The Bum's NHL Best Bets-Trends-News Etc. !

[StarDust Bum]

Pens top Sens in Game 4, even series
May 19, 2017

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Matt Murray was back - and so was Sidney Crosby.

Crosby had a goal and an assist, Murray made 22 saves in his first start of the playoffs and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Friday night to even the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

Crosby had only one point as the defending champion Penguins dropped two of the first three, leading to questions about his health following a jarring concussion in the second round.

''I think he leads by example and I thought he had one of his best games tonight,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''But it doesn't just stop with Sid, it goes down the bench.''

Murray started for the first time in more than six weeks.

''All I can really do is kind of jump in and try not to think about it,'' Murray said. ''Just try and play with the flow of the game and kind of let yourself get lost in the game a little bit. I thought I did a pretty good job of that tonight. There's a lot of ways I could have been a lot better I thought, but all together felt good about the game.''

Sullivan turned to Murray after Marc-Andre Fleury was chased in the first period Wednesday night in the Penguins' 5-1 loss in Game 3.

''I thought Matt was solid,'' Sullivan said. ''He made some timely saves for us when we needed it. He has a calm demeanor about him. I thought he was tracking the puck extremely well. And certainly, he made a couple of key saves for us at key times.''

Brian Dumoulin and Olli Maatta added goals to help Pittsburgh take a 3-0 lead midway through the second period. Clarke MacArthur and Tom Pyatt scored for Ottawa.

''They were the better team tonight for two periods and they deserved the game,'' Senators coach Guy Boucher said.

Game 5 is Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Murray made a strong stop on Mike Hoffman less than two minutes into the game and denied Viktor Stalberg on a pair of follow-up opportunities. The goalie made maybe his best stop on Derick Brassard's backhander, kicking the shot away with his right pad.

''He made a really big save early on with his leg save when the guy kind of went around him after a rebound and I think right after that our team went into the offensive side and really played at the puck and gave us that momentum,'' teammate Chris Kunitz said. ''I think we did an all-around good job tonight.''

Fleury started the first 15 games for Pittsburgh with Murray mostly sidelined by injury.

''I don't want to make this about myself,'' Fleury said after the game. ''We scored some goals. That was nice. We won. It's good.''

Pittsburgh opened the scoring with 46 seconds left in the first period when Maatta went down the left side and fired a short-side shot past on goalie Craig Anderson. Crosby set up the play.

Pittsburgh's already battered defense took another blow late in the first when Bobby Ryan hit Chad Ruhwedel. Ian Cole immediately throttled Ryan, as Ruhwedel was down on the ice. Ryan somehow escaped a charging penalty on the play, and Cole drew the only call for roughing.

The Pens are already without Kris Letang, who is done for the playoffs, and Justin Schultz, who missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.

Crosby's brilliance showed up again midway through the second on a power play after Jean-Gabriel Pageau ripped off the Pittsburgh star's helmet in a scrum around the net.

Crosby stationed himself right on the doorstep to Anderson's left, his right leg hugging the post for support. That didn't allow him to score on the initial setup from Jake Guentzel, but helped him to bang in the follow-up for the 2-0 lead. Guentzel had two assists.

Dumoulin made it 3-0 less than four minutes later with a shot from the left point that caromed in off Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf's skate.

Ottawa had mostly neutralized the high-powered Penguins in the first three games, holding them to just three goals - a mark they equaled in less than 32 minutes of Game 4. Pittsburgh seemed to find more speed, got more shots in tight and capitalized on opportunities around the net.

Following that initial flurry in the first, the Senators had little going right until the last two minutes of the second when Ryan found MacArthur with a crafty backdoor pass for Ottawa's first goal.

The Senators pulled within one with five minutes left when Pyatt got a skate on Erik Karlsson's already-deflected point shot.

''It's just a little frustrating right now,'' Karlsson said. ''They're doing a good job in controlling our breakouts and when we get it we don't really get the opportunities that we want.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL notebook: Predators' Johansen out for playoffs
May 19, 2017

Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a left thigh injury sustained in Game 4 of the Western Conference final against the Anaheim Ducks.

Johansen underwent emergency surgery Thursday night at Vanderbilt Medical Center after sustaining the injury in Nashville's 3-2 overtime loss to Anaheim. The 24-year-old is expected to recover in two to three months.

Johansen has a team-leading 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 14 playoffs games for the Predators, who will travel to the Honda Center for Game 5 on Saturday. The series is tied 2-2.

The loss of Johansen could prove critical since Nashville has little depth at the center position. Captain Mike Fisher and fellow centers Calle Jarnkrok and Colton Sissons combined for 83 points during the regular season.

--Predators captain Mike Fisher exited Thursday night's Game 4 of the Western Conference final with an undisclosed injury and did not return.

Fisher appeared to be hurt late in the third period of Nashville's 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Ducks. He did not play in the extra session.

Predators coach Peter Laviolette said after the game that the 36-year-old Fisher was under evaluation.

Fisher got tangled up with Ducks defenseman Josh Manson, who jumped high in the air to swat a puck away from the front of his net.

--Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is making a change in the net, announcing goaltender Matt Murray would start Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Ottawa Senators.

The Penguins, who trail in a playoff series for the first time all postseason, will go with Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury, who allowed four goals on nine shots in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 on Wednesday night as the Senators took a 2-1 series lead.

"That's been a hard decision for this coaching staff all year long," Sullivan told reporters Friday morning. "As I said yesterday, it's a good difficult decision to have because we have two guys who are as capable as they are. Both of these guys have helped this team win all year long. They're both high-quality people and they're high-quality goaltenders. We never take these decisions lightly. They're extremely difficult decisions. This is the choice that we made for Game 4."

[StarDust Bum]

NHL playoffs
Saturday’s game

Home side won seven of last ten Anaheim-Nashville games, but is 2-2 in this series; Predators split their last four games in Orange County- over is 3-1-1 in their last five games played here. Nashville lost three of its last four road games; under is 5-1-2 in their last eight games overall. Ducks won three of their last four home games. Over is 5-2-2 in last nine Anaheim games; under is 5-1-2 in Predators’ last eight. Nashville is 1-21 on power play in its last five games; Ducks are 2-26 on power play in its last eight games.

Conference finals

Ottawa-Pittsburgh
Ottawa 2-1 OT
Pitt 1-0
Ottawa 5-1
Pitt 3-2

Nashville-Anaheim
Nashville 3-2 OT
Anaheim 5-3
Nashville 2-1
Anaheim 3-2 OT

[StarDust Bum]

NHL playoffs
Saturday’s game

Home side won seven of last ten Anaheim-Nashville games, but is 2-2 in this series; Predators split their last four games in Orange County- over is 3-1-1 in their last five games played here. Nashville lost three of its last four road games; under is 5-1-2 in their last eight games overall. Ducks won three of their last four home games. Over is 5-2-2 in last nine Anaheim games; under is 5-1-2 in Predators’ last eight. Nashville is 1-21 on power play in its last five games; Ducks are 2-26 on power play in its last eight games.

Conference finals

Ottawa-Pittsburgh
Ottawa 2-1 OT
Pitt 1-0
Ottawa 5-1
Pitt 3-2

Nashville-Anaheim
Nashville 3-2 OT
Anaheim 5-3
Nashville 2-1
Anaheim 3-2 OT

[StarDust Bum]

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:

05/19/2017....................... 0-0-1................... 0.00%................. +0
05/18/2017....................... 0-0-1.................... 0.00%................ +0
05/17/2017....................... 2-0-0................. 100.00%............. +10.75
05/16/2017....................... 1-1-0................... 50.00%.............. +0.00
05/12/2017....................... 1-0-1.................. 100.00%.............. +5.00
05/10/2017....................... 1-3-0.................... 25.00%............... -7.75
05/09/2017....................... 2-0-0....................100.00%............. +12.50
05/08/2017....................... 0-1-0...................... 0.00%............... -5.50
05/07/2017....................... 1-3-0..................... 25.00%.............. -10.50
05/06/2017....................... 1-2-0..................... 33.33%............... -5.50
05/05/2017....................... 2-1-0..................... 66.67%............... +5.00
05/04/2017....................... 0-1-1...................... 0.00%................ -5.00
05/03/2017....................... 1-2-0......................33.33%................ -5.00
05/02/2017....................... 0-2-1....................... 0.00%............... -10.50
05/01/2017....................... 2-0-0..................... 100.00%............. +10.00

Totals:..............................14 - 16 - 3..................46.66%...............- 6.50

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals.

05/19/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/18/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/17/2017...........1 - 0.........100.00%...........+1.00.......1 - 0.........100.00%....+1.00
05/16/2017...........0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.00........1-0-0........100.00%....+1.00
05/12/2017...........1 - 0............100%............+1.00.......0-0-1.........00.00.........0.00
05/10/2017...........1 - 1..........50.00%...........+0.50........0 - 2..........00.00%.....-2.20
05/09/2017...........1 - 0 .......100.00%...........+1.50........1 - 0.........100.00%.....+1.00
05/08/2017...........N O P L A Y......................................0 - 1..........00.00%......- 1.10
05/07/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1.........50.00%......-0.10
05/06/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1..........50.00%......-0.10
05/05/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........2 - 0.........100%.........+2.00
05/04/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........0 - 1.........0.00%........- 1.10
05/03/2017...........1 - 0...........100%............+1.20........0 - 2.........0.00%........- 2.20
05/02/2017...........0 - 1---------0.00%...........- 1.00.........0 - 1 - 1....0.00%.........-1.10
05/01/2017...........1 - 0 ..........100%...........+ 1.00........1 - 0 ........100%.........+1.00

Totals..................6 -7 - 1............46.15%.........+ 0.20........8 - 10 -1...........44.44%.......-1.70

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

— Rory McIlroy has back/rib injuries, has pulled out of the BMW tourney next week. His status for the US Open is up in the air.

— Cavaliers 130, Celtics 86— Cleveland led 72-31 at the half— 72-31!!!!

— Nationals, Twins are only teams with an extra base hit in every game this season.

— RIP Wayne Walker, a LB for the Lions who also their punter, then later a good announcer on TV. There was a time when punters played other positions; Walker was a very good LB.

— NASCAR driver Alric Almirola is out 8-12 weeks with a broken vertebrae after his scary accident at Bristol Motor Speedway.

— Jason deGrom pitched seven innings last nite, the first time in 18 games a Mets’ starting pitcher got an out after the sixth inning.

**********

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

13) Paolo Espino is 30 years old; he’s pitched in the minor leagues for 10 years— 291 games, 191 starts, 1,304 IP. Finally, this week he got the call to the major leagues and started for Milwaukee at Wrigley Field Friday.

Imagine the emotion he felt? How excited he must’ve been? His dad flew all the way from Panama to see the game. Luckily for him, the wind was whipping hard and it was blowing in, which makes Wrigley a supreme pitchers’ park.

12) Brandon Kintzner is the Twins’ closer; he’s 32 years old, from Palo Verde HS in Las Vegas and Dixie State in Utah. Back in 2009, he was offered a chance to try out for the role of Tim Hudson in Moneyball, but chose instead to play in an independent league all-star game.

Luckily for him, the Brewers spotted him at the All-Star Game, signed him to a minor league deal and he made it to Miller Park the next year. Now he is the Twins’ closer and a good one.

11) Jose Abreu hasn’t homered in 66 plate appearances at home this year; he’s hit seven in 95 PA’s on the road. That could be weather-related; Abreu’s bat has often heated up when the weather does. Hasn’t been too warm on the south side of Chicago this spring.

10) Quick story from my days coaching Little League:

I was an assistant coach; my future ex-wife’s nephew was on the team, which wasn’t a good team. I’m warming up our starting pitcher at practice one night; he throws strikes, but didn’t throw hard, but at least he throws strikes.

After three pitches, the kid says to me, “You know, I can pitch left-handed.” I’m thinking to myself, “Kid, you can barely pitch right-handed.” But our team wasn’t good, so I tell him to throw me a couple left-handed.

Well, what do you know; the kid threw much harder, and a heavy ball— he was good!!!! I’m like, what took you so long to tell us? Now I have to break the news to our head coach without him thinking I’m pranking him.

We didn’t have a good season, but the kid did real well pitching lefty (he also was a catcher and played righty as a catcher); he would’ve made the All-Star team except his dad got transferred out-of-state for work so the family moved as soon as school got out.

Just goes to show you; keep your ears open. You never know what you might hear.

9) Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry has three overtime goals in the NHL playoffs this spring, the first player to do that since Maurice Richard in 1951.

8) There have been 26 overtime games in the NHL playoffs this spring; the record is 28 (1993), they had 27 in 2013. Playoff hockey is way more fun to watch than the NBA playoffs.

7) When the Las Vegas Golden Knights have their expansion draft next month (yes, the NHL has a team in Las Vegas now), the Knights will select 30 players- they have to take at least one player from every team in the league.

6) Stayed up late Thursday night watching a replay of Super Bowl XIV, from January of 1980, Rams-Steelers. Long time ago, but I had never seen the replay of that game. Rams had won seven division titles in a row, but only made the Super Bowl in ’79 after they started the season 4-5 and survived a bunch of injuries.

Some observations from the broadcast:
— Football was way different in 1980; guys got hit out of bounds a few times- no flags.
— TV graphics were obviously way worse; no game clock on the screen until the last minute.
— CBS analyst Tom Brookshier wouldn’t have lasted two weeks in today’s politically correct world. He was funny as hell and told the truth, but people today don’t always want the truth.
— The whole world is so different now; there were over 100,000 people there, doubt any of them had phones in their pockets. How many people go to games now without a cellphone?
— Rams basically played that Super Bowl at home, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was their last year at the Coliseum before they moved to Anaheim.
— Teams substituted so much less then than they do now, from play-to-play.

5) Miami Marlins hired former big league OF Todd Hollandworth as a TV analyst this year; he is very good, and for one reason— Marlins’ broadcasts are like listening to Hollandsworth and Rich Waltz sit around and talk about ball. They’re not announcing the game as much as they’re just talking about baseball and having a good time. Very relaxed; fun to listen to.

4) My personal opinion on the NBA Draft is this: If I ran an NBA franchise and could take Lonzo Ball, I wouldn’t let his father’s antics make me pick someone else.

That is assuming I thought Ball was the best player available and fitted what my team needed. UCLA had a terrific season this past year; the kid is a really good player. NBA players are well-versed in tuning out distractions.

3) Ryan Fitzpatrick signed as a free agent QB with the Buccaneers; if he throws a pass for Tampa Bay this season, he’ll be the sixth QB in NFL history to throw a pass for seven different teams, joining: Jeff Blake, Steve Bono, Chris Chandler, Gus Frerotte and Vinny Testaverde.

2) Je’rell Springer didn’t play HS basketball last winter due to eligibility issues after he changed schools in Las Vegas, but he got a scholarship from Southern Utah anyway, turning down BYU, an unusual choice. Springer is a great get for the Big Sky’s Thunderbirds.

1) Will Nerd Power catch on in Milwaukee? Eric Sogard (he wears glasses when he plays) came up to the Brewers this week and went 10-17 (.588) in his first six games with the Crew, with two 4-hit games. This is the same guy who hit .239 in 1,210 AB’s over six years in Oakland.

Sogard was once a 2nd round draft pick by the Padres out of Arizona State; terrific fielder. Wish he had hit like this for the A’s.

My condolences to Brewers’ TV analyst Bill Schroeder, whose mom passed away this week. I lost my dad two years ago last night; miss him every day.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview: Predators at Ducks

Filip Forsberg was labeled "Mr. Clutch" by teammate Harry Zolnierczyk and it's hard to argue after the forward again came through by scoring the tying goal with 34.5 seconds in Game 4 to force overtime.

Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks (-115, 5)

Series tied 2-2

Having handed the Nashville Predators their first home defeat of the postseason, the Anaheim Ducks return to Honda Center to host Game 5 of the Western Conference final on Saturday night. Anaheim's dramatic overtime victory in Thursday's Game 4 ended Nashville's 10-game home winning streak and turned the series into a best-of-3.

The winning goal by Corey Perry came as the result of a fluke deflection, preventing a potentially crushing defeat for the Ducks, who blew a two-goal lead in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation. “The last three or four years, we’ve obviously gone through a lot,” Anaheim goalie John Gibson said. “More downs in the playoffs than ups. I think we just learned from that and I think now we have a sense of calmness. And we have the ability to always regroup, whether we’re up or we’re down or something bad happens." While the Ducks reclaimed home ice with the 3-2 overtime win, Nashville won the series opener at Honda Center and posted three wins at Anaheim in last year's first-round playoff matching, including a winner-takes-all Game 7. “It’s an open series," Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "It’s 2-2, but we have a lot of confidence. I don’t think we need to change a lot of things going into Game 5."

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET NBC, CBC, TVAS

LINE HISTORY: The Ducks opened as -111 home favorites for Game 5 and by Friday evening that money line was up to -116. The total hit the betting board at 5 and has yet to move off the opening number.

INJURY REPORT:

Predators - C Mike Fisher (Questionable, eye), RW Craig Smith (Questionable, undisclosed), LW Kevin Fiala (Out For Season, leg).

Ducks - C Rickard Rakell (Questionable, undisclosed), RW Logan Shaw (Out indefinitely, lower body), RW Patrick Eaves (Out indefinitely, lower body), D Simon Despres (Out indefinitely, concussion)

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (51-32-9-4, 43-41 O/U): Filip Forsberg was labeled "Mr. Clutch" by teammate Harry Zolnierczyk and it's hard to argue after the standout forward again came through by scoring the tying goal with 34.5 seconds in Game 4 to force overtime. Forsberg, who registered two goals and two assists over 14 games in the 2016 playoffs, also netted the tying tally in Game 3 against Anaheim. A 31-goal scorer during the regular season, Forsberg set a franchise single-season mark with his seventh goal of the postseason and is the first player in seven years to score in each of the first four games of a conference final.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (56-27-11-3, 35-40 O/U): Corey Perry offered a simple assessment after scoring Anaheim's only goal on a bad-angle shot in Game 3, basically telling reporters you can't score if you don't shoot, and he reinforced that point with the decisive tally Thursday. Perry threw a shot at the net from the right point that deflected off the stick of Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and past Rinne to give the Ducks new life. “I’ll take it,” Perry said. "I was trying to create traffic or create a bounce and create havoc in front. And that’s what they say in overtime. Throw it on net, you never know what can happen.”

TRENDS:

* Predators are 5-1 in their last six road games vs. a team with a home winning percent of greater than .600.
* Under is 10-2-4 in Predators last 16 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 5-1-3 in Predators last nine vs. Western Conference.
* Over is 5-1-2 in Ducks last eight Conference Finals games.

CONSENSUS: 69 percent of users are siding with the home chalk Ducks on the moneyline and 59 percent are on the Over.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, May 20


Nashville @ Anaheim

Game 11-12
May 20, 2017 @ 7:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
11.578
Anaheim
13.173
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-120); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 20

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

NASHVILLE (51-32-0-13, 115 pts.) at ANAHEIM (56-27-0-14, 126 pts.) - 5/20/2017, 7:15 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 20-28 ATS (-17.0 Units) on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 56-41 ATS (+12.8 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 57-27 ATS (+20.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 38-21 ATS (+5.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 31-20 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 21-12 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NASHVILLE is 241-193 ATS (+32.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 31-19 ATS (+10.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 23-12 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 11-9 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 11-9-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.9 Units)

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




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 20

Home side won seven of last ten Anaheim-Nashville games, but is 2-2 in this series; Predators split their last four games in Orange County- over is 3-1-1 in their last five games played here. Nashville lost three of its last four road games; under is 5-1-2 in their last eight games overall. Ducks won three of their last four home games. Over is 5-2-2 in last nine Anaheim games; under is 5-1-2 in Predators’ last eight. Nashville is 1-21 on power play in its last five games; Ducks are 2-26 on power play in its last eight games.

Conference finals
Ottawa-Pittsburgh
Ottawa 2-1 OT
Pitt 1-0
Ottawa 5-1
Pitt 3-2

Nashville-Anaheim
Nashville 3-2 OT
Anaheim 5-3
Nashville 2-1
Anaheim 3-2 OT




NHL

Saturday, May 20

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

7:15 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ANAHEIM
Nashville is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
Nashville is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
Anaheim is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Predators (41-29) at Ducks (46-23)
Date: May 20, 2017 7:15 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Nashville Predators' magic carpet ride through the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs encountered major turbulence when they announced Friday that Ryan Johansen will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a left thigh injury.

The injury to Johansen, the team's leading scorer, was sustained in Nashville's 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday which evened the Western Conference Final at two victories apiece. Johansen underwent surgery in Nashville on Friday and the Predators estimated his recovery time to be in the range of two to three months.

Johansen collected 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) through 14 games, registered a team-best 54.3 percent faceoff win percentage and his average ice time (20:45) was second only to linemate Filip Forsberg among Nashville forwards.

With captain Mike Fisher's status unknown for Game 5, the Predators could be down to their two top centers in an evenly played series.

The Predators rolled through the first two rounds with little adversity, so this injury news will be the first major test for them given their lack of productivity at center behind Johansen. Fisher has yet to score a point in the playoffs and third-line center Calle Jarnkrok has registered a goal and an assist in 13 games.

With the Ducks already holding a significant matchup advantage at center with captain Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Antoine Vermette and Nate Thompson manning the middle, coach Randy Carlyle will look to exploit it as Anaheim tries to take one step closer to a Stanley Cup Final berth. Their last appearance was 10 years ago when they defeated the Ottawa Senators in five games to capture the franchise's lone Stanley Cup.

The Ducks evened the series with a 3-2 overtime victory on Thursday on Corey Perry's third overtime goal of the playoffs, matching the NHL record for most OT tallies in a playoff year with Mel Hill in 1939 and Maurice Richard in 1951.

Carlyle was behind the bench for the 2007 Cup victory and feels that the performance by players at two positions will determine the series winner.

"If our goaltender can outplay their goaltender, then our chances go up dramatically," Carlyle said. "If our centermen can outplay their centermen, our chances go up dramatically."

Despite missing an opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series had they completed the rally from a two-goal third period deficit, Predators winger James Neal knows his team has plenty of fight left in them.

"It's 2-2. Nothing's going to be easy," Neal said. "That's why it's the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. And we should be confident in our group. We have a chance to go in their rink, win a game, and come back with a chance to win in our home building. So put a smile on our face, enjoy it, get ready, and feel good about a tough game in their rink and what can come from that."

The Predators will need goaltender Pekka Rinne to revert to the form he displayed in the two series wins over Chicago and St. Louis if they are to secure their first Stanley Cup Final appearance. Rinne posted a .951 save percentage in the first two rounds but has plummeted to .911 against Anaheim. Given that Rinne's season percentage was .918, it is incumbent upon the Predators' defense to limit the number of shots the Finnish netminder faces.

Rinne claims to have put the Game 4 loss behind him and knows he will need to be at his best behind a short-handed team.

"Game 4 has to be behind us already, and we have to focus on the next one," Rinne said. "That was a missed opportunity, but we battled back, and obviously didn't have a good start. We did not a good first period but we battled back and showed a lot of character."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Predators at Ducks
Fri, May 12 Final 3 to 2
Recaps

GAME 2
Predators at Ducks
Sun, May 14 Final 3 to 5
Recaps

GAME 3
Ducks at Predators
Tue, May 16 Final 1 to 2
Recaps

GAME 4
Ducks at Predators
Thu, May 18 Final 3 to 2
Recaps

GAME 5
Predators at Ducks
Sat, May 20 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 6
Ducks at Predators
Mon, May 22 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 7
Predators at Ducks
Wed, May 24 - 9:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:

05/19/2017....................... 0-0-1................... 0.00%................. +0
05/18/2017....................... 0-0-1.................... 0.00%................ +0
05/17/2017....................... 2-0-0................. 100.00%............. +10.75
05/16/2017....................... 1-1-0................... 50.00%.............. +0.00
05/12/2017....................... 1-0-1.................. 100.00%.............. +5.00
05/10/2017....................... 1-3-0.................... 25.00%............... -7.75
05/09/2017....................... 2-0-0....................100.00%............. +12.50
05/08/2017....................... 0-1-0...................... 0.00%............... -5.50
05/07/2017....................... 1-3-0..................... 25.00%.............. -10.50
05/06/2017....................... 1-2-0..................... 33.33%............... -5.50
05/05/2017....................... 2-1-0..................... 66.67%............... +5.00
05/04/2017....................... 0-1-1...................... 0.00%................ -5.00
05/03/2017....................... 1-2-0......................33.33%................ -5.00
05/02/2017....................... 0-2-1....................... 0.00%............... -10.50
05/01/2017....................... 2-0-0..................... 100.00%............. +10.00

Totals:..............................14 - 16 - 3..................46.66%...............- 6.50

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals.

05/19/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/18/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/17/2017...........1 - 0.........100.00%...........+1.00.......1 - 0.........100.00%....+1.00
05/16/2017...........0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.00........1-0-0........100.00%....+1.00
05/12/2017...........1 - 0............100%............+1.00.......0-0-1.........00.00.........0.00
05/10/2017...........1 - 1..........50.00%...........+0.50........0 - 2..........00.00%.....-2.20
05/09/2017...........1 - 0 .......100.00%...........+1.50........1 - 0.........100.00%.....+1.00
05/08/2017...........N O P L A Y......................................0 - 1..........00.00%......- 1.10
05/07/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1.........50.00%......-0.10
05/06/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1..........50.00%......-0.10
05/05/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........2 - 0.........100%.........+2.00
05/04/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........0 - 1.........0.00%........- 1.10
05/03/2017...........1 - 0...........100%............+1.20........0 - 2.........0.00%........- 2.20
05/02/2017...........0 - 1---------0.00%...........- 1.00.........0 - 1 - 1....0.00%.........-1.10
05/01/2017...........1 - 0 ..........100%...........+ 1.00........1 - 0 ........100%.........+1.00

Totals..................6 -7 - 1............46.15%.........+ 0.20........8 - 10 -1...........44.44%.......-1.70


SATURDAY, MAY 20

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NAS at ANA 07:15 PM

NAS +110

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Pontus Aberg's goal puts Predators past Ducks 3-1 in Game 5
May 20, 2017

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Pontus Aberg spent most of the season in the minors, and he had a part-time depth role for the Nashville Predators in these Stanley Cup playoffs until injuries thrust him into a key role in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

And now the unassuming Swede has another new role for Nashville: He's the hero of the latest clutch victory in the Predators' increasingly irresistible Stanley Cup push.

Aberg scored his first career playoff goal with 8:59 to play, and the Predators moved to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks to take a 3-2 series lead Saturday night.

Aberg had to send himself flying across the crease to swat home a rebound of Filip Forsberg's shot for the Predators, epitomizing Nashville's persistent effort through a defensive victory.

A moment before he scored the biggest goal of his life, Aberg was upended during a scramble. He had to be taken off the ice for medical evaluation immediately after his celebration, but his teammates hung on to move one win away from playing for hockey's ultimate prize.

''I face-planted there and lost my tooth, but it didn't hurt my head,'' Aberg said with a smile.

Not much seems to wound these resilient Predators, who overcame the injury absence of top scorer Ryan Johansen and captain Mike Fisher. Nashville leaned heavily on stalwart goalie Pekka Rinne and got barely enough offense to survive, with Colin Wilson scoring the tying goal late in the second period and Austin Watson adding an empty-netter.

''We knew coming into tonight that we've just got to come together, play well defensively and grind it out,'' Rinne said. ''I thought that's what we did. We showed a lot of character. For us, the first couple of rounds was fairly smooth sailing. Things were going our way. You deal with adversity, but right now, it's something that every team is going to face, and I feel like we handled it really well.''

Game 6 is Monday night in Nashville.

Aberg, who also has one career NHL regular-season goal, was only in position to win it because the Predators were on a counterattack after a prolonged scramble in front of Nashville's net. Rinne, who made 32 saves, ended that frantic sequence prone in the starfish pose, frustrating the Ducks for the umpteenth time and earning his fifth victory in Nashville's seven playoff games at Honda Center over the past two seasons.

Chris Wagner scored the only goal on a frustrating day for the Ducks, who began the game without injured 30-goal scorers Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves before losing starting goalie John Gibson to a lower-body injury during the first intermission.

Anaheim's collection of veteran stars and up-and-coming talent will have to win back-to-back elimination games to avoid crashing out in the conference finals for the second time in three years.

''I thought we had energy coming out, and it deteriorated throughout the game,'' captain Ryan Getzlaf said. ''We've got to do a better job maintaining what we want to do with our game plan, because they played hard tonight.''

Jonathan Bernier took over for Gibson and stopped 16 shots in his first appearance in nearly two weeks for the Ducks, calling it a ''weird situation.'' Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Gibson wants to play in Game 6, but will be re-evaluated.

''We have a lot of areas of concern off our performance tonight,'' Carlyle said. ''We're not going to hang our head with doom and gloom. We'll get ourselves ready. We'll re-energize our group, and we'll look forward to playing a better game. We've won in that building before, so it doesn't really matter where we go.''

The Predators still haven't lost back-to-back games at any point in what's looking like a charmed playoff run for an 18-season-old franchise that's finally one game from playing for the Stanley Cup.

Aberg and several other role players all came up big in the Predators' first game of the season without Johansen, their top-line center and leading postseason scorer. Johansen had emergency surgery shortly after Game 4 and was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs.

Fisher missed his first game of his scoreless postseason with an undisclosed injury after taking a hit to the head in Game 4.

The Ducks also were hurting without Rakell, a surprise omission due to a lower-body injury, and Eaves, who missed his ninth straight game. The duo combined for 65 regular-season goals.

NOTES: C Frederick Gaudreau made his Stanley Cup playoff debut for Nashville, and veteran C Vern Fiddler returned from a two-game absence. F Miikka Salomaki also returned from five games off. ... F Nic Kerdiles made his third appearance of the postseason for Anaheim in Rakell's absence. ... Nashville ended Anaheim's streak of seven consecutive Game 5 victories at home since 2011. The last team to beat the Ducks in a Game 5 at Honda Center also was the Preds.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

Some over/under win totals for college football this coming fall:

— Alabama 10.5, over -$150

— Ohio State 10, over -$125

— Penn State 9.5, under -$125

— Florida State 9.5, over -$130

— Clemson 9

— Oklahoma 9.5, over -$145

***************************************

Sunday’s List of 13: Random stuff on a spring Sunday……..

13) Lebron James isn’t one of the three finalists for NBA’s MVP; they should change the name of the award to Player of the Year, because no one is as valuable to their team as James is to the Cavaliers. He is so consistently great he gets taken for granted.

12) Atlanta Braves acquired 1B Matt Adams from St Louis for a minor leaguer; they need a bat with Freddie Freeman out for the next 2-3 months.

11) Baseball oddity; in Jason deGrom’s last two starts, he had the same home plate umpire, Phil Cuzzi, who switched crews this week, for some reason. Very rare for the same umpire to work two starts in a row by the same pitcher.

10) Cloud Computing ($28.80) won the Preakness, only the 4th time in the last 34 years the Preakness winner was a horse that didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby.

9) White Sox are apparently close to signing 19-year old outfielder Luis Robert, who is thought to be the best unsigned Cuban prospect right now. The young man defected from Cuba and is Haiti these days— he is going to be really, really rich pretty soon.

8) Best wishes to Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who recently had an 8th operation on his right eye, after he detached a retina last year. Zimmer missed one game and coached another while wearing an eye patch.

7) Texas Rangers quietly won ten games in a row; while they’re still 6.5 games behind Houston in the AL West, if the playoffs started now, Texas would be one of the Wild Card teams.

6) When he went to the NBA Combine 10 years ago, Kevin Durant couldn’t lift 185 pounds, which isn’t good but hasn’t seemed to hamper his career much. Now Durant advises prospects to skip the combine. At some point in all of this scouting over-analysis, the primary question has to be: “Can he play?”, not “Is he is a candidate to win a gold medal in the clean-and-jerk?”

5) Astros’ pitching ace Dallas Keuchel is on the 10-day DL with a pinched nerve in his neck. The new 10-day DL allows teams to simply skip a pitcher’s turn if he has a minor injury, which this one supposedly is.

4) Pointspreads on Cavaliers (-14.5) and Warriors (-13.5) this weekend are the biggest in any NBA conference final game since 2005.

3) Before the Nationals-Braves game Saturday, after the national anthem on what was Military Appreciation Day, Bryce Harper posed for pictures with service members for several minutes. Pretty cool to see; the media is so quick to point out bad things about people. Nice to see the good things these guys do.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder’s Enes Kanter is from Turkey; he was traveling in Europe this weekend, but because of his political beliefs (I have no idea what they are), his passport was voided by the Turkish government. With no “valid” passport, Kanter was not allowed to enter Romania and was later put on a flight to London, on his way back to this country.

NBA has thought about putting some teams in Europe eventually; you wonder if stuff like this will put a kibosh on those ideas. It is a crazy world out there.

1) Think about this week in Washington, when Kurdish protestors were getting beat up by the Turkish president’s bodyguards out in the open on the street; Turkey must be a really fun place to live. We are lucky to live in this country; it isn’t perfect here, but it is a hell of a lot better than most places.

[StarDust Bum]

Penguins head home with momentum
May 20, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) The situation looked dire.

On the road.

Down a game.

Starting a goalie that hadn't been on the ice for an opening faceoff in nearly six weeks.

Yet the Pittsburgh Penguins responded the way they've always responded since Mike Sullivan took over as head coach nearly 18 months ago: like champions.

Their 3-2 victory over Ottawa in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night provided yet another reminder of both Sullivan's expert button-pushing and his team's ability to brush off listless performances and react by playing with the kind of efficient brilliance that is difficult to match let alone beat.

Instead of flying home on the brink of elimination, the Penguins appear to have their Stanley Cup-winning mojo back heading into Sunday's Game 5.

Same as it ever was under Sullivan, who is 12-2 following a playoff loss with the Penguins.

''These guys have been here before,'' Sullivan said Saturday morning. ''They understand it. They understand what's at stake.''

It certainly looked like it on Friday night during three periods that looked like a carbon copy of how Pittsburgh sprinted to the franchise's fourth championship last spring.

Sidney Crosby getting to the front of the net for an important goal . Goaltender Matt Murray turning aside 24 shots in his first start since April 6. The Penguins scoring three crowd-draining goals then holding on late.

''A good chunk of us have played together for a while, been through different situations,'' Crosby said. ''I think everyone relies on each other. There's a certain level of confidence that in different situations the group will respond.''

It's an advantage that is difficult to quantify but easy to spot. Pittsburgh pumped out 35 shots, its highest total in a regulation playoff game this spring.

The jump that the Penguins lacked while getting drilled in a 5-1 Game 3 loss - one that saw Murray take over for an ineffective Marc-Andre Fleury - returned, particularly during the opening two periods as they pinned the Senators in their end for long stretches and - just as importantly - finally found a way to get more than one puck by Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson.

The key to Pittsburgh's chance at returning to the Cup Final for a second straight year will rely heavily on its ability to summon that kind of energy without being hit first by Ottawa.

The Senators captured Game 1 in overtime and overwhelmed the Penguins early in Game 3 of a series that hasn't exactly been the walkover it looked like after Pittsburgh dispatched Columbus and Washington in the opening two rounds.

''We need to find a way to maintain that sense of urgency, that desperation,'' Crosby said. ''We're deeper into the series now, so that's got to be there. I think seeing the way we played, hopefully that's something we can build off of.''

The Senators hardly seem rattled after missing an opportunity to move within one victory of the franchise's first appearance in the Cup Final in a decade.

While coach Guy Boucher lamented his team's ''puck fumbling'' that prevented any sort of rhythm on an ineffective power play, he also knows what he's up against.

''I mean, it's the Stanley Cup champions, the best team in the league,'' he said. ''They're going to make some pushes. They're going to look good.''

Beauty is more in the eye of the beholder when it comes to the Senators. Their neutral zone trap is designed to turn the game into a slog, one Pittsburgh has proven pretty adept at avoiding. Ottawa has compensated by ramping up physical play.

The chippiness is starting to show, particularly after the Penguins lost defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to a concussion in the first period of Game 4 after getting crunched in the corner by Senators forward Bobby Ryan. Pittsburgh defenseman Ian Cole immediately crashed in and took down Ryan, earning a penalty.

''I feel that the animosity level is getting a little bit higher, the competition,'' Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf said. ''It just comes down to competing. You're playing the same guys over and over. Every series, you're going to ask guys, they're probably going to give you a similar answer. It just comes down to playing the same competition over and over.''

At least two more games remain with three being a serious possibility. This has become well-trod territory for the Penguins, who beat Tampa Bay in seven games in the Eastern Conference final last year and shut out Washington on the road in Game 7 less than two weeks ago.

The team that once succumbed to the pressure while losing series to lower-seeded teams every year from 2010-14 now appears to thrive off it. It figures to go up another level on Sunday.

''This series especially, every game has told a different story,'' Pittsburgh forward Carl Hagelin said. ''That's why it's 2-2 right now. But we're looking forward to going home and playing Pittsburgh in front of our fans. It's time for us to take two games in a row here.''

[StarDust Bum]

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:

05/20/2017....................... 1-1-0.................. 50.00%................ +0
05/19/2017....................... 0-0-1................... 0.00%................. +0
05/18/2017....................... 0-0-1.................... 0.00%................ +0
05/17/2017....................... 2-0-0................. 100.00%............. +10.75
05/16/2017....................... 1-1-0................... 50.00%.............. +0.00
05/12/2017....................... 1-0-1.................. 100.00%.............. +5.00
05/10/2017....................... 1-3-0.................... 25.00%............... -7.75
05/09/2017....................... 2-0-0....................100.00%............. +12.50
05/08/2017....................... 0-1-0...................... 0.00%............... -5.50
05/07/2017....................... 1-3-0..................... 25.00%.............. -10.50
05/06/2017....................... 1-2-0..................... 33.33%............... -5.50
05/05/2017....................... 2-1-0..................... 66.67%............... +5.00
05/04/2017....................... 0-1-1...................... 0.00%................ -5.00
05/03/2017....................... 1-2-0......................33.33%................ -5.00
05/02/2017....................... 0-2-1....................... 0.00%............... -10.50
05/01/2017....................... 2-0-0..................... 100.00%............. +10.00

Totals:..............................15 - 17 - 3..................46.87%...............- 6.50

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals.

05/20/2017...........1 - 0 .........100.00%..........+ 1.10.....0 - 1..............00%......-1.10
05/19/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/18/2017...........0-0-1............0.00%...........+0.00......0 - 0..............00%.....+0.00
05/17/2017...........1 - 0.........100.00%...........+1.00.......1 - 0.........100.00%....+1.00
05/16/2017...........0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.00........1-0-0........100.00%....+1.00
05/12/2017...........1 - 0............100%............+1.00.......0-0-1.........00.00.........0.00
05/10/2017...........1 - 1..........50.00%...........+0.50........0 - 2..........00.00%.....-2.20
05/09/2017...........1 - 0 .......100.00%...........+1.50........1 - 0.........100.00%.....+1.00
05/08/2017...........N O P L A Y......................................0 - 1..........00.00%......- 1.10
05/07/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1.........50.00%......-0.10
05/06/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........1 - 1..........50.00%......-0.10
05/05/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........2 - 0.........100%.........+2.00
05/04/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%............-1.00.........0 - 1.........0.00%........- 1.10
05/03/2017...........1 - 0...........100%............+1.20........0 - 2.........0.00%........- 2.20
05/02/2017...........0 - 1---------0.00%...........- 1.00.........0 - 1 - 1....0.00%.........-1.10
05/01/2017...........1 - 0 ..........100%...........+ 1.00........1 - 0 ........100%.........+1.00

Totals...............7 -7 - 1..........50.00%%.........+ 01.30........8 - 11 -1...........42.10%.......-2.80

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview: Senators at Penguins

Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-185, 5)

Series tied 2-2

The Ottawa Senators used a blistering-hot start to put the Pittsburgh Penguins on their heels in Game 3, only to sputter out of the blocks in the following contest and see the visitors even the Eastern Conference final at two victories apiece. Coach Guy Boucher's charges look for a better start out of the gate on Sunday afternoon as the series shifts to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for Game 5.

"They played with urgency, which was to be expected. Stanley Cup champions, they bounce back in every series," Boucher told reporters after the Penguins matched their sum goal total from their first three contests of the series to post a 3-2 triumph in Game 4 on Friday. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby set up defenseman Olli Maatta's game-opening goal and added a power-play tally for his first multi-point performance since sustaining a concussion on Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen's cross-check in Game 3 of the second-round series. "As I've said all along here, this group has a knack for responding the right way to any of the adversities or the challenges that this team has been faced with. I think it always starts with our leadership. It starts with our captain," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of Crosby, who is one helper shy of becoming the 22nd player in NHL history to collect 100 playoff assists.

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

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Penguins as big -195 home favorites and they were bet as high as -200. However since then, money has come back on the Senators, moving the line to the current number of Penguins -185. The total was set at 5.

GOALIE MATCHUP: Craig Anderson (OTT) vs. Matt Murray (PIT)

Anderson - GP: 16, W/L: 10-6, 2.25 GAA, .922 SAVE %, 1 SO
Murray - GP: 2, W/L: 1-0, 1.69 GAA, .935 SAVE %

INJURY REPORT:

Senators - D M. Borowiecki (Questionable Sunday, leg), LW A. Burrows (Questionable Sunday, leg), D C. Ceci (Questionable Sunday, lower body).

Penguins - RW P. Hornqvist (Questionable Sunday, upper body), RW B. Rust (Questionable Sunday, upper body), D J. Schultz (Questionable Sunday, upper body), RW T. Kuhnhackl (Questionable Sunday, lower body), D C. Ruhwedel (Out Sunday, concussion), D K. Letang (Out for season, neck).

ABOUT THE SENATORS: Ottawa mustered just three shots in the first three of four power-play opportunities in Game 4 to drop to 0-for-25 with the man advantage in the last nine contests. "I think everybody's frustrated. We just weren't connecting," said Kyle Turris, who was captured on camera jawing with captain Erik Karlsson on the bench. For his part, Karlsson has recorded an assist in back-to-back contests and is averaging a robust 28:25 of ice time in the postseason despite playing with two hairline fractures in his heel that presumably will require attention in the offseason.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS: While Pittsburgh enjoyed its highest scoring output since Game 4 of the second-round series, the focus has shifted to the other end of the ice as a returning Matt Murray made 24 saves to mask the injury troubles of a beleaguered group of blue-liners. Chad Ruhwedel sustained a concussion in the first period following a hit from Bobby Ryan, forcing four of the five remaining defensemen to play more than 20 minutes on Friday (Maatta, 24:58; Brian Dumoulin, 23:29; Trevor Daley, 23:03; and Ron Hainsey, 20:42) while Ian Cole played 19:47. Justin Schultz, who sustained an upper-body injury in Game 2, may return for Game 5 in addition to forwards Bryan Rust (upper body), Patric Hornqvist (upper body) and Tom Kuhnhackl (lower body), Sullivan said on Saturday.

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 0-4 in their last four games following a win.
* Senators are 3-13 in the last 16 meetings in Pittsburgh.
* Under is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings.
* Under is 8-2-1 in Penguins last 11 home games.