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

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 28


Pittsburgh @ Washington

Game 1-2
April 28, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.488
Washington
12.805
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
3 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-135); Under

[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]

Western Conference Semis
April 28, 2016

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues
Season Series: Blues lead 4-1 SU/1-4 O/U
Blues are 3-7 SU Last 10 Meetings
Under is 6-2 Last 8 Meetings
Road Team has won 6 of Last 10 Meetings

Dallas Recent Trends
14-6 SU Last 20 Games Overall
10-3 SU Last 13 Games as a Favorite
8-1 SU Last 9 Home Games

Starting Goalie
Kari Lehtonen: 9-2 SU Last 11 Starts;
Lifetime Record vs STL:13-9, 2.09 G.A.A; .924Sv% w/3 SO in 24 GP

St. Louis Recent Trends
Over is 7-2-3 Last 12 Games Overall
7 of Last 9 Games have been decided by 1 Goal
Power-Play Unit converted 5 of their Last 13 Chances

Starting Goalie
Brian Elliott: 16-5 SU Last 21 Starts
Lifetime Record vs DAL: 6-4, 2.75 G.A.A; .906 Sv% in 11 GP

Series Odds
Stars +105
Blues -125

Exact Game Props
7 Games Stars Win 3/1
6 Games Blues Win 7/2
5 Games Stars Win 4/1
6 Games Stars Win 9/2
7 Games Blues Win 9/2
5 Games Blues Win 6/1
4 Games Stars Win 12/1
4 Games Blues Win 14/1

San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators
Season Series: Predators Lead 2-1 SU/1-2 O/U
Under is 7-2-1 Last 10 Meetings
Home Team has won 4 of Last 6 Meetings

San Jose Recent Trends
On a 9-3 SU Run Last 12 Games Overall
On a 6-Game Road Winning Streak
13-3 SU Last 16 Road Games

Starting Goalie
Martin Jones:6-3 SU Last 9 Starts
Lifetime Record vs NSH: 0-4, 3.62 G.A.A; .863 Sv% in 4 GP

Nashville Recent Trends
6-3 SU Last 9 Games as a Favorite
4-6 SU Last 10 Road Games
7-17 SU Last 24 Games as a Underdog
6-3-3 O/U Last 12 Playoff Games

Starting Goalie
Pekka Rinne: 6-3 SU Last 9 Starts
Lifetime Record vs SJ: 10-9. 1.80 G.A.A; .945 Sv% in 20 GP

Series Odds
Sharks
Predators

Exact Game Props

[StarDust Bum]

4/27 - Results: 2 - 0 + 2.47
Overall : 27 - 21 - 6 + 6.88

THURSDAY, APRIL 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PIT at WAS 08:00 PM

PIT +108

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Phillies 3, Nationals 0-- Suprising Phils won six of last seven, are 12-10.

-- Hawks 104, Celtics 92-- Atlanta moves on to the second round.

-- Capitals 4, Penguins 3 OT-- Washington wins first game in series.

-- Marlins 5, Dodgers 3-- Miami sweeps four games in Chavez Ravine, but 2B Dee Gordon got benched for 80 games afterwards for flunking a PED test. .

-- Giancarlo Stanton has 22 RBI in 19 career games in Dodger Stadium.

-- '93 Buffalo Bills are last Super Bowl loser to make Super Bowl the next year.

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Quick thoughts after the NFL Draft......

13) Very bad night to be Ole Miss T Laremy Tunsil; someone hacked his Twitter account, posted a picture of Tunsil smoking pot while wearing a gas mask. No bueno. It definitely was Tunsil in the picture and it is going to cost him millions of dollars. Apparently he ticked off the wrong person.

Tunsil wound up taken #13 by Miami; hope he learned his lesson. Dolphins may have gotten a great value if he has his life in order- before the Rams got the #1 pick in that big trade, Tunsil was rumored to be the Titans' #1 choice. .

12) Jared Goff's dad hit .215 in 250 PA as a backup catcher for three teams in the 90's. I have no idea how Jared will do, but I'll be rooting like hell for him and I know this-- Bill Parcells never wanted to draft a QB unless he played for three years in college, and Goff started three years at Cal. In the Pac-12.

11) This is a little bit random, but I'm wondering if quarterbacks with lot of siblings fare better leading a team than a guy who was an only child. When you grow up in a big family, you have to deal more with different types of personailities; with all the due diligence these professional teams do on prospects, I wonder if that plays into it at all.

10) This was the fifth year in a row Jacksonville drafted in the top 5; its not good for a coach's job security when that happens. Jalen Ramsey figures to help out a defense that was 29th against the pass LY.

9) Leonard Floyd (#9 to Chicago) was first SEC player taken; this was only third time in last 31 years no SEC player was taken in the first five picks of the draft. John Fox is going all-out to improve his defense this offseason.

8) This was the third time in last five years QBs went #1-2 in the draft; before that, it had been 13 years since the top two picks were quarterbacks.

7) Houston gave Washington a 6th round pick so they could move up one slot and draft Notre Dame WR Will Fuller, who is very fast but drops a lot of passes. A 6th-round pick doesn't sound like much, but 16 years ago, the Patriots used a 6th-round pick on someone you may have heard of-- Tom Brady.

6) Redskins then took TCU's WR Josh Doctson, who I think is great-- TCU's offense went in the ashcan LY as soon as Doctson got hurt.

5) Chiefs got extra 4th, 6th-round draft choices from the 49ers so SF could move up a few spots (eight?), and draft G Joshua Garnett of Stanford.

NFL Network guys were ready to bash the 49ers for trading up just to take a lineman, but David Shaw, Garnett's college coach, was sitting next to them on the dais so they backed off.

Shaw, by the way, is very good on TV and will have a spot waiting for him in a studio somewhere when he doesn't want to coach anymore.

4) In the 1981 baseball draft, two-sport star John Elway was taken six picks ahead of another two-sport star, Tony Gwynn. Whoops.

3) Eagles have $61M in guaranteed money tied up in their three QBs; Bradford, Wentz and Chase Daniel. Bradford wants a trade, but not to the 49ers; apparently he is no Chip Kelly fan. Could he wind up on the Jets?

2) I mean, it is April 29 and Ryan Fitzpatrick is making noises like he has no intention of ever playing for the Jets again, which means they don't have an NFL-caliber QB on their roster, unless Bryce Petty somehow had an epiphany during the offseason. Trading for Bradford could make sense.

1) NFL Network did a fine job with their coverage Thursday; I can't stand Chris Berman, so I won't watch ESPN if he is on, which he won't be tonight, so I can listen to my man Mel Kiper the next two nights. Stretching this out over three days is a debatable idea, but moving it around the country is a great idea. Philadelphia is said to be the favorite to host the draft next year.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, April 29

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ST LOUIS (53-27-0-9, 115 pts.) at DALLAS (54-24-0-10, 118 pts.) - 4/29/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 9-16 ATS (-13.4 Units) on Friday nights over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 54-34 ATS (+16.1 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 23-15 ATS (+2.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 53-36 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-14 ATS (+10.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 17-9 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-13 ATS (+7.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 16-4 ATS (+10.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 28-18 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 17-9 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 28-34 ATS (-8.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 18-23 ATS (-13.7 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 9-6-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

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NASHVILLE (45-30-0-14, 104 pts.) at SAN JOSE (50-30-0-7, 107 pts.) - 4/29/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 45-44 ATS (-14.5 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 21-34 ATS (+56.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 20-10 ATS (+4.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NASHVILLE is 215-172 ATS (+32.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 8-16 ATS (-13.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 23-28 ATS (-30.1 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 3-9 ATS (-11.5 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 153-135 ATS (-77.0 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 6-11 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
SAN JOSE is 7-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 6-3 (+4.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 6-3-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.9 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, April 29

St Louis at Dallas, 8:05 PM ET
St Louis: 14-9 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
Dallas: 7-13 SU in home games off a road win

Nashville at San Jose, 10:35 PM ET
Nashville: 56-35 SU after 1 or more consecutive unders
San Jose: 4-9 SU in home games off a road win




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 29

St Louis-Dallas (0-0)
Blues won Game 7 at home over nemesis Chicago Monday; they won three of last four road games, all in Chicago. St Louis won six of last seven games against Dallas, with last three series win all in OT/SO. Blues won four of last five visits here; six of last eight series games stayed under total. Dallas Stars won Game 6 in Minnesota Sunday; they've won six of last eight games overall, eight of last nine on home ice. Over is 3-0-1 in last four games for both teams. 7 of last 9 St Louis games were decided by one goal.

Nashville-San Jose (0-0)
Predators won six of last nine games with San Jose but are 2-3 in last five visits here; under is 7-2-1 in last ten series games, 5-0 in last five in Shark Tank. This is only third time in franchise history Preds have gotten this far- they won three of last four road games. Under is 3-1-1 in their last five overall. San Jose had five extra days to prep for this; they haven't played in a week, Nashville won its first-ever Game 7 Wednesday. Sharks won five of last six games but are 2-3 in last five home games. .

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




NHL

Friday, April 29

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. DALLAS
St. Louis is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Dallas is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games

10:30 PM
NASHVILLE vs. SAN JOSE
Nashville is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
San Jose is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Nashville

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, April 29


Nashville @ San Jose

Game 7-8
April 29, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
12.656
San Jose
11.101
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-170
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(+150); Over

St. Louis @ Dallas

Game 5-6
April 29, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
11.931
Dallas
10.844
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+100); Under

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Friday, April 29

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Friday's NHL betting preview
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Not much rest for the Predators as they are back on the ice to start the second round at San Jose - two days after winning Game 7 in Anaheim.

Friday night's second round Stanley Cup Playoffs action features a pair of Western Conference matchups. The St. Louis Blues travel to Dallas to take on the Stars and the Nashville Predators attempt to keep momentum on their side as they slide up the coast from Anaheim to San Jose to take on the Sharks.

St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars (A: +100, H: -120, O/U: 5)

Series tied 0-0

The St. Louis Blues finally ended a string of three consecutive exits in the first round of the postseason by dethroning the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in a riveting seven-game series. The reward for the Blues - a second-round matchup against the top-seeded Dallas Stars beginning with Friday night.'s Game 1.

"I don't know if it's a milestone. It's a hump," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters after the franchise's first Game 7 win since 1999. Dallas had an easier road than the Blues in the opening series, beating the Minnesota Wild in six games to advance to the second round for the first time since 2008. The Stars finished two points in front of St. Louis for the Central Division title and No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but the Blues won four of the five regular-season meetings - with three of the victories coming after regulation. "The games we played them this year were extremely close, so I think at the end, you end up clashing with a team that you fought the hardest with," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff told reporters.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA

PROBABLE GOALIES: Blues - B. Elliott (0.930%), Stars - K. Lehtonen (0.907%).

ABOUT THE BLUES (53-26-10, 39-50 ATS, 35-41 O/U): Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored four times against Chicago after leading St. Louis in goals (40) and points (74) during the regular season, has torched Dallas for eight tallies and five assists in 14 career matchups. Jaden Schwartz was limited to 33 games due to injury, but he has come alive in the playoffs with three goals and four assists during a six-game point streak while rookie Robby Fabbri recorded a goal and an assist against Chicago, setting up former ********* Troy Brouwer's game-winning goal in the series clincher. "I thought Robby was one of our best players in the series," Hitchcock told reporters. "He's really emerged as a top offensive player."

ABOUT THE STARS (54-24-10, 42-46 ATS, 48-38 O/U): Captain Jamie Benn finished second in scoring this season after leading the NHL in 2014-15 and hasn't slowed down in the playoffs, netting four goals to go along with six assists while notching at least point in every game against Minnesota. With Tyler Seguin sidelined after re-aggravating an Achilles injury, Jason Spezza continued to pick up the slack following his 33-goal campaign, tallying four times against the Wild and capping his series with a four-point performance. Ruff played both of his goaltenders against Minnesota, but Kari Lehtonen has superior career numbers against this Blues, including a 1-0-1 record with two goals allowed this season.

TRENDS:

* Blues are 7-1 in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Stars are 7-1 in their last 8 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 3-0-3 in Blues last 6 overall.
* Over is 5-0 in Stars last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
* Blues are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.



Nashville Predators at San Jose Sharks (A: +145, H: -165, O/U: 5)

Series tied 0-0

The San Jose Sharks dispatched one Pacific Division rival in the opening round of the playoffs and may have been expecting to see another in the second round, but instead they will host the upstart Nashville Predators in Game 1 on Friday. Nashville became the final team to punch its ticket to the second round with a 2-1 Game 7 victory at Anaheim on Wednesday.

While the Predators had an abrupt turnaround before heading up the California coast, San Jose has been idle since closing out the Los Angeles Kings in five games on April 22. "There's advantages to both," Sharks forward Tommy Wingels told reporters. "When you play every other day, you get into a bit of a routine of having a day off and bringing it the next night. So, in that aspect, I think they'll be ready to go. On the other side of it, we appreciated our rest." San Jose posted the worst home record (18-20-3) of any playoff team and must contend with an opponent that won three times in Anaheim and beat the Sharks in two of their three matchups during the regular season. "Moving forward, I think we're a better team already," Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne told reporters after the first Game 7 win in franchise history.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA

PROBABLE GOALIES: Predators - P. Rinne (0.908%), Ducks - M. Jones (0.917%)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (45-30-14, 38-51 ATS, 34-36 O/U): Rinne had a number of shaky moments during the regular season and was dented for 11 goals as the Ducks won three straight games in their series, but the Finnish netminder was immense in both elimination contests - including a sensational 36-save performance in Game 7. “He was really good,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “If you think that you need four wins to get out, and if you think about the four wins, you could consider him one of the best players on the ice. He was outstanding." Colin Wilson scored just six times in 64 games during the regular season, but his opening goal in Game 7 gave him seven tallies in his last 13 playoff contests.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (50-30-7, 41-46 ATS, 44-35 O/U): Captain Joe Pavelski topped San Jose with 38 goals during the regular season before scoring five more times against Los Angeles, while defenseman Brent Burns registered a team-high eight points in the opening round after establishing career highs of 27 goals and 48 assists in the regular season. Netminder Martin Jones notched 37 wins in his first full season as a starter but has a rocky history against the Predators, going 0-2-2 with a 3.62 goals-against average and .863 save percentage in four career appearances (three starts). The Sharks' power play, ranked third in the regular season, converted 5-of-21 chances versus the Kings.

TRENDS:

* Predators are 5-1 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
* Sharks are 13-3 in their last 16 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Predators last 5 games following a win.
* Under is 5-0 in Sharks last 5 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings in San Jose.

[StarDust Bum]

4/28 - 1 - 1 - 0

Overall : 28 - 22 - 6 + 6.88

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at DAL 08:00 PM

DAL -113

O 5.0


NAS at SJ 10:30 PM

NAS +135 ( PLAYOFF GAME OF THE YEAR )

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Luke Walton is the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

-- Portland 106, Clippers 103-- Blazers move on to face Golden State next.

-- Washington Redskins started 11 different defensive backs LY, most in NFL.

-- 10 of the first 94 players drafted this week played ball at Ohio State.

-- In 1979, the Kansas City Royals drafted Dan Marino in the 5th round, John Elway in the 18th round; if only the Chiefs could draft so well.

-- Skip Bayless is getting $5.5M a year for four years from FS1, with a $4M bonus to sign. What a country.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here........

13) Four quarterbacks drafted in rounds 2-3 won Super Bowls with the team that drafted them: Stabler-Wilson-Hostetler-Montana.

12) 22 defensive players were taken in the second round last night, a record.

11) Bill O'Brien coached Penn State rookie QB Christian Hackenberg for a year before he bolted to coach in the NFL; if O'Brien's Texans didn't want him, why should any other NFL team draft him? Friend of mine who is an expert on the quarterback position doesn't like Hackenberg at all.

10) Michigan State QB Connor Cook went 34-5 as a starter for the Spartans, but he wasn't elected as a captain by his teammates senior year, which has become a thing, as far as Cook being drafted by the NFL.

He wasn't taken n the first three round of the draft, while NC State's Jacoby Brissett and USC's Cody Kessler were both drafted Friday night, and neither is considered as good a player as Cook. .

If you read between the lines during the draft broadcasts on TV, not being a captain is somehow an indictment of Cook, but no one will say exactly what it is/was that made teammates not vote for him as a captain.

9) One good thing about the three-day NFL Draft; lot more trades the second day, as teams reconsider their positions after the first round.

8) I saw Urban Meyer smile last night!!! He is a smart guy, a great coach, but when he was doing college games on ESPN I actually felt bad for him because he seemed so completely humorless. He was on the NFL Network last night during the draft and was good.

7) Scheduling oddity; Baltimore Ravens play the Giants in Swamp Stadium in Week 6, then return to Jersey the next week and play the Jets in Week 7.

6) Watching Braves-Cubs yesterday, Atlanta announcer Joe Simpson was just killing umpire CB Bucknor, who is widely regarded as the worst umpire in the major leagues. I've always read that Bucknor is (relatively) better behind the plate than on the bases, but Simpson was shredding his mechanics of setting ip to call a pitch. Bucknor's been around for a while; he's not going anywhere.

5) UNLV had a horrific basketball season this year; the players/coaches have scattered quickly in many different directions since.

-- Only four players from last year's team will be back next year.
-- Former head coach Dave Rice is now an assistant at Nevada.
-- Forner interim coach Todd Simon is now head coach at Southern Utah.
-- Former assistant coach Ryan Miller is now an assistant at TCU.
-- Forner assistant Max Good is now head coach at Pratt CC in Kansas.
-- Chris Beard was the head coach for 6-7 days this spring, but quickly bolted for Texas Tech after Tubby Smith went to Memphis.

4) Sam Bradford wants the Eagles to trade him, but not to the 49ers; sounds like he and Chip Kelly didn't get along so well.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneera traded up to draft a kicker in the second round; Florida State's Roberto Aguayo (pick #50), the highest-drafted kicker since the Jets took Mike Nugent with the 47th pick in 2005.

2) You have to root for former Arkansas QB Brandon Allen; kid had his car egged by miserable Arkansas fans after a loss few years ago, then someone torched his truck the next year, and that was before the season started. Allen hasn't been drafted yet; we wish him well in the pros, where fans might not take things as seriously as fans in the SEC take their college ball.

1) Baltimore Ravens have five 4th-round draft picks today. Five.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 30

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NY ISLANDERS (50-29-0-10, 110 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (50-33-0-5, 105 pts.) - 4/30/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 5-12 ATS (-8.9 Units) on Saturday games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 3-8 ATS (-8.1 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-10 ATS (+9.8 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 31-14 ATS (+13.3 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 29-13 ATS (+11.2 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 5-1 ATS (+6.4 Units) in road games in April games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-17 ATS (+43.7 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-15 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 14-9 ATS (+23.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 14-22 ATS (-21.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-4 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 6-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.5 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (52-27-0-9, 113 pts.) at WASHINGTON (61-20-0-8, 130 pts.) - 4/30/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 33-38 ATS (-23.3 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 61-28 ATS (+28.0 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 26-10 ATS (+9.3 Units) after a division game this season.
PITTSBURGH is 18-12 ATS (+30.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
PITTSBURGH is 34-17 ATS (+10.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 12-4 ATS (+7.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 8-6 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-6-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.6 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Saturday, April 30

NY Islanders at Tampa Bay, 3:05 PM ET
New York: 3-8 SU after a 3 game unbeaten streak
Tampa Bay: 8-0 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more

Pittsburgh at Washington, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 33-38 SU vs. division opponents
Washington: 26-10 SU after a division game




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, April 30

NY Islanders-Tampa Bay (NY 1-0)
Islanders won five of last six games with Tampa Bay, but lost three of last five visits here, in a series where home side won six of last eight games- over is 5-1-1 in last seven. Islanders won five of last six road games overall. Tampa Bay won four of its last six games, winning four of its last five home games, but Islanders scored twice in last 2:32 of first period in Game 1, scoring with 0:03 left in first period as they drew first blood in this series. NY was 1-4 on power play, Lightning 0-2. Tampa Bay outshot NY 28-10 in last two periods after falling behind 3-1, but never caught up.

Pittsburgh-Washington (W 1-0)
Oshie got hat trick, scoring GW goal at 9:33 of OT, as Washington overcame giving up pair of goals in 0:57 span of second period in Game 1 win. Road team is now 5-3 in last eight series games. Pittsburgh is 3-2 in last five visits here; over is 4-1-2 in last seven series games. Penguins outshot Caps 30-12 in periods 2-3, 45-35 for game; they were 0-2 on power play, Washington 0-4. Pens won eight of last 11 games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten games. Under is 5-2-1 in Washington's last eight games.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 3-1, Over: 3-1




NHL

Saturday, April 30

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. TAMPA BAY
NY Islanders are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games at home
Washington is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, April 30


NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay

Game 9-10
April 30, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
9.357
Tampa Bay
12.959
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 3
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-165); Under

Pittsburgh @ Washington

Game 11-12
April 30, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.628
Washington
13.877
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-125); Over

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, April 30

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Saturday's NHL betting preview
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The Capitals won a high-flying Game 1 over the Penguins. They're -125 faves to head to Pittsburgh up 2-0.

In a pair of Eastern Conference semi finals games Saturday, one home team needs to even up their series, while the other tries to hold on to home ice advantage. We break down all the action on the ice in our betting preview.

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning (A: 142, H: -157, O/U: 5)

Islanders lead series 1-0

The Tampa Bay Lightning proved they could come back after losing the first contest of a series twice during last season’s playoffs and must do it again in 2016. The Lightning look to even the series after a 5-3 setback with a sharper performance when they host the New York Islanders for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second-round battle on Saturday afternoon.

Tampa Bay was sloppy with the puck Wednesday and the Islanders capitalized while becoming the first team to score more than two goals against Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in his last nine playoff games. “We played into their strengths a little bit too much, especially with turnovers,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman told reporters. “(Bishop) can’t bail us out every night. We know that. We have to make sure that everyone bounces back.” New York captain John Tavares continued his dynamic postseason with a goal and an assist in Game 1 to give him 11 points in seven contests. Goalie Thomas Greiss could be the key going forward after stopping 121 of the 126 shots he faced – 33-of-36 on Wednesday -- in the last three games, prompting Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic to tell reporters, “He’s been a wall.”

TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet, TVAS

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Islanders - Thomas Greiss (W/L: 5-2, GAA: 1.94, SAVE %: .941)

Lightning - Ben Bishop (W/L: 4-2, GAA: 2.20, SAVE %: .931)

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (50-29-10, 37-44 O/U): Forward Shane Prince, who was acquired from Ottawa just before the trade deadline for depth purposes, is proving to be an important pickup after scoring twice in Game 1 – his second and third of the playoffs. “Being able to contribute, it’s huge,” Prince told reporters. “We need everybody to bring their best.” Former first-round pick Ryan Strome, who returned to the lineup to replace fellow forward Josh Bailey (upper body), notched a pair of assists in Game 1 while playing primarily on a line with Prince and center Frans Nielsen.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (50-33-5, 36-41 O/U): Forwards Mike Blunden and Erik Condra, along with defenseman Matt Carle, are day-to-day after missing practice Friday due to injuries while captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and defenseman Anton Stralman (broken fibula) remain out indefinitely. Coach Jon Cooper reunited leading scorer Nikita Kucherov (six goals) with Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson on the top line as Valterri Filppula, Alex Killorn and Jonathan Drouin skate on another unit. Brian Boyle could center Ryan Callahan and Cedric Paquette on a checking line Saturday.

TRENDS:

* Islanders are 6-1 in their last seven road games.
* Home team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Over is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 3-0-1 in Lightning last four versus Metropolitan Division opponents.



Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (A: +113, H: -125, O/U: 5)

Capitals lead series 1-0

After overcoming the physical style of one opponent, the Washington Capitals showed they have the wheels to outrace another when they emerged victorious against the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins to open their second-round series. Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington looks to capitalize on the momentum of T.J. Oshie's hat trick when it hosts Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh in Game 2 on Saturday.

"I think the group has evolved to change their game enough that they still have their identity, (but) they have the ability to adapt to what the game is presenting," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told the Washington Post. The plodding pace of the first-round series with Philadelphia was cranked up several notches in Game 1 on Thursday, with Oshie's wraparound goal 9:33 into overtime standing up as the winner despite a lengthy review. Series focal points Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby primarily played a secondary role, as the former set up Oshie's second goal and was a plus-3 while the latter recorded no points and was a minus-3. Then again, the two superstars could be ready to erupt after making their presence felt with dueling hat tricks in Game 2 of their epic 2009 playoff series - setting the stage for a frantic seven-game set that saw Ovechkin score eight goals and set up six others and Crosby collect eight tallies and five assists.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Penguins - Matt Murray (W/L: 3-1, GAA: 1.92, SAVE %: .935)

Capitals - Braden Holtby (W/L: 5-2, GAA: 1.12, SAVE % .960)

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (52-27-9, 40-33 O/U): Although rookie Matt Murray thought Oshie's final tally would be "close enough that it would be inconclusive," there was no denying the fine pad save he made on Ovechkin's partial breakaway bid with 3 1/2 minutes to play. "I tried to force him to make the first move," the 21-year-old Murray said of thwarting the three-time Hart Trophy winner. "It's no different than with any other player." Murray yielded four goals on 35 shots, matching the number of tallies he surrendered on 89 shots en route to winning the final three contests to eliminate the New York Rangers in the first round.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (61-20-8, 35-37 O/U): Andre Burakovsky shook off any lingering resentment following his demotion to the third line by continuing to torment the Penguins. "He had that look in his eye,” Trotz told the Washington Post of the 21-year-old Burakovsky, whose Game 1 tally marked not only his first point of the postseason but his third straight goal versus Pittsburgh. "When he starts to feel it, he gets some shots off. He had a couple good looks (on Thursday)."

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 0-4 in their last four Conference Semifinals games.
* Capitals are 38-14 in their last 52 games playing on one days rest.
* Under is 9-2-4 in Capitals last 15 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 4-1-1 in Penguins last six versus Metropolitan division opponents.

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PIT at WAS 08:00 PM

PIT +108

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- SEC had the most players drafted (50) this week, followed by the Big 14 (48), Pac 12 (32) and ACC (26). 26 non-Division I players were also drafted.

-- Ohio State had most players (12) drafted, followed by Clemson (9).

-- 107 kids left school early for the draft; 30 of them were not drafted.

-- Florida State had only two players drafted; in the previous three drafts, they had 29 players selected.

-- Over last five years, Stanford had 24 kids drafted, most of any Pac-12 school.

-- Brian Hoyer signed on as a backup QB with the Chicago Bears.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday......

13) Coaching is a tough profession. Anaheim Ducks fired Bruce Boudreau this weekend, despite his 208-104 record in five years with the Ducks. Lot of teams would sell their souls to win 2/3 of their games, but Anaheim wanted more.

Why did the Ducks pull the plug on Boudreau? Well, his playoff record is only 24-19 with Anaheim, 41-39 overall and it is winning the Stanley Cup that is expected when you have great success in the regular season.

12) One parallel from another sport that comes to mind is Chuck Knox in the NFL; he went 186-147-1 as an NFL head coach, but was only 7-11 in playoff games and does not get enough credit for how good a coach he was because of his playoff record.

11) This will sound hokey, but NFL teams value things like loyalty when it comes to drafting players. QB Vernon Adams bolted I-AA Eastern Washington before his senior year to play at Oregon, because he thought playing in the Pac-12 would help his draft status. Well the draft just happened and Adams wasn't drafted- he got hurt at Oregon, missed about half the season- not good.

Meanwhile, the second pick in the draft this weekend was Carson Wentz, who played at I-AA power North Dakota State- they won the national title. Had Adams stayed at Eastern Washington and played well, he might've been drafted this weekend.

10) Chiefs drafted Stanford QB Kevin Hogan; the last time KC won a game where their QB was a guy they drafted was 1987, when Todd Blackledge played QB.

9) Seattle Seahawks drafted three RBs; Marshawn Lynch will be tough to replace.

8) Chris Fallica points out on Twitter that Tennessee and North Carolina should be really good this fall; Vols won nine games LY, UNC won 11 games and neither team had a player drafted this weekend, so they've got lot of talent coming back.

7) Chicago White Sox are 17-8, 8-1 in games where winning run scores from the 7th inning on; Orioles are 14-9, 7-2 in games decided late.

6) Atlanta Braves moved both their prize shortstop prospects up a level this week, Ozzie Albies to AAA, Dansby Swanson to AA. With parent club floundering with a 5-18 record, promoting their prospects is only way to keep their fans' hopes up.

5) Yoenis Cespedes drove in six runs in third inning Friday night; last big leaguer to knock in 7+ runs in one inning is Alex rodriguez, who did that on October 4, 2009.

4) Milwaukee Brewers got a double leading off bottom of the first inning last night; the next hitter bunted the guy over to third. Why? Why in God's name would you make the first out of the game on purpose? You have your best hitters up, maybe the other pitcher is having an off night and you give him his first out? I disagree with that.

3) As for kids who leave college early and do not get invited to the NBA Combine, you damn well better go back to school and get better; lot of kids I've seen get invited to the Combine who have a minimal chance to make the league next year, so if you're not even invited to go there, thats all the info you need about your pro prospects.

2) Spurs 124, Thunder 92-- Am curious to see how the Thunder competes in Game 2, because they did not offer much resistence in this game.

1) Red Sox 8, Bronx 0-- How does Bronx GM Brian Cashman keep his job? Team he has put on the field this season is dreadful, an aging roster of overpaid players who are 8-14 right now and figure to get worse when the schedule gets heavier and their lack of starting pitching depth is further exposed.

Their Opening Day payroll? $225,997,792-- they're already on the hook for $103M in 2018, just for seven guys.

Phillies cut their payroll $58M from LY and are 14-10 with an $88M tab.