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

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Goodrow's OT goal caps Sharks 5-4 Game 7 win vs. Vegas
April 23, 2019
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Barclay Goodrow scored 18:19 into overtime to send San Jose into the second round of the playoffs with a 5-4 win Tuesday night, capping a wild Game 7 that featured the Sharks erasing a three-goal deficit by scoring four times on a disputed major penalty in the third period and Vegas tying the game in the final minute of regulation.

What looked like was going to be a relatively easy Vegas win turned crazy with 10:47 to play in regulation after a bloody scene on the ice led to a major penalty on Cody Eakin and sent San Jose captain Joe Pavelski to the locker room dazed.

The penalty happened on a faceoff in San Jose's offensive zone when Eakin cross-checked Pavelski in the chest. Paul Stastny then hit Pavelski as he fell to the ice, his helmet slamming down. Pavelski appeared to be knocked out and blood poured out of his mouth that was already injured after taking a puck to the face while scoring a goal in Game 1.

The officials huddled as a dazed Pavelski was helped to the locker room and gave Eakin a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.

The Sharks then rallied behind their captain thanks to two goals from Logan Couture, one from Tomas Hertl and then the tiebreaker from Kevin Labanc, who assisted on the first three goals. That scoring spree in 4:01 against Marc-Andre Fleury sent the fans at the Shark Tank so used to playoff disappointment into delirium. It marked just the second time a team had scored four goals on one major power play in a playoff game.

Martin Jones then appeared ready to seal the win, robbing Mark Stone with a glove save with 3:10 to go and Vegas on the power play. But the Golden Knights didn't go away and got the equalizer with Fleury pulled in the final minute.

William Karlsson, who scored the first goal, leaped at the blue line to keep a puck in the zone and then Reilly Smith ended up with it behind the net where he set up Jonathan Marchessault to make it 4-4 and set up overtime. It was the third-latest tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history.

Fourth-liner Goodrow delivered late in the extra period, taking a pass from Erik Karlsson and deking his way past Fleury for the game-winner that set off a wild celebration.

Eakin and Max Pacioretty also scored for Vegas and Fleury made 43 saves.

Jones, who was pulled for ineffectiveness in two of the first five games, made 34 saves to close out the series and give the Sharks their first comeback from 3-1 down in a series in seven tries.

San Jose will face Colorado in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Shark Tank was rocking from the opening introductions as the fans came out hoping to witness the completion of the best series comeback in franchise history. The Sharks rode that momentum to a strong start but came up empty on two early power plays.

Than in a reversal from Game 6 when Vegas controlled the shot clock but the Sharks came out as winners, the Golden Knights struck first midway through the period after San Jose was called for icing. William Karlsson won the offensive zone draw and Reilly Smith shot a puck toward the net that was deflected and went right to Karlsson, who swept it past Jones to make it 1-0.

That appeared to be a good omen for Vegas considering the team that scored first won the first six games of the series and there wasn't even a single lead change during that time.

The Golden Knights built on that lead and led 3-0 early in the third when everything changed with the penalty.

NOTES: St. Louis also had four goals on one power play vs. Los Angeles on April 27, 1998. ... Sharks F Joonas Donskoi was replaced in the lineup by Lukas Radil after taking a hard hit in Game 6. ... Vegas F Brandon Pirri played in place of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

UP NEXT

San Jose: Host Colorado in Game 1.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 24, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Dallas Stars Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
7:30 PM Carolina Hurricanes Washington Capitals Capital One Arena


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NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

04/23/2019 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
04/22/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +10.00
04/21/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +12.50
04/20/2019 3-3-0 50.00% +0.85
04/19/2019 2-1-1 66.67% +5.50
04/18/2019 4-2-0 66.67% +9.85
04/17/2019 1-4-0 20.00% -17.00
04/16/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -10.35
04/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.40
04/14/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
04/13/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +20.00
04/12/2019 1-7-0 12.50% -42.60
04/11/2019 1-2-0 33.33% -5.50
04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals.............37-33-2..... 50.00%.... +5.76


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BEST BETS:

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

04/23/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/22/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+5.00
04/21/2019..............2 - 0....................+13.00.................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+12.50
04/20/2019..............1 - 1....................+1.85...................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+1.35
04/19/2019..............1 - 0....................+7.50...................1 - 0...............+5.00.................+12.50
04/18/2019..............1 - 1....................+0.35...................2 - 1...............+4.50.................+4.85
04/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 2................-6.00..................-11.50
04/16/2019..............2 - 1....................+8.35...................1 - 3...............-11.50.................-3.15
04/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.10...................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-0.40
04/14/2019..............1 - 0....................+8.25...................2 - 2...............-1.00..................+7.25
04/13/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................4 - 0..............+20.00................+15.00
04/12/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50..................-11.50
04/11/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................1 - 2...............-6.00..................-11.00
04/10/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0..............+20.00...............+20.10


Totals....................10 - 8.....................+24.00...............23 - 16.............+27.00..................+51.00

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

Odds to win next February’s Super Bowl (from Westgate SuperBook)

6-1: Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots

8-1: New Orleans Saints

10-1: Los Angeles Rams

12-1: Indianapolis Colts

14-1: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns

20-1: Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers

Quote of the Day
“If you get fired for cheating you can get rehired, but if you get fired for losing it’s like you have leprosy. Young coaches need to bear that in mind. Cheating and not graduating players won’t get you in trouble, but that damn losing will.”
The late Royce Waltman, former coach at Indiana State

Wednesday’s quiz
Which college football program is only one in country that has had the #1 pick in NFL Draft two years in a row?

Tuesday’s quiz
In the movie Draft Day, Denis Leary played the coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Monday’s quiz
Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota were the top two picks in the 2015 NFL Draft.

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

13) Never really thought about this much, but Ross Tucker wrote an article in The Athletic this week about how a lot of active pro football players despise watching the NFL Draft, because he might be watching his employer select a player who will then take his job this summer.

Welcome to Case Keenum’s world; when he suits up for the Redskins this fall he’ll be on his fifth team in six years, at the most visible position in all of sports. No pressure there. But there are rumors that Washington will trade for Josh Rosen or draft a QB, which means that in 2020, it would likely be six teams in seven years.

12) Thru Monday, there were 1.34 home runs hit per game in major league games, ahead of 2017’s pace of 1.26 HR’s/game, which is the all-time record.

11) One member of Georgia’s football recruiting office has been fired and another suspended for 30 days without pay. No one is saying why, but it can’t be good.

10) 49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould told the team that he will not negotiate or sign a long-term deal with them— he requested a trade. Gould is 36; he was the Bears’ kicker for 11 years.

9) Seattle Seahawks traded DE Frank Clark to the Chiefs for a 1st-round pick this year and a 2nd-round pick next year. Teams also exchanged 3rd round picks this year.

8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers have no games in Tampa between Sept. 22 and Nov. 10; they’re not happy about it.

7) Angels’ Peter Bourjos had played in 1,454 professional games in 14 seasons before Monday’s game. In the 13th inning, he made his first-ever appearance in the infield, playing 2B, and made a great diving stop going to his left to rob a batter of a hit.

Halos used P Felix Pena as a pinch-runner in that game; last time the Angels used a pitcher as a pinch-runner had been Steve Sparks vs Arizona on June 13, 1999.

6) Arizona poached G Max Hazzard as a grad transfer from Cal-Irvine; Hazzard’s brother was a walk-on at Arizona from 2012-16. Funny thing, Cal-Irvine was better than Arizona last year, when Hazzard scored 12.5 ppg for the Anteaters- he is the grandson of former UCLA coach Walt Hazzard.

Idaho State has two kids transferring out of the program, which is never a good sign; one is a 6-11 center who scored 10 points a game, the other a sub who played 19 minutes/game.

5) North Carolina had a big recruiting day, signing two hoop prospects; Cole Anthony (Greg Anthony’s son) and Anthony Harris, a couple of talented guards.

4) Blue Jays SS prospect Bo Bichette broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in Monday night’s game; Bichette plays for the AAA Buffalo Bisons.

3) This will be the first time ever that the Texas Longhorns will go four years in a row without a first round pick in the NFL Draft.

2) NBA said Tuesday that 233 players — 175 players from colleges/other schools and 58 international players — filed as early entry candidates for the 2019 NBA Draft.

Seeing how only 60 players get taken in the draft, going to be some disappointed people.

1) College football rules change starting this fall: If game reaches a 5th OT, teams will begin to run alternating 2-point plays rather than offensive possessions starting at 25-yard line. There were concerns about players being injured/getting exhausted with a couple games going six or seven OT’s in recent years.

[StarDust Bum]

B]Wednesday's G7 Notes
April 23, 2019
By VI New[/B]s

The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs will have another Game 7 on Wednesday as Carolina and Washington square off from D.C. at the Capital One Arena.

Betting Preview - Carolina at Washington

The home team has gone 6-0 in the first game of this best-of-seven series and the Capitals opened as -150 favorties for Game 7 while the return on the Hurricanes is +130.

Including the three wins in this series, Washington has won six straight at home and 11 of its 13 games. Seven of those wins came by two-plus goals.

The Hurricanes have gone 2-6 in their last eight road games, which includes the three losses at Washington in this matchup.

This is Carolina's first trip to the postseason since the 2008-09 season but the squad from that season managed to go 2-0 in Game 7's and both wins came on the road.

Recent Game 7 History

Carolina (4-3 All-Time Record)
2009 Conference Semifinals - Carolina 3 at Boston
2009 Conference Quarterfinals - Carolina 4 at New Jersey 3

The Capitals haven't been great overall in Game 7's but they did win their only decision during last year's Stanley Cup run.

The 'under' has gone 4-0 in the last four Game 7's for Washington.

Washington (5-11 All-Time Record)
2018 Conference Finals - Washington 4 at Tampa Bay 0
2017 Second Round - Washington 0 vs. Pittsburgh 2
2015 Second Round - Washington 1 at N.Y. Rangers 2 (OT)
2015 First Round - Washington 2 vs. N.Y. Islanders 1

There have been 170 all-time Game 7’s in the NHL Playoffs and the home squad owns a 98-72 (58.0%) record.

Last year, road teams went 2-1 in Game 7's and the visitors scored 14 goals in those games which led to a 2-1 'over' mark.

NHL Game 7 Playoff History (2012-2019)

2019
Toronto at Boston
Vegas at San Jose
Carolina at Washington

2018
Washington Capitals 4 at Tampa Bay Lightning 0
Winnipeg Jets 5 at Nashville Predators 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Boston Bruins 7

2017
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 at Washington Capitals 0
Edmonton Oilers 1 at Anaheim Ducks 2

2016
Tampa Bay Lightning 1 at Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Nashville Predators 0 at San Jose Sharks 5
St. Louis Blues 6 at Dallas Stars 1
Nashville Predators 2 at Anaheim Ducks 1
Chicago Blackhawks 2 at St. Louis Blues 3

2015
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at New York Rangers 0
Chicago Blackhawks 5 at Anaheim Ducks 3
New York Rangers 2 at Washington Capitals 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at Detroit Red Wings 0
Washington Capitals 2 at New York Islanders 1

2014
Los Angeles Kings 5 at Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Los Angeles Kings 6 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Montreal Canadiens 3 at Boston Bruins 1
New York Rangers 2 at Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Philadelphia Flyers 3 at New York Rangers 4
Minnesota Wild 5 at Colorado Avalanche 4
Los Angeles Kings 5 at San Jose Sharks 1

2013
New York Rangers 5 at Washington Capitals 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Boston Bruins 5 (OT)
Detroit Red Wings 3 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Detroit Red Wings 1 at Chicago Blackhawks 2 (OT)
San Jose Sharks 1 at Los Angeles Kings 2

2012
Ottawa Senators 1 at New York Rangers 2
Washington Capitals 2 at Boston Bruins 1 (OT)
New Jersey Devils 3 at Florida Panthers 2 (2OT)
Washington Capitals 1 at New York Rangers 2

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

Hurricanes at Capitals

The Washington Capitals have a simple goal -- they want to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. If they want to keep that dream alive, though, they'll have to find a way to beat the visiting Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of the first-round Eastern Conference series Wednesday night.

Washington won last year's Stanley Cup with stifling defense, timely goals and solid play all around. Plus, the Capitals trailed in all four series but rebounded to win. In this series, though, the Metropolitan Division champions often have been outplayed by Carolina, and that's why it's tied at three games apiece.

Carolina's ferocious physical play has made it tough for Washington to establish its offense and clear the puck on defense. The Capitals have done better in these areas in the past two games, but the Hurricanes came through again and scored a 5-2 victory in Game 6 on Monday at home to even up the series.

Washington turned in a strong performance in a 6-0 victory Saturday at home in Game 5 but struggled at times in Game 6. Carolina's aggressiveness certainly bothered the Capitals during various stretches of the last game once again.

Simply put, the Capitals have to play better if they want to advance.

"I think we needed a little more from all of our players," Washington coach Todd Reirden said after Game 5. "For us, with losing a player like (T.J.) Oshie a couple of games ago, we needed everyone's game to be at a higher level. I think we had that in Game 5 at home. We didn't have that tonight from enough people."

The top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson have played well, but the Capitals need something more from Evgeny Kuznetsov. He hasn't nearly been the factor he was in last year's playoffs, and the Capitals can use his help on offense. He hasn't scored a goal yet in this series.

Carolina has gotten a great series from Warren Foegele, who scored his fourth goal in the six games during Game 6. Dougie Hamilton and Jordan Staal also have pitched in, along with Teuvo Teravainen.

Staal gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead with a goal in the third period on a great individual effort. Teravainen also scored and Staal finished with a goal and an assist.

Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said that a big reason for his team's success is that their big guns have come out firing, and that's something he considers crucial.

"Obviously it's not that easy," he told the media after Game 6. "But we've said all along, your best players have to be your best players all year, but in the playoffs especially. Those guys obviously contributed and had big games."

Goalie Petr Mrazek had another good game Monday night. He made some tough saves from in close when the Capitals got their scoring chances, kept the Hurricanes in it early, and that let them take over late.

Andrei Svechnikov (concussion) did not play again for Carolina, and his status for Game 7 was not known as of Tuesday. Micheal Ferland (upper-body injury) also was out again for Carolina in Game 6, however both forwards skated Tuesday, which was a day off for Carolina. Svechnikov and Ferland also skated Monday ahead of Game 6. Oshie is done for the season after being injured in Game 4 (broken collarbone).

Another factor in Game 7 might be home ice. Through the first six games, the home team has won each contest. The Capitals hope the loud red-clad fans in Washington will help them keep their dream alive in the series finale.

[StarDust Bum]

23Carolina -24 Washington
CAROLINA is 26-13 ATS (9.3 Units) against poor power play killing teams - opp score on >17.5% of chances in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 24

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CAROLINA (49-31-0-8, 106 pts.) at WASHINGTON (51-29-0-8, 110 pts.) - 4/24/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 26-36 ATS (-14.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 16-47 ATS (+78.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 117-78 ATS (+199.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 47-27 ATS (+8.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 47-26 ATS (+9.6 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 46-29 ATS (+7.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 64-45 ATS (+5.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 40-29 ATS (+6.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 33-17 ATS (+10.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 22-11 ATS (+7.4 Units) after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 12-6 (+4.4 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 12-6-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.6 Units)

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NHL

Wednesday, April 24

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Carolina's last 7 games
Carolina is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Carolina is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games on the road
Carolina is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina


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NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 24


Carolina @ Washington

Game 23-24
April 24, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Carolina
12.290
Washington
10.713
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
(+135); Under

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CAR at WAS 07:30 PM
WAS -145
O 5.5

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Home-ice advantage in Game 7
Monty Andrews

It's hard to pick against the Capitals to win this game given how the series has gone; the home side has outscored the opposition by an absurd 26-8 margin.

And then there was one – as in, one unclaimed second-round spot remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals tangle Wednesday night to decide which team will face the New York Islanders in an Eastern Conference semifinal series. And with this being the only game in town, there should be plenty of betting action on it. Here are your top trends and tips as the defending Stanley Cup champs look to take care of business at home:

CAROLINA HURRICANES AT WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Moneyline Odds: Carolina +140/Washington -160
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

The home team has won all six games in this series, mostly thanks to hot starts. The hosts are outscoring the visitors by a 9-3 margin in the best-of-seven, with Game 6 marking the only time that the home side didn't carry a lead into the second period. And let's not ignore Washington's 87 first-period goals during the regular season (fourth-most in the league) and +21 goal differential (second-best). We like the Capitals -0.5 on the first-period line (+160).

In terms of player prop recommendations, we have a few – and you can probably guess which player tops the list. Alex Ovechkin is no stranger to the spotlight; he led the way with 15 goals during last year's Stanley Cup title run, and has four in six games against the Hurricanes this series – and more significantly, he has goals in four different games. Ovechkin is the best goal-scorer in the league, and even at just +115 to score anytime in Game 7, he's worth a shot.

It's hard to pick against the Capitals to win this game given how the series has gone; the home side has outscored the opposition by an absurd 26-8 margin, with four contests decided by multiple goals. And while we don't necessarily think this will be a one-sided affair, it is worth considering that the home team has won eight of the last nine head-to-head meetings overall, with six of those outcomes decided by more than one goal. Taking the Capitals -1.5 is a decent play here at +185.

As for the total, while the teams are each averaging 2.83 goals per game in the series, they've done so despite ranking near the bottom in shots per game; the Hurricanes are 10th among playoff teams at 32, while the Capitals rank dead last at 25.5. Goaltending has been the difference so far – Washington's has been okay, while Carolina's has been downright dreadful. We expect more scoring chances in Game 7, leading us to favor the O5.5 option (+100).

[StarDust Bum]

Hurricanes stun defending champion Capitals in 2OT in Game 7
April 24, 2019
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WASHINGTON (AP) Jordan Staal tied it in the third period, Brock McGinn scored in the second overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes stormed back to stun the Washington Capitals 4-3 in Game 7 on Wednesday night to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions.

McGinn dived to prevent a goal in the final minutes of regulation and then scored 11:05 into the second extra period, and Petr Mrazek made 34 saves to continue an upset-heavy first round of the NHL playoffs. Carolina had the first nine shots of the first OT and 11 of 15 total, with coach Rod Brind'Amour's group showing it had plenty left in the tank.

Carolina showed the same never-quit attitude that helped it end the NHL's longest playoff drought after a decade by forcing a deciding seventh game and erasing a 3-1 deficit in it. Top-line forwards Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen beat surprisingly shaky Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who allowed four goals on 42 shots.

''Time and time again we've just manned up,'' said Hurricanes captain Justin Williams, who had an assist on McGinn's winner. ''It would have been easy to fold up, especially against a team like that. ... Our guys really fought.''

The Hurricanes' surge back in the series without concussed winger Andrei Svechnikov and injured winger Micheal Ferland made it the first time in league history that all four division champions were knocked out in the first round. Game 7 losses by Vegas and Washington on back-to-back nights eliminated the two teams from last year's Cup final in succession.

In one of the strangest first rounds in recent history, the Hurricanes beating the Capitals doesn't even rank at the top of unlikely outcomes after Columbus swept Presidents' Trophy winning Tampa Bay and Colorado closed out Western Conference top seed Calgary in five. With all four wild-card teams winning, Carolina now faces former Capitals coach Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders in the second round starting Friday in Brooklyn.

It looked after a lopsided Game 5 and a couple of two-goal leads by the Capitals in Game 7 that they were poised to move on. But the Hurricanes closed the gap in the second period, tied the score on Staal's third goal of the series 2:56 into the third, forced overtime and celebrated on Washington's home ice.

Williams - ''Mr. Game 7'' with an NHL-record 15 points in the deciding games - and the Hurricanes celebrated their first series victory since 2009, while the Capitals lost in the first round for the first time since 2013. Despite goals by Andre Burakovsky, Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov and a monster game from captain Alex Ovechkin, Washington fell to 4-8 in Game 7 during the Ovechkin era.

The Capitals joined the Predators and Penguins as teams that all won at least one series each of the past three years but failed to get out of the first round in these playoffs. They were hurt by a season-ending torn left hamstring to defenseman Michal Kempny and a broken collarbone on winger T.J. Oshie, whose appearance in the final minutes of regulation fired up the crowd but wasn't enough to spark an OT win.

NOTES: Jaccob Slavin set a Whalers/Hurricanes franchise record for assists in a playoff series with eight. ... Williams improved to 8-1 all-time in Game 7. ... Svechnikov missed his fourth consecutive game after being concussed in a fight with Ovechkin on April 15. ... The Capitals fell to 5-12 all-time in Game 7 and 3-9 at home.

UP NEXT

Carolina will visit the Islanders in Game 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY APRIL 25, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Boston Bruins TD Garden
9:35 PM Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center


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NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


04/24/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -2.25
04/23/2019 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
04/22/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +10.00
04/21/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +12.50
04/20/2019 3-3-0 50.00% +0.85
04/19/2019 2-1-1 66.67% +5.50
04/18/2019 4-2-0 66.67% +9.85
04/17/2019 1-4-0 20.00% -17.00
04/16/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -10.35
04/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.40
04/14/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
04/13/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +20.00
04/12/2019 1-7-0 12.50% -42.60
04/11/2019 1-2-0 33.33% -5.50
04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals.............38-34-2..... 52.77%.... +3.51


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BEST BETS:

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

04/24/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0..............+5.00.................+5.00
04/23/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/22/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+5.00
04/21/2019..............2 - 0....................+13.00.................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+12.50
04/20/2019..............1 - 1....................+1.85...................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+1.35
04/19/2019..............1 - 0....................+7.50...................1 - 0...............+5.00.................+12.50
04/18/2019..............1 - 1....................+0.35...................2 - 1...............+4.50.................+4.85
04/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 2................-6.00..................-11.50
04/16/2019..............2 - 1....................+8.35...................1 - 3...............-11.50.................-3.15
04/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.10...................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-0.40
04/14/2019..............1 - 0....................+8.25...................2 - 2...............-1.00..................+7.25
04/13/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................4 - 0..............+20.00................+15.00
04/12/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50..................-11.50
04/11/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................1 - 2...............-6.00..................-11.00
04/10/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0..............+20.00...............+20.10


Totals....................10 - 8.....................+24.00...............24 - 16.............+32.00..................+56.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Odds to win the two Eastern Divisions in the NFL this year:

NFC East:

even: Philadelphia Eagles

5-4: Dallas Cowboys

8-1: Washington Redskins

14-1: New Jersey Giants

AFC East:
1-6: New England Patriots

5-1: New Jersey Jets

12-1: Buffalo Bills

50-1: Miami Dolphins

Quote of the Day
“Good coaches are trying to reinforce players in practice after every play. So, they’re telling them you did this well, or you need to do it this way or you made a mental error and need to get it corrected. You’re trying to reinforce guys on every play. Sometimes, players kind of depend on that reinforcement all the time in practice, but in the game, there’s no coach out there.”
Nick Saban

Thursday’s quiz
When was the last time a QB from the Big 14 (Michigan, Ohio St, etc…) was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft?

Wednesday’s quiz
USC is the only college football program in country that has had the #1 pick in NFL Draft two years in a row; Ron Yary/OJ Simpson, back in the late 60’s.

Tuesday’s quiz
In the movie Draft Day, Denis Leary played the coach of the Cleveland Browns.

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

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

13) RIP to Ole Miss basketball star Johnny Neumann, who passed away this week after a long illness at age 68. Neumann led the nation in scoring as a sophomore at 40.1 ppg; he left school early to play in the ABA, but got his degree from Ole Miss in 2016, at age 65.

Neumann played for nine teams in seven seasons in the ABA/NBA, scoring 13.2 ppg.

12) He also coached in the old CBA; I know this because we had a team here in Albany, and one night, Neumann got tossed out of a game here. A few minutes later, he showed up in the corner of the small arena, watching the game while sipping a beer.

I went over and shook his hand and talked to him; we talked for 15-20 minutes about his playing career and basketball in general. Good guy. Hope he rests in peace.

11) Interesting article on SI.com this week about how teams gather information for the NFL Draft; couple years ago, one GM sent a message to a second GM that he wasn’t interested in a certain player, but the second GM should take him.

The second GM didn’t believe the first one’s message; he traded up ahead of him, then took the player in question. Paranoia runs rampant this week.

10) Another interesting aspect of the days before he draft is how some teams utilize the media to gain knowledge. Late night text messages, asking a media person if anyone else had mentioned something about Player A being injured. Some of the national reporters are pretty well-informed and can be useful conduits for information.

9) 20 years ago this week, Fernando Tatis Sr hit two grand slams in the same game at Dodger Stadium; odd thing is, he hit both of them off the same pitcher (Chan Ho Park).

8) Coaching carousel:
— Northern Kentucky hired former coach South Carolina/Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn as its new coach.

7) Temple’s new basketball coach Aaron McKie has already signed up three transfers, one each from Indiana, Wisconsin, Kennesaw State.

6) Milwaukee Brewers signed P Gio Gonzalez; only once in their last 13 games has the Brewers’ starting pitcher finished the 6th inning.

So far this season, Milwaukee has scored 71% of its runs via the home run, which would be a major league record if they did that all year.

5) In case you were wondering, Merriam-Webster added 640 new words/terms to the dictionary in this year’s edition, including “peak”, “buzzy” and “garbage time”

4) Not sure if I knew this or not: If an NFL player suffers a season-ending injury in a voluntary workout, he is paid for that season. In reality, “voluntary workouts” aren’t voluntary, unless you are one of the team’s stars.

3) If they ever make the movie Draft Day 2, they could take notes on Kyler Murray’s winter and run the plot around that. More and more, this kid seems like kind of an odd duck.

Murray was scheduled to be at a charity event Wednesday, but he ended up being a no-show, because “he had other places to be.” You want to be the #1 pick in the draft and you blow off a charity event the day before the draft? Oy.

2) Prayers to Kelly Stafford, wife of Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford, who had an operation to remove a brain tumor last week and is now trying to recover at home. Very painful thing; we wish her the best in her recovery.

1) The NFL Draft starts tonight; finally, no more mock drafts and fake news with teams lying about who they’re interested or not interested in. They stretch this out over three days now, but it is fun to watch.

Next year, it’ll be even more fun to watch; the 2020 NFL Draft is in Las Vegas, and I’ll be there to see it, which figures to be an interesting experience.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

Second Round Cheat Sheet

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

Eastern Conference

2A Boston vs. 2W Columbus

Bruins: 49-24-9, 107 points
Blue Jackets: 47-31-4, 98 points

Season series: These two teams didn't meet this season until March as they hooked up three times in the final three weeks. Columbus outlasted Boston in the first matchup at Nationwide Arena, 7-4 on March 12 as the Blue Jackets notched five unanswered goals after falling behind, 1-0. The Bruins captured the final two meetings as Boston edged Columbus, 2-1 in overtime at TD Garden on March 16, followed by a 6-2 blowout in central Ohio on April 2. Dating back to February 2016, these squads have split 10 meetings, while the OVER has cashed nine times.

Previous playoff outcome: The Bruins staved off the Maple Leafs in seven games of the first round for the third time in seven seasons to advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. Last season, Boston won the opener of the conference semifinals against Tampa Bay, but eventually dropped the final four games to the Lightning. The Blue Jackets pulled off the biggest shocker in the opening round by sweeping the top-seeded Lightning in four games to advance to the semifinals for the first time in franchise history. Boston and Columbus are meeting in the playoffs for the first time ever as the Blue Jackets have been eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion each of the last two seasons.


Western Conference

3C St. Louis vs. 1W Dallas

Blues: 45-28-9, 99 points
Stars: 43-32-7, 93 points

Season series: Although Dallas finished below St. Louis in the Central division standings, the Stars took three of four meetings from the Blues this season. Dallas grabbed a pair of victories at St. Louis, while limiting the Blues to one goal in each of those wins at Enterprise Center. The Stars ripped the Blues, 5-2 at American Airlines Center on February 21, while the lone win in the series by St. Louis came at Dallas on January 12 in a 3-1 triumph. The UNDER cashed in three of four meetings, while the Stars are 5-1 in the past six matchups with the Blues since December 2017.

Previous playoff outcome: The Stars and Blues each knocked off division counterparts in the opening round. Dallas eliminated division champion Nashville in six games, while St. Louis put away Winnipeg in six games as the Blues won three road contests in the series. Dallas is playing in the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since 2009 as its last appearance in this round came against St. Louis in 2016. The Blues downed the Stars in seven games of that conference semifinal series, capped off by a 6-1 blowout at Dallas in Game 7. St. Louis is seeking its first appearance in the conference finals since 2016, when the Blues lost to the Sharks in six games.


2P San Jose vs. 2W Colorado

Sharks: 46-27-9, 101 points
Avalanche: 38-30-14, 90 points

Season series: The Sharks took care of the Avalanche this season by capturing all three matchups. San Jose edged Colorado at Pepsi Center in early January, 5-4, followed by a 4-3 win on March 1 at SAP Center and a 5-2 home triumph on April 6. All three meetings easily went OVER the total, while the Sharks have won nine of the past 10 home matchups with the Avalanche since February 2013.

Previous playoff outcome: San Jose shocked defending Western Conference champion Vegas in seven games as the Sharks erased a 3-1 series deficit and climbed out of a 3-0 third period hole to beat the Golden Knights, 4-3 in overtime. The Sharks have advanced to the conference semifinals for the third time in four seasons as they seek their first Stanley Cup final appearance since 2016. The Avalanche are playing in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008 when Colorado was swept by Detroit. Colorado and San Jose last met in the playoffs in the 2010 first round as the Sharks won in six games.

[StarDust Bum]

1Dallas -2 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 16-6 ATS (11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season in the current season.

3Columbus -4 Boston
COLUMBUS are 21-10 ATS (14.9 Units) in road games against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game in the current season.




NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 25

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DALLAS (47-33-0-8, 102 pts.) at ST LOUIS (49-29-0-10, 108 pts.) - 4/25/2019, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 150-145 ATS (-57.1 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 34-17 ATS (+7.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 28-18 ATS (+7.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 16-6 ATS (+22.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 10-6 ATS (+17.8 Units) in road games vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 220-241 ATS (+512.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-6 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-6-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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COLUMBUS (51-31-0-4, 106 pts.) at BOSTON (53-27-0-9, 115 pts.) - 4/25/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-4 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 5-4-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.4 Units)

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NHL

Thursday, April 25

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

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Columbus's last 21 games
Columbus is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Columbus's last 15 games on the road
Columbus is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 10 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Columbus is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Boston is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games at home
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games at home
Boston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 10 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus

Dallas Stars
Dallas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Dallas is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Dallas is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games
St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
St. Louis is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games at home
St. Louis is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Dallas
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas


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NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 25


Columbus @ Boston

Game 3-4
April 25, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
13.333
Boston
11.834
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(+135); Over

Dallas @ St. Louis

Game 1-2
April 25, 2019 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
12.193
St. Louis
11.163
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-155
5
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+135); Under