Da Bum's 2018 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

[StarDust Bum]

5Boston -6 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 24-7 ATS (17.4 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

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NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, June 1

Boston @ St. Louis

Game 5-6
June 1, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
14.843
St. Louis
13.430
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+100); Under


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


NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, June 1

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BOSTON (62-29-0-10, 134 pts.) at ST LOUIS (58-34-0-11, 127 pts.) - 6/1/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 61-63 ATS (-28.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 43-23 ATS (+8.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 42-24 ATS (+11.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 37-24 ATS (+8.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-12 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 14-5 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 26-8 ATS (+13.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 37-23 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-4 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 4-4-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)

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


NHL

Saturday, June 1

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Boston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 12 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-10 ATS in its last 11 games at home
St. Louis is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games when playing at home against Boston

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JUNE 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at STL 08:00 PM

STL -115

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Bruins ruin Blues homecoming with 7-2 thrashing in Game 3
June 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) St. Louis was ready to celebrate its first Stanley Cup Final game on home ice in 49 years. The Blues didn't cooperate.

The Blues were the worst team in the NHL for the first part of the season and they looked very much like that team Saturday night in a 7-2 loss that left them trailing the Boston Bruins 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final.

A boisterous crowd that included actors and St. Louis natives Jon Hamm and Jenna Fischer and a number of NFL players were on hand to cheer on the Blues, enjoying some limelight in a city more familiar with celebrating baseball's storied Cardinals or, not all that long ago, the now-departed Rams from the NFL.

The Blues outshot the Bruins 6-0 in the first six minutes and then it was all Boston. The Bruins scored four straight goals, including three in the opening period, and were well on their way to a rout. It is a another disappointing performance on home ice for St. Louis, which fell to 5-6 this postseason as the host while boasting an 8-3 road record.

''I think they (the fans) deserved a better game,'' Blues center Ryan O'Reilly said. ''It's disappointing and not what we wanted. But I think they've been patient all year for us and they'll be with us the next game.''

Patrice Bergeron gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with a power play goal midway through the first period. Boston scored on all four power plays in the game and improved to 6 for 14 with the man advantage in the series.

''We've got to stay out of the box even more,'' said Blues left winger David Perron, who took the penalty that led to the goal. ''The Bruins did a good job and we can't give them life that way. They have a good power play, we knew that, and they capitalized tonight.''

Charlie Coyle made it 2-0 late in the first, but the back-breaker was Sean Kuraly's goal at 19:50. The Blues challenged the call and though replay appeared to show Joakim Nordstrom's skate entering the zone ahead of the puck, the goal stood and the Bruins got a power play, which they converted 41 seconds into the second period to make it 4-0.

Jordan Binnington was pulled for the first time in his career after Torey Krug scored on the power play at 12:12 of the second period. Binnington allowed five goals on 19 shots and was replaced by Jake Allen, who made his first appearance since April 3.

Binnington is 5-2 this postseason following a loss. The 25-year-old rookie was not fazed by the benching and he is expected back in the net for Game 4 Monday night.

''It's the Stanley Cup Final and a lot to play for obviously, but at the same time just play the same way and stay with our game and believe in your teammates and believe in yourself,'' Binnington said.

Colton Parayko scored a power play goal at 5:24 of the third, snapping an 0 for 8 with the man advantage for the Blues in the series. But it was far too little, too late as Boston scored twice in the final two minutes to complete the blowout.

The Blues have come back from adversity before, starting with climbing out of the league cellar on Jan. 3 and overcoming a loss in Game 3 in the Western Conference final to San Jose on an uncalled illegal hand pass that led directly to an overtime goal. They'll have to do it again.

''I think we're confident we will tie the series up,'' O'Reilly said. ''That's our mindset. We still have to talk about a few things, make the adjustments. But we're a good team in here. It was a bad game by us. We didn't do what we wanted, but we're confident we can turn this thing around.''

---

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY JUNE 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM Boston Bruins St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JUNE 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins TD Garden


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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/01/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.75
05/29/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -13.85
05/27/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
05/21/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.90
05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/16/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/06/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.55
05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals..............20-31-1 .....39.21% -86.70


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


BEST BETS:


DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

06/01/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................1 -0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/29/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/27/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................1 - 0................+5.00............+0.00
05/21/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1................-5.50.............-10.50
05/19/2019..............0 - 0...................+0.00....................0 - 1................-5.50.............-5.50
05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
05/16/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-5.50
05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/06/2019..............0 - 1......................-5.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-5.50
05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
05/02/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.85..................1 - 1..................-0.50 ..............+0.35
05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00


Totals..................... 6 - 6.....................+2.70................8 - 17...................-53.50............-50.80

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s 6-pack

Six players taken ahead of Pascal Siakam in the 2016 NBA Draft:

21. Atlanta – DeAndre Bembry

22. Charlotte – Malachi Richardson

23. Boston – Ante Zizic

24. Philadelphia – Timothe Luwawu

25. LA Clippers – Brice Johnson

26. Philadelphia – Furkan Korkmaz

27. Toronto – Pascal Siakam

Quotes of the Day
“It’s hard to get minutes at Kentucky — EVEN IF YOU’RE MY SON.”
John Calipari, whose son Brad entered the transfer portal this week

Sunday’s quiz
Which two rivers meet at Pittsburgh’s Point State Park to form the Ohio River?

Saturday’s quiz
Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League are the AA farm club of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Friday’s quiz
Steve Kerr was born in Lebanon; his father was president of the American University in Beirut- he was assassinated there in 1984.

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

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……

13) New sports book opened in Las Vegas Saturday, at the Golden Gate Casino downtown. Circa Sports is running this book; there will be a new Circa hotel/casino being built downtown soon, which looks like it will be really nice.

12) Friday, someone bid more than $4.5M in a charity auction for the opportunity to have dinner with famed investor Warren Buffett. Wonder what was on the menu?

11) Alex, I’d like Bad Baseball for $500:

Bottom of 3rd inning in Chicago, White Sox have runners on 1st and 2nd, one out, with Yoan Moncada up, the #2 hitter in order. TV analyst Steve Stone predicts a pickoff attempt at 2B, because the shortstop took his glove off. Sure enough, they pick the guy off second, but not only that, they throw to first and pick that genius off, too.

Pitcher is dying on the mound and he gets a double play without throwing a pitch.

Stone is one of the best TV analysts; very smart.

10) Jacob deGrom’s last three starts were against Scherzer, Kershaw, Greinke. Lot of high profile pitching matchups.

9) Baseball stuff:
— Milwaukee put P Gio Gonzalez (arm) on IL.
— Red Sox put 1B Steve Pearce (back) on IL.
— Texas OF Joey Gallo (oblique) left Saturday’s game early

8) Twins 6, Rays 2— Minnesota is now 39-18; last year, they got their 39th win on July 8.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
— Texas A&M–Corpus Christi G Kareem South bolted to California.
— American F Sam Iorio bolts to South Alabama.
— Tennessee Tech grad transfer G Chris McNeal is poached by Cincinnati.

6) Toronto Raptors’ big man Pascal Siakam didn’t start playing basketball until he was 17; imagine that?

5) In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Golden State was +2 in the 14:52 when Steph Curry was on the floor and Fred VanVleet wasn’t; they were -11 in the 25:24 with Curry/VanVleet both on floor. VanVleet has done a better job of defending Curry than anyone else in the NBA.

4) Murray State G Ja Morant, who is expected to be the #2 pick in the NBA Draft, is having minor surgery on his right knee, which should sideline him 3-4 weeks and likely means he won’t play in the Las Vegas Summer League in July.

3) Kid on Baylor hit three homers, knocked in 11 runs in a 24-6 rout of Omaha Saturday in the NCAA baseball tournament. 11 RBI in one game doesn’t happen much, at any level.

2) Brewers 12, Pirates 10 (13)— Both closers blew their first save of the year in this 5-hour game; Arcia homered in the 13th for the game-winning runs.

1) There were 1,135 home runs hit in May, breaking the all-time record for a month by 16.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Some college football spreads for this fall:

Sept 21— Notre Dame @ Georgia (-9.5)

Sept 28— USC @ Washington (-9.5)

Oct 5— Michigan State @ Ohio State (-15.5)

Oct 12— Texas vs Oklahoma (-6.5)

Oct 19— Michigan (-4.5) @ Penn State

Nov 9— LSU @ Alabama (-16)


**********

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

13) Warriors 109, Raptors 104— Golden State opened second half on an 18-0 run; they even series 1-1, with Game 3 in Oakland Wednesday. Klay Thompson tweaked a hamstring in the 4th quarter and is questionable for Game 3.

12) Chicago Bears’ coach Matt Nagy gave the commencement address at his alma mater, the U of Delaware this weekend; they showed a 2:30 clip on Twitter and it was sound advice for all of us. Basically, the theme of the talk was:

“Be You = Believing in yourself more than anyone else.”

11) Dwyane Wade was a surprise speaker at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS’s graduation ceremonies Sunday in Parkland, FL; that is the school where a mass shooting took place last year. The now-retired Wade has been a regular supporter of the school ever since the shooting.

We hear a lot about famous people doing cruddy things; Wade does a lot of good things.

10) Hasheem Thabeet was the No. 2 overall draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft; he scored only 2.2 ppg in his five-year NBA career- he last played for the Thunder in 2014. Thabeet has played overseas since then.

He is 32 now, and is trying to make a comeback in the NBA. Am guessing someone gives him a shot in the Las Vegas Summer League. He is 7-foot-3, after all.

9) Had lot of thunderstorms in the Albany area Sunday, and thunderstorms knock out my satellite signal, so I can’t watch baseball. I don’t like thunderstorms.

8) Some SEC football teams are upgrading their non-conference schedules; Florida didn’t sell out recent home games with Charleston Southern, Colorado State and Idaho, plus they got hurt by strength of schedule, when you think about the college football playoff selection process, so they’ve added home/home series with Colorado/Texas.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Milwaukee put P Jhoulys Chacin (back) on the IL.
— Seattle traded Jay Bruce to the Phillies, for a minor league 3B.
— Rangers put OF Joey Gallo (oblique) on the IL.

6) Despite Bruce getting traded from Seattle to Philly, the Mets remain responsible for a $1.5M installment of his signing bonus, a payment due Jan. 31, 2020.

5) Stan Wawrinka beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets at the French Open tennis tournament; match took five hours, nine minutes. Next round will be a tough one for him.

4) College basketball transfer portal:
— Former Valparaiso C Jaume Sorolla bolted to Cincinnati.
— UMass transfer Unique McLean bolted to St Francis NY.

3) Since 2016, Khris Davis has the most multi-HR games (19), followed by Giancarlo Stanton (16), Manny Machado (15) and Trevor Story (13).

2) If the baseball playoffs started today:
NL: New York-Twins-Astros. Wild Card: Rays-Rangers
AL: Phillies-Brewers-Dodgers. Wild Card: Braves-Cubs

1) Baseball draft starts at 6pm Monday; the weirdest of the drafts, since kids get picked and then disappear into the minor leagues for a few years. Hopefully this year, the A’s won’t pick any football players.

Because of the draft, it is a very slow day for games; only four games scheduled, one a makeup; the three regularly-scheduled games are all on the west coast.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

7Boston -8 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 24-8 ATS (16.3 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.




NHL
Dunkel

Monday, June 3

Boston @ St. Louis

Game 7-8
June 3, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
15.639
St. Louis
12.134
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 3 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-110
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-110); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, June 3

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

BOSTON (63-29-0-10, 136 pts.) at ST LOUIS (58-35-0-11, 127 pts.) - 6/3/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 43-24 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 280-200 ATS (+15.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 22-10 ATS (+10.5 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ST LOUIS is 37-25 ATS (+4.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-13 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 216-169 ATS (+46.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 42-21 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 38-23 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 25-15 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)

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




NHL

Monday, June 3

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games
St. Louis is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games at home
St. Louis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston

[StarDust Bum]

Maroon's perfect St. Louis homecoming
June 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) Each morning Anthony Maroon woke up during a visit to see his father, he'd ask his grandmother how many days he had left with him.

Nine? All smiles.

The goodbyes were brutal. Patti Maroon told her grandson she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't cry, but she'd try.

By the last day, she had to wear sunglasses to keep Anthony from seeing the tears in her eyes. Then they'd pull up to the airport and Anthony would scream, ''I want my daddy!''

''It was heartwrenching,'' Patti said.

Patrick Maroon played his first eight National Hockey League seasons away from his son, who lived with his mother in suburban St. Louis. When he was a free agent last summer, the interest from teams on a long-term contract didn't materialize, but he had a more lucrative offer from the New Jersey Devils and a multiyear offer from the San Jose Sharks to weigh against a deal for $1.75 million with the St. Louis Blues for just this season.

He agonized over the decision and ultimately took less, betting on himself to play for his hometown team in front of his son and surrounded by his tight-knit family. After a rough start to the season for him, Maroon helped the Blues make the playoffs, scored the double-overtime series-clinching goal in Game 7 of the second round against Dallas and is now in the Stanley Cup Final with the team he always yearned to play for.

''It's meant the world to me,'' Maroon said. ''As a kid, you dream of this your whole life and to come back home and play for your team you grew up watching your whole life, and to actually live out your dream and actually put your skates on and play (in) the Stanley Cup finals, it's a pretty cool moment for me. Not only a cool moment for me, but my dad that's been a season-ticket holder and Blues fan, my mom, my family, my son. It's been really cool and very special: A lot of highs, a lot of lows, but we're getting through this together.''

There was the criticism for taking the No. 7 Keith Tkachuk wore, jeers in the stands his parents had to hear, sessions with a sports psychologist, a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, the death of his grandfather the day before the playoffs began, his game-winning assist in the postseason opener, his overtime heroics and an emotional meeting with his family after moving on to the Cup Final.

Those are some significant highs and lows. Now Maroon is on the ultimate high playing for the Blues against the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup - a playoff run that has given his family a reason to come together to watch his games at an emotionally difficult time, and none of it would've happened had Maroon not gone home.

''If it wasn't for this, I said, I'd probably be home and I'd use any kind of excuse not to come,'' aunt Jan Phegley said from the basement of brother Rob Ferrera's house. ''But my brother keeps calling me and he doesn't give me any excuse to stay away. And when I get here I'm OK. And (Patrick's brother) Justin goes: `Yeah, Aunt Jan, don't you think we would be home? But we're here.' It's just made such a big difference in everybody's life.''

No one more so than Anthony, the 10-year-old center of the family who perhaps like his father growing up doesn't realize how good of a hockey player he could be. Last July, Patrick was watching his son play at the same Oakville roller hockey rink he played in as a kid the night he had to decide where to sign.

His dad, Phil Maroon, wasn't so sure Patrick should take on the pressure of playing in St. Louis as the hometown kid and suggested he take the extra security from San Jose because he's now in his 30s and even flipped a coin: heads for the Blues, tails for the Sharks. It came up tails.

''He goes, `OK I'm going to sign with them,''' Phil said. ''About two hours later, he calls me up and says, `Dad I signed with the Blues.'''

What changed in those two hours? He was with Anthony and fiancee Francesca.

''It's always been Anthony,'' Phil said. ''That was the bottom line. That's what it came down to.''

New Jersey offered over $3 million because general manager Ray Shero told Maroon he deserved it. Shero has gotten to know the family well over the years from the world championships and then trading for Maroon at the 2018 deadline and understands perfectly why he left so much money on the table.

''He did it for all the right reasons,'' Shero said. ''You can't script this any better.''

It's a script that sounds too hokey for Hollywood. Maroon grew up in Oakville outside St. Louis, once carved out a penalty box in the wall of his parents' furnished basement for full-contact games with his friends and played minor and high school hockey there. Now there are signs all over Telegraph Road in his hometown of Oakville like the one at Dierbergs Market that reads, ''Congrats Oakville Big Rig Pat Maroon.''

''We had that in the back of our mind, `Wow, wouldn't that be neat if he was able to go all the way, and who knows what team he would be on?'' said Mick O'Halloran of the Oakville Hockey Club that Maroon played two seasons with as a high school freshman and sophomore. ''It was meant to be for him to skate here at this time.''

This isn't the first time hockey brought Maroon home. He played for now Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper with the North American Hockey League's Texarkana Bandits in 2005-06 and the team moved to St. Louis and became the Bandits the next season. Maroon had 95 points, was league MVP and led them to the national championship - and is now looking to do that again with another St. Louis team and his son watching.

''He always missed being away from his boy,'' Cooper said. ''He wanted to be close to him and just the way it's all worked out, it's been awesome.''

It wasn't always awesome. Phil said Patrick hit a low point in December when his game wasn't right and the Blues were in the aftermath of a coaching change and the losses piling up. New teammate Ryan O'Reilly saw what Maroon was going through and set him up with his dad and sports psychologist Brian O'Reilly for some sessions around the holidays that got him on track mentally.

''Everything seemed to turn around at that point,'' Phil said.

The Blues went from last in the NHL the morning of Jan. 3 to the playoffs. But the more important developments came with Anthony's team.

Patrick and Anthony got to play in the Merrimack Sharks' annual father/son game for the first time in March. That surreal experience reminded Patti of the skills competition in Edmonton when she saw her youngest son and her grandson standing on the blue line in matching Maroon Oilers jerseys, and she and Phil then got to watch them skate on the same ice with the same youth team Patrick also played for as a kid.

''It was just surreal,'' Patti said while wearing her son's jersey. ''His heart wanted to always sign with the Blues because of Anthony.''

Less than a month later came the moment that sister Jen Guetschow said shattered their family's world. Grandfather Ernest Ferrara died at age 94 from complications following leg surgery.

It was the day the Blues were leaving for Winnipeg to start the playoffs against the Jets. The team held the plane so Maroon could say goodbye to the grandfather he was incredibly tight with, something that might not have been possible if he signed anywhere else.

''We were all standing around crying,'' Patti recalled. ''He had to leave, so he's bending down and he's hugging and kissing my dead dad and he's going: `Grandpa, I love you. I love you. I'm gonna win the Stanley Cup for you.'''

Grandpa Ernie called that last summer after Maroon signed with the Blues. He'd always send video messages to Patrick asking for goals or congratulating him, and this one that ends with a puff from his cigar is still saved on Jen's phone.

''Welcome home Patrick and Francesca,'' Ernie said, stogie in hand. ''I'm so happy that you're gonna be playing next door here. I love you, and the Blues are waiting for ya. They're already predicting they're gonna win.''

Maroon assisted on Tyler Bozak's Game 1-winning goal against Winnipeg the day after. Uncle Rob Fererra texts Patrick the night before a game and usually tells him, ''Don't forget, dream of big assists, big goals, big hits, big plays.''

The night before Game 7 against Dallas, he told him, ''Now go dream of big goals'' and forget about assists. Wearing No. 7, Maroon scored to win Game 7 on May 7 directly in front of family members sitting in row 7 of section 107 and only minutes after Jen, husband Paul and Rob kissed the prayer card from Ernie's funeral.

Patti Maroon was battling Shingles at the time and didn't even see the goal because fans were standing in front of her. Son Philipp ran to tell her Patrick had scored, and it was bedlam in the best possible way.

''Everybody in my family was crying,'' Patti said. ''I just felt like they're really going to win the Stanley Cup. Like, this is for real now.''

Maroon looked around at Stanley Cup Final media day and it all hit him. The decision to take less money and term to play for the Blues, the tumultuous season and now the chance to lift the Cup that's replaced the old roller hockey trophy of his youth.

''Well, it's worth it now, right?'' Maroon said. ''Money doesn't solve problems in the world anymore. It doesn't really bring you happiness. Living out your dream and being home and being with family and being with a team in that locker room and have those guys fight, sweat and be where we're at right now, that means more to me.''

[StarDust Bum]

G4 - Bruins at Blues
June 3, 2019
By Bookmaker
by Kyle Markus

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Preview
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues

The Boston Bruins didn’t look uncomfortable at all on the road in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, dominating the St. Louis Blues to retake the lead in the series. The Blues have to play better next time out in Game 4 or risk being put in a tough spot.

St. Louis is the slight favorite in this matchup and a win would send the Stanley Cup Finals back to Boston knotted at two games apiece. This is a humongous showdown and the Blues have to take advantage of the home ice in NHL wagering. Boston, meanwhile, would simply love for a redux of the previous showdown.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the Boston Bruins vs. the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, June 3rd, 2019. The Blues will host the matchup at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri and it will be nationally televised on NBC.

We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

Odds Analysis

The Blues are slight favorites to even this series at two games apiece, as they are the -120 favorites on the moneyline to win Game 4. The Bruins are listed at +100 to pull the minor upset. The goal total is set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” the -135 favorite and the “over” listed at +115. The Blues are the +241 underdogs to cover the -1.5-goalline, while the Bruins are listed at -295 to lose by one goal or win this contest.

The Bruins are the heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup at -350 while the Blues are listed at +281 odds to pull off the upset and hoist the trophy in NHL gambling.

Last Time Out

After losing Game 2, the Bruins made quick work of the Blues in this one. They scored three goals in the first period and then cruised to the 7-2 victory. Center Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, defenseman Torey Krug had a goal and three assists and left winger David Pastrnak added a goal for Boston.

The Bruins’ winning streak of eight games was ended in Game 2, and some wondered how Boston would react as the series shifted to St. Louis. But the Bruins showed no ill effects by scoring the first four goals of the contest. St. Louis needs to tighten up its defense or else the Bruins are going to seize control of this series in Game 4.

Suspension Update

Blues center Oskar Sundqvist was suspended for Game 3 of the series after a hit on Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk in Game 2. Sundqvist will be back for Game 4 and is hoping to have a helpful impact for St. Louis.

Sundqvist had an assist in Game 2 and has a goal and two assists over his past five playoff games. He finished the regular season with 14 goals and 17 assists. Some on the Blues didn’t agree with the suspension but it is water under the bridge now and now St. Louis will welcome him back.

Free NHL ATS Picks

The Bruins are clearly the superior team, but playing on the road is not easy. Boston could win this game, but the best idea is riding with the Bruins to cover as 1.5-goal underdogs on the spread. Boston seems likely to lose by one goal if that happens, so this wager will cover bettors even if the Blues manage to tie the series at two after Game 4 in NHL gambling.

The “over” is the better call on the goal total.

Best Bet: St. Louis Blues 4, Boston Bruins 3

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, JUNE 3
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at STL 08:00 PM

BOS +103

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Blues beat Bruins 4-2 to knot Stanley Cup Final at 2-2
June 3, 2019
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ST. LOUIS (AP) Just when the St. Louis Blues had the Boston Bruins on their heels and chasing the game, they gave up a goal and the roar went right out of the building.

The Blues could have let the talented Bruins seize the moment, let things get away from them on home ice. Again.

They didn't. The team that was mired in last place in the NHL in January, that suffered from missed calls in the playoffs and slogged through some tough losses instead showed the resolve of a championship contender and is now two victories away from lifting the Stanley Cup.

Ryan O'Reilly scored the opening goal 43 seconds in and the winner with 9:22 left, and he and the Blues beat the Blues thrived in a chaotic Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night to beat the Bruins 4-2 and tie this bruising series at two games apiece.

''We knew what we had to do tonight to be a better team,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''We were relentless tonight. We didn't stop for 60 minutes.''

Game 5 is Thursday night in Boston.

This one was a back-and-forth thriller, with Boston's Tuukka Rask and St. Louis' Jordan Binnington each giving up tons of rebounds for frantic scoring chances and scrums.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 11th goal of the playoffs, and Binnington made 21 saves to improve to 7-2 in the postseason after a loss. Even more impressive was the rookie's bounce-back from being pulled in Game 3 for the first time in his NHL career. Rask allowed three goals on 37 shots and was on the receiving end of several Blues onslaughts.

''He spit some rebounds out,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of Rask. ''But I don't have an issue with his rebound control.''

Charlie Coyle scored for the third consecutive game, and Brandon Carlo had a short-handed goal for Boston, but their stars were quiet again and a big problem may be brewing: Boston captain Zdeno Chara was knocked out of the game by a puck to the mouth. Chara was allowed to sit on the bench, but it's uncertain if he'll be able to play in Game 5 when the Bruins could be without two of their top six defensemen.

O'Reilly ended an eight-game goal drought by cashing in two rebounds off Rask for his first multi-goal game since November. After losing 15 of his 23 faceoffs in a tough Game 3, O'Reilly was dominant all over the ice.

''He's been our best player all year and he got rewarded,'' winger Patrick Maroon said of O'Reilly.

Hockey Hall of Famer and Blues alum Brett Hull screamed at the top of his lungs into the microphone to pump up the crowd seconds before puck drop, ''Are you ready? Let's Go Blues!''

They were ready, all right, and it started with O'Reilly's goal that was the Blues' sixth in the opening two minutes. They have done that now in all four rounds and are 6-0 when jumping out to a 1-0 lead in a game's first 20 minutes.

But this victory was all about responding well to yet another momentum swing that came on special teams: The Blues killed off a Bruins power play and then hemmed Boston in its own end for more than three minutes. While St. Louis cycled the puck in the offensive zone and changed several forward lines and defensive pairings, Boston defenders were gassed and Connor Clifton took a penalty for an illegal check to the head of Tarasenko.

Twenty-six seconds into the Blues power play, however, the Bruins inexplicably got numbers on a rush and Carlo scored shorthanded to tie it again. It was the fourth shorthanded goal St. Louis has allowed in the playoffs to only 13 power-play goals - but St. Louis didn't fold.

''I've said it all playoffs: Things don't really seem to faze us,'' said captain Alex Pietrangelo, who assisted on O'Reilly's goals.

Another rebound off Rask paved the way for O'Reilly's go-ahead goal. With St. Louis leading, fans could happily sing John Denver's ''Country Roads'' at the under 6-minute timeout, and Brayden Schenn sealed it with an empty-net goal with 1:29 left.

''It's anyone's game now,'' Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist said.

When the final horn sounded, they played Laura Branigan's ''Gloria'' to celebrate the Blues' first-ever home victory in the Stanley Cup Final.

''Every year you keep hearing, let's go to finals, let's go win the Cup,'' Tarsaenko said. ''Even after last year, you hear it all summer. People start believing in us and we feel it.''

NOTES: Sundqvist returned from a one-game suspension for boarding Bruins D Matt Grzelcyk, who missed his second game in a row. Sanford remained in the lineup, and Robby Fabbri was a healthy scratch. ... Dunn replaced D Robert Bortuzzo in the St. Louis lineup.

UP NEXT

The Blues and Bruins start all over again with a three-game series for the Cup with Game 5 in Boston on Thursday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JUNE 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins TD Garden

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM Boston Bruins St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

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DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/03/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
06/01/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.75
05/29/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -13.85
05/27/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
05/21/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.90
05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/16/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/06/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.55
05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals..............21-32-1 .....39.62% -86.70


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BEST BETS:


DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

06/03/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00............+0.00
06/01/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................1 -0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/29/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/27/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................1 - 0................+5.00............+0.00
05/21/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1................-5.50.............-10.50
05/19/2019..............0 - 0...................+0.00....................0 - 1................-5.50.............-5.50
05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
05/16/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-5.50
05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/06/2019..............0 - 1......................-5.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-5.50
05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
05/02/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.85..................1 - 1..................-0.50 ..............+0.35
05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00


Totals..................... 6 - 7.....................-2.30...................9- 17.................-48.50............-50.80

[StarDust Bum]

B]Tuesday’s 6-pack[/B]

Some college football spreads for this fall:

Nov 2— Oregon (-1) @ USC

Nov 16— Georgia (-7.5) @ Auburn

Nov 23— UCLA @USC (-5)

Nov 23— Penn State @ Ohio State (-10.5)

Nov 29— Iowa @ Nebraska (even)

Nov 30— Alabama (-13) @ Auburn

Quotes of the Day
“I always mean what I say, but I don’t always say what I’m thinking.”
Dean Smith

Tuesday’s quiz
What was the last Western Conference team other than Golden State to play in the NBA Finals?

Monday’s quiz
Sacramento is the state capital of California.

Sunday’s quiz
Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at Pittsburgh’s Point State Park to form the Ohio River.

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Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) Angels played in Seattle Sunday afternoon, played a makeup game in Wrigley Field on Monday, and host the A’s in Anaheim tonight; that is 3,462 miles in three days, the 3rd-most miles any MLB team has travelled in a 3-day period.

12) As of Monday afternoon, there were 806 players in the college basketball transfer portal; with 353 D-I hoop teams, that works out to 2.28 players per team.. Thats a lot.

178 of the transfers are grad transfers, who are immediately eligible.

11) Michigan coach Juwan Howard did a very smart thing Monday and hired former St Joe’s assistant Phil Martelli as an assistant. Guys who are new head coaches need an experienced voice to help them avoid some of the pitfalls of their job.

10) When you watch and read about the baseball draft, keep in mind that Mike Trout was the 25th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. Scouting/drafting is an inexact science.

9) On May 1st, Minnesota Twins were 20-1 to win the World Series; 33 days later, they’re down to 13-2 to win the Series.

8) Sports betting legislation passed in Illinois this week; meanwhile here in New York, we have crickets……nothing happening. NFL training camps start next month.

7) Orioles took Oregon State C Adley Rutschman with the first pick of the MLB Draft, the first catcher taken first since Buster Posey in 2001.

Royals took SS Bobby Witt Jr with the #2 pick; his dad Bobby Witt pitched in the major leagues for 16 seasons.

6) Breakdown of DT Gerald McCoy’s deal with the Carolina Panthers:
— 1 year, $4M to sign.
— $3M base salary
— $500K camp roster bonus.
— $500K in 45-man per game bonus
— 6.5 sacks for $500k.
— 8 sacks gets him $1.5M.
— $250K for Pro Bowl.
— $250K for playoffs.
— $4M guaranteed.
Worth noting that Carolina/Tampa Bay (McCoy’s old team) are division rivals.

5) Friday, a bettor in Sparks, NV played a $5, 10-team parlay and hit it for $3,605; four of the ten wagers were underdogs. Pretty impressive.

4) Cubs 6, Angels 1— In his first game as a Cub, Carlos Gonzalez made a great diving catch in top of 7th inning to rob Jonathan Lucroy of a bases loaded double.

3) Milwaukee Brewers activated Travis Shaw from the IL and demoted rookie 2B Keston Huira, despite Huira hitting five home runs and having an .865 OPS in only 17 games. Milwaukee also DFA’d 1B Jesus Aguilar.

2) This was the first baseball draft ever where none of the first six picks were pitchers.

1) Excellent news: Mets broadcaster Ron Darling will be back in the booth tonight for the Mets-Giants game; Darling has been battling thyroid cancer the last few months but has been cleared to return to work. He is a friendly voice in the booth; great to have him back.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

— Giants 9, Mets 3 (10)— If you bet the under, my condolences.

— It is June 5; the Phillies have already used 41 players this year.

— Dodgers 9, Arizona 0— Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed two ER in his last 44.2 IP.

— If you’re wondering, Tim Tebow is batting .159 at AAA Syracuse.

— RIP Alan Young, who passed away at 96; he played Wilbur Post on the classic TV show Mr Ed.

— Bruins’ Zdeno Chara (broken jaw) hasn’t been ruled out of Game 5 in the Stanley Cup finals. Hockey players are tough.

Quotes of the Day
“No, I don’t regret it. And to be fair, I don’t think I owe anyone an explanation because it’s not a rule that I have to speak…….since I got traded over here it’s been some stories that shouldn’t have come out that have come out. And it’s difficult because the way I am perceived by people is not how I think I really am.”
Clint Frazier

Wednesday’s quiz
When was last time the NBA Finals ended in a 4-0 sweep?

Tuesday’s quiz
San Antonio Spurs were the last Western Conference team other than Golden State to play in the NBA Finals; they beat Miami in the 2014 Finals.

Monday’s quiz
Sacramento is the state capital of California.

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

13) There are 256 regular season games in the NFL every year; last year, 73 of them (28.5%) were decided by 3 or fewer points.

12) Las Vegas Bowl is one of the first beneficiaries of the new domed stadium in Las Vegas; the LV Bowl will now feature a matchup of a Pac-12 team vs either an SEC team or Big 14 team every year, starting in 2020. The bowl also moves into a post-Christmas slot; the #2 Pac-12 team will be heading to Las Vegas for this game.

11) Since 2011, there have been 12 Pac-12-SEC football games:
2011:
LSU +3 W40-27 vs Oregon
2012:
LSU -23 W41-3 Washington
Missouri -3 W24-20 Arizona State
2013:
Tennessee +28 L14-59 @ Oregon
Auburn -14 W31-24 Auburn
2015:
Tex A&M -3 W38-17 vs Arizona St.
2016:
Tex A&M -3 W31-24 OT UCLA
Alabama -11.5 W52-6 vs USC
Alabama -13.5 W24-7 vs Washington
2017:
Tex A&M +5.5 L44-45 @ UCLA
Ole Miss -7 L16-27 @ California
2018:
Auburn -2 W21-16 vs Washington

SEC teams are 9-3 SU in those games, 9-3 vs spread, 7-2 when favored.

10) Michigan landed former Alabama assistant Josh Gattis as its new offensive coordinator at least in part because Nick Saban doesn’t want a play caller who has never called plays before, so he wouldn’t name Gattis as the Crimson Tide’s OC.

As a player, Gattis starred at safety for Wake Forest and was the leader of the only Demon Deacons team that won the ACC title and went to the Orange Bowl.

9) North Carolina football coach Mack Brown has had his right knee replaced by a surgeon who once played for him, Dr. Michael Bolognesi, who played DB for Brown at UNC from 1989-93.

8) There were only three high school pitchers taken in the first round of the baseball draft, the lowest amount since 2008.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Phillies lost OF Andrew McCutchen (torn ACL) for the season.
— Tigers put 3B Jeimer Candelario (shoulder) on IL.
— Indians put P Jefry Rodriguez (shoulder) on IL.
— Royals put 3B Hunter Dozier (right side) on IL.

6) Northern Arizona basketball coach Jack Murphy is leaving the Lumberjacks to become the associate head coach at Arizona, his alma mater. Murphy went 78-149 in seven years at NAU and was going into the final year of his contract, which means he was probably getting fired next spring unless the Lumberjacks won the Big Sky, so he jumped ship before he got pushed.

5) Odds to win college basketball national title next April:
8-1— Michigan State
10-1— Kentucky, Duke
12-1— Kansas, Memphis
16-1— North Carolina, Villanova
20-1— Gonzaga, Louisville, Oregon, Virginia

4) Kawhi Leonard filed a lawsuit against Nike on Monday in California in an attempt to reclaim control over a logo Leonard says he created, when he was a Nike client. Leonard signed a deal with New Balance earlier this season.

3) UConn added grad transfer QB Micah Lemon from NC State, which prompted Huskies’ QB Marvin Washington to announce he was leaving UConn. Huskies’ WR Keyion Dixon also said he would be leaving the UConn program.

2) RJ Hampton was a highly sought after basketball recruit who instead chose to play pro ball in New Zealand this season, which is his business, but supposedly he signed the pro contract a full month before he told the college teams that he wouldn’t be playing for them.

Why would someone do this? Once he signed the contract, there was no going back. Lot of people, both coaches/other recruits, were waiting for his decision so the next domino in the process could fall.

Without knowing all the fact, it does seem very selfish.

1) St. Louis Blues have never won a Stanley Cup, but four of their former coaches have won 17 of them; their series with Boston now stands at 2-2. Blues have an interim coach (Craig Berube).