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

[StarDust Bum]

Blues go back to G Elliott for Game 6
May 24, 2016

ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues are going back to goaltender Brian Elliott for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

Jake Allen has started the last two games and made 21 saves in a 6-3 Game 5 loss that included two empty-net goals.

The Sharks have a 3-2 series lead and are seeking their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The Blues are in the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Elliott started every game of the playoffs before Hitchcock switched to Allen for Game 4. The two split duties during the season.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)

NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
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 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)

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NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)

NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
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 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)

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5/24 - YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 1 - 0 + 1.00
OVERALL : + 12.55 ( 6 STRAIGHT WINS )

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at SJ 09:00 PM

SJ -138

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Giants 4, Padres 3 (10)-- Giants are 9-0 against San Diego this season.

-- Vin Scully turned down a chance to call the All-Star Game in his final season as a broadcaster.

-- Jackie Bradley Jr's hitting streak is now at 29 games.

-- Indians 4, White Sox 3-- Chicago is now 4-11 in its last 15 games, leads Indians by only a half-game in AL Central.

-- Sharks 5, Blues 2-- St Louis made Stanley Cup finals in their first three years of existence (1967-70); they haven't been back since.

-- Cavaliers 116, Raptors 78-- Another uninteresting game. The average margin of victory in these five games has been 21.8 points.

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

13) Wednesday was the deadline for NBA prospects to drop out of the draft and go back to school-- at least 45 players have done that. Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey both went back to school, making Oregon a national title contender next winter.

12) Purdue gets big man Caleb Swanigan back for next year: "I'm going back to school. I feel I'm only a 2nd round pick and I can do better than that. I love Purdue.'' Boilermakers still need better guard play, but Swanigan's return is important.

11) Clemson also got very good news that Jaron Blossonggame will return to school; Littlejohn Coliseum was re-done last winter, so Brad Brownell will be on the hot seat to make the NCAAs next year. When boosters kick in a lot of money to refurbish an arena, they expect results. With Blossingame, Clemson can make the NCAAs.

10) USC appears to be the big loser Wednesday; they lost two starters, their point guard and center, despite thought that neither one will get drafted. Trojans were going to be a top 15 team if both kids came back. Now they're out of the top 25. .

9) Similar bad news at Seton Hall, after Isaiah Whitehead stayed in the draft- had he stayed in school, he would've been a preseason All-American, and Kevin Willard is a much smarter coach. Whitehead may or may not get picked in the first round.

8) Los Angeles Rams will travel 32,072 miles this coming season, most of any team; even without their London trip, Rams would travel 5th-most miles in league.

7) There are six teams who will travel less than 10,000 miles this year, all from the two north divisions-- Lions-Packers-Bears-Ravens-Browns-Steelers.

6) Memphis Grizzlies offered their coaching job to Miami assistant David Fizdale, who has been an NBA assistant for 14 years. Grizzlies are tough team to work for; in last four years, they've fired a coach who went 56-26, then a coach who went 42-40 despite using 28 players, the most players an NBA team has ever had in one season.

5) Odubel Herrera, Yasiel Puig were both benched this week for not running balls out. Herrera returned to the lineup and homered Wednesday afternoon.

4) Rougned Odor punched an opponent in the face 11 days ago; when does he get suspended? Baseball does this so badly; by the time he gets suspended, we'll forget what he got suspended for. For that fight, the suspension should've been immediate.

3) Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .214 this year and is hurt again; this is his 7th year in the major leagues- he's played more than 123 games twice. I look at the guy and I see a WWE wrestler; he is too damn bulked-up to play baseball. Yes I'm bitter because he has been on my fantasy team since he was an 18-year old in the Florida State League, but how can a guy like this have only one season with 90+ RBI?

2) Imagine how bitter you would be if you were paying Stanton's salary? The meat of his big-money deal doesn't start for two more years-- starting in 2018, Stanton will make an average of $31M a year for 11 years, from age 28 to 38. Oy.

1) Matt Harvey is 3-7, 6.08 this season; he's allowed 73 hits in 53.1 IP. No bueno.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, May 26


Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh

Game 25-26
May 26, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
13.527
Pittsburgh
12.404
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-200
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+170); Over




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, May 26

Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh (3-3)
Lightning won four of last five road games; four of those five went overtime. Home teams are 96-69 all-time in NHL Game 7's, 2-2 this year. Under is 7-2 in last nine Game 7's. Road teams are 4-2 in this series. Lightning won seven of last 11 games with Penguins, winning three of its last four visits here, but lost home game Tuesday to clinch series. Over is 11-1-1 in last 13 series games. Pittsburgh is 4-4 in its last 11 games, losing two of last three at home.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 5-7, Over 7-4-1




NHL

Thursday, May 26

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
Tampa Bay is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Tampa Bay's last 21 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Pittsburgh's last 21 games when playing Tampa Bay

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 26

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TAMPA BAY (57-35-0-6, 120 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (59-30-0-10, 128 pts.) - 5/26/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 59-40 ATS (+14.1 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 41-21 ATS (+6.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 39-21 ATS (+10.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 34-14 ATS (+14.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 31-13 ATS (+14.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 203-212 ATS (+452.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 30-33 ATS (-18.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 7-8 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-7-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
12 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+10.1 Units)

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 26

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 8:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 10-0 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more
Pittsburgh: 27-35 SU after playing a game where 7 or more total goals were scored

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Thursday, May 26

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Thursday's NHL Conference Finals Game 7 betting preview: Lightning at Penguins
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Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +170, H: -200, O/U: 5.5)

Series tied 3-3

The Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to take the same route they encountered last year on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for a deciding Game 7 on Thursday. The Lightning lost at home to the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2015 before winning on the road three days later as the franchise improved to 5-1 in Game 7s.

Brian Boyle said Tampa Bay must regroup and fellow forward Ryan Callahan reiterated the team’s confidence while Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters after Tuesday’s 5-2 loss: “They volleyed the ball into our court. Now it’s time for us to smash it back.” Tampa Bay, which is 5-2 on the road in the postseason and 2-1 at Pittsburgh in this series, was credited with 17 giveaways in Game 6 as the Penguins fed off their pressure and received a goal and an assist each from captain Sidney Crosby and Nick Bonino. Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way. “You go through different experiences, and realize how hard it is to get these kinds of opportunities,” Crosby said. “As a group, we’ve been through a lot, and we want to make the most of it.”

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

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Lightning - Andrei Vasilevskiy (W/L: 3-3, GAA: 2.88, SAVE %: .913)

Penguins - Matthew Murray (W/L: 10-4, GAA: 2.30, SAVE %: .926)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (57-35-6, 41-11 O/U): Defenseman Victor Hedman, along with forwards Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, had a combined minus-11 rating in Game 6 as three of Tampa Bay’s top players typified an uncharacteristic defensive effort. “We had some breakdowns,” Cooper told reporters. “If we’re going to advance, playing defense is going to have to be our mandate.” Kucherov leads the team with 11 goals and 19 points while the 6-foot-7 Boyle, who scored twice Tuesday to give him a career-high five tallies in the playoffs, is slated to play his 100th postseason game on Thursday.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (59-30-10, 45-36 O/U): Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan went back to Matt Murray in net Tuesday and the rookie rewarded him with 28 saves for his 10th victory of the playoffs. “He has a demeanor back there, a calming effect on the group in front of him,” Sullivan told reporters of Murray, who turned 22 on Wednesday. “I think his performance speaks for itself. He’s been thrown into a tough situation, and he’s handled it extremely well.” Phil Kessel notched his sixth goal in seven games Tuesday and leads the team with 18 points in the postseason – three better than Crosby and Bonino.

TRENDS:

* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 road games.
* Penguins are 10-2 in their last 12 Thursday games.
* Under is 6-0-1 in Lightning last 7 following a home loss of 3 or more goals.
* Over is 6-0 in Penguins last 6 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Over is 21-4-3 in the last 28 meetings.

CONSENSUS: At the time of publication the Penguins are picking up 71 percent of the moneyline wagers for Game 7. When you look at the total picks, Over 5.5 is grabbing 59 percent of the action.

[StarDust Bum]

Spot in Cup final awaits Pens, Lightning
May 25, 2016

PITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby is in no mood to get caught up in his own personal narrative, the one eager to attach whatever happens to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday against Tampa Bay to the superstar's legacy.

Forget that Crosby has the game-winning goal in each of Pittsburgh's victories in its entertaining back-and-forth with the resilient Lightning. Forget that he hasn't been on the winning side of a post-series handshake line this deep into the playoffs since his glorious night in Detroit seven years ago, which ended with him hoisting the Penguins' third Stanley Cup.

Yes, he's playing well. Yes, his dazzling, imminently GIF-able sprint through the Tampa Bay zone late in the second period of Game 6 added another signature moment to a career full of them. Yet lifting Pittsburgh back to the Cup final for the first time since 2009 does not rely solely on him so much as the collective effort of all 20 guys in his team's retro black and Vegas gold uniforms.

Depth has carried the Penguins this far. Crosby insists Game 7 will be about the team, not him.

''You give yourself the best chance of winning by keeping it simple and not putting too much emphasis on kind of the story line around it,'' Crosby said.

Even if it's easy to get lost in those story lines. The Lightning are on the verge of a second straight berth in the final despite playing the entire postseason without captain Steven Stamkos and losing Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in the first period of the conference finals when he twisted his left leg awkwardly while scrambling to get into position.

Yet Tampa Bay has stuck around, ceding the ice to the Penguins for significant stretches but using their speed to counterattack brilliantly while relying on 21-year-old goaltender Andrei Vasilevski. The Lightning are hardly intimidated by having to go on the road in a series decider. They did it a year ago in the Eastern final against New York, beating the Rangers 2-0 in Madison Square Garden.

''You've got to go back to a tough environment, just like the Garden was last year,'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ''And you've got to have your A-game.''

The Lightning hoped to avoid revisiting this spot. They could have closed out Pittsburgh at home but fell behind by three goals and didn't recover, fitting for a series that appears to be a coin flip as a whole but not so much night to night. The team that's scored first is 5-1 and there's only been a single lead change in 18-plus periods spread out over nearly two weeks: Tyler Johnson's deflection in overtime that gave Tampa Bay Game 5.

''You always want to play with the lead, and always the first goal is big,'' said Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, who is 7-0 in Game 7s. ''But, again, we were down 2-0 in Game 5 and came back from that. So it's not cut in stone, the outcome of the game, no matter if you're down a goal or two.''

Maybe, but it'd be cutting it pretty close. Tampa Bay's rally in Game 5 was Pittsburgh's first loss when leading after two periods all year. The Penguins responded by going back to rookie goaltender Matt Murray - who turned 22 on Wednesday - and putting together perhaps their finest hockey of the postseason. Their stars played like stars while Murray performed like a guy a decade older with his name already etched on the Cup a few times.

The Penguins will need to rely on Murray's precocious maturity if it wants to buck a curious trend that started well before Murray was born. Pittsburgh hasn't won a Game 7 on home ice since Mario Lemieux and company beat New Jersey in the opening round of the 1991 playoffs to escape from a 3-2 series deficit and propel the Penguins to their first championship. The Penguins have dropped five straight winner-take-all matchups since then, including a loss to Tampa Bay in the first round in 2011, a series Pittsburgh played without either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with injuries.

They're healthy now and showing extended flashes of the form that seemed to have the Penguins on the brink of a dynasty when they toppled Detroit. And the Lightning, who are 5-1 in Game 7s, are hardly comfortable but hardly intimidated as they play on the road.

''I think it's a roller coaster,'' Cooper said. ''But Game 7 is Game 7. There's no two better words than that.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL > (25) TAMPA BAY@ (26) PITTSBURGH | 2016-05-26 20:05:00 - 2016-05-26 20:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin Home games second half of the season
The record is 19 Overs and 6 Unders for the this season (+12.85 units)

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MAY 26

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at PIT 08:00 PM

TB +184

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Numbers of entrants in last six Westgate SuperBook's NFL handicapping contests:

2010-- 347-- Since then, entrants have gone up 500.6%.

2011-- 517-- Entrance fee is $1,500, you pick five NFL games every week.

2012-- 745-- This has become so popular, Westgate is taking 8% out of prize pool this year to cover its own expenses for running it, estimated at $216,000.

2013-- 1,034-- Signups for this year's contest begin on July 1st.

2014-- 1,403-- Guy named Steve Fezzik actually won this contest two years in a row (2008, 09), and that is not easy to do.

2015-- 1,727-- Last year's winner took home $906,675.

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Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind......

13) Can't be much fun for ESPN's Mark Jackson calling the NBA Finals, seeing as he coached Warriors for three years before Steve Kerr took over, rallying Golden State from a 23-43 strike-shortened season to 98-66 his last two years, before an off-court between he and the front office led to his departure.

12) Not only is Golden State 140-24 in regular season under Kerr, they're 49-3 at home this season, just a remarkable record. Cleveland has to win at least one game in Oakland to even have a shot in this series.

11) One thing, though; you'd think Kerr would use a higher quality clipboard than the cheesy one he shattered during a timeout in Game 1. I'm guessing this could lead to an endorsement next season with whatever company makes those things.

10) Dwane Casey got a well-deserved 3-year contract extension from Toronto, after his Raptors made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time

9) Minnesota Twins have had a rough season, but Eduardo Nunez led off bottom of first inning of Thursday's game with an inside-the-park homer-it iwas the first inside-park homer for the Twins since moving to Minnesota in 1961.

8) Jose Reyes had his first rehab game rained out Wednesday, he went 0-3 in Game 1 of a DH Thursday, then sat out Game 2, I'm not really sure why- wouldn't he at least DH? Reyes went 1-3 with a homer and a walk Friday night.

Colorado is fairly set with LeMahieu/Story up the middle- it figures they have to eat a lot of Reyes' salary and trade him to a contender, right?

7) When Seattle overcame a 12-2 deficit to win in San Diego Thursday, they became the first MLB team since 1990 to win after trailing by 10+ runs.

6) Kevin Love and Klay Thompson were once Little League teammates in Lake Oswego, Oregon; wonder if their team was any good?

5) David Wright (neck), Hunter Pence (hamstring) are both out 6-8 weeks, big blows for their teams (Mets/Giants), which are both obviously contending.

4) Over last three years, Gonzaga is 25-24 vs spread as a favorite in WCC league games, but 7-2 vs spread in the WCC tournament- they peak at the right time.

3) All five of the Chicago Cubs' starting pitchers have an ERA under 3.00, latest in season that has happened in majors since the 1972 Dodgers.

2) I'm looking forward to going to the adidas Uprising basketball tournament in Las Vegas this summer; went to it last year. Very well-organized, lot of good players, all the coaches you see on TV during the winter are there recruiting. Seven games going on under one roof at the same time, plus decent food in the concession stand.

1) RIP Muhammad Ali, 74, for many years considered the most widely-recognized person on the planet, athlete or otherwise. He will be missed.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, June 4


Pittsburgh @ San Jose

Game 55-56
June 4, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.897
San Jose
13.392
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-145); Over




NHL
Short Sheet

Saturday, June 4

Pittsburgh at San Jose, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 18-7 SU after having won 4 of their last 5
San Jose: 10-17 SU after playing 2 consecutive road games




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, June 4

San Jose-Pittsburgh (P 2-0)
Penguins' Sheary scored GW goal 2:35 into OT, after San Jose tied game with 4:05 left to play- Pitt has a 71-48 edge in shots in first two games. San Jose lost four of last five games with Pittsburgh, but won seven of nine home games in playoffs. Six of last 12 Shark-Penguin games went OT, four to shootout- five of last six stayed under. Six teams have gone up 2-0 in playoff series this spring; all six won that series- last year those teams were 5-0. Pittsburgh is 5-3 on road in playoffs. San Jose was 1-3 on power play in Games 1-2; Penguins 0-5. Sharks are in Stanley Cup finals for first time; Penguins are in for first time since winning Cup in '09, its third Stanley Cup title.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 6-7, Over 7-5-1
Home: 2-0 Over: 0-2




NHL

Saturday, June 4

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. SAN JOSE
Pittsburgh is 1-11-1 SU in its last 13 games ,when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
San Jose is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Pittsburgh

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, June 4

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PITTSBURGH (62-30-0-10, 134 pts.) at SAN JOSE (58-35-0-9, 125 pts.) - 6/4/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-3 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-3-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

Couture: 'Everyone cheats on faceoffs'
June 3, 2016

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose center Logan Couture says Sidney Crosby isn't the only player cheating in faceoffs in the Stanley Cup Final.

Couture said that he, teammate Joe Thornton and just about every other player who gets in the faceoff circle tries for any sort of edge they can get, legal or otherwise.

''Everyone cheats on faceoffs,'' Couture said Friday. ''I cheat, Jumbo cheats. That's how you try to win draws. He's one of the best at it. He wins a lot of faceoffs.''

Couture caused a bit of a storm after Game 2 when he accused Crosby of cheating on faceoffs. It was a faceoff win by Crosby in overtime that set up Pittsburgh's game-winning goal by Conor Sheary that gave the Penguins a 2-0 series lead.

Crosby said he was surprised when he heard the accusation and said he doesn't do anything other players don't do.

''I think we are all doing the same thing in the faceoff circle,'' Crosby said.

Crosby and Couture both said they don't think this dispute will have any bearing on Game 3. Crosby said it won't add any fuel for him and Couture said he wasn't trying to lobby linesmen to kick Crosby out of the circle in future games.

''Not at all,'' he said. ''These guys are the best in the world at what they do. I have no complaints of the officials throughout these playoffs. They've been very, very good.''

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan didn't even want to respond to Couture's allegations on Thursday but does agree with the Sharks center on one aspect: Everyone is cheating to an extent.

''That's all part of being a center iceman, trying to figure out a way to get an edge and be successful,'' Sullivan said. ''Sid isn't doing anything their guys aren't doing.''

Crosby won 26 of 40 faceoffs the first two games, none more important than the clean win in the offensive zone against Joel Ward in overtime in Game 2 that set up Sheary's goal.

Couture wasn't in the faceoff circle for that draw and Ward took the blame on himself for the play.

''I just have to be better is the bottom line,'' he said.

Couture is one of the few Sharks to hold his own against Crosby in the faceoff circle this series, winning four of seven draws. But San Jose has struggled as a team on draws this postseason. After winning 50.7 percent of faceoffs in the regular season for the 10th best mark in the league, the Sharks are last of all 16 playoff teams at 46.7 percent in the postseason.

''You find better centermen out there,'' Couture said. ''It's tough. It's a little part of the game we want to improve at and be better at but there are bigger aspects of our game we want to get better at.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 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 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 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 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 13 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+10.15 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Sharks hope return home turns tide in final vs. Penguins
June 4, 2016

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks can take at least one positive out of losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh.

Despite being severely outplayed for almost the entire two games, the Sharks still managed to lose by only one goal with the game-winner coming in the final three minutes of Game 1 and in overtime in Game 2.

If the Sharks can somehow neutralize Pittsburgh's decided edge in speed and get back to playing the style of play that got them this far for the first time ever they might be able to get back into the series when it shifts to San Jose for Game 3 on Saturday night.

''In the playoffs, things are magnified so much,'' Sharks defenseman Paul Martin said Friday. ''You lose a game and it's a close game you think about a big opportunity that you let slide away. But when you go over the film and watch the games, it's right there for us. We got better from Game 1. Game 2 was a lot better. We haven't played our best hockey yet.''

The odds facing the Sharks are daunting. Of the 49 teams that have taken a 2-0 lead since the final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, 44 have won the Cup. Teams winning the first two games at home have won 33 of 36 series.

But the Penguins know better than to start planning any parades. Two of those three teams to rally after losing the first two games on the road have done it in the past seven years, including Pittsburgh itself in 2009 against Detroit. Boston also overcame a 2-0 deficit to Vancouver in 2011.

''We've talked about it,'' said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who played on that 2009 team. ''You expect a really desperate hockey team. They're only focused on winning one game. All their energy and everything is toward just tomorrow night. We've all been in situations where you put all that energy and all that focus toward one game and you know they will be at their best.''

Outside of a strong second period in the opener and a good push late in regulation in Game 2 when San Jose tied the game and nearly scored the go-ahead goal, the Penguins have been the better team.

They have a 71-48 edge in shots on goal, considerably more dangerous scoring chances and have forced the Sharks defense into the kinds of mistakes they didn't make the first three rounds.

''They've done a good job keeping the puck in their zone, using their forecheck and making it tough on us,'' defenseman Justin Braun said. ''We've had a little trouble sustaining pressure. We've been one and out. They've had a couple of chances. That's been a big difference.''

With Pittsburgh also doing a good job staying out of the penalty box, San Jose's potent power play has had only three chances through two games and delivered one of the team's three goals.

The Sharks say those lack of chances have been more about their play then the calls by officials.

''We're not giving ourselves that opportunity,'' center Logan Couture said. ''We're not playing with the puck enough. We're not forcing them to play in their zone tired. That's when penalties usually happen, at the end of long shifts. It's up to us as players to force them to play in their zone.''

The Sharks did generate more chances when coach Peter DeBoer shuffled his lines in the third period of Game 2, dropping Patrick Marleau from second-line wing to third-line center and moving Joel Ward up to the second line.

He switched them back for practice but did not say how he would utilize his lines in Game 3. Top-line winger Tomas Hertl also missed practice on Friday for what DeBoer described as ''maintenance'' but he didn't commit to Hertl playing Saturday.

One change that will happen is the shift in venues. Pittsburgh last played out of the Eastern Time Zone on Jan. 18 in St. Louis and hasn't been to the West Coast since Dec. 6 in Anaheim before Mike Sullivan took over as coach.

The Sharks will have last change and a loud crowd behind them for the first Stanley Cup Final game ever in San Jose.

''We expect a really hard start and a good team,'' Penguins forward Nick Bonino said. ''These last two games have been decided very late, each one. They're a great team. They're going to come out really hard and we'll have to match that.''

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PIT at SJ 08:00 PM

SJ -130

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Odds to win the US Open golf tournament next week at Oakmont

15-2-- Jason Day

17-2-- Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth

20-1-- Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler

22-1-- Adam Scott

28-1-- Bubba Watson

30-1-- Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett

**********

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

13) Golden State 110, Cleveland 77-- Went out to eat, hoping to have some pasta while watching the basketball game. Was 30-22 Cavaliers when I sat down, but by time the linguini came, Warriors were up nine. Game. Set, Match.

NBA has to give serious thought to re-seeding the playoffs without East/West, so that the two best teams (or close to it) make the Finals. When a second round series is the second-best series of the playoffs (Spurs-Thunder), that not good.

12) Jockey Kent Desormeaux won the Preakness, will ride in the Belmont five days from now, but in between he is spending some time in a rehab center as he battles alcohol abuse. I have no idea how this is allowed, but apparently it is.

11) It was 108 degrees in Las Vegas Sunday, tied for hottest June 5 in Las Vegas history. Should be nice and cool when I get there next month.

10) Golfer William McGirt won his first PGA tournament in 165 tries Sunday, which gets him into the Masters, US Open and PGA. in 12 years on Tour, McGirt has only played in one major, so this a career-maker for him.

9) Last pitcher to no-hit the Red Sox in Fenway Park? Detroit's Jim Bunning.

In 1958.

8) I'd be curious to know, over the course of a typical year, how much $$$ Budweiser spends on advertising at ballgames and on televised games.

7) Last November 2, Detroit Tigers' GM Al Avila granted his starting catcher free agency, as Detroit moved in another direction behind the plate.

That catcher he let walk was Alex Avila, his son.

They said on TV Sunday that Al Avila's mom, Alex's grandma, didn't talk to her son for a week after that transaction. Must've been an awkward Christmas.

6) San Francisco Giants are 13-3 on road if game stays under the total or pushes the total; they're 5-10 on road if game went over the total.

5) Oakland's starting pitcher lasted 5+ innings in only eight of its last 20 road games; you cannot win that way, it puts too much strain on the team's bullpen.

4) Milwaukee SS Jonathan Villar is having a big year, but the Brewers' #1 prospect is Orlando Arcia, who is hitting .309 at AAA Colorado Springs. Brewers could easily trade Villar at the trading deadline next month.

3) Cincinnati Reds went 5-2 last week, even after a 10-9 loss to Washington, when Reds blew an early 5-0 lead. Cincy has bad pitching, but they should at least score lot of runs; they have some good veteran position players.

2) Down in Miami, Giancarlo Stanton is a mess; he looks terrible at the plate, like he is afraid of being hit by the ball. New hitting coach Barry Bonds hasn't helped. My guess is, behind the scenes, things aren't too pleasant in Miami.

1) Last seven Super Bowl losers made the playoffs the next year; none of the seven got back to the Super Bowl that year.