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[StarDust Bum]

Predators eager to match physical play
May 15, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Nashville Predators finally are facing their first real adversity this postseason, with the Anaheim Ducks eager to push, hit and poke them out of what's already been a historic run.

The Predators insist they can play that game too - and keep their cool no matter what pesky Ducks center Ryan Kesler does.

Nashville center Ryan Johansen vented his frustration at how Kesler plays after the Ducks rallied twice in pulling out a 5-3 win Sunday night that tied the Western Conference finals at a game apiece. Johansen said he didn't know how anyone could cheer for a guy like that constantly prodding and poking. Each picked up a penalty, with Johansen high-sticking Kesler off a faceoff.

''That's playoffs written all over it,'' Predators forward Colton Sissons said Monday. ''Obviously, there's some bad blood there, and they've been competing hard and battling all series. It's only going to get escalated from here.''

Johansen wasn't among the Predators who spoke once they landed in Nashville. After the game, he said he just has to focus on his game. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said he hadn't heard or read Johansen's complaint about Kesler but defended his 24-year-old center.

''I can tell you that I just saw him on the plane, and he's composed,'' Laviolette said. ''I saw him on the ice last night, and he's composed. He'll be ready to play.''

Ducks defenseman Josh Manson said Kesler would be in his head a little bit if he was playing against one of the finalists for the Selke trophy given to the NHL's best defensive forward.

''He's a guy that you love to have on your team and you hate to play against,'' Manson said. ''So you watch throughout the series and throughout the playoffs, so far he takes pride in throwing guys off their game. So hopefully it is working.''

How much Kesler has gotten under Johansen's skin and whether the 32-year-old veteran can shake the anchor of Nashville's top line remains to be seen. The Chicago Blackhawks were unable to disrupt the Predators during their first-round sweep, and St. Louis won twice on home ice by drawing penalties in a series the Predators finished in six games .

So far, the Predators have matched the Ducks nearly hit for hit and still have the home-ice advantage in this series.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Nashville, where the Predators have won nine straight playoff games dating to last year, including a league-best 5-0 this postseason. The streak started in Game 6 of their first-round win over the Ducks after Anaheim took both Games 3 and 4, outscoring the Predators 7-1.

That is why the Ducks feel pretty comfortable heading to Music City after avoiding an 0-2 deficit for a second straight series. They also have a 4-1 road record after sweeping Calgary and winning twice in Edmonton .

''We believe that we can go in any building and play with the teams that we're up against and give ourselves a chance for success,'' Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

For some Ducks, this will be their first chance at hearing just how loud Bridgestone Arena is in the playoffs.

''I've seen games on TV and played there in the regular season,'' said Nick Ritchie, a 21-year-old forward. ''They'll have a pretty big crowd, obviously. We've been a good team on the road. We're just going in there and going to try to take care of business.''

That means crunching the Predators whenever possible, a style the Ducks play very well. That includes Jared Boll, who had only three points in 51 games during the regular season but has played each of the first two games against Nashville. The 6-foot-3 forward has three combined hits throwing his big body around, including a big check on Calle Jarnkrok in the opener.

The Predators also have been physical, and defenseman P.K. Subban said he thinks they've been doing a good job so far, particularly Johansen. The center has multiple points in three straight games and just tied the franchise record for most points in a postseason with 13.

''He's really valuable to our hockey club,'' Subban said.

The Ducks' style might be taking a toll on the Predators' power play. Nashville scored four goals on its first 10 power plays on the road this postseason but now are 0 of 8 on the man advantage against Anaheim, including failing to convert through 88 seconds of a 5-on-3 in the opener.

Now Laviolette will have the last change, though he didn't tip his hand at any possible adjustments.

''I think the guys will be fine,'' he said.

[StarDust Bum]

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

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:..............................11 - 15 - 2..................42.30%...............- 17.25

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

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..................5 - 6............45.45%.........+0.20........6 - 9-1...........40.00%.......-3.70

[StarDust Bum]

Third Round Cheat Sheet
May 11, 2017

Key:
A – Atlantic
M – Metropolitan
C – Central
P – Pacific
W – Wild Card

Eastern Conference

2A Ottawa vs. 2M Pittsburgh

Senators: 44-28-10, 98 points
Penguins: 50-21-11, 111 points

Season series: The Senators grabbed two of three meetings from the Penguins with both victories coming as a home underdog. Pittsburgh outlasted Ottawa in its first matchup at PPG Paints Arena, 8-5 on December 5 as the Penguins outscored the Senators, 6-1 over the final 32 minutes. In Ottawa's two wins over Pittsburgh, the Senators allowed one goal each time, including a 2-1 shootout victory in the final meeting on March 23.

Pittsburgh and Ottawa are hooking up in the playoffs for the fifth time in the last 11 seasons, as the Penguins have knocked out the Senators in three of the past four postseason series.

Previous playoff outcome: The Penguins are seeking their second straight Stanley Cup title after sneaking past the Capitals in seven games of the conference finals. Pittsburgh is looking to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth time since 2008 as the Pens have won six consecutive playoff series after eliminating Columbus and Washington.

The Senators needed six games to knock out the Bruins and Rangers in the first two rounds, while posting a 4-2 record both at home and on the road. Ottawa is back in the conference finals for the first time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2007, while qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in franchise history.

Series Price at Sportsbook.ag
Pittsburgh -300
Ottawa +250

Western Conference

2W Nashville vs. 1P Anaheim

Predators: 41-29-12, 94 points
Ducks: 46-23-13, 105 points

Season series: The home team captured all three matchups between the Ducks and Predators this season. Anaheim dominated Nashville at the Honda Center on October 26 by a 6-1 score as a +115 underdog. The Predators picked up revenge two weeks later at home in a 5-0 shutout of the Ducks, but Anaheim picked up the final victory in the series in a 4-3 shootout triumph on March 7.

This is the second straight postseason that these two squads have hooked up as Nashville knocked out Anaheim in seven games of the 2016 conference quarterfinals. The road team won each of the four matchups before Anaheim grabbed a 3-2 series lead at home. Nashville captured the final two meetings, including a 2-1 road triumph in Game 7.

Previous playoff outcome: The Predators have reached their first conference finals in franchise history after eliminating the Blackhawks and Blues in the first two rounds. Nashville surprisingly swept top-seeded Chicago in the quarterfinals, followed by beating St. Louis, 4-2 in the semifinals.

Anaheim swept Calgary in the first round, while the Ducks snapped a five-game skid in Game 7's by edging the Oilers, 2-1 in the conference semifinals. Anaheim has never beaten Nashville in a playoff series (0-2), as the Ducks are trying to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2007, when they beat the Senators in five games.

Series Price at Sportsbook.ag
Nashville -125
Anaheim +105

[StarDust Bum]

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

A game within the game is developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart.

Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators (-150, 5)

Penguins are Las Vegas' big favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup: Live From Las Vegas
The Stanley Cup playoffs are down to its final four teams and the defending Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, are huge betting favorites to win it all again. We talk NHL conference finals odds with Matthew Holt of CG Technology in Las Vegas.

Series tied 1-1

The Anaheim Ducks are repeatedly driving home one point against their opponents on their run to the Western Conference finals: No lead is safe against them. Following their latest come-from-behind victory that earned a split on home ice, the Ducks visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.

Anaheim erased an early two-goal deficit to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole Sunday night, following a pattern that saw it storm back from three goals down against Calgary and Edmonton in the first two rounds of the playoffs. "I wish we didn't get down in the first place," Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's almost like we feel, 'Oh, we've got nothing to lose now.' It's almost like that's when we play our best game. Maybe sometimes we shouldn't wait for that to get going." The Predators allowed more than three goals in this postseason for the first time in Sunday's 5-3 setback but can take solace in the fact that the next two games are at Bridgestone Arena, where they have won nine in a row in the playoffs since back-to-back defeats against Anaheim a year ago. "Now we’re heading home and have another opportunity at home," Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne said following a shaky performance in Game 2. "That’s the best part of it."

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

LINE HISTORY: The Preds opened as -145 home favorites for Game 3 and by Monday evening that moneyline was up to -150. The total opened at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Ducks - D Kevin Bieksa (Questionable, lower body), RW Logan Shaw (Questionable, lower body), RW Patrick Eaves (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D Simon Despres (Out Indefinitely, concussion).

Predators - LW Kevin Fiala (Out For Season, leg).

ABOUT THE DUCKS (55-26-11-3, 35-39 O/U): Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle made a calculated gamble in Game 2 when, with his team trailing by two goals, he shuffled his lines and replaced Corey Perry with rookie Ondrej Kase on the No. 1 unit with captain Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie. Kase scored the tying goal in the second period -- his first of the playoffs -- as part of a huge night for that line that saw Getzlaf collect three assists and Ritchie score the decisive tally, his second-game winner in three contests. "We think that moving him up and down in our lineup gives us some flexibility, because he's a fearless player for his size," Carlyle said of Kase. "And he goes into the areas and can make plays with good players."

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (50-32-8-4, 43-40 O/U): A game within the game is developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart. "I don't know what's going through his head over there. Like, his family and his friends watching him play, I don't know how you can cheer for a guy like that," Johansen said. "I'm just trying to go out there and play hockey, and it (stinks) when you've got to pull a stick out of your groin every shift." Despite the simmering feud, Johansen scored one goal and set up another Sunday to give him 13 points, tying for the most in a postseason in franchise history.

TRENDS:

* Ducks are 5-1 in their last 6 road games.
* Predators are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Pacific.
* Over is 6-1-2 in Ducks last 9 road games.
* Under is 8-1-2 in Predators last 11 home games.
* Under is 2-0-3 in the last 5 meetings in Nashville.

CONSENSUS: 68 percent of the public is siding with the home chalk Predators on the moneyline and 68 percent are on the Over.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 16


Anaheim @ Nashville

Game 51-52
May 16, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Anaheim
10.159
Nashville
13.591
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 3 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-145); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 16

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ANAHEIM (55-26-0-14, 124 pts.) at NASHVILLE (50-32-0-12, 112 pts.) - 5/16/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 240-193 ATS (+522.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 30-18 ATS (+3.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 22-11 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 55-40 ATS (+4.4 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 37-20 ATS (+10.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 30-19 ATS (+9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 20-11 ATS (+8.4 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 10-8-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.3 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 15

Home side won six of last eight Anaheim-Nashville games; Ducks lost 3-1/5-0 in last two visits to Music City. Over is 3-0-2 in last five series games. Predators are 9-2 in playoffs, 5-0 at home; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games overall. Nashville allowed five goals in last game, after allowing total of seven goals in its previous five games. Anaheim won five of last seven games (over 5-1-1). Ducks are 1-22 on power play in their last seven games; Nashville is 0-12 in its last three games.

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

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




NHL

Tuesday, May 16

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
ANAHEIM vs. NASHVILLE
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Anaheim is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games
Nashville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Nashville's last 8 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MAY 16

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ANA at NAS 08:00 PM

ANA +130

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Preds rally past Ducks to take 2-1 lead
May 16, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) The Nashville Predators are so confident right now that not even having two goals in eight seconds waved off for goaltender interference can shake them.

Especially not on home ice.

Roman Josi scored a power-play goal with 2:43 left, and the Predators rallied to beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 Tuesday in their first-ever home game in the Western Conference finals.

The Predators grabbed a 2-1 lead in the series with their 10th straight home win in the postseason going back to last season. The Predators are the first NHL team to win 10 straight playoff games at home since Detroit in 1997-98.

Defenseman Mattias Ekholm said the team feels comfortable on home ice.

''That's really it,'' Ekholm said. ''Our fans, I really didn't think they could bring it to a new level, but I really thought they did tonight. It helps us so much, especially with those two goals.

''We have our fans standing up the whole third period literally and cheering us on. It gives us that extra boost and that extra energy that we needed.''

Filip Forsberg tied it up at 3:54 of the third as the Predators rallied for the win against an Anaheim team that has notched four comeback victories already when trailing by multiple goals this postseason.

Both goals were waved off within three minutes of Forsberg's goal, but the Predators kept pressing with Josi scoring Nashville's first power-play goal of the series for the win.

''Going out for the third, I think our guys stepped on the gas a little bit more,'' Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said.

Ducks goalie John Gibson made 38 saves, and Corey Perry scored a power-play goal in the second period for Anaheim.

''Gibby played well for us,'' Perry said. ''He kept us in that game.''

Game 4 is Thursday in Nashville.

Forsberg tied it up with his third goal in as many games. When officials first waved off a would-be goal by Colton Sissons at 6:25 and then Ryan Johansen's goal at 6:33, fans started tossing towels onto the ice.

Chris Wagner went to the box for high-sticking Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis with 3:55 left in the Ducks' offensive zone.

Nashville had been 0 of 11 on the power play in this series. Josi ended that drought with his wrister from the right circle off an assist from Viktor Arvidsson.

Nashville, 10-3 this postseason, has yet to lose consecutive games.

''We're a confident team,'' Josi said. ''We know what we can do in the room ... Nobody panicked. We knew we played a good game, and we had a lot of chances, a lot of shots. We need to play the same way, and they're going to go in some time.''

The Predators didn't hold back on star power for the biggest game in franchise history.

Keith Urban performed the national anthem, the latest country star to take a turn, and his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, joined him in the stands decked out in her own Predators' sweater.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota waved the rally towel along with his offensive linemen from the band stage. Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan held up a big catfish, and Urban later was shown on the video board holding up a big catfish. It's Nashville's answer to the octopus Detroit fans traditionally throw on the ice for good luck.

The Ducks finally got the faster start they missed in the first two games in Anaheim, outshooting Nashville 8-4 to open the game.

But the Predators took the next 11 shots and outshot Anaheim 40-20 for the game.

''We didn't play anywhere near where we're capable of playing,'' Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ''And we received the game a lot. But we still had a chance. And that's the most encouraging part, because we can play better than what we played tonight. We know that.''

The Predators held the Ducks without a shot throughout the second period until 8:12 left when Brandon Montour put a backhand on Rinne, a puck that went across the goal line.

But the net came off its moorings at the same time with Ekholm crashing into it. Referee Brad Meier immediately waved off the goal, which was upheld on review.

Anaheim got the man advantage after Predators forward Cody McLeod fought Jared Boll of the Ducks, upset at a hard hit on teammate Harry Zolnierczyk. That earned McLeod an instigator penalty along with a game misconduct. Perry then squeezed a wrister past Rinne from a severe angle to the right of the net.

Notes: Perry tied Teemu Selanne (35) for the second-most playoff goals in franchise history. ... Josi and Ellis each had a point, giving them each 10 points this postseason, a Nashville record for defensemen. ... Toronto coach Mike Babcock was spotted at the game.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack

— Late night Tuesday had a lot of fun baseball stuff; A’s/Angels won wild games out on the west coast.

— Celtics won the NBA Draft Lottery; Lakers get the 2nd pick.

— Since 2000, Buffalo Bills have had nine head coaches and seven GMs. That’s a lot.

— Mets’ SS Asdrubel Cabrera finally goes on the DL with his sprained thumb.

— Freddie Freeman has 13 hits, four homers in his first seven games in Rogers Centre in Toronto.

— Miami Marlins are already committed to paying $95.3M to only eight players next season- their payroll is a total mess. They’ve ranked 25th or lower in attendance the last five years. Oy.

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

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings………

13) Further proof the world is slowly going crazy…..

“Volunteers at an overdose prevention site in Vancouver say they saved the life of a (pet) rat named Snuggles after the little rodent overdosed on heroin.”

CNBC reported the pet rat was brought in by a woman who said it had eaten heroin off a table.

You cannot make this stuff up.

12) Cosmopolitan Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas started charging customers to park this week, the 23rd Strip property to charge customers to park in visits to resorts. Self-park is $7-10 a day; valet parking is $13-18 a day.

11) Supposedly, one of the main reasons that Ben Simmons spent his six months of college at LSU is because lot of higher-profile college programs weren’t fond of the idea of having a camera crew following him around all season, for the infomercial his people did on him that aired on Showtime.

I mean, how do you do a 90-minute “documentary” on a basketball player, but never have either his high school or college coach on to talk? Supposedly Simmons has grown another two inches since we last saw him play– he is now just about 7-feet tall. I’ll be very curious to see him play in NBA games.

10) Since 2005, there have been 30 games that weren’t played at Coors Field that had a total of 12 or more runs. Under was 17-13 in those games.

9) Washington Redskins signed free agent LB Nico Marley, grandson of music legend Bob Marley; his dad Rohan Marley played ball at Miami.

8) 16.9% of Ben Roethlisberger’s passing attempts last year went 20+ yards downfield; the next highest percentage of any NFL QB last year was Cam Newton, at 13.9%.

7) For the first time in 10 years, the winner of the Main Event at the World Series of Poker will be crowned in July and not November. Wish they would legalize online poker in this country so ESPN would start showing the WSOP the way it used to- enjoyed watching that stuff.

6) Diamondbacks’ catcher Chris Iannetta was hit in the face by a pitch over the weekend; he broke his nose, a couple teeth and got stitches in his upper lip. Catchers are tough people.

5) Stanford/Long Beach State will play basketball the next three years; this year in Long Beach, the next two years on the Farm. At least Stanford goes on the road once, more than most Power 5 schools do.

Tulsa/Oklahoma State will play a home/home series starting this winter, which is very unusual.

4) Back in late January, Alabama opened as -4.5 over Florida State in the college football season opener this fall. That spread is now Alabama -7.

3) Alabama hired Yasir Rosemond as an assistant basketball coach; he has extensive recruiting ties in the Atlanta area- he previously was an assistant at Georgia and Oregon.

2) Old Italian proverb: “When the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.”

1) Geddy Lee, lead singer of Rush, was at the Braves-Blue Jays game in Toronto Tuesday. Lee is a huge baseball fan and apparently has a great memorabilia collection.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL playoffs
Wednesday’s game

Total of four goals were scored in first two Pittsburgh-Ottawa tilts; since losing 8-5 in Steel City Dec 5, Senators are 3-1 vs Pittsburgh, allowing one goal in each game- -all four of those games stayed under the total. Home team won seven of last nine series games; Penguins lost three of last four visits to Ottawa. Pittsburgh was 3-1 on road in Washington series; under is 5-2 in their last seven games overall- they’re 0-11 on power play in last four games. Ottawa won all three home games in Ranger series; Senators are 0-17 on power play in their last 17 games.

Conference finals

Ottawa-Pittsburgh

Ottawa 2-1 OT
Pitt 1-0

Nashville-Anaheim

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

[StarDust Bum]

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

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:..............................12 - 16 - 2..................42.85%...............- 17.25

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

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..................5 - 7............41.66%.........-0.80........7 - 10 -1...........41.17%.......-2.70

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview: Penguins at Senators

Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby - "We generated a lot of chances, and you don't let the fact that they aren't going in change the way you play."

Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (+110, 5)

Series tied 1-1

The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense ran roughshod through the league during the regular season, scoring an NHL-best 3.39 goals per game before marginally increasing that total over the first two rounds of the playoffs (3.42). The high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins, reduced to two tallies while splitting the first two contests of the Eastern Conference final, look to get their offense in gear Wednesday when they visit the Ottawa Senators for Game 3.

"We generated a lot of chances, and you don't let the fact that they aren't going in change the way you play," captain Sidney Crosby said on the heels of Phil Kessel scoring the lone goal in the third period of Monday's 1-0 victory in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have mustered eight tallies in their last five games after recording 35 in their initial nine of the playoffs, with Ottawa's 1-3-1 defensive alignment serving as quite an obstacle in the conference final. The Senators didn't do much at the other end of the ice - literally - as they failed to record a shot on goal for 18:53 bridging the second and third periods. "We didn't generate a lot of offense," center Tom Pyatt said Tuesday, stating the obvious. "We played a solid, intense game, kept them to the outside, but I think they spent a little too much time in their zone. Obviously we (need) a better offensive effort for Game 3."

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

LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened as -130 road favorites for Game 3 in Ottawa. The total hit the betting board at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Penguins - RW P. Hornqvist (Questionable, upper body), D T. Daley (Questionable, lower body), RW B. Rust (Questionable, upper body), D J. Schultz (Questionable, upper body), D K. Letang (Out For Season, neck).

Senators - LW V. Stalberg (Questionable, lower body), D M. Borowiecki (Out Indefinitely, leg).

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (59-24-8-5, 53-38 O/U): Evgeni Malkin set up Kessel on Monday to increase his point total to an NHL-best 20 (six goals, 14 assists), joining Mario Lemieux as the only players in franchise history to reach that plateau on three occasions. Kessel's sixth tally of the playoffs followed one of his many emotional outbursts on the bench, with a particular one involving assistant coach Rick Tocchet caught on camera about Pittsburgh's need to move the puck. "It tells me he's invested - I love that about the guy," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Kessel's fiery nature. "Yeah, he's always like that."

ABOUT THE SENATORS (53-32-7-4, 37-52 O/U): Ottawa may receive a jolt as the series shifts to Canada's capital in the form of forward Viktor Stalberg and defenseman Mark Borowiecki, who coach Guy Boucher said "could be coming in at any moment." Stalberg has been sidelined since Game 6 of the second-round series versus the New York Rangers with an undisclosed injury while Borowiecki has been out since Game 2 of the first-round set against Boston with a lower-body ailment. Captain Erik Karlsson is playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, but the two-time Norris Trophy recipient still managed to record a team-high 26:59 of ice time in Game 2.

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 39-13 in their last 52 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Senators are 4-1 in their last 5 home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Penguins last 7 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 10-1 in Senators last 11 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 55 percent of the public is siding with the road chalk Penguins on the moneyline and 52 percent are on the Over.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 17

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PITTSBURGH (59-24-0-13, 131 pts.) at OTTAWA (53-33-0-10, 116 pts.) - 5/17/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 53-43 ATS (+4.0 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 33-27 ATS (+1.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
OTTAWA is 25-20 ATS (+50.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
OTTAWA is 29-18 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
OTTAWA is 17-11 ATS (+30.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 123-79 ATS (+5.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 24-16 ATS (+6.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 80-47 ATS (+11.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 15-6 ATS (+21.8 Units) in road games when tied in a playoff series since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 43-28 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 5-14 ATS (+19.7 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 7-4 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-4-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.2 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, May 17

Total of four goals were scored in first two Pittsburgh-Ottawa tilts; since losing 8-5 in Steel City Dec 5, Senators are 3-1 vs Pittsburgh, allowing one goal in each game- -all four of those games stayed under the total. Home team won seven of last nine series games; Penguins lost three of last four visits to Ottawa. Pittsburgh was 3-1 on road in Washington series; under is 5-2 in their last seven games overall- they’re 0-11 on power play in last four games. Ottawa won all three home games in Ranger series; Senators are 0-17 on power play in their last 17 games.

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

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




NHL

Wednesday, May 17

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Pittsburgh is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing Pittsburgh
Ottawa is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 17


Pittsburgh @ Ottawa

Game 53-54
May 17, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.909
Ottawa
11.778
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-125); Under

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PIT at OTT 08:00 PM

OTT +115

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Sens chase Fleury, rout Pens to go up 2-1
May 17, 2017

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Mike Hoffman and his Ottawa Senators teammates heard all the chatter on social media about their style of play, which some perceived as ''boring.''

Their response? Well, LOL. And another big W.

Marc Methot, Derick Brassard and Zack Smith scored in a 2:18 span midway through the first period to chase goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Hoffman opened the scoring 48 seconds in, and the Senators blew it open against the sluggish Penguins a few minutes later with the fastest three goals in team playoff history. Kyle Turris made it 5-0 late in the second period.

''If we played a run-and-gun game that maybe some people would rather watch, we probably wouldn't be here,'' Hoffman said after routing the defending Stanley Cup champs. ''So we use our assets and that's what works.''

Sidney Crosby ended Craig Anderson's shutout bid with a power-play goal in the third. Pittsburgh has scored a goal in each game in the series, dropping the opener 2-1 in overtime and winning the second 1-0.

''It was a bad start,'' Crosby said. ''You don't want to get down at any point, but to get down 4-0 is digging a pretty big hole.''

Anderson finished with 25 saves. Fleury allowed four goals on nine shots, and Matthew Murray made 19 saves in relief.

Game 4 is Friday night in Ottawa.

Coach Guy Boucher has insisted on an extremely defensive style from the day he took over the Senators last May. It took until December for the team to fully embrace it, but that's when everyone knew where they needed to be on the ice and what their responsibility was.

''At this level, you do what the coach says,'' said Hoffman, who also played for Boucher in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. ''We're workers here. We don't decide which system is put in place. We just have to go out there and execute it and do our job.

''That's what we're here to do.''

Hosting their first Eastern Conference final game in 10 years, the Sens came out flying. Hoffman got it going by capitalizing on Turris' shot that bounced awkwardly wide of the goal. Hoffman stuffed the shot, standing to the left of the goal, just between the post and right pad of Fleury.

Brassard got the first of three when he snatched Erik Karlsson's dump-in and swung wide of the Pittsburgh goal. Bobby Ryan eventually gained possession down low and found Methot with a crafty pass. While his initial shot was stopped, the rebound bounced off Penguins defenseman Ian Cole and into the net. It was the second goal of the playoffs for Methot after he went scoreless in 68 games during the regular season.

Brassard added his fourth of the postseason less than two minutes later, taking advantage of the Senators' offensive zone pressure before slipping behind the aging Mark Streit for the shot that beat Fleury.

''We're not bothered by what's said about our team,'' Brassard said. ''Our focus is on what we need to do.''

Streit was making his playoff debut for the increasingly battered Pens, who lost Justin Schultz and Bryan Rust to upper-body injuries in Game 2. Pittsburgh, which did get Trevor Daley back from injury, also remained without injured winger Patric Hornqvist as well as No. 1 defenseman Kris Letang, who's out for the season with a neck ailment.

Apparent miscommunication between the 39-year-old Streit and Cole led to Cole throwing the puck away shortly before Brassard's goal.

Ottawa, looking crisp and confident, finished the flurry 24 seconds after Brassard's goal, with Smith beating Fleury on a wrap-around, chasing Fleury from the game.

''It's tough when you give up that many goals in the first period you don't really give yourself or your team a chance in the game,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''It wasn't like we gave up a lot of scoring chances, we didn't, but they all seemed to go in the net.

''For me, the takeaway is you can't lose the first period by four goals and think you're going to win.''

In question now is whether Sullivan turns to Murray, who helped deliver the Pens a Cup last season and was excellent in his first full NHL season, for Game 4 or goes back to Fleury.

''I just think we've got to be more ready to play from the drop of the puck,'' said Sullivan, who added that he hadn't yet given thought to who would start in goal.

The crowd was delirious throughout the one-sided win and all the more so when their team got under the skin of the Penguins. At one point late in the first, Dion Phaneuf levelled former Maple Leafs teammate Phil Kessel. Ryan came by with a shove seconds later as Kessel waved his stick in the air at the Sens winger in apparent frustration.

Towel-waving fans chanted Kessel's name and later cheered as Mark Stone mixed it up with Evgeni Malkin.