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

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, May 1


St. Louis @ Dallas

Game 13-14
May 1, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
12.923
Dallas
11.422
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-120); Over

Nashville @ San Jose

Game 15-16
May 1, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
10.154
San Jose
12.587
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 2 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-165); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 1

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ST LOUIS (53-28-0-9, 115 pts.) at DALLAS (55-24-0-10, 120 pts.) - 5/1/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 55-34 ATS (+17.2 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 24-12 ATS (+9.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 24-15 ATS (+0.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 27-20 ATS (+49.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 53-37 ATS (+5.2 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-15 ATS (+9.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 17-10 ATS (+6.6 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-14 ATS (+6.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 28-19 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 9-3 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 29-34 ATS (-7.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-9 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 9-7-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.3 Units)

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NASHVILLE (45-31-0-14, 104 pts.) at SAN JOSE (51-30-0-7, 109 pts.) - 5/1/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 45-45 ATS (-15.5 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 10-20 ATS (+31.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 21-35 ATS (+57.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 215-173 ATS (+31.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 9-16 ATS (-13.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 24-28 ATS (-25.7 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 7-11 ATS (-5.9 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 6-4 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 6-4-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 1

St Louis-Dallas (D 1-0)
Blues had won six of last seven games with Dallas before Stars' 2-1 win in Game 1; home team won five of last six series games, with seven of last nine staying under total. Last three St Louis series wins all came in OT or SO-- Blues won three of last five games in this building, but they've lost three of last four games overall, with lone win Game 7 vs Chicago in last series. Dallas won sevne of last nine games, including five of last six at home; over is 3-1-1 in their last five games. Stars outshot St Louis 42-32 in Game 1; they were 0-3 on power play, St Louis 0-2. .

Nashville-San Jose (SJ 1-0)
Sharks exploded for five third period goals to win Game 1, after Nashville led 1-0 after second period; San Jose outshot Preds 13-9 in third period, was 2-3 on power play- Nashville was 1-2. Predators lost three of last four games here; they've lost four of last six games overall. San Jose had five extra days to prep after beating LA in five game sin first round; Sharks won eight of last ten games overall- they've lost six of last ten games with Nashville, but won last two. Six of last nine series games stayed under the total.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 4-2, Over: 3-2-1




NHL

Sunday, May 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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3:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Nashville's last 14 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Nashville's last 8 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing at home against Nashville
San Jose is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Nashville

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (15) NASHVILLE@ (16) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-01 20:05:00 - 2016-05-01 20:05:00
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 17 Wins and 29 Losses for the last two seasons (-32.1 units)

NHL > (13) ST LOUIS@ (14) DALLAS | 2016-05-01 15:05:00 - 2016-05-01 15:05:00
Play ON DALLAS using money line in All games
The record is 33 Wins and 23 Losses for the last two seasons (+19.3 units)

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (15) NASHVILLE@ (16) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-01 20:05:00 - 2016-05-01 20:05:00
Play AGAINST SAN JOSE in All games in a home game where where the total is 5 or less
The record is 17 Wins and 29 Losses for the last two seasons (-32.1 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blues (49-24) at Stars (50-23)
Date: May 01, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

Scoring depth and dependable goaltending are believed to be the Dallas Stars' biggest obstacles to a Stanley Cup run.

They showed they're capable of both in Game 1 of their second-round series with the St. Louis Blues.

As Dallas tries to build off a strong all-around performance, the Blues know they'll need an improved effort Sunday to draw even.

The Stars dictated play throughout much of Friday's 2-1 victory, though the outcome remained in doubt until the end. Rookie Radek Faksa scored the tiebreaking goal on a rebound with 4:44 remaining, and Kari Lehtonen withstood a furious St. Louis surge in the final minutes to maintain Dallas' home-ice advantage.

On a night when Tyler Seguin remained out of the lineup and Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza weren't major factors, the Stars received a big lift from their third line of Faksa, Antoine Roussel and Alex Hemsky. The trio accounted for both goals, with the 22-year-old Faksa setting up Roussel for the game's initial score midway through the second.

"He's a heck of a player," Spezza said of Faksa, who spent much of the regular season in the AHL. "He's always in the right spot.'

Lehtonen played a key role as well, recording 14 of his 31 saves in the final period. The 12-year veteran improved to 4-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average this postseason, bringing some needed stability to a goaltending position that was often a weakness during the regular season as he and Antti Niemi split time.

Dallas led the NHL with 265 goals en route to edging the Blues for the West's best record, with much of that production coming from its core of Benn, Seguin, Spezza and Patrick Sharp. That also was the case in its opening-round series with Minnesota in which Benn, Spezza and Sharp registered 11 of the team's 21 goals.

With better balance likely key to advancing against one of the league's stingiest defensive teams, Friday's result has to be viewed as encouraging.

"I thought we played a good game," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought our energy was good and got better as the game went on. I thought we skated well. I thought we defended well. I thought we were physical. That's a good start to the series for us."

For St. Louis, the goal will be regaining the intensity and physicality it displayed in a grueling seven-game series with rival Chicago. The Blues came out sluggish in Game 1, with Dallas owning a 31-17 shot advantage over the first two periods and finishing with a 32-26 edge in hits.

St. Louis outhit the Blackhawks 283-206 in the opening round, while Dallas ranked 26th in the league in that category during the regular season.

"They outplayed us and deserved to win this one," captain David Backes said. "We need to regroup and find our game and play for a full 60 minutes like we did in the first series. I think we will be just fine. It's going to be another long, tight, hard hitting, fun matchup; but we have to get to our game sooner and for longer."

Getting Vladimir Tarasenko back on track is another priority. The Blues' top scorer has been held to one goal over the last four games after recording three with two assists over the first four of the Chicago series.

St. Louis does continue to receive solid work from Brian Elliott, who kept the Blues in the opener with 40 saves.

Elliott again won't have to deal with Seguin, who has played just once in these playoffs due to a lingering Achilles injury. Forward Patrick Eaves, who had five points in the Minnesota series, is also out after exiting Game 1 with a foot injury.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Predators (41-27) at Sharks (46-30)
Date: May 01, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

San Jose's Peter DeBoer and Nashville's Peter Laviolette acknowledged after their second-round series opener that their teams can play better.

While that may sound like coachspeak, such remarks are appropriate after the Sharks struggled for the first 40 minutes and the Predators floundered in the last 20.

San Jose took Game 1 behind a dominant third period and will look to go up 2-0 on Sunday night before the series shifts to Nashville.

Playing for the first time in a week after eliminating Los Angeles in the first round, the Sharks came out a bit rusty Friday against the Predators. They entered the third period down 1-0 before erupting for five goals to rally for a 5-2 victory.

"Coming off the break, we had some questions of how we would be. I saw some of the effects of that the first two periods. We found a way," DeBoer said. "To be able to come out of Game 1 with a win even though I think we didn't play our best 60 minutes is good because I think we'll be better in Game 2."

Former Predators forward Joel Ward set up Tomas Hertl's power-play goal that tied the game early in the third before scoring the tiebreaker with 8:11 remaining. Logan Couture added a power-play goal and an empty-netter, and Tommy Wingels sealed it with another empty-net goal in the final minute.

'As the game went on we got better, and we could feel them on their heels a little bit,' captain Joe Pavelski said. 'It was just good to see the guys keep feeding off the crowd, feeding off goals and really pushing for that next one.'

The Predators, who had just one day off after their Game 7 win in Anaheim, knew they had to play smart because they were going up against a team that had been locked in on the power play. They only took one penalty in the first two periods but allowed the Sharks to score on both of their man-advantage opportunities in the third.

San Jose has converted 29.2 percent of 24 power-play chances in the playoffs, going 5 for 7 in its last two home games, while Nashville has killed 78.6 percent of 28 penalties.

"We know they're dangerous on the power play and we can't put ourselves in that position too many times cause they're going to score goals," Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said.

One bright spot for the Predators is they went 1 for 2 on the power play after going 1 for 26 in the Ducks series. Mike Fisher had the man-advantage goal early in the second period, and Ryan Johansen scored late in the third after Pekka Rinne was pulled for an extra skater.

"I thought it was an even game until they scored that third goal, so there's so positives, there's some negatives," Ekholm said. "But it's Game 1 out of seven, so we'll come back for Game 2."

Martin Jones made 29 saves for San Jose, which improved to 9-2 in the playoffs against Nashville.

The Sharks, who took a 2-0 series lead en route to beating the Kings in five games, are 7-2 in playoff series when winning the first two games.

Rinne stopped 33 of 36 shots for the Predators, who have been inconsistent defensively in their last five playoff games, surrendering 14 goals in three losses and two in a pair of wins.

"There were some good things and some bad things," Laviolette said. "We're capable of playing better."

[StarDust Bum]

Blues look to avoid 0-2 deficit against Stars
April 30, 2016

The top-seeded Dallas Stars have cleaned up their act after that frantic finish in the first round.

Now the St. Louis Blues, already down a game in their second-round series matching the Western Conference's top two teams, have to do the same. They have to get past their thrilling seven-game opening series against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

''We can't have that excuse in Game 2,'' coach Ken Hitchcock said. ''We are going to have to find a different energy, but we are going to have to really simplify our game in a better way.''

After a 2-1 loss in the opener at Dallas, the Blues had only a day to get ready for Game 2 on Sunday (3 p.m. EDT, NBC).

''We weren't as good as we were against Chicago, and that's on us,'' Blues captain David Backes said. ''That's on me to start and have guys going in the right direction.''

Five days after their frenzied finish in their Game 6 clincher at Minnesota when they won 5-4 after taking a 4-0 lead into the third period, the Stars had a postseason-high 42 shots on goal in Game 1 against the Blues. Kari Lehtonen, the goalie in net to open both series, had 31 saves.

''The only thing we dealt with after the (Wild) series was we dealt with that 15 minutes,'' Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. ''We completely turned that around. We stayed calm. We made plays. We had the puck more. We believed in how we were playing and I think it showed that we can play right through 60 minutes the same way.''

Dallas will likely be without right wing Patrick Eaves, who late in the opener got hit on the lower leg by a teammate's shot and struggled to get off the ice before hobbling to the locker room.

Eaves has five points (two goals and three assists) in the playoffs, trailing only Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza on the Stars.

Ruff on Saturday described Eaves ''as questionable unless it comes around, but it's awfully sore.''

---

Predators at Sharks, San Jose leads 1-0, 8 p.m. EDT (NBCSN)

If Nashville learned one lesson from the Game 1 loss it might have been the importance of staying out of the penalty box.

The Sharks turned a pair of power-play chances into goals in a five-goal third period that gave them a 5-2 victory over the Predators in Game 1 of their series.

''We all know how effective they are on the power play,'' Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. ''We have to make sure we don't put ourselves in that position too many times in the next game. I thought that power-play goal in the third really got them started. Then it just kept rolling for them after that.''

The Sharks have relied heavily on the power play this postseason, converting on 7 of 24 chances (29 percent). The top unit of Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture has done most of the damage with Couture scoring the eventual game winner in the opener. But the second unit has chipped in as well with Tomas Hertl tying the game early in the third.

San Jose had the third-ranked power play in the regular season and has scored with the man advantage in four of its five wins this postseason.

The sharp power play helped the Sharks shake off some early rust after having six days off before Game 1. Coach Peter DeBoer hopes the rest of his team's game gets up to speed Sunday.

''I saw some of the effects of that the first two periods,'' DeBoer said. ''To be able to come out of Game 1 with a win even though we didn't play our best 60 minutes is good because we'll be better in Game 2.''

[StarDust Bum]

APRIL'S RESULTS IN PLAYOFFS: 29 - 23 - 6 + 3.96

SUNDAY, MAY 1

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at DAL 03:00 PM

STL +111

U 5.0


NAS at SJ 08:00 PM

SJ -165

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Westgate Sportsbook listed spreads for some late season NFL games:

-- Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-7.5)-- Christmas night in Steel City.

-- Denver @ Kansas City (-3)-- Nightcap of Christmas twinbill,

-- Detroit @ Dallas (-6)-- Monday Night Football night after Christmas.

-- Green Bay (-3) @ Detroit-- Pack won here on a Hail Mary LY.

-- Bears @ Vikings (-5)-- Fans will be glad for the domed stadium here.

-- Raiders @ Broncos (-4)-- Mark Sanchez started 10 games (4-6) last 3 years.

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......

13) Why is someone who never played baseball an analyst on Sunday Night Baseball? It is a fair question, but in this politically correct era, no one has the onions to address it.

12) In ten quarters since Steph Curry hurt his knee, the Warriors are +72.

11) Dodgers 1, Padres 0-- Clayton Kershaw pitched a complete game, knocked in the only run; last pitcher to win a 1-0 complete game and knick in the only run was Mat Latos, six years ago.

10) Six sons of former NFL players were drafted by NFL teams this week.

9) Minor league baseball is a good investment; Saturday night, they drew 7,079 fans for a Hartford-Richmond Eastern League game in Virginia.

8) DeSean Murray, who led Big South in scoring this past year, bolted on his friends/teammates and will now play at Auburn. Poaching mid-major stars is how some high-major teams replenish their rosters now.

7) Graduate transfer John Gillon bolts from Colorado State to Syracuse; he will be only the third scholarship guard on Syracuse's roster heading into next season- not a deep team at all.

6) Northern Colorado named Boise assistant Jeff Linder as its new basketball coach, making Delaware the only team that hasn't got a coach-- Blue Hens aren't going to name a coach until they hire a new AD, and they haven't even done that yet. Good luck to the poor soul who gets that job; he's a year behind already and he hasn't got the job yet.

5) Greedy bastard update: Apparently the new rule is that gas prices go up 10 cents a gallon on the first of each month, second month in row it happened here. Gas is $2.49 a gallon at Fuller/Central in beautiful downtown Colonie.

4) Flipped on the NASCAR race Sunday and about 90 seconds later, the #20 car flips, goes on its head while going really fast. Scary stuff, but I'm told as long as the car is moving, the driver is fairly safe- it is when car comes to a quick, sudden stop that the driver could be in jeopardy.

3) Royals 4, Mariners 1-- World champs snap a 7-game road losing skid.

2) Why are the Toronto Raptors' uniforms so plain? They used to have great uniforms with the cartoon raptor on it. These uniforms are plain ugly.

1) Last year, Milwaukee Brewers hired a 30-year old to run their franchise; because he went to an Ivy League school and worked for an Astros team that had suddenly become a contender. Last winter, the new GM traded 28-year old Khris Davis, who hit 49 homers the last two years, for two minor leaguers, one of whom is Jacob Nottingham, a catching prospect who the new GM made sound like the next Johnny Bench.

Problem is, Nottingham is hitting .159 in the AA Southern League; Davis is hitting 5th for a 13-13 Oakland team that is better than expected. Second guy the Brewers got is still pitching in A ball. But hey, the GM went to Harvard; he must be smarter than the rest of us, right?

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, May 2


Washington @ Pittsburgh

Game 17-18
May 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
12.805
Pittsburgh
11.488
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+125); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, May 2

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

WASHINGTON (61-21-0-8, 130 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (53-27-0-9, 115 pts.) - 5/2/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 53-36 ATS (+6.7 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 35-17 ATS (+7.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 61-29 ATS (+14.6 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-10 ATS (+8.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
WASHINGTON is 14-3 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 22-10 ATS (+10.8 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 11-3 ATS (+7.3 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 24-9 ATS (+11.8 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-21 ATS (+52.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 91-105 ATS (-34.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 34-38 ATS (-21.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 17-23 ATS (-16.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 9-6 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 9-6-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 2

Pittsburgh-Washington (1-1)

Washington D Orpik is out three games (suspension); he is their most physical defenseman, and a solid penalty killer. Fehr scored GW goal with 4:28 left as Penguins evened series in Game 2, visiting team is now 6-3 in last nine series games. Penguins outshot Caps 28-10 in periods 1-2, 35-24 for game; they are 0-7 on power play in series, Washington 1-6. Pens won nine of last 12 games; over is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. Under is 6-2-1 in Washington's last nine games. Caps won two of their last three visits here.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 5-3, Over: 4-2-2




NHL

Monday, May 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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8:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 27 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+18.1 units)

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in Road games after a division game
The record is 14 Wins and 3 Losses for the this season (+10.35 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in Road games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 27 Wins and 11 Losses for the last two seasons (+18.1 units)

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in Road games after a division game
The record is 14 Wins and 3 Losses for the this season (+10.35 units)

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Home games after a division game
The record is 13 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+10.4 units)

NHL > (17) WASHINGTON@ (18) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-02 20:05:00 - 2016-05-02 20:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Home games second half of the season
The record is 17 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+12 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Capitals (56-18) at Penguins (48-26)
Date: May 02, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

A heady effort from a short-handed defense corps allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to grab home-ice advantage away from the Washington Capitals.

The Penguins, though, likely won't have one of their top D-men in Olli Maatta as they look to move ahead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night in Pittsburgh.

The Capitals might be missing one of their top defensemen as well, with Brooks Orpik facing a possible suspension for his hit on Maatta.

Pittsburgh couldn't stop T.J. Oshie from recording a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime loss Thursday, but bounced back by stifling nearly all of the Capitals' roster in a 2-1 victory in Game 2 on Saturday. The Penguins allowed the one goal while short-handed during Washington's 14-shot third period, paving the way for Eric Fehr to score the winner against his former team with 4:28 to go.

Pittsburgh limited the Capitals to 10 shots over the first two periods despite losing Maatta less than five minutes into the game. Orpik knocked his former teammate out with a high hit.

"I thought it was a late hit," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought it was a target to his head. I think it's the type of hit that everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game. That's how I saw it."

Unsurprisingly, Washington coach Barry Trotz didn't.

'(Orpik) just finished on a hit,' Trotz said. 'There's a little size difference, and I think Maatta was leaning over a little bit. We'll let the league handle it.'

Orpik had a hearing with the NHL's department of player safety Sunday.

The Penguins are looking for their third win in four home games in these playoffs and fourth in five overall matchups against Washington.

Pittsburgh began that stretch with a 6-2 rout March 20 that ended a three-game home losing streak against the Capitals. Marc-Andre Fleury was in net for the Penguins in that game but is expected to remain out due to a concussion, likely giving 21-year-old rookie Matt Murray a sixth consecutive start.

Murray is 4-1-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average in that stretch.

"I thought Matt was real solid (in Game 2). It was a challenging game in that he didn't see a lot of shots early then in the third period obviously they pressed and he saw significantly some more action," Sullivan said. "I thought his focus was really good. When we needed him to be good down the stretch, he made that timely save for us."

Washington will try to give Braden Holtby a better chance to win by stifling Pittsburgh's prodigious shot production. The Penguins have a combined 80 shots on net in the two games and had another 38 blocked.

That's resulted in Holtby allowing five goals to Pittsburgh after giving up five in his six games against Philadelphia in the opening round. The Penguins would have had more if the Capitals hadn't denied them on all five power-play chances Saturday, moving them to 30 of 31 on the penalty kill this postseason.

"We know we can play better. We have had periods but not 60-minute games. We can't give a team like that as much time and space," Holtby said. "It will be a good thing to get on the road and play a more simple style. It seems like the road kind of does that to you. It will be good for us."

Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist have scored each of their three goals in this postseason in the Penguins' three home games. Kessel and Sidney Crosby both have a team-high five points in those contests.

Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has one assist in his last seven games against the Penguins, including playoffs, and two points in his last five in Pittsburgh. Nicklas Backstrom has no points in his last four matchups.

"The ultimate goal is to win and we all have that in mind," Crosby told the NHL's official website. "We know taking that hit or taking that punch is going to go a long way."


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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1

Penguins at Capitals
Thu, Apr 28 Final 3 to 4
Recaps

GAME 2
Penguins at Capitals
Sat, Apr 30 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 3
Capitals at Penguins
Mon, May 2 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Capitals at Penguins
Wed, May 4 - 8:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

April's Totals: + 3.96
5/1 Results: + 0.11
Overall : + 4.07

MONDAY, MAY 2

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at PIT 08:00 PM

PIT -140

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Orioles' SS JJ Hardy broke his foot, is out 4-6 weeks.

-- Milwaukee's Wily Peralta allowed 13 hits with no strikeouts Sunday, the first MLB pitcher to do that since Doug Fister six years ago.

-- Cubs/White Sox have combined to outscore opponents 107-39 in innings 7-9 so far this season.

-- Since 2006, Justin Verlander has 159 wins, 13 more than any other pitcher. He also got engaged to Kate Upton, so its good to be him.

-- Dallas wouldn't give the Seahawks a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick, which is why they didn't trade up to draft QB Paxton Lynch.

-- If the Indiana Pacers fire coach Frank Vogel, it is further proof that the NBA is a traveling insane asylum. Vogel is 250-181 as an NBA coach, 31-30 in playoff games. Larry Bird should fire himself for not getting Vogel a good enough team to coach.

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Early season trends for AFC teams......

Ravens-- Baltimore is 13-6 vs spread as a favorite in home openers. Over is 5-2 in its last seven home openers. Home side won their last five games with Buffalo.

Bills-- Buffalo covered nine of its last 11 season openers; they're 9-5 vs spread in last 14 road openers. Bills covered seven of last nine home openers.

Bengals-- Cincinnati lost its last nine games against the Jets in Swamp Stadium; last win at the Jets was in 1981. Six of Bengals' last seven road openers went over total.

Browns-- Cleveland came back to the NFL in 1999; they've been 1-0 once since then, going 2-8-1 vs spread in last 11 openers. Over is 11-4 in their last 15 road openers.

Broncos-- Denver is 18-8-1 vs spread in last 27 home openers. Super Bowl champs are 7-3-3 vs spread in season openers the next year. Is Mark Sanchez the Denver QB?

Texans-- Houston won six of last seven season openers, five of last six at home, six of last seven on road. Under is 7-4 in their last eleven home openers.

Colts--Indy is 1-5 vs spread as a favorite in home openers; under is 4-1 in its last five season openers. Colts are 3-10-1 vs spread as an underdog in road openers.

Jaguars--Jax is 2-7 in its last nine home openers, losing last four by average score of 30-9. Under is 8-3-1 n their last 12 home openers. 8-4 in last 12 road openers.

Chiefs-- KC is 5-11 in its last 16 home openers, 2-9-1 vs spread when favored in its home opener. Under is 19-4-2 in their last 25 home openers, 7-4 in road openers.

Dolphins-- Miami is 3-9 in last 12 road openers, 1-6-1 vs spread when an underdog in road openers. Dolphins won five of their last six games with Seattle.

Patriots--NE won 11 of last 12 season openers; they're 3-4 in road openers if spead was 3 or less points. Patriots were favored in their last twelve road openers.

Jets-- Jets won last five home openers, three by 5 or less points; they've won seven of last eight season openers. Jets are 14-5 vs spread in last 19 road openers. .

Raiders-- Oakland lost 12 of last 13 season openers, but is 6-1-1 vs spread as a dog in road openers. Over is 11-5-1 in their last 17 road openers

Steelers-- Pitt lost its last five road openers (0-4-1 vs spread); seven of their last nine road openers stayed under. Steelers lost season opener four of last five years.

Chargers-- San Diego covered its last four season openers; they're 8-5 vs spread as an underdog in road openers. Bolts lost 33-3/10-3 against Kansas City LY.

Titans-- Tennessee covered seven of last nine road openers (6-3 SU); under is 15-4 in its last 19 road openers. Four of of their last five season openers stayed under.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, May 3

NY Islanders-Tampa Bay (1-1)
Islanders won five of last seven games with Tampa Bay, winning last three played here, in series where over is 5-1-2 in last eight games. Islanders won three of last four games but are 2-3 in last five games in Brooklyn- under is 3-1-1 in their last five games overall. Tampa Bay won five of its last seven games, going 2-3 in last five road games. NY is 2-9 on power play in series, Lightning 1-7. Tampa Bay outshot NY 54-18 in periods 2-3 first two games of series

St Louis-Dallas (1-1)
Blues scored PP goal 10:58 into OT to even series after they blew 3-1 third period lead; St Louis won seven of last nine games with Dallas overall-- home team won five of last seven series games, with seven of last ten staying under total. Last four St Louis series wins all came in OT or SO. Dallas won seven of last ten games overall; over is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Stars outshot St Louis 76-57 in first two games; Stars are 0-7 on power play in series, St Louis 2-7.

Nashville-San Jose (SJ 2-0)
Sharks scored seven third period goals to win first two games; Pavelski scored GW goal with 2:40 left to snap 1-1 tie in Game 2. Both games were 1-0 after two periods, then opened up in third period. San Jose is 3-5 on power play in series, Nashville is 1-5. Sharks lost three of last four visits here; they've won seven of last eight games overall. Predators lost five of last seven games. Sharks won nine of last 11 games overall- they've won last three games with Nashville. Under is 6-3-1 in last 10 series games.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 6-3, Over: 4-2-3




NHL

Tuesday, May 3

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. NY ISLANDERS
Tampa Bay is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
Tampa Bay is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Islanders last 8 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

9:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. NASHVILLE
San Jose is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of San Jose's last 15 games when playing Nashville
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games at home

9:30 PM
DALLAS vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Dallas

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 3


Tampa Bay @ NY Islanders

Game 19-20
May 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
10.100
NY Islanders
11.564
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(-105); Over

Dallas @ St. Louis

Game 21-22
May 3, 2016 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
13.144
St. Louis
11.731
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-140
5
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+120); Under

San Jose @ Nashville

Game 23-24
May 3, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
9.656
Nashville
13.501
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 4
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-120); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 3

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TAMPA BAY (51-33-0-5, 107 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (50-30-0-10, 110 pts.) - 5/3/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 6-12 ATS (-11.0 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
TAMPA BAY is 11-22 ATS (-14.9 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 14-26 ATS (-14.9 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 37-73 ATS (+122.4 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 15-22 ATS (-12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 13-2 ATS (+10.7 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 21-5 ATS (+14.5 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 16-6 ATS (+8.9 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 16-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-16 ATS (+3.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-20 ATS (-17.9 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-5 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 6-5-0 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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DALLAS (55-24-0-11, 121 pts.) at ST LOUIS (54-28-0-9, 117 pts.) - 5/3/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 29-35 ATS (-14.4 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 54-37 ATS (+13.1 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 14-5 ATS (+7.8 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-14 ATS (+5.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 19-9 ATS (+28.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ST LOUIS is 29-19 ATS (+4.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-10 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 55-35 ATS (+6.1 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 18-11 ATS (+30.5 Units) in road games revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 24-16 ATS (+43.1 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 16-6 ATS (+7.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
DALLAS is 24-16 ATS (+6.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 15-7 ATS (+24.7 Units) in road games 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
ST LOUIS is 10-7-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.3 Units)

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SAN JOSE (52-30-0-7, 111 pts.) at NASHVILLE (45-32-0-14, 104 pts.) - 5/3/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 41-41 ATS (-30.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 20-21 ATS (-18.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 215-174 ATS (+427.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 21-5 ATS (+15.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 18-5 ATS (+12.0 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 10-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights this season.
NASHVILLE is 45-46 ATS (-39.0 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 21-36 ATS (+58.8 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 6-5 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 6-5-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 3

Tampa Bay at NY Islanders, 7:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 2-7 SU off a home blowout win by 3 goals or more
NY Islanders: 16-5 SU after playing 2 consecutive road games

Dallas at St Louis, 9:35 PM ET
Dallas: 33-17 SU after one or more consecutive overs
St Louis: 9-14 SU off a win against a division rival

San Jose at Nashville, 9:05 PM ET
San Jose: 21-5 SU in a road game where where the total is 5 or less
Nashville: 36-49 SU after one or more consecutive overs