Announcement

**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 08:20 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the RBC Heritage Golf tournament this week:

12-1— Paul Casey

18-1— Matt Kuchar

25-1— Hatton, Kisner, Leishman, Simpson, Smith

33-1— Cantlay, Harman, List, Molinari, Poulter

40-1— Grillo, Hoffman, Na

50-1— Chappell, ZJohnson, Schniederjans, Moore

**********

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

13) Minnesota 112, Denver 106 OT— Timberwolves survive this game in OT, snap Denver’s 6-game winning streak and make the playoffs for first time in 15 years.

12) Lot of angry baseball players Wednesday; fisticuffs in Denver and Boston. Awful early in the season for division rivals to be going at it, but thats what happened. Nolan Arenado wound up throwing punches and Tyler Austin looked like a guy in the WWE when he charged the mound at Fenway Park. Too cold for fisticuffs- you can break a bone punching a guy.

Five players got tossed in Denver, three in Boston. These teams have a lot of games against each other the rest of the season. Will be interesting to see if the hostilities carry over.

11) Trayce Thompson played CF for the A’s last night; he robbed former Dodger teammate Yasiel Puig of a home run with a leaping catch in front of the fence. Puig tipped his cap to Thompson as he jogged back to the dugout. Thompson hit 13 homers in half a season for the Dodgers two years ago— he is an intriguing prospect for Oakland.

10) SI.com‘s Albert Breer touted the Ravens as a possible landing spot for Louisville QB Lamar Jackson; Joe Flacco is 33 and the Ravens missed the playoffs the last three years.

What the Ravens really need is a new offensive coordinator; Marty Mornhinweg is hideous, but for some reason, they stick with him. 31 of 64 NFL coordinator jobs changed hands this winter, but this guy keeps his job. Baffling.

9) NFL announced the 2018 preseason schedule Wednesday, which I don’t care about except that it means the regular season schedule announcement is only a week away.

Bears-Ravens is the Hall of Fame Game in Canton on August 2.

8) Brad Stevens is a damn good coach; Celtics went over their 53.5 win total for this season, despite losing Kyrie Irving for 22 games and Gordon Hayward playing five minutes the whole freakin’ season.

7) 76ers 130, Bucks 95— Philly won its last 16 games as they head into the playoffs. Happy for coach Brett Brown, who endured a lot of BS and losing on his way to this point in his career.

6) Knicks fired coach Jeff Hornacek after they got back to New York Wednesday night; they really need to fire their owner, but that’s not happening. Knicks lost 50+ games the last four seasons, which obviously ain’t good.

Former Cleveland coach David Blatt is listed as a possible replacement.

5) 2020 All-Star Game will be in Dodger Stadium; last time they had the mid-summer classic in LA was in 1980. Dodger Stadium is now the third-oldest stadium in the big leagues.

From 1962-65, before Anaheim Stadium was built, the Angels also played in Dodger Stadium.

4) Twins 9, Astros 8— Minnesota led 8-1 but the Astros rallied to tie this game, before Max Kepler ended things with a a walk-off HR, his second tater of the day.

3) Baseball injury stuff:
— Mets lose catcher Travis d’Arnaud with a torn UCL
— Rangers’ SS Elvis Andrus broke his elbow when he got hit by a pitch.
— Braves’ P Brandon McCarthy’s left shoulder appeared to pop out of joint as he covered first base in a game in Washington. The trainer popped the shoulder back in place— the out ended the 5th inning, but McCarthy didn’t return to the game. Weird injury.

2) First round NBA playoff series:
East: Celtics-Bucks, 76ers-Heat, Cavaliers-Pacers, Raptors-Wizards
West: Warriors-Spurs, Blazers-Pelicans, Thunder-Jazz, Rockets-Wolves

1) Only in today’s crazy world would 50Cent and MSNBC’s Ari Melber be on a Twitter video together talking about what happens if the feds charge you with a crime. Thats what popped up on my timeline today.

Say Defendant A gets convicted of a crime and gets sentenced to 10 years in jail; according to 50Cent, Defendant A would serve 85% of that time, or 8.5 years. If you got nailed for 30 years, that puts you behind bars for 25.5 years, assuming time off for good behavior.

Something to think about when you watch the news these days.

**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 08:22 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 12

New Jersey @ Tampa Bay

Game 9-10
April 12, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Jersey
10.738
Tampa Bay
11.782
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-230
6
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-230); Under

Toronto @ Boston

Game 11-12
April 12, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
10.264
Boston
11.178
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-155
6
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-155); Over

Columbus @ Washington

Game 13-14
April 12, 2018 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.869
Washington
10.419
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(+125); Over

Colorado @ Nashville

Game 15-16
April 12, 2018 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
11.988
Nashville
10.303
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-275
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+235); Over

San Jose @ Anaheim

Game 17-18
April 12, 2018 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
9.969
Anaheim
14.450
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 4 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-150); Under

**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 08:23 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 12

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NEW JERSEY (44-29-0-9, 97 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (54-23-0-5, 113 pts.) - 4/12/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 224-232 ATS (+533.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 45-38 ATS (+86.3 Units) in all games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 19-16 ATS (+43.6 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 20-19 ATS (+44.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NEW JERSEY is 8-3 ATS (+12.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 4-5 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 5-4-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

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TORONTO (49-26-0-7, 105 pts.) at BOSTON (50-20-0-12, 112 pts.) - 4/12/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 2-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
BOSTON is 8-13 ATS (-14.2 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 271-234 ATS (-158.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 22-27 ATS (-28.2 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 34-41 ATS (-21.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 37-43 ATS (-19.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 8-5 (+4.7 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 8-5-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

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COLUMBUS (45-30-0-7, 97 pts.) at WASHINGTON (49-26-0-7, 105 pts.) - 4/12/2018, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 19-37 ATS (+59.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 50-33 ATS (+16.2 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 23-9 ATS (+23.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 32-10 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-15 ATS (+6.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
COLUMBUS is 37-20 ATS (+15.3 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 13-5 ATS (+19.2 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 6-11 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 42-51 ATS (-40.9 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-4 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 9-4-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

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COLORADO (43-30-0-9, 95 pts.) at NASHVILLE (53-18-0-11, 117 pts.) - 4/12/2018, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 53-30 ATS (+92.1 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 18-8 ATS (+7.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NASHVILLE is 31-14 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 44-23 ATS (+18.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 44-39 ATS (+89.3 Units) in all games this season.
COLORADO is 25-20 ATS (+46.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
COLORADO is 26-23 ATS (+54.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
COLORADO is 17-14 ATS (+34.8 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
COLORADO is 19-14 ATS (+35.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 11-3 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 11-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
11 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+8.7 Units)

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

SAN JOSE (45-27-0-10, 100 pts.) at ANAHEIM (44-25-0-13, 101 pts.) - 4/12/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 31-41 ATS (-16.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 14-27 ATS (-18.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 13-3 ATS (+8.3 Units) in April games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 16-4 ATS (+9.1 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 27-13 ATS (+40.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
ANAHEIM is 441-440 ATS (-109.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 35-22 ATS (+11.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 40-24 ATS (+14.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 58-43 ATS (+106.5 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 21-8 ATS (+9.7 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
SAN JOSE is 7-1 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
ANAHEIM is 5-11 ATS (-8.4 Units) after shutting out their opponent in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 7-6 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 7-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+7.0 Units)

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

**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 08:27 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 12

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

Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Toronto's last 20 games
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Toronto is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
Boston is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto

New Jersey Devils
New Jersey is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
New Jersey is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New Jersey's last 11 games
New Jersey is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games on the road
New Jersey is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games
Tampa Bay is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
Tampa Bay is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games at home
Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New Jersey

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Columbus is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games
Columbus is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Columbus is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games on the road
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Columbus is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington
Columbus is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Washington is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games at home
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Columbus

Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 14-7 ATS in its last 21 games
Colorado is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Colorado is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Colorado is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Colorado's last 13 games when playing Nashville
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville Predators
Nashville is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Nashville is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games
Nashville is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Nashville is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games at home
Nashville is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Nashville's last 13 games when playing Colorado
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games on the road
San Jose is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Anaheim
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Anaheim
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
Anaheim is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games at home
Anaheim is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing San Jose
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing San Jose
Anaheim is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose

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**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 10:01 AM

Home teams start the Stanley Cup playoffs 3-0 Wednesday while the Under goes 2-1.

**Udog** · 04-12-2018, 02:31 PM

Thursday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds

New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning (-220, 5.5)

Series tied 0-0.

ABOUT THE DEVILS (44-29-5-4, 42-38 O/U): The New Jersey Devils return to the postseason for the first time since losing in the 2011-12 Stanley Cup finals and face quite a challenge when they visit the Atlantic Division champion Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Thursday. The Devils started the season 9-2-0 before stringing together an eight-game point streak (7-0-1) late in the campaign to seal a spot in the playoffs, and don’t plan to change their disciplined style. Taylor Hall finished the regular season with 19 points (nine goals) in his last 12 games and has fit well on the top line with rookie center Nico Hischier (20 goals, 52 points) along with Kyle Palmieri (24, 44).

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (54-23-3-2, 49-31 O/U): The Lightning topped the league in scoring with Nikita Kucherov (100 points) and captain Steven Stamkos (86) as the prime producers. Stamkos (lower-body) practiced this week and is expected to play Thursday after missing the last three games for Tampa Bay, which lost all three meetings with New Jersey and finished 3-4-1 in the final eight of the regular season. Stamkos told reporters after practice Wednesday it was the best he has felt in a couple weeks and skated between Kucherov and J.T. Miller, who recorded 18 points in 19 games after being acquired from the New York Rangers. Brayden Point (32 points, 66 points) centered Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson at practice as well and rookie center Anthony Cirelli has earned a spot on the third line, skating with Yanni Gourde (25, 64) and Alex Killorn.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Lightning opened as big -225 favorites and that number has come down slightly to -220. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has been steady.

INJURY REPORT:

Devils - LW Marcus Johansson (Out Indefinitely, Concussion).

Lightnng - C Steven Stamkos (Probable, Lower Body), LW Adam Erne (Out Indefinitely, Lower Body).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Devils are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. Eastern Conference
* Lightning are 6-1 in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 8-3 in Devils' last 11 overall.
* Over is 18-7-1 in Lightning's last 26 vs. Metropolitan.
* Home team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (-160, 6)

Series tied 0-0.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (42-26-7-7, 43-37 O/U): Former No. 1 overall pick Auston Matthews leads the high-powered Maple Leafs, who won three of four against Boston this season and pushed top-seeded Washington to six games a year ago. Matthews missed 20 games to injury in his second season but still finished second on the team with 34 goals and showed no rust in his return from a month-long absence, collecting at least one point in his final nine games. A big key for Toronto could be the No. 2 line centered by Nazem Kadri, who matched a career best with 32 goals and is joined by veteran Patrick Marleau (27 goals) and second-year forward Mitch Marner, the team's leading scorer with 69 points.

ABOUT THE BRUINS (47-29-4-2, 47-33 O/U): The Boston Bruins were the best team in hockey for a long stretch of the season but with their playoff destiny and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in their hands, they stumbled in the finale on home ice. The Bruins lost four of their final five games, including a season-ending loss to Florida, but they still finished with 112 points, won at least four straight on five different occasions and amassed an 18-game point streak. Boston was one of the top defensive clubs in the league but it certainly has plenty of offense to match up against the Maple Leafs, particularly the lethal No. 1 line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, who each scored at least 30 goals and were the team's top three point producers.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Bruins opened as -155 home favorites and as of Thursday morning that number has been bet up to -160. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has been bumped up to 6.

INJURY REPORT:

Leafs - LW Joffrey Lupul (I-R, Conditioning).

Bruins - LW Rick Nash (Probable, Concussion), C Sean Kuraly (Probable, Upper Body), C Riley Nash (Out, Ear), D Brandon Carlo (Out For Season, Ankle), LW Anders Bjork (Out For Season, Shoulder).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Maple Leafs are 10-4 in their last 14 overall.
* Bruins are 22-7 in their last 29 home games.
* Over is 12-2 in Maple Leafs' last 14 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 3-0-3 in Bruins' last 6 home games.
* Maple Leafs are 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals (-140, 5.5)

Series tied 0-0.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (45-30-3-4, 41-41 O/U): The Blue Jackets, who finished eight points behind Washington in the division, have never won a postseason series but they closed on a 13-2-2 run to reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time. Columbus was unable to get its offense untracked for much of the season, but a trio of trade-deadline acquisitions -- forwards Thomas Vanek, Mark Letestu and defenseman Ian Cole -- were vital in the late-season surge. Columbus averaged more than a goal per game following the deals, but it must receive better play against Washington from two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who has notched 78 wins over the past two seasons but was 1-3-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .868 save percentage versus the Capitals.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (49-26-6-1, 46-34 O/U): Few teams can match the regular-season success of the Washington Capitals over the past few years, but Alex Ovechkin and company are more concerned with erasing a lengthy history of playoff flops. Coming off its third consecutive Metropolitan Division title, Washington will face a familiar rival when it hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Game 1 of their first-round series. The Capitals have not been to the Stanley Cup Final since 1998 and were drummed out of the playoffs in the second round in each of the past three seasons despite winning the Presidents' Trophy in back-to-back campaigns. Ovechkin rebounded from a 33-goal campaign in 2016-17 to pump in 49 this season to claim his seventh Rocket Richard Trophy, but he also is one of seven players in this postseason to appear in 1,000 games and not win the Stanley Cup. However, the Russian standout is storyline No. 2 for Washington following the decision by Trotz to bypass longtime No. 1 netminder Braden Holtby in favor of backup Philipp Grubauer, who will make only his second postseason start in Game 1.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Caps opened as -150 home favorites and that number has been bet down to -140. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has been steady.

INJURY REPORT:

Jackets - LW Nick Foligno (Probable, Lower Body), D Markus Nutivaara (Probable, Illness), LW Lukas Sedlak (Out Indefinitely, Head).

Capitals - RW T.J. Oshie (Probable, Lower Body), RW Alex Chiasson (Questionable, Lower Body), C Travis Boyd (Doubtful, Illness), RW Jay Beagle (Doubtful, Upper Body).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Blue Jackets are 9-1 in their last 10 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Capitals are 12-3 in their last 15 overall.
* Over is 13-3 in Blue Jackets' last 16 road games.
* Over is 5-0 in Capitals' last 5 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
* Blue Jackets are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings.

Colorado Avalanche at Nashville Predators (-300, 5.5)

Series tied 0-0.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (43-30-8-1, 42-32 O/U): The Avalanche enter the playoffs with five losses in their last seven games (2-4-1). Nathan MacKinnon (team-leading 39 goals) joins Mikko Rantanen (29 goals) and captain Gabriel Landeskog (25 goals) in accounting for 36 percent of the team's goal production this season. Colorado's Jonathan Bernier, who sports a 9-4-0 career mark versus Nashville, has posted a 1-2-0 record since fellow G Semyon Varlamov was announced to be out for the season with a lower-body injury. The Avalanche are 2-for-21 on the power play versus Nashville this season.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (53-18-4-7, 41-40 O/U): The Nashville Predators have just completed the best season in franchise history, with a Presidents' Trophy guaranteeing coach Peter Laviolette's club home-ice advantage throughout playoffs. The Predators are bidding to make some noise in Music City as they vie for their 11th consecutive victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series. The Predators know the value of home-ice advantage as the club won nine of 11 last spring at Bridgestone Arena to nearly unseat defending champion Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final. Filip Forsberg has flustered Colorado both this season and throughout his career, scoring in overtime of a 4-3 win on March 4 before tallying twice nearly two weeks later to up his point total to 24 (13 goals, 11 assists) in 20 encounters.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The heavily favored Preds opened at -250 and that number has been bet all of the way up to the current number of -300. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has not moved.

INJURY REPORT:

Avalanche - C Nathan MacKinnon (Probable, Undisclosed), G Semyon Varlamov (Out Indefinitely, Knee), D Erik Johnson (Late May, Knee).

Predators - C Calle Jarnkrok (Questionable, Upper Body), D Yannick Weber (Questionable, Upper Body).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Avalanche are 16-49 in their last 65 road games.
* Predators are 6-0 in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 6-2 in Avalanche's last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 3-0-3 in Predators' last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 13-3-1 in the last 17 meetings in Nashville.

San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks (-135, 5)

Series tied 0-0.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (45-27-7-3, 37-43 O/U): San Jose was floundering down the stretch, losing five of its final six contests (1-4-1). The Sharks won three of the four regular-season meetings, including both games in Anaheim, but the Ducks upset San Jose in the lone playoff meeting, winning their 2009 first-round series in six games. Evander Kane proved to be a nice addition for San Jose as the 26-year-old left wing recorded nine goals and five assists in 17 games after being acquired from Buffalo. Kane, who finished one tally shy of the career high of 30 he set in 2011-12 while with Winnipeg, returned to the lineup for the regular-season finale after missing two games with an undisclosed injury.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (44-25-6-7, 32-49 O/U): Anaheim ended the campaign with a five-game winning streak to overtake slumping San Jose for second place and home-ice advantage. The Ducks earned points in 11 of their final 12 games (10-1-1) to become the ninth team in NHL history to register five consecutive 100-point seasons. They hope to have John Gibson in the crease for the opener as the goaltender began practicing Monday after missing the final three games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Gibson was playing well before suffering his injury April 1 against Colorado, going 14-4-2 with a 1.95 goals-against average after the All-Star break. Considering his numbers at home this season, Ryan Miller would be a more than acceptable option to start the opener as the veteran backup went 7-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA in 10 games at Honda Center.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Ducks opened as -145 favorites and that number has been bet down to -135 as of Thursday morning. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has been dropped to 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Sharks - LW Evander Kane (Probable, Arm), C Eric Fehr (Probable, Lower Body), RW Barclay Goodrow (Questionable, Upper Body), D Joakim Ryan (Late April, Upper Body), C Joe Thornton (Doubtful, Knee).

Ducks - G John Gibson (Questionable, Upper Body), D Cam Fowler (Mid May, Shoulder), D Kevin Bieksa (Questionable, Hand), RW Patrick Eaves (Out For Season, Illness).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Sharks are 1-5 in their last 6 overall.
* Ducks are 5-0 in their last 5 overall.
* Over is 4-1 in Sharks' last 5 overall.
* Under is 20-7-1 in Ducks' last 28 vs. Pacific.
* Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

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Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/12

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/12

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