season contests in addition to the series opener, Jaden Schwartz has gotten hot in a hurry with an assist in Game 2, a goal in Game 3 and one of each on Tuesday. "We're going to have to (overcome adversity) to beat this team," the 23-year-old Schwartz told reporters. "We're going to have to find a way to come back when we're down, find a way to get some insurance goals ... do all the little things. We're enjoying battling for each other right now." Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk also has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in the series and has at least one in eight of his last 10 games.

TRENDS:

* Blackhawks are 3-12 in their last 15 vs. Central.
* Blues are 9-1 in their last 10 vs. Central.
* Over is 8-2-3 in Blackhawks last 13 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 9-0-3 in Blues last 12 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Blackhawks are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings.