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

[StarDust Bum]

Western Conference Finals
May 13, 2016

St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks

Head-to-Head Meetings (2013-2016)

Mar. 22, 2016 - St. Louis 1 at San Jose 0 (Blues +120, Under 5)
Feb 22, 2016 - San Jose 6 at St. Louis 3 (Sharks +105, Over 5)
Feb 4, 2016 - San Jose 3 at St. Louis 1 (Sharks +100, Under 5)
Jan 8, 2015 - San Jose 2 at St. Louis 7 (Blues -175, Over 5.5)
Jan 3, 2015 - St. Louis 7 at San Jose 2 (Blues +110, Over 5)
Dec 20, 2014 - St. Louis 2 at San Jose 3 (Sharks -130, Push 5)
Dec 17, 2013 - San Jose 4 at St. Louis 2 (Sharks -110 Over 5.5)
Nov 29, 2013 - St. Louis 3 at San Jose 6 (Sharks -120 Over 5.5)
Oct 15, 2013 - San Jose 6 at St. Louis 2 (Sharks +115, Over 5.5)

-- San Jose has won 6 of Last 10 Meetings vs St. Louis

-- Over is 7-2-1 Last 10 Meetings

-- Underdog has won 6 of Last 8 Meetings

St. Louis Recent Trends

-- 10-2 SU Last 12 Road Games

-- Over is 10-5-4 Last 19 Games Overall

-- 11 of Last 16 Games have been decided by 1 Goal

Starting Goalie

-- Brian Elliott: 20-8 SU Last 28 Starts

-- Lifetime Record vs SJ:5-4, 2.67 G.A.A; .918 Sv% w/2 SO in 11 GP

San Jose Recent Trends

-- On a 9-4 SU Run Last 13 Games Overall

-- Over is 6-2-4 Last 12 Games Overall

-- 6-1 SU Last 7 Home Games

-- 13-6 SU Last 19 Road Games

Starting Goalie

-- Martin Jones:10-6 SU Last 16 Starts

-- Lifetime Record vs STL:2-2, 2.08 G.A.A; .925 Sv% in 4 GS

Series Odds
Blues -135
Sharks +115

Exact Game Props
7 Games Blues Win 3/1
5 Games Blues Win 4/1
6 Games Sharks Win 4/1
7 Games Sharks Win 9/2
6 Games Blues Win 5/1
5 Games Sharks Win 6/1
4 Games Blues Win 10/1
4 Games Sharks Win 12/1

Odds Subject to Change

[StarDust Bum]

Conference Finals Series Odds
May 13, 2016

Home Team listed first - Best of 7 Games (2-2-1-1-1)
(Opening Odds in parentheses)

Eastern Conference - Conference Finals

Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay
Penguins (-220)
Lightning (+185)

Western Conference - Conference Finals

St. Louis vs. San Jose
Blues (-135)
Sharks (+115)

Exact Game Props - Prior to Series (5/12/16)

Odds per Sportsbook.ag

Penguins vs. Lightning
5 Games Penguins Win 5/2
7 Games Penguins Win 3/1
6 Games Penguins Win 7/2
6 Games Lightning Win 6/1
4 Games Penguins Win 7/1
7 Games Lightning Win 7/1
5 Games Lightning Win 8/1
4 Games Lightning Win 18/1

Blues vs. Sharks
7 Games Blues Win 3/1
5 Games Blues Win 4/1
6 Games Sharks Win 4/1
7 Games Sharks Win 9/2
6 Games Blues Win 5/1
5 Games Sharks Win 6/1
4 Games Blues Win 10/1
4 Games Sharks Win 12/1

Odds Subject to Change

[StarDust Bum]

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (1) TAMPA BAY@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-13 20:05:00 - 2016-05-13 20:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Home games after a division game
The record is 14 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+11.4 units)

NHL > (1) TAMPA BAY@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-13 20:05:00 - 2016-05-13 20:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Home games second half of the season
The record is 18 Overs and 5 Unders for the this season (+13 units)

[StarDust Bum]

5/12 - 0 - 0 - 1 + 0.00
Overall : 9.18

FRIDAY, MAY 13

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at PIT 08:00 PM

PIT -172

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Some college football pointspreads for this fall, from the South Point casino:

-- Sept 10: BYU @ Utah (-7.5)

-- Sept 17: Ohio State @ Oklahoma (-9)

-- Sept 24: Arkansas (-1.5) @ Texas A&M

-- Oct 1: Tennessee @ Georgia (even)

-- Oct 8: Washington @ Oregon (-4.5)

-- Oct 15: Stanford (-1) @ Notre Dame

**********

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

13) National League is off to a 31-20 start in interleague play, its best start in years. Over is 31-20 in those 51 games.

12) Cubs 8, Pirates 2-- Chicago has won Jake Arrieta's last 21 starts.

11) Larry Fitzgerald graduated from college, fuffilling a promise he made to his late mother, so good for him.

10) Red Sox 6, Astros 5-- Gregerson blew save in 9th for 15-23 Houston.

9) There were no NBA or NHL games Saturday, which is odd.

8) Braves 5, Royals 0-- Mike Foltynewsicz shut Royals out for eight innins, then got picked up by my fantasy team while I was sitting in a bar listening to live music.

7) Orioles 9, Tigers 3-- Baltimore is 23-12; Showalter is a great manager- at one point in spring training, Orioles were 0-10 and there was unstated concern. But those games do not atter and now the O's are in first place.

6) Phillies 4, Reds 3-- Philly is now 14-3 in games decided by one run.

5) Angels 9, Mariners 7-- Jhoulys Chacin was excellent in his Halos debut, but LA's bullpen blew 6-2 lead on him, then Seattle bullpen blew that lead in ninth.

4) No NBA team should draft Cheick Diallo in the first round; he averaged 3.0 ppg and 2.5 rpg in his only year at Kasnas-n he played 7.5 mpg. Why would a kid leave school so early when he clearly is not ready? .

3) Russell Wilson gave the commencement address at Wisconsin yesterday; he went to school in Madison for one year, after transferring from NC State.

2) Cubs are 15-2 vs NL West rivals, 12-6 vs everyone else.

1) Giants and Dodger are tied atop NL West, three games over .500. No bueno.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, May 15


San Jose @ St. Louis

Game 3-4
May 15, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.517
St. Louis
13.039
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-135); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 15

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SAN JOSE (54-32-0-8, 116 pts.) at ST LOUIS (57-29-0-10, 124 pts.) - 5/15/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 57-39 ATS (+9.1 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-22 ATS (+0.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 32-21 ATS (+4.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 21-12 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 21-8 ATS (+12.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 18-8 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 11-3 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest this season.
SAN JOSE is 44-26 ATS (+16.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 16-7 ATS (+7.2 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 31-14 ATS (+13.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 23-10 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 18-4 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 19-34 ATS (-34.8 Units) in home games on Sunday games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 5-9 ATS (+5.0 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 6-3 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 6-3-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.2 Units)

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




NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 15

San Jose at St Louis, 8:05 PM ET
San Jose: 11-3 SU in road games when playing with 2 days rest
St Louis: 2-6 SU in home games after a blowout win by 3 goals or more




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 15

Sharks won six of last nine games with St Louis; over is 6-2-1 in those games. Blues won ten of last 12 road games; over is 10-5-4 in their last 19 games. 11 of last 16 St Louis games were decided by a single goal. San Jose won nine of last 13 games but just had tough 7-game series with Nashville; Blues also had a 7-game series win over Dallas. Sharks won six of last seven home games. Over is 6-2-4 in their last 12 games overall.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 0-1, Over 0-1




NHL

Sunday, May 15

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

8:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of San Jose's last 23 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of St. Louis's last 23 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose

[StarDust Bum]

Western Conference Finals
May 13, 2016


Eastern Conference Finals

St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks

Head-to-Head Meetings (2013-2016)

Mar. 22, 2016 - St. Louis 1 at San Jose 0 (Blues +120, Under 5)
Feb 22, 2016 - San Jose 6 at St. Louis 3 (Sharks +105, Over 5)
Feb 4, 2016 - San Jose 3 at St. Louis 1 (Sharks +100, Under 5)
Jan 8, 2015 - San Jose 2 at St. Louis 7 (Blues -175, Over 5.5)
Jan 3, 2015 - St. Louis 7 at San Jose 2 (Blues +110, Over 5)
Dec 20, 2014 - St. Louis 2 at San Jose 3 (Sharks -130, Push 5)
Dec 17, 2013 - San Jose 4 at St. Louis 2 (Sharks -110 Over 5.5)
Nov 29, 2013 - St. Louis 3 at San Jose 6 (Sharks -120 Over 5.5)
Oct 15, 2013 - San Jose 6 at St. Louis 2 (Sharks +115, Over 5.5)

-- San Jose has won 6 of Last 10 Meetings vs St. Louis

-- Over is 7-2-1 Last 10 Meetings

-- Underdog has won 6 of Last 8 Meetings

St. Louis Recent Trends

-- 10-2 SU Last 12 Road Games

-- Over is 10-5-4 Last 19 Games Overall

-- 11 of Last 16 Games have been decided by 1 Goal

Starting Goalie

-- Brian Elliott: 20-8 SU Last 28 Starts

-- Lifetime Record vs SJ:5-4, 2.67 G.A.A; .918 Sv% w/2 SO in 11 GP

San Jose Recent Trends

-- On a 9-4 SU Run Last 13 Games Overall

-- Over is 6-2-4 Last 12 Games Overall

-- 6-1 SU Last 7 Home Games

-- 13-6 SU Last 19 Road Games

Starting Goalie

-- Martin Jones:10-6 SU Last 16 Starts

-- Lifetime Record vs STL:2-2, 2.08 G.A.A; .925 Sv% in 4 GS

Series Odds
Blues -135
Sharks +115

Exact Game Props
7 Games Blues Win 3/1
5 Games Blues Win 4/1
6 Games Sharks Win 4/1
7 Games Sharks Win 9/2
6 Games Blues Win 5/1
5 Games Sharks Win 6/1
4 Games Blues Win 10/1
4 Games Sharks Win 12/1

Odds Subject to Change

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (46-30) at Blues (49-24)
Date: May 15, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS (AP) The rest of the postseason, the St. Louis Blues have home-ice advantage. Now, if they can only capitalize on it.

The Blues are in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2001 not because of those rip-roaring, standing room crowds, but because they've been so good at blocking out the noise elsewhere.

They're 3-4 in the Scottrade Center and 5-2 in the other two rinks, including the 6-1 knockout blow in Game 7 of the second round at Dallas two days after they fumbled a chance to wrap up the series at home.

Heading into Game 1 Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks, the message from coach Ken Hitchcock to the players is time honored: Keep it simple, get the puck to the open man, avoid heroics.

'One-on-one hockey is for November and February,' Hitchcock said Saturday. 'Not now.'

Ensemble work, combined with sterling goaltending by Brian Elliott, has carried the Blues this far. Six players have at least 10 points and five others have at least a half-dozen points.

'I think it doesn't matter who you are playing now, both teams are going to be good home and on the road,' Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. 'So we have to make sure we play our game.'

The Sharks were the NHL's best road team during the season, although that hasn't carried over to the playoffs. They were 4-0 at home in the second round against the Predators, and 0-3 in Nashville.

'That's the playoffs,' San Jose forward Tommy Wingels said. 'You're expected to win at home and hold serve. If we can go in and continue winning games on the road, I'll be very happy.'

Both teams are strangers in recent years to deep playoff runs, and neither has won a Cup. San Jose, in the Western Conference final for the first time since 2005, took two of three during the season.

But this, every coach and player will tell you, is a different animal.

Some things to watch:

MAKING THE STOPS: The 31-year-old Elliott has thrived in his first extended postseason opportunity, making an NHL-high 441 saves. Elliott was a ninth-round pick in 2003 by Ottawa. 'It's something you wake up in the morning and you just try to have that same winning feeling,' Elliott said.

Goalie was one of the biggest questions facing the Sharks heading into the playoffs given Martin Jones, formerly undrafted, had not made a postseason start. Jones has passed the test so far, posting a 2.16 goals-against average and giving San Jose its first playoff shutout in six years in the Game 7 clincher last round against the Predators. 'We're confident in him,' coach Peter DeBoer said. 'He's been great all year for us.'

CLUTCH COUTURE: It took awhile for Sharks center Logan Couture to regain form after missing about two months early in the season with a broken leg. He's at the top of his game this postseason, leading the NHL with 17 points, including a franchise-record 11 in the second round. His presence gives the Sharks a second top center behind Joe Thornton and makes it tough for opponents to match up.

X FACTOR: Blues center Patrik Berglund is playing perhaps the best of his career with four goals, four assists and a team-leading plus-9 rating. He missed about half of the regular season, totaling 10 goals and five assists.

'Did you see me in Juniors? I was sick,' Berglund joked. 'No, I'm happy with how I'm playing right now but there's more to go, so I hope I can elevate it even more.'

POTENT POWER PLAY: The Sharks' top-ranked power-play unit has been together for years and has been a work of art this postseason. With playmaking from Joe Thornton, a big shot from the point from Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski's ability to find open space and versatility from Couture and Patrick Marleau, the Sharks have converted at 31 percent - the best of any team that made it past the first round. In its victories, San Jose has converted 41 percent. The best defense against that unit: Stay out of the penalty box.

'It keeps the other team honest,' DeBour said. 'Again, you need all the pieces. I think the further you get, you can't just survive on power play.'


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Sharks at Blues
Sun, May 15 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 2
Sharks at Blues
Tue, May 17 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 3
Blues at Sharks
Thu, May 19 - 9:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Blues at Sharks
Sat, May 21 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 5
Sharks at Blues
Mon, May 23 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 6
Blues at Sharks
Wed, May 25 - 9:00PM EDT

GAME 7
Sharks at Blues
Fri, May 27 - 8:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (3) SAN JOSE@ (4) ST LOUIS | 2016-05-15 20:05:00 - 2016-05-15 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE 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 0 Losses for the this season (+9.05 units)

NHL > (3) SAN JOSE@ (4) ST LOUIS | 2016-05-15 20:05:00 - 2016-05-15 20:05:00
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 18 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+13.85 units)

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (3) SAN JOSE@ (4) ST LOUIS | 2016-05-15 20:05:00 - 2016-05-15 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE 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 0 Losses for the this season (+9.05 units)

NHL > (3) SAN JOSE@ (4) ST LOUIS | 2016-05-15 20:05:00 - 2016-05-15 20:05:00
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 18 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+13.85 units)

[StarDust Bum]

5/12 - 0 - 0 - 1 + 0.00
Overall : + 9.18


SUNDAY, MAY 15

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SJ at STL 08:00 PM

SJ +122

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Some college football pointspreads for this fall, from the South Point casino:

-- Oct 15: Alabama (-3.5) @ Tennessee

-- Oct 20: BYU @ Boie State (-11.5)

-- Oct 29: Clemson (-1) @ Florida State

-- Nov 5: TCU @ Baylor (-7.5)

-- Nov 12: Stanford @ Oregon (-1.5)

-- Nov 26: Michigan @ Ohio State (-6.5)

**********

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

13) Raptors 116, Heat 89-- Toronto is in NBA's Final Four for first time.

12) I've always wondered what the story was behind Russell Wilson transferring from NC State to Wisconsin, before his senior year, and the Wolfpack seemingly not caring if he left or not. Now Russell Wilson says coach Tom O'Brien basically fired him and told him he had no future in football. Curious to see what O'Brin has to say.

11) A's 7, Rays 6-- Danny Valencia homered three times, including the game-winner in the 9th inning, as Oakland salvaged a lousy road trip by going 2-1 in St Pete.

10) 15 baseball games Sunday; game-winning run scored in 7th inning or later in 11 of the 15 games. Pretty good day at the ballpark.

9) Rangers 7, Blue Jays 6-- Big-league brawl in this game, an offshoot of the tensions between these clubs in last year's playoffs. This was an actual fight, not the normal pushing/pulling baseball scuffle. Umps worked hard to keep the peace.

Matt Bush drilled Jose Bautista right before the brawl started; Bautista was smart enough not to go after Bush, who recently spent 3.5 years in jail. Don't want to be picking fights with guys who have done hard time.

8) Tom Dolan came up with a great stat Sunday: Lenny Dykstra had 81 HRs in 4,552 regular season career ABs. 10 HRs in 112 postseason ABs. That is a HR every 56.2 ABs in regular season games, one every 11.2 in postseason games.

7) Red Sox have scored in first inning in 12 of their 22 home games.

6) Rockies 4, Mets 3-- New Yorkers get swept in Denver.

5) Odd timing by MLB announcing Jose Reyes' suspension with New York media is in Denver for the weekend; then the Bronx Bombers brought up catching prospect Gary Sanchez the same day. There aren't many coincidences in this world........could the Bombers be interested in acquiring Reyes?

4) Why run differential is an overrated stat: Phillies are 22-16, but 14-3 in one-run games; they've got a -30 run differential but would be in the playoffs if they started today (they don't). They're maxing out on the talent they have, but wins are the only stat that truly matters and Philly has a lot of them.

3) Red Sox have scored 229 runs, 50 more than any other AL team.

2) If the baseball playoffs started today:
AL: Orioles-White Sox-Rangers. Wild Card: Boston-Seattle
NL: Nationals-Cubs-Giants. Wild Card: Phillies-Mets

1) Heading back from vacation this weekend on the Jersey shore; a tremendous place, lot of good places to eat, lot of good people, made some new friends. Walking on the beach is highly underrated.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Monday, May 16

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday's NHL Conference Finals betting preview: Lightning at Penguins
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lightning were able to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final despite losing goalie Ben Bishop to a leg injury. Bishop is doubtful to play Monday and the Penguins are out for revenge.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +165, H: -200, O/U: 5)

Lightning lead series 1-0

The Tampa Bay Lightning have hurdled every obstacle this postseason despite plenty of adversity and look to gain a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference final when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 2 on Monday. The Lightning, who have been down two of their top players throughout the playoffs, lost Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in the first period Friday before grabbing a 3-1 win in Game 1.

Bishop was stretchered off, but Tampa Bay got good news when X-rays came back negative on his left leg and he is considered day-to-day while captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and top-pair defenseman Anton Stralman (broken fibula) could return at some point in the series. “It’s just being in these situations before,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “. … How you deal with just all the unknown circumstances that can happen. I think our guys, they’ve passed every test.” The Penguins had a 35-20 edge in shots during Game 1, but coach Mike Sullivan told reporters it was the high quality chances they gave up which is the biggest concern going forward. “I don’t think it was our best game,” Sullivan told reporters. “And that’s what we need at this point of the season.”

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

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Lightning - Andrei Vasilevskiy (W/L: 1-0, GAA: 0.78, SAVE %: .971)

Penguins - Matthew Murray (W/L: 7-3, GAA: 2.15, SAVE %: .929)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (55-33-5, 37-44 O/U): Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced after replacing Bishop and the team has total confidence in the 21-year-old Russian’s readiness to take over whenever he is needed. “If there’s one thing that Vasilevskiy will never be knocked for, it’s for preparation and work ethic,” Cooper told reporters. “That’s in his DNA.” Right wing Ryan Callahan avoided suspension after his five-minute major for a hit on Pittsburgh’s top defenseman Kris Letang in Game 1 and told reporters, “I’ve never been fined or suspended. So I take pride in that, to be an honest player.”

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (56-29-9, 41-36 O/U): Center Evgeni Malkin registered a game-high seven shots on goal Friday but extended his point drought to five contests, while captain Sidney Crosby has gone seven outings without a goal. Sullivan told reporters of his two stars: “What we’ve tried to reiterate to (them) is that they have to just continue on trying to focus on playing the game with right way and taking what they give us and not trying to force plays that aren’t there in order to try to score goals.” Power forward Patric Hornqvist scored in Game 1 to take over the team lead with six goals in the postseason.

TRENDS:

* Lightning are 4-0 in their last 4 road games.
* Penguins are 0-5 in their last 5 Conference Finals games.
* Over is 12-3-2 in Penguins last 17 vs. Atlantic.
* Lightning are 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
* Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in Pittsburgh.

CONSENSUS: The public is crushing the Penguins as big home favorites with 71 percent of the wagers coming in on the big chalk. Over five goals is also drawing a large number at 79 percent of the Consensus picks.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Monday, May 16

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 8:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 29-10 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
Pittsburgh: 45-45 SU after playing a home game




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 16

Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh (TB 1-0)
Lightning are 4-1 on road in playoffs after Game 1 win; they lost star goalie Bishop to leg injury, but are not ruling him out for Game 2, which could be smokescreen. Pittsburgh is 5-2 at home in playoffs. Tampa Bay won five of its last six games with Penguins, but lost three of last five played in Igloo. Over is 7-1 in last eight series games, but under is 5-2-2 in last nine Tampa Bay games overall, over is 3-1-2 in last six games played in Pittsburgh. Lightning was 1-2 on power play in Game 1, Pittsburgh was 1-4.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 1-1, Over 0-2




NHL

Monday, May 16

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

8:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
Tampa Bay is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

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

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, May 16


Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh

Game 5-6
May 16, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
13.364
Pittsburgh
12.471
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-210
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+175); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, May 16

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

TAMPA BAY (55-33-0-5, 115 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (56-29-0-9, 121 pts.) - 5/16/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 13-22 ATS (-12.4 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 56-38 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 38-19 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 15-5 ATS (+8.3 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
TAMPA BAY is 37-18 ATS (+11.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 201-209 ATS (+445.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 94-106 ATS (-33.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 5-5 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-5-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.7 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lightning (46-31) at Penguins (48-26)
Date: May 16, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH (AP) Ben Bishop's mind raced as the Tampa Bay Lightning goalie writhed in pain on the ice after awkwardly twisting his left leg in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night.

The internal 'what ifs' ran the gamut. What if the leg was broken? What if his season over?

'It's funny how much you can think about in such a short amount of time,' Bishop said Sunday.

The one thought that didn't even occur to Bishop was whether backup Andrei Vasilevskiy could step in and do the job.

'I think the guys in the room, I know myself, we have full confidence in him,' Bishop said. 'He's a great young goalie. He's got a future.'

And, it seems, a present too. While Bishop's initial fears were allayed when tests came back negative, it's still uncertain when he'll return or if he'll be back at all during the playoffs. Having him in the lineup for Game 2 on Monday night seems like a long shot at best even if Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper did not rule it out as the Lightning try to take a 2-0 lead with them back to Florida.

'He's getting better with each day, and it's encouraging to say,' Cooper said.

The fact it's even up for discussion is remarkable considering Bishop's obvious distress after he twisted the leg while trying to scramble back into position 12:25 into the first period of Tampa Bay's eventual 3-1 victory in Game 1. The pain was so acute Bishop figured he'd been slashed even though there wasn't a Penguin within a stick length of him at the time. He left the game on a stretcher and when doctors removed his pads to get a closer look, Bishop was half expecting to see bone sticking out.

The damage turned out to be far less serious. The leg is structurally intact and Bishop managed to spend a little informal time on the ice before Sunday's practice, though he was long gone by the time the 21-year-old Vasilevskiy and the rest of the Lightning went to work.

Pressed into his first extended playing time in more than a month, Vasilevskiy turned aside 25 of the 26 shots he faced, aided by a defense that did an excellent job of pushing Pittsburgh's potent offense to the perimeter and keeping Sidney Crosby and company from generating consistent pressure in front of the net.

Filling in capably has kind of become a thing for Vasilevskiy, who stepped in for an injured Bishop in Game 2 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals and became the first goaltender to earn a win in relief during a Cup Final in more than 80 years. Vasilevskiy started Game 4 of the series and played solidly in a 2-1 loss. While the Russian is quick to point out those impromptu performances were nearly 12 months ago, Cooper point out Vasilevskiy has only matured in the interim.

'He was called on in the biggest moments last year,' Cooper said. 'Talk about pushing somebody a little bit down the learning curve a little faster than we wanted to. But there's cliches thrown around all the time, guys who are first in the rink and last to leave and all those types of things, but with that kid, it's actually true.'

The Penguins hope they can do a better job of testing how far Vasilevskiy has come better in Game 2 than they did in the occasionally choppy opener. Pittsburgh generated 35 shots overall but most of them came from well outside the crease. The Lightning controlled play long enough after Bishop went down for Vasilevskiy to get comfortable. Once he did, Tampa Bay's lead was never in danger.

'You have to get better as the series goes along, you have to adjust a little bit,' said Crosby, who assisted on Pittsburgh's only goal in Game 1 but hasn't put the puck in himself since the first round against the New York Rangers. 'You can't focus on another team or necessarily a goaltender ... from game to game you have to trust and believe in what you do out there, regardless of who is in the net.'

Trust and belief hasn't been an issue in Pittsburgh almost from the moment Mike Sullivan took over as head coach in mid-December. The Penguins haven't dropped consecutive games with the normal allotment of men on the ice since the first week of Sullivan's tenure (there was a two-game skid in January that included a wild 3-on-3 overtime loss to Chicago). They fell behind Washington in the second round then ripped off three straight victories on their way to upsetting the Presidents' Trophy winners.

Whether it was an emotional hangover, spectacular counterattacking by the Lightning or just a case of bad puck luck on Friday night, Sullivan doesn't care.

'I don't think they saw our best ... but by no means was it a bad game,' Sullivan said. 'We've got to heed the lessons from Game 1, and we've got to just be ready to respond the right way.'

NOTES: Cooper said Lightning D Anton Stralman (fractured leg) practiced and is 'looking good' but Cooper remains uncertain when Stralman will be cleared to play. ... The Penguins are sticking with rookie goaltender Matt Murray for Game 2. Murray gave up three goals on 20 shots the opener.


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Lightning at Penguins
Fri, May 13 Final 3 to 1
Recaps

GAME 2
Lightning at Penguins
Mon, May 16 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 3
Penguins at Lightning
Wed, May 18 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Penguins at Lightning
Fri, May 20 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Lightning at Penguins
Sun, May 22 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 6
Penguins at Lightning
Tue, May 24 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 7
Lightning at Penguins
Thu, May 26 - 8:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Penguins, Lightning off to chippy start

PITTSBURGH (AP) So much for niceties and the promise of fluid, free-flowing hockey. In the span of three testy periods Friday night, the Eastern Conference finals flipped from benign to occasionally belligerent.

Pittsburgh defensemen Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin needed to be helped off the ice after getting smashed into the boards headfirst following illegal hits from behind by a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson skated off in obvious pain following a knee-on-knee collision with Penguins forward Chris Kunitz that may have been avoidable.

Following two emotionally charged series wins over the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, the prospect of facing the less familiar Lightning seemed to offer an opportunity for a respite from the NHL's annual tap dance with what is - and what isn't - against the rules. Tampa Bay's chippy 3-1 victory in Game 1 instead proved to be more of the same.

''This isn't as much as a rivalry as maybe the Rangers and the Capitals, it certainly should be (now), after some of the hits,'' Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist said.

Neither side wanted to do much politicking in the aftermath.

When asked about the way Kunitz slammed into Johnson in the final moments of the opening period, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper called it a ''trap question.'' Pressed on if Callahan deserved supplemental discipline outside of the five-minute major he received for nudging a vulnerable Letang into harm's way, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan offered only ''the NHL's going to do their job, we're going to do ours. We're just going to play hockey.''

The league chose not to pursue any further action against Callahan. The veteran cast part of the blame for the severity of the hit on the way Letang was hunched over in pursuit of the puck as Callahan closed in.

''He turns at the last second. I'm committed, I think, when he turns his head, and his body is pretty low,'' Callahan said. ''I'm trying to pin him, and in that split second, I can't really make a decision,'' Callahan said. ''Unfortunately, I think the position he was in made it worse than it was.''

Callahan stressed ''that's not the way I play'' while pointing out he's never been fined or suspended. Yet Cooper allowed while his team's reputation for being among the league's elite skaters is well deserved, the Lightning have found themselves in the penalty box more than any other club during the postseason.

Tampa Bay is averaging over 16 minutes in penalties through 11 games. The Penguins are averaging less than 10 minutes in the box.

''It's not something we're proud of,'' Cooper said. ''We've had to grind some things outs.''

At least the Lightning might not have to grind it out - at least in the long term - without top goaltender Ben Bishop. The Vezina Trophy finalist injured his left leg just over 12 minutes into Game 1 while scrambling to get back in position in front of the net. Bishop left the ice on a stretcher but tests revealed no structural damage. Cooper is upbeat about Bishop's prognosis even though he cautioned Bishop's status for Monday night's Game 2 - and anything after that really - remains uncertain.

''Everything has been really good so far on Ben,'' Cooper said Saturday. ''Much better than the scene we saw, what happened when he was carted off.''

Backup Alexei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops in Bishop's absence in his first significant playing time since the end of the regular season. The 21-year-old received plenty of help in front of him. The Lightning blocked 15 shots and kept Pittsburgh's star-laden attack under wraps while building a three-goal lead.

The Penguins pressed the issue in the third, but by then Tampa Bay was in command. Yet the Lightning held firm, though their fifth straight playoff win didn't end quietly. Dumoulin left late in the third after Ondrej Palat pushed twice as Dumoulin went back to retrieve the puck. The second bump sent Dumolin awkwardly into the end boards.

''It happened,'' said Palat, who was called for a boarding minor. ''Bad play.''

One both teams insist they'll try to avoid, along with the temptation to retaliate.

''There's not much you can do as far as fighting them or something like that,'' Penguins defenseman Ian Cole said. ''You can, (but) you have got to be careful not to get an instigator (penalty). I think you've really just got to double down, mentally up your battle level a little bit.''