Cnotes 2017 Stanley Cup Championship Trends-Stats-Picks-News !

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack

— Reds 13, Cardinals 1— Scooter Gennett, a free agent in our fantasy league, hit four HR’s in this game. He had 17 total bases, two short of the all-time record (Shawn Green).

— Boston 5, New York 4- Drew Pomeranz threw 123 pitches in his five innings of work, but he got the win.

— Arizona Cardinals moved their OTA’s inside Tuesday; it was 105 in Phoenix.

— This spring, 27 of 85 NHL playoff games have gone to OT; 62% of NBA playoff games have been decided by double digit margins.

— Hope you didn’t bet the over in the Jets’ win total for this year: David Harris was first vet to go, now Eric Decker could be next. They’re trying very hard to get a lot younger.

— Headed to DL: Bartolo Colon (Braves), Yasmany Tomas (Arizona), Devon Travis (Jays), Jared Cosart (SD), Mike Napoli (Tex).

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

13) Chicago Cubs use an odd defense against sacrifice bunts, with Anthony Rizzo playing in between the mound and 1st base, and the 2B holding the runner on first.

For fantasy baseball purposes, this has made Rizzo technically a second baseman and he is now eligible as a 2B in many leagues. It is an advantage if you have Rizzo on your fantasy team, lets you have an extra 1B in your lineup.

12) Denver Broncos have a brutal 3-week stretch in mid-season; in Week 7 they go to Carson, CA to play the Chargers, then have a Monday night game in Kansas City in Week 8, before a Week 9 game in Philly six days later. NFL teams historically have done poorly in their third consecutive road game- this one is on short rest.

11) Baseball is difficult: two weeks ago, Jose Abreu was AL Player of the Week. Last week, he was 2-23. Even the best hitters go thru slumps.

10) From Chris Fallica on Twitter: Six of the last nine Belmont Stakes favorites ran completely out of the money. American Pharaoh is the only favorite in the last 11 years to win.

9) Clippers/Rockets will play two preseason games in Hawai’i in October; doesn’t sound like training camp will be too grueling for those two teams.

8) Nashville’s Frederick Gaudreau is the first NHL player since 1944 whose first three career goals came in the Stanley Cup Finals.

7) Speaking of the Stanley Cup Finals, other than Nashville/Pittsburgh, the finals are getting their best TV ratings in this country in Buffalo.

6) Arkansas sophomore pitcher Kacey Murphy threw 74 pitches in an NCAA tournament game on Sunday; he started Monday’s game.

5) College baseball has an interesting dynamic; with the national tournament going on at the same time as the major league draft next week— the older players keep one eye on who their next team will be, and one eye on trying to win with their college team.

4) A guy on American Pickers on the History Channel had a collection of license plates on his wall; every style of license plate ever issued in Pennsylvania. Pretty cool. Some of the stuff people collect is fascinating.

3) Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson wants to transfer from Pitt to North Carolina, but the Panthers want to block him from going to another ACC team.

This could get dicey; when he was at Vanderbilt, Kevin Stallings blocked Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pitt— Jones went to a JC for a year before winding up at Pitt, and then two years later, Stallings showed up as the Panthers’ head coach- awkward.

2) Interesting debate: Who is the best quarterback in Packers’ history? Bart Starr? Brett Favre? Aaron Rodgers? You can make a case for all three.

1) Forbes Magazine now says the Golden State Warriors are worth $2.6B, 3rd-most in NBA behind the Lakers/Knicks. In 2011, the Warriors’ worth was below the NBA average- they’ve got a new arena in San Francisco on the way, and all this winning sure helps, too.

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Blue mutt named Stanley set tone for Preds' attacking style
June 6, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The instant one of the Pittsburgh Penguins passes the puck to a teammate, one of the Nashville Predators closes in, taking away any time or space to operate.

The junkyard dog approach to hockey for the Stanley Cup Final debutants has a history: It is the Predators' on-ice version of Stanley, the blue mutt with a bone clenched between his teeth. He's the team mascot whose picture is stuck on the Predators' locker-room door, now with two bandages commemorating playoff-ending injuries first to forward Kevin Fiala, then center Ryan Johansen. The dog, its name tag hanging from a spiked collar, bares his teeth in photos on three walls inside, too.

Stanley is the symbol of how coach Peter Laviolette wanted his Predators to play this season. They responded with an attacking, never-stop approach that has helped Nashville go from the last team into the NHL playoffs to one that is two wins from a championship. The Predators are tied 2-2 with the Penguins with Game 5 coming up Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

''We definitely know what our identity is,'' defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''It's kind of the dog-on-a-bone mentality. And we want to dictate the pace of the game, and we want to attack you in all three zones as a five-man unit and be tough to play against. And I think everybody on our team can skate, move the puck and make plays.''

Stanley is more than just a cartoon dog. The Predators also award the best player in each game a heavy chain as a reward, a hockey version of a game ball. The Predators in past years have given out a construction worker's hard hat to recognize the best player in a game.

Defenseman Matt Irwin says Stanley shows exactly how the Predators want to play.

''If you think of Stanley and you look at him, his knees are bent, he's in an athletic stance, his mouth's drooling,'' Irwin said. ''It's the intensity he brings, and that's the kind of intensity we want to bring to our game every night.''

That's exactly what Laviolette wanted when the Stanley concept was introduced months ago. Irwin said winning the big chain is a very cool honor, even though he's won it only once this season.

''Obviously when you win the chain, it's recognition from your teammates you contributed and you had a solid night,'' Irwin said.

Photos of a menacing dog and a chain can only go so far, though. The Predators finished the regular season 16th in the NHL with 94 points. They knew they would be starting on the road in every series, and the Predators responded by winning the opener of their first three series.

Now they head to Pittsburgh needing to find a way to win in the home ice of the defending champions after dropping Games 1 and 2.

The Predators are 5-5 away from Nashville this postseason. They are getting production from everyone who hits the ice, with 19 different players scoring at least one goal - two shy of the NHL record of 21 held by the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers. They also have killed 24 of 25 penalties in the Stanley Cup Final.

In Game 1, Nashville became the first team to hold an opponent without a shot on goal in a period of a Final game since the NHL started tracking that statistic in 1957, and that drought lasted 37 minutes even though Pittsburgh pulled out a 5-3 win. In Game 3, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held without a shot on goal in the same playoff game for the first time in their careers.

Mattias Ekholm said everything is designed to make opponents work hard and fellow defenseman Ryan Ellis noted that the hard work is required of the Predators, too.

''As much as it is about skill and speed and all that, it's the work ethic, it's the little things, and I think that's kind of the idea behind that is doing the right thing and working as hard as we can,'' Ellis said. ''I mean working hard in a game trumps all no matter skill level or this or that.''

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Penguins head home upbeat despite 0-fer in Nashville
June 6, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) The goals that came so easily to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final - the ones that arrived in bunches and seemed to signal an emphatic end to Pekka Rinne's spectacular playoff run - have disappeared.

Across six periods in Nashville, the NHL's highest-scoring team managed to beat Rinne just twice as the Predators rallied to tie the series. Yet Penguins coach Mike Sullivan hardly seems frustrated heading into Game 5 on Thursday night back home in Pittsburgh.

Sullivan is 7-0 in series with the Penguins, and the way he sees it, his team's inability to solve Rinne in Games 3 and 4 had little to do with lack of effort or opportunities. It had everything to do with a remarkable performance by the 34-year-old goaltender.

Where do you want to start? With Rinne's no-look left pad stop on Jake Guentzel early in the second period of a tie game on Monday night? Maybe the one about a minute later when Rinne denied Chris Kunitz on a breakaway? Or maybe the diving blocker stop on Guentzel just before the midway point, the one that preserved Nashville's lead on the way to a 4-1 victory?

Sullivan understands it's easy to look at the result and be discouraged. That's not his job. The coach who has made "play the right way" part of the franchise's lexicon is more focused on the process. The Penguins didn't produce much in Games 1 and 2 and somehow won going away. They "got to their game" (another of Sullivan's favorite mantras) repeatedly in Game 4 only to lose.

It's hockey. It happens.

"We believe that we have some guys that are due to score some goals here," Sullivan said Tuesday. "They've had some high-quality chances, and the puck hasn't gone in the net for the last couple of games. We believe if we continue to try to do the right things out there, we'll score."

Game 4 marked the sixth time in their last 11 games the Penguins have scored just one goal, compared to just twice in 24 playoff games last spring.

Pittsburgh has survived anyway thanks in part to a resilience that has been their hallmark under Sullivan. When limited to one goal during the 2016 postseason, they won the following game. When the Penguins had just three goals during the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa last month, they scored 10 over the next two to take control.

"It just comes down to burying your chances," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who picked up his first goal of the series in Game 4.

Something the Penguins did more than anybody during the regular season when it led the NHL in scoring. Pittsburgh is averaging 3.0 goals per game in the playoffs, the same as the Predators. It's not a coincidence they're the last two teams standing, both two wins away from a championship.

What the Penguins are saying now sounds an awful lot like what the Predators were saying after coming up empty in Pittsburgh to start the final. Nashville was every bit the defending champ's equal in the opening two games only to be undone by a pair of dominant bursts by the Penguins. The Predators weren't shaken then, much like the Penguins aren't shaken now.

"I know it's a nasty hole to be in," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said Tuesday. "But we really liked the way we played in Game 1. We thought we played a real competitive game in Game 2. Could have had results in both those games."

While Pittsburgh center Matt Cullen said there are no moral victories during the postseason, the way the Penguins were able to generate odd-man rushes and stretch the ice were encouraging. They got the puck everywhere it needed to go, just not in the net. Though that style also generated opportunities for the Predators at the other end, don't expect Pittsburgh to try and rein it in. That's now how they got to the cusp off back-to-back titles.

"If anything we just need to press a little more," Cullen said.

Well, everything except the panic button. Though Sullivan experimented liberally with his line combinations - something he frequently does when trying to break the Penguins out of a funk - there appear to be no plans to make a change in net.

Asked twice Tuesday if he planned on reevaluating his goaltending situation after Matt Murray allowed eight goals in Nashville, Sullivan stressed "we haven't lost games because of our goaltending."

The issues have been at the other end of the ice, where Rinne suddenly has his groove back. For now anyway. If the first four games of an unpredictable series have dictated anything, it's that momentum is just one shot away.

"We found a different level (in Game 4)," Crosby said. "If we continue to get those chances, they'll go in for us."

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

— Bob Stoops resigned after 18 years as Oklahoma’s football coach; 33-year old Lincoln Riley will be the Sooners’ coach this fall.

— Jake Lamb was the first big leaguer to 50 RBI this season.

— Masahiro Tanaka’s last five starts: 0-5, 10.72. Have to wonder if he is hurt.

— Dallas Keuchel (illness) was scratched from start with the Astros last night.

— Orioles 9, Pirates 6 (11)— Trey Mancini didn’t play until the 9th inning, but he knocked in five runs with two homers in two at-bats and Baltimore got a walk-off win here.

— Found re-runs of Green Acres on late night TV this week— tremendous!!!

Golden State 118, Cleveland 113– Warriors outscored Cleveland 11-0 over the last 3:10 of the game.

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Thursday’s List of 13: Some early college football knowledge…….

I went grocery shopping the other day; first thing I bought was a college football magazine. Here are some of the things I learned from that magazine……

13) There were 21 head coaching changes this offseason, including Texas-Oregon-Baylor.

12) Michigan State went from +14 in turnovers in 2015 to -5 last year, and the Spartans slipped to 3-9; the bounce of the ball can be fickle.

11) Michigan has a +9.1 yard advantage in field position, best in the country; they forced 3/outs on 34% of opponents’ drives last year.

10) Kansas has lost 41 straight road games; their last win on foreign soil was at Texas-El Paso in 2009. At least they’re not paying Charlie Weis anymore.

9) LSU scored an average of 37.9 pts/game in its eight wins, 9.3 in its four losses. Still think that firing Les Miles was a bad move for them.

8) Louisville averaged 7.2 yards per play last year, but has only four starters back on offense. Luckily for them, one of the four is QB Lamar Jackson. Oklahoma (7.5) was the only team in the country to average more yards per play.

7) Arkansas allowed 7.9 yards per play in SEC games, the worst of any team in the country in their conference games.

6) Difference between college football and college basketball; Athlon has 27 guys on its 1st team All-American football team (offense/defense/specialists)— three sophomores, 12 juniors, 12 seniors.

In basketball, the top two teams of consensus All-Americans: two freshmen, two sophomore, four juniors, only two seniors.

5) Average yards per play in college football last year was 5.8. Last time Wake Forest averaged more than 5.2 yards per play was 2009.

4) Tulsa ran the ball for 10+ yards on 103 plays LY, compared to 60 the year before, a big part of why scored 5.3 pts/game more than in 2015 ad increased their win total from six to 10.

3) West Virginia has only three starters back on defense; 59% of their tackles last year were by seniors. Mountaineers going to have to score a lot more points to compete this season.

2) By way of comparison, freshmen/sophomores made 52% of Oregon’s tackles, part of why they forced only 12 turnovers, but they should improve this season with those players returning and hopefully improving under a new coaching staff.

1) Washington Huskies covered their games last year by an average of 8.9 points per game, best in the country. Arizona failed to cover its games by an average of 10 points per game.

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Penguins regroup, Predators look for road magic in Game 5
June 7, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) Somewhere between the catfish lobbing , A-list national anthem singers, Carrie Underwood's forgetfulness , Charles Barkley's surprise cameo and P.K. Subban's breath, there's been another notable development during the Stanley Cup Final:

A series has broken out. Perhaps the seeds of an upset, too.

A week ago, the Nashville Predators headed home down 2-0 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Pekka Rinne's game seemed to be in tatters and the Penguins fan base was musing whether it preferred a clean sweep or just a split of the two games in Nashville so the defending champions could raise the Cup on home ice.

So, about that.

The vibe inside PPG Paints Arena for Game 5 on Thursday night figures to be more anxious than anticipatory after the Predators evened the series at 2-2 with a pair of vintage performances on home ice that sent ''Smashville'' into a frenzy and delivered a very clear message that the first-timers are a clear threat to become first-time winners.

Through four games, Nashville has more goals, more shots on goal and a bit more swagger than Pittsburgh. What began as a two-month slog to the Cup is now a three-game dash, one that appears to be a coin flip. The Penguins have the experience. The Predators have the momentum. Both are fighting fatigue with adrenaline.

''I know people talk about how we're tired, but believe me, they're tired too,'' Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin said. ''It's not only us tired. It's only three games left. We're not talking about being tired.''

Maybe, but Nashville appeared a step quicker in its home building, pouring in nine goals and handing Penguins goalie Matt Murray the first back-to-back playoff losses of his young career. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan isn't concerned about Murray. He's not really worried about the 190 feet in front of Murray, either. The Penguins have come within two games of the first team to capture consecutive Cups in nearly two decades due in large part to their resiliency.

And while captain Sidney Crosby says the ''desperation level'' will ramp up, Sullivan was quick to point out the term doesn't mean what you think it means.

''`Desperate' is a funny word for me because it gets thrown around our game a lot,'' Sullivan said. ''It always has a connotation of hopelessness. I don't believe that's the word that we want to use to describe our team. I think we've got to play with urgency. I think we've got to play determined. I think we have to play with conviction. I think when our team plays that way, we're at our very best.''

Pittsburgh is just 7-7 over its last 14 games and has been limited to just one goal in six of its past 11 - including the two losses in Nashville. Still, Pittsburgh is pretty good in the house that owner Mario Lemieux built. The Penguins finished with the second-best home record in the league and have ripped off five straight victories on home ice since Ottawa stunned them in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, including the first two games of the Cup final when they needed just 36 shots to beat Rinne eight times.

Funny, Rinne hardly looked rattled back home, holding Pittsburgh to just two goals combined as Nashville rallied to tie things up in front of a giddy home crowd that included Underwood, who was so caught up in Cup fever she overlooked husband Mike Fisher's 37th birthday. Not that Fisher or his teammates keeping track anyway. Not with the ultimate prize so close at hand.

When the playoffs started in mid-April, the Predators were the last team in. Now they're two victories away from a title few saw coming. At least one of those wins will have to come in Pittsburgh, where Rinne has never won a game.

Maybe it's fitting considering the 19-season journey they've taken to get to this point. They'll take their chances.

''We have no home ice, we knew that coming in,'' coach Peter Laviolette said. ''We have to win a road game. There's no other way around it.''

The Predators are 5-5 when forced to wear the road whites, including a Game 5 victory against Anaheim in the West finals. Save for a pair of flurries (one at the end of the first period in Game 1, the other at the beginning of the third period in Game 2) Nashville has been every bit Pittsburgh's equal.

''I think we're going to expect their best hockey in their rink,'' Predators forward James Neal said. ''I think both teams have gotten better throughout the series and that's expected. It's going to be a battle going in there and we need to steal one in their arena.''

Do it and they might not steal a title, but earn one.

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Stanley Cup Exact Futures
June 6, 2017

Bet on NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Sportsbook.ag

After another dominating performance by the Nashville Predators in Game 4, this Stanley Cup Final is all even at two games apiece and has effectively become a best-of-three. Sportsbook.ag has updated their odds regarding everything still out there for this Stanley Cup Final, and with the Penguins still having home ice advantage they are installed as -135 favorites.

Backing Nashville will get you +115 odds, but to cash that wager the Predators are going to have to buck the trend of home ice being the deciding factor so far in this series. The good news for Nashville fans in that regard is the fact that only three times in NHL history has the home team won every game in the Stanley Cup Finals (1955, 1965, 2003) with the most recent being 2003.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at some of the alternate ways you can bet on the rest of this series.

Sportsbook.ag Stanley Cup Finals Exact Futures

When you go to this link you'll see the prices for the four remaining possibilities of this series. One of these two teams is going to need at least six games to hoist the Cup, and if it doesn't go the distance then someone is going to have to win on the road. Oddly enough, the favorite in terms of odds in those options listed is that the series will go 7 games (-125) – compared to (-105) for 6 games, and a Penguins win in 7 games is the favorite at +220.

Considering the home team has only won all seven games three times in NHL history, those prices are a little surprising. I know that we could still see a Penguins win in 7 games with each team winning on the road, but regarding the exact future (team + games), a Penguins victory in 7 is not the first place I'd look.

The last time the Stanley Cup Finals went the distance was back in 2011 when the Boston Bruins ended up beating Vancouver for the Cup. That year became more famous for the riots in Vancouver that followed that Game 7 defeat, but up until that final game it was the home side that had won each game as well.

2009 was similar in that regard when Pittsburgh and Detroit ended up going the distance, the home team winning each of the first six games, before Crosby and Malkin were able to capture their first Stanley Cup together with a road win in Game 7. With history like that, if this does end up going the distance with each side continuing to hold serve at home until then and/or you believe it will go the distance, Nashville in 7 games at +300 is worth a stronger look.

Yet, in the 11 Stanley Cup Finals played since the 2004-05 lockout season was lost, we've only seen three Stanley Cup Finals go the distance. There were the two aforementioned ones along with the Carolina/Edmonton series in 2006.

So I wouldn't be quite so sure this one goes the distance as it's been six years since the last Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and four of the five Finals since then all finished in Game 6. One of these two teams this year is going to find a way to push through in hostile territory over the next two games and we will see this series end in 6 games.

Therefore, taking the length of series – 6 games (-105) is definitely the strongest wager of the bunch. However, I have no problem taking both the Penguins in 6 (+275) and the Predators in 6 (+275) as well because I do believe we see the winner of Game 5 -whomever that may be, and it's a tough game to handicap – hoist the Cup a few days later after Game 6.

History suggests that's what we will likely see, and when you think of the possible scenarios heading into that sixth game, you can make a strong argument for the team that is up 3-2 to clinch things out.

If it's Nashville who breaks through on the road first with a win in Game 5, that building will be rocking in Game 6 and the home crowd should fuel the Predators to a monumental win. If it's Pittsburgh up after Game 5, their history of all three Stanley Cups in franchise history being clinched on the road comes into play and Crosby and company will not want to risk a third straight Game 7 in these playoffs for all the marbles, even if it is at home.

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Stanley Cup Final script has flipped
June 7, 2017

PITTSBURGH -- The script has flipped when it comes to goaltenders Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As the two clubs get set for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, social media and some mainstream media members have cast a long look at Murray, who allowed eight goals on 58 shots in losses in Games 3 and 4 in Nashville.

"I thought I was OK in Game 3, obviously not great. I thought I was pretty good in Game 4," Murray said Wednesday.

There is at least some sentiment for Pittsburgh to go back to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who started the first 15 playoff games following an injury to Murray in the warmup before the Penguins' postseason opener.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan isn't talking about any lineup changes. Neither was Murray when asked if he knew who will start Thursday.

"Even if I did, I would not tell you," he said.

A change seems unlikely, and Fleury begged off of any controversy.

"It's out of my hands," he said. "What I've got to do is try to stay ready in practices if they need me."

Murray downplayed some criticism that he has been vulnerable to shots on his glove side.

"I work on everything. I work on my entire game," he said. "If they want to shoot glove (side), then I say go ahead and shoot glove."

It was just last week when Rinne was facing some similar heat after allowing eight goals on 36 shots in Games 1 and 2 and getting pulled in Game 2.

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette similarly would not commit to starting Rinne in Game 3, but he later admitted he never really considered a switch.

After two Predators wins in a row to tie the series, Rinne's first experience in the Cup Final has become a lot more pleasant.

"Amazing," he said. "Obviously, you don't want to look back yet. Been playing for a long time, never had this opportunity. It means everything to me right now. Just living my dream right now."

--Pittsburgh sniper Phil Kessel is tied for third this postseason with 20 points, but he has just one point, an assist, this series and has gone six games without a goal.

Center and oft-linemate Evgeni Malkin boldly predicted Kessel will break that slump Thursday.

"He'll score. It's his time to score," Malkin said. "He's a great player. He likes to play in tough situations. Now it's time for leadership to show in big games. Time to score. We play at home. It's our building, our emotion."

Kessel had eight shot attempts in Game 4 -- two that were stopped by Rinne, three that were blocked and three that missed the net.

"I missed the net a couple times where I probably should have hit the net," Kessel said.

Not to worry, Malkin said.

"I feel it," Malkin said. "He has waited a long time. He hasn't scored in a long time. Now it's time. Last game I think he showed his best game in this series. He plays so hard. I believe. I feel it."

--Sullivan has a booming voice and mostly is all business during press conferences. He broke that demeanor Wednesday when a local radio reporter got his tongue tied and inadvertently called Sullivan "Mario."

Sullivan smiled and said being referred to as Penguins co-owner and Hall of Fame center Mario Lemieux "brightened my week."

He also took the opportunity to talk about getting pointers from Lemieux, who led the Penguins to two Cups as a player. Lemieux has been a regular at playoff games and around the Pittsburgh locker room afterward.

"He comes down, shares his insight. We certainly value what he brings," Sullivan said. "Obviously, he thinks the game on a certain level that most people don't think the game. We value his input.

"Mario is great because he does entrust us with making the right decisions. He does empower us to do our jobs, which we're very appreciative of. But we certainly value his insights and his observations."

--Laviolette is probably even more stoic than Sullivan, especially at the daily news conferences during the Final, but he said he does crack that veneer occasionally.

"I think we have fun. I mean, we do laugh a little bit," Laviolette admitted.

"But it is business, too. There's a lot of work that has to be done on a daily basis for everybody, not just coaches or not just players. There's the organization, the guys on video, the equipment, the trainers. It is business. I don't think you get to this point if you aren't (about the) business.

"A lot of times what you see up here, you're asking direct questions about the game or about a situation. I do think it is a lot of business. But, believe it or not, I do smile once in a while."

--Pittsburgh's transition game has missed top defenseman Kris Letang. He skated in a track suit before practice Wednesday, but that is just part of his four- to-six-month recovery plan after he had disc surgery on his neck in mid-April.

On Tuesday, Sullivan shot down reports that Letang had an outside chance to return in this series.

Pittsburgh could still be without center Nick Bonino (left foot/ankle) for the third straight game. He watched practice.

Nashville center Colin Wilson, who has an undisclosed injury, could make his Final debut, as there is a chance to be cleared to play.

"He can get down low and hang onto pucks and really be physical offensively," Predators winger Austin Watson said. "Going with our game plan, we'd like to get down there, disrupt their defense, play with the puck and possession -- he's great at that. He can definitely be a helpful guy for us."

[StarDust Bum]

Stanley sets tone for Preds' style
June 6, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The instant one of the Pittsburgh Penguins passes the puck to a teammate, one of the Nashville Predators closes in, taking away any time or space to operate.

The junkyard dog approach to hockey for the Stanley Cup Final debutants has a history: It is the Predators' on-ice version of Stanley, the blue mutt with a bone clenched between his teeth. He's the team mascot whose picture is stuck on the Predators' locker-room door, now with two bandages commemorating playoff-ending injuries first to forward Kevin Fiala, then center Ryan Johansen. The dog, its name tag hanging from a spiked collar, bares his teeth in photos on three walls inside, too.

Stanley is the symbol of how coach Peter Laviolette wanted his Predators to play this season. They responded with an attacking, never-stop approach that has helped Nashville go from the last team into the NHL playoffs to one that is two wins from a championship. The Predators are tied 2-2 with the Penguins with Game 5 coming up Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

''We definitely know what our identity is,'' defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''It's kind of the dog-on-a-bone mentality. And we want to dictate the pace of the game, and we want to attack you in all three zones as a five-man unit and be tough to play against. And I think everybody on our team can skate, move the puck and make plays.''

Stanley is more than just a cartoon dog. The Predators also award the best player in each game a heavy chain as a reward, a hockey version of a game ball. The Predators in past years have given out a construction worker's hard hat to recognize the best player in a game.

Defenseman Matt Irwin says Stanley shows exactly how the Predators want to play.

''If you think of Stanley and you look at him, his knees are bent, he's in an athletic stance, his mouth's drooling,'' Irwin said. ''It's the intensity he brings, and that's the kind of intensity we want to bring to our game every night.''

That's exactly what Laviolette wanted when the Stanley concept was introduced months ago. Irwin said winning the big chain is a very cool honor, even though he's won it only once this season.

''Obviously when you win the chain, it's recognition from your teammates you contributed and you had a solid night,'' Irwin said.

Photos of a menacing dog and a chain can only go so far, though. The Predators finished the regular season 16th in the NHL with 94 points. They knew they would be starting on the road in every series, and the Predators responded by winning the opener of their first three series.

Now they head to Pittsburgh needing to find a way to win in the home ice of the defending champions after dropping Games 1 and 2.

The Predators are 5-5 away from Nashville this postseason. They are getting production from everyone who hits the ice, with 19 different players scoring at least one goal - two shy of the NHL record of 21 held by the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers. They also have killed 24 of 25 penalties in the Stanley Cup Final.

In Game 1, Nashville became the first team to hold an opponent without a shot on goal in a period of a Final game since the NHL started tracking that statistic in 1957, and that drought lasted 37 minutes even though Pittsburgh pulled out a 5-3 win. In Game 3, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held without a shot on goal in the same playoff game for the first time in their careers.

Mattias Ekholm said everything is designed to make opponents work hard and fellow defenseman Ryan Ellis noted that the hard work is required of the Predators, too.

''As much as it is about skill and speed and all that, it's the work ethic, it's the little things, and I think that's kind of the idea behind that is doing the right thing and working as hard as we can,'' Ellis said. ''I mean working hard in a game trumps all no matter skill level or this or that.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL playoffs

Game 5

Home team won first four Finals games, and last seven Nashville-Pittsburgh tilts overall; Penguins are 10-4 in last 14 games with Nashville- five of last seven series games went over. Predators lost three of last four road games; they lost last four games in Steel City, outscored 18-8- under is 8-4-2 in their last 14 games. Pittsburgh won its last five home games. Under is 3-2-1 in their last six games. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final. Predators are 4-12 on power play in series; Penguins are 1-16.

Stanley Cup final

Nashville-Pittsburgh

Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5

Pitt 4-1, -$140, U5.5

Nash 5-1, -$150, O5.5

Nash 4-1, -$135, U5.5

[StarDust Bum]

What nerves? Rookies making an impact in Stanley Cup Final
June 8, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) The guy that scored the winner in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final doesn't even have a locker in the Nashville Predators' dressing room.

The 22-year-old who leads the NHL in playoff goals and is a legit contender for the Conn Smythe trophy watched the Pittsburgh Penguins lift the Stanley Cup last spring on TV as a minor leaguer just getting his feet wet as a pro.

Sure, technically Frederick Gaudreau and Jake Guentzel are rookies. Neither is playing like one.

Maybe that's because by June, the NHL's sprawling season is in its ninth month and the bubble that surrounds each club during the journey deep into the playoffs insulates players from the outside forces that can make the big picture seem, well, too big.

''It's kind of an `ignorance is bliss' kind of mentality,'' said Penguins forward Conor Sheary, who had four goals and six assists in 23 games as a 24-year-old rookie during Pittsburgh's 2016 Cup run. ''You don't know what to expect, you just come in and play hockey.''

While the expectations in places like Pittsburgh are high every year, it's a burden largely shouldered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They take great pains to bring the new faces along. Sheary played on Crosby's line throughout the 2016 playoffs and his stall in the dressing room was within arm's reach of Crosby's, where Sheary soaked up wisdom and insight from the superstar. It's been much the same for Guentzel this time around.

''Growing up, you watch him, so to be honest it's pretty special,'' said Guentzel, whose 13 postseason goals are one off the NHL playoff rookie record set by Dino Ciccarelli with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. ''I'm trying to make the most of it. He kind of told me just to play my game.''

It's a message that permeates in Nashville's dressing room, too. Gaudreau spent three years with the Predators' American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee before he finally earned a call-up this season, picking up an assist in nine appearances. He sat for the first month of the playoffs before making his postseason debut in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals against Anaheim.

All Gaudreau has done with the opportunity is become the first player since Johnny Harms with the 1944 Chicago Blackhawks to score the first three goals of his NHL career in a Cup final.

Heady territory for an undrafted free agent once considered too small (6-feet, 179 pounds) to be an impact player at this level.

"I live some stuff,'' Gaudreau said after Nashville's Game 4 win evened the series at 2-2 heading into Thursday night's Game 5 in Pittsburgh. ''Every time I was trying to get better mentally. I'm getting to that point where I think I can handle all (these) situation(s).''

Maybe, but what works for one player doesn't work for another. Matt Murray was supposed to be the goalie of the future for the Penguins last season when an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury on the eve of the playoffs made him very much the goalie of the present. He went 15-6 with a .923 save percentage to win the Cup at the age of 22.

Having a dominant team in front of him helped. So did a ''what, me worry?'' attitude that made him seemingly immune to the stakes. Looking back, maybe having been there and done that isn't all it's cracked up to be.

''If you approach things with no fear it doesn't matter if you're a rookie or a veteran,'' Murray said. ''It doesn't matter if you've been there or not.''

It certainly hasn't mattered during the Cup final. Nine of the 24 total goals have come from first-year players. Guentzel has four. Gaudreau has three. Nashville's Pontus Aberg and Pittsburgh's Scott Wilson have the other two. Guentzel pumped in the winners in the opening two games in Pittsburgh. Gaudreau did the same during the series' debut in Smashville.

It is the first time in the history of a league that's been around a century that it's happened.

These rookies are playing in a league that's evolving, even if the defense is better as it always is in the postseason. Experience helps. So does having legs that can go and go and go.

''The teams that are having success, I think speed is a common denominator that runs through their lineups,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''I think young players with young legs have the ability to have an impact.''

Of course there's a learning curve. It's just not as long as it used to be. The evidence will be on the ice Thursday, when Guentzel could take another step to becoming first rookie since goaltender Cam Ward with Carolina in 2006 to win the Smythe as playoff MVP. Or Gaudreau could inch closer to earning a permanent stall in the Predators dressing room.

''I don't think a player ever `arrives,''' Sullivan said. ''But I think they're more prepared than they've ever been when they do get that first opportunity to play at the NHL level.''

And more prepared than ever to make the most of it.

[StarDust Bum]

Malkin, Rinne among contenders in wide-open Conn Smythe race
June 8, 2017

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was so concerned that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would take criticism to heart that he wanted everyone to stop talking about it.

No shots for the Pittsburgh Penguins' top stars in Game 3 led to one of Crosby's best games of the playoffs in Game 4, even though the Predators won it to even the Stanley Cup Final.

Going into Game 5 on Thursday night, Crosby and Malkin are still in the wide-open Conn Smythe Trophy race - along with some less-familiar faces.

Malkin has the most points in the playoffs with 26 and Crosby is second with 24. Penguins teammate Jake Guentzel has a playoff-best 13 goals, while Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne has been their backbone, according to Laviolette. Forward Filip Forsberg is Nashville's leading scorer.

Crosby won the Conn Smythe a year ago and Malkin did when the Penguins lifted the Cup in 2009. It wouldn't surprise anyone if either had a repeat performance.

''My sense of being around Geno is that his priorities are just trying to help this team win and trying to accomplish our team goals, which ultimately is a Stanley Cup,'' Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. ''I think these guys are ultimately driven to win championships. I think that's their No. 1 priority.''

Rinne was a playoff MVP favorite going into the Cup Final, but allowing eight goals in the first two games put the Predators in a hole. He held Pittsburgh to a single goal in the next two games, a bounce-back effort that would likely back his case if Nashville wins the first Cup in franchise history.

''It's a rollercoaster, it's an emotional ride,'' said Rinne, who has a 1.88 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 20 postseason starts this year. ''The first two games, we did a lot of good things. Personally wasn't really happy with my game. ... It's a game of confidence being a goalie.''

There's no shortage of confidence for Penguins goalies Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury, but they've split the duties almost evenly so far in the playoffs. The NHL said Murray and Fleury cannot be voted as a single entity for the Conn Smythe, though they could share it if the votes end up an even split.

Unlikely, especially considering that if Pittsburgh wins its second consecutive championship it will be thanks in large part to Guentzel, who is one goal away from tying Dino Ciccarelli's rookie record that has stood for 36 years.

''He's certainly made his influence on the playoffs for our team in such a positive way,'' Sullivan said. ''He's a great offensive player. He's got good instincts. We can play him with anybody. He just has the ability to make plays around him better. He's got a nose for the net. He can score goals.''

So can Forsberg, who leads the Predators with nine. Laviolette is more concerned with the gifted Swede's all-around game than just his scoring ability.

''Just with opportunity, he's really shown himself as somebody who wants to be the guy on the front of the rope pulling it,'' Laviolette said. ''I think with the opportunities he's gotten through the regular season and through increased playoff experiences, he's really shown he is a leader on this team. He's a difference-maker on this team, somebody we count on.''

The Predators' other top candidates are defenseman Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, who have combined for 17 points in 20 games. They've also been chiefly responsible for defending Crosby, which could be the difference between a parade on Lower Broadway and another one in the Steel City.

Josi in particular has a shot as he plays a team-high 26 minutes per game and has a complete game.

''His offensive skills, I think they stand out more sometimes because he's gifted offensively,'' Laviolette said. ''His defense is equally as good for me.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 5 Betting Preview: Predators at Penguins

Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins (-155, 5.5)

Series tied 2-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense looks to get back on track in Thursday's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the visiting Nashville Predators after being stuck in neutral for the previous two contests in the Music City. Captain Sidney Crosby ended his Stanley Cup Final drought of 12 games without a goal by tallying in Monday's 4-1 setback, but Pittsburgh was outscored 9-2 in Games 3 and 4 to see the best-of-seven series knotted at 2-2.

"We're confident our team will respond the right way, as they always have all season long," coach Mike Sullivan said of the Penguins, who have seen Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust mired in respective six-game goal droughts while former Predator Patric Hornqvist has failed to tally in his last five. "I believe we have great leadership in our room. We've got good players. They understand the circumstances and we've felt as though, with each game that we've played here, our team game is getting stronger." Nashville's Frederick Gaudreau continued his brilliant series by scoring the decisive goal for the second straight contest, joining fellow rookie Jake Guentzel of Pittsburgh by accounting for all four-game winning goals in the Stanley Cup Final. "(Gaudreau's) been unbelievable for us, just the way he's come in and he's been so good with the timely goals and so composed," Predators captain Mike Fisher said of the 24-year-old, who had one assist in nine regular-season NHL games in his career.

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

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Penguins as -148 favorites and they have been bet up slightly to the current number of -155. The total for Game 5 is set at 5.5.

PROBABLE GOALIE MATCHUP: Pekka Rinne vs Matt Murray (PIT)

Rinne - W/L: 14-6, GAA: 1.88, SAVE %: .932
Murray - W/L: 5-3, GAA: 2.08, SAVE %: .925

INJURY REPORT:

Predators - D P. Subban (Probable Thursday, ankle), LW C. Wilson (Questionable Thursday, lower body), C R. Johnasen (Out for season, thigh), LW K. Fiala (Out for season, leg).

Penguins - RW P. Hornqvist (Questionable Thursday, wrist), C N. Bonino (Questionable Thursday, lower body), RW T. Kuhnhackl (Out indefinitely, lower body), D C. Ruhwedel (Out indefinitely, concussion), K. Letang (Out for season, neck).

ABOUT THE PREDATORS: Franchise goaltender Pekka Rinne silenced critics by turning aside 50 of 52 shots in his last two games to improve to 9-1 at home in the postseason, but his play in Pittsburgh leaves plenty to be desired. The three-time Vezina Trophy finalist has yielded at least four goals in each contest en route to losing all five of his career decisions in the Steel City, including eight tallies on 36 shots collectively in Games 1 and 2. Rinne's defense has been up to the task in the last two contests, but P.K. Subban's availability for Game 5 could be in question as the blue-liner was not on the ice to begin practice Wednesday after blocking Evgeni Malkin's shot late the third period in Game 4.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS: In a move that parallels that of Nashville coach Peter Laviolette prior to Game 3, Sullivan refused to reveal the identity of his starting netminder for Game 5 after Matt Murray yielded eight goals on 58 shots in the last two contests. For his part, the 23-year-old Murray admitted he wouldn't spill the beans even if he was in on the secret, telling the team's website Wednesday that "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you." Murray has posted a 5-3 mark with a 2.08 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in the past nine games after missing the first two rounds of the playoffs because of a lower-body injury, with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury recording a 9-6 mark with a 2.56 GAA and .924 save percentage.

TRENDS:

* Predators are 0-4 in the last four meetings in Pittsburgh.
* Home team is 7-0 in the last seven meetings.
* Under is 4-1-2 in Penguins last seven games after scoring two goals or less in the revious game.
* Under is 5-1-3 in Predators last nine Thursday games.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, June 8


Nashville @ Pittsburgh

Game 9-10
June 8, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
13.412
Pittsburgh
11.577
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(+125); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, June 8

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

NASHVILLE (55-34-0-13, 123 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (64-28-0-13, 141 pts.) - 6/8/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-4 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 6-4-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)

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




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, June 8

Home team won first four Finals games, and last seven Nashville-Pittsburgh tilts overall; Penguins are 10-4 in last 14 games with Nashville- five of last seven series games went over. Predators lost three of last four road games; they lost last four games in Steel City, outscored 18-8- under is 8-4-2 in their last 14 games. Pittsburgh won its last five home games. Under is 3-2-1 in their last six games. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final. Predators are 4-12 on power play in series; Penguins are 1-16.

Stanley Cup final
Nashville-Pittsburgh
Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5
Pitt 4-1, -$140, U5.5
Nash 5-1, -$150, O5.5
Nash 4-1, -$135, U5.5




NHL

Thursday, June 8

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

8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. PITTSBURGH
Nashville is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Nashville

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NAS at PIT 08:00 PM

NAS +145

U 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Penguins crush Predators 6-0 to take 3-2 lead in Stanley Cup
June 8, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) The night started with a catfish throw.

It ended with haymaker after haymaker - both literal and proverbial - from the ever resilient Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defending champions provided an emphatic and repeated reminder of what makes them such a difficult out in a 6-0 demolition of the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to take a 3-2 lead.

Pittsburgh will have a chance to become the first franchise in 19 years to win back to back championships when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 6 on Sunday night.

''Understand that we're going to play a desperate team,'' said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby after collecting three assists. ''Nothing's done yet and we've got a lot of work ahead of ourselves.''

So do the Predators, who can't get back to Smashville fast enough.

''I don't know if anybody shakes off a game like that that quickly,'' Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ''Nobody feels good leaving the building playing the way we did.''

Justin Schultz, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin scored during a first-period barrage against Pekka Rinne that sent the Nashville goaltender to the bench for the rest of the night, all the good mojo he created during a pair of wins in Games 3 and 4 gone.

Conor Sheary, Phil Kessel - just as linemate Malkin predicted - and 35-year-old playoff newbie Ron Hainsey also scored for the Penguins. Crosby's eventful night included becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer in the Stanley Cup Final, a two-minute roughing penalty for trying to dribble Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban's head on the ice near the end of the first period and an flip of a water bottle onto the ice during play.

''It's just one of those things it slipped out of my hand,'' Crosby said. ''I had a gesture with my hand and before I knew it the thing was flying across the ice. I know you're not allowed to do that, so I'm not going to start doing it in the Stanley Cup Final.''

Matt Murray bounced back from so-so performances during Pittsburgh's lost weekend in Nashville to make 24 stops while also benefiting from a dominant performance by the guys in front of him.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, as he has for each of the last two springs when his team finds itself in a tight spot, pushed all the right buttons again. He stuck with Murray, reunited Sheary with Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and stressed his team needed to play with urgency but not desperation after the Predators rallied to tie the series by outscoring the Penguins 9-2 during two wins in Nashville.

It took all of 91 seconds for Pittsburgh to get its swagger back.

Just 91 seconds after a Nashville fan flipped a catfish onto the PPG Paints Arena ice - a move that came shortly before a three-goal outburst by Nashville in Game 1 - Schultz powered home a slapshot to end an 0-for-15 power-play skid.

''We were on our toes tonight,'' Schultz said. ''We were really jumping and playing our game, playing fast. It all started with that start and got us going for the rest of the game.''

Rust made it 2-0 just 6:43 into the game with a nasty backhand flip over Rinne's glove.

Then things got chippy (and a little weird) for the game's best player. Crosby and Subban became tangled up behind the Nashville net late in the first period, with Crosby ended up on top of Subban. Crosby then started hitting Subban in the head repeatedly, eventually drawing a roughing penalty while Subban - who quipped that Crosby was complaining about Subban's bad breath during a Game 3 exchange - went off for holding.

''I'm not an official so I'm not going to judge what's over the line and what's not,'' Subban said.

Malkin ripped a wrist shot over Rinne's glove on the ensuing 4-on-4 to make it 3-0 with just 10 seconds left in the first. Rinne gave way to Juuse Saros at the start of the second period after stopping just six of nine shots, continuing his wildly uneven play. Rinne stopped 50 of 52 shots he faced back home in Games 3 and 4. He's stopped just 34 of 45 in Pittsburgh during the series.

Saros hardly fared any better. Sheary took a pretty feed from Crosby and sent it by Saros 1:19 into the second to push Pittsburgh's lead to four. Kessel ended a six-game goal drought 8:02 into the second. The score had been predicted by Malkin and it came just seconds after Crosby threw a water bottle onto the ice as the play went by Pittsburgh's bench, a move he told referees was unintentional.

When Hainsey, who waited 907 regular-season games before reaching the playoffs for the first time this season, tapped in a pass from Malkin to make it 6-0, the stage was set for the Penguins to return to familiar territory.

The franchise has won all four of its Cups on the road. A shot at a fifth awaits Sunday, though it'll hardly be easy.

The Predators are 9-1 at home in the playoffs, a place they will need to be a haven once again if they want to extend their improbable Cup run - and a flat-out odd final - back to Pittsburgh.

''The real hockey starts now,'' Subban said. ''You're in the Cup final, this is what it's all about. It's about going back and forth.''

NOTES: Crosby now has 20 career points in the Stanley Cup Final, a new franchise record and one more than team owner Mario Lemieux. ... Crosby also moved into a tie with Denis Potvin for 19th on the all-time career playoff scoring list. ... The team that has won Game 5 in a 2-2 series has gone on to win the Cup 71 percent (17 of 24) of the time since 1939. ... The teams combined for 100 penalty minutes (58 for Nashville, 42 for Pittsburgh). ... Guentzel's assist moved him into a tie with Dino Ciccarelli and Ville Leino for the most playoff points by a rookie in NHL history (21). ... Penguins F Nick Bonino missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Nashville F Colin Wilson made his series debut after missing the first four games with an undisclosed injury. Wilson skated on the fourth line with Frederick Gaudreau and Harry Zolnierczyk.