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

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 10


Columbus @ Tampa Bay

Game 1-2
April 10, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.439
Tampa Bay
12.889
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-210
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-210); Over

Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders

Game 3-4
April 10, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.817
NY Islanders
10.663
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Islanders
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-105); Under

St. Louis @ Winnipeg

Game 5-6
April 10, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
12.232
Winnipeg
10.644
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+100); Over

Dallas @ Nashville

Game 7-8
April 10, 2019 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
10.949
Nashville
12.162
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-160); Under

Vegas @ San Jose

Game 9-10
April 10, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
10.944
San Jose
9.056
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-140
6
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(+120); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, April 10

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COLUMBUS (47-31-0-4, 98 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (62-16-0-4, 128 pts.) - 4/10/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 62-20 ATS (+40.1 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 36-14 ATS (+9.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
TAMPA BAY is 32-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TAMPA BAY is 251-246 ATS (+564.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 65-55 ATS (+126.7 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-3 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 6-3-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.4 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (44-26-0-12, 100 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (48-27-0-7, 103 pts.) - 4/10/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 44-38 ATS (-13.3 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 48-34 ATS (+82.3 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 10-1 ATS (+8.8 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 18-10 ATS (+29.4 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 18-9 ATS (+27.6 Units) after a division game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 20-10 ATS (+9.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 22-17 ATS (+42.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 5-7 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-5-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.5 Units, Under=-0.8 Units)

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ST LOUIS (45-28-0-9, 99 pts.) at WINNIPEG (47-30-0-5, 99 pts.) - 4/10/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 28-7 ATS (+19.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 15-4 ATS (+8.8 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 33-13 ATS (+15.1 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 30-15 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-16 ATS (+40.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 12-4 ATS (+16.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 10-3 (+6.5 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 10-3-0 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=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

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DALLAS (43-32-0-7, 93 pts.) at NASHVILLE (47-29-0-6, 100 pts.) - 4/10/2019, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 25-42 ATS (-26.7 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 59-33 ATS (+12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 9-5 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 9-5-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.0 Units)

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VEGAS (43-32-0-7, 93 pts.) at SAN JOSE (46-27-0-9, 101 pts.) - 4/10/2019, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 43-39 ATS (-17.8 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 20-20 ATS (-14.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
VEGAS is 46-22 ATS (+13.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 53-39 ATS (+8.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 9-5 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 9-5-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.5 Units)

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




1Columbus -2 Tampa Bay
TAMPA BAY is 59-18 ATS (31.4 Units) against mistake free teams - opponents average <=4 power plays/game in the current season.

3Pittsburgh -4 Ny Islanders
NY ISLANDERS are 41-24 ATS (19.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the current season.

5St Louis -6 Winnipeg
ST LOUIS are 15-2 ATS (14.3 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

7Dallas -8 Nashville
NASHVILLE is 59-33 ATS (17.4 Units) vs. winning teams over the last 2 seasons.

9Vegas -10 San Jose
VEGAS are 3-14 ATS (-11.6 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.




NHL

Wednesday, April 10

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Columbus is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Columbus's last 17 games
Columbus is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Columbus's last 13 games on the road
Columbus is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
Columbus is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Columbus is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games
Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Columbus
Tampa Bay is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NY Islanders is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of NY Islanders's last 14 games
NY Islanders is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
NY Islanders is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games at home
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Islanders's last 8 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
Winnipeg is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
Winnipeg is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Winnipeg is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

Dallas Stars
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Dallas's last 18 games
Dallas is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Dallas's last 19 games on the road
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
Dallas is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing Nashville
Dallas is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Nashville
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville Predators
Nashville is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Nashville is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Nashville's last 12 games
Nashville is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Nashville's last 12 games at home
Nashville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Nashville is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing Dallas
Nashville is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Vegas is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Vegas's last 9 games
Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Vegas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games on the road
Vegas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Vegas's last 10 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games
San Jose is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games
San Jose is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home
San Jose is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games at home
San Jose is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Jose's last 10 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Vegas

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CLB at TB 07:00 PM
O 6.5

PIT at NYI 07:30 PM
PIT -103
O 5.5

STL at WIN 08:00 PM
STL +102
U 5.5

DAL at NAS 09:30 PM
O 5.0

VEG at SJ 10:30 PM
VEG +112
O 6.0

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Crosby kills the Isles
Monty Andrews

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been playing like a team ready to pull off an betting upset but they drew the wrong opponent for that task as they kick off their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series in Tampa Bay Wednesday night.

It's one of five games on the NHL odds board for opening night of the postseason, a sked that includes Sidney Crosby looking to continue his mastery of the Islanders and San Jose hoping to get off to a quick start against Vegas.

Here are the best bets and NHL predictions for Day 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs:


COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS AT TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Moneyline Odds: Columbus +195/Tampa Bay -240
Over/Under: 6.5 goals
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET Amalie Arena, Tampa

The Blue Jackets were full value for their East wild card spot, ending the season with seven wins in their final eight games while riding a five-game road winning streak.

But the Lightning have dominated the Blue Jackets in their recent head-to-head series, winning six consecutive meetings overall while outscoring them 29-7 and shutting them out three times over that span.

The two-goal Lightning margin of victory in Game 1 is in play at +500, as is the three-goal win at +550.


PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AT NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Moneyline Odds: Pittsburgh EVEN/New York -105
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET, Barclays Center, New York

The first-round series between the Penguins and the Islanders should be a good one, and all eyes will be on Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby, who has been a one-man wrecking crew against the Isles over the course of his career.

Crosby enters Game 1 at Barclays Center having racked up 36 goals and 77 assists in 66 career games vs. New York – his highest point total against any opponent. We recommend taking whatever Crosby scoring prop you can get your hands on here.

Some books have Crosby to score anytime at +190, while Crosby scoring the first goal of the game is listed at +900.


ST. LOUIS BLUES AT WINNIPEG JETS

Moneyline Odds: St. Louis -103/Winnipeg -120
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET, Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Jets have their sights set on reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in franchise history. There's one statistic, in particular, that could work in their favor as they kick off their first-round series Wednesday against visiting St. Louis.

The Jets went 18-21 SU in games in which their opponent scored first during the regular season, the second-most wins of that kind in the league.

It's a strong enough trend for bettors to consider the "No" on the team scoring first to win (+175).


DALLAS STARS AT NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Moneyline Odds: Dallas +145/Nashville -164
Over/Under: 5 goals
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville

Game 1 between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators might take a while to get going.

These teams were spectacularly deficient in the opening 20 minutes of their regular season games, with the Stars scoring a league-low 39 first-period goals and the Predators ranking 30th out of 31 teams with a paltry 53 goals in the opening frame.

If you're looking for an intriguing first-period play Wednesday, we suggest the under on the 0.5-goal total in this one (+275).


VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT SAN JOSE SHARKS

Moneyline Odds: Vegas +110/ San Jose -130
OverUnder: 6 goals
Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET, SAP Center, San Jose

The Sharks haven't had any problem putting up early offense this season, and that will be a critical component of their best-of-seven first-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights that kicks off Wednesday in San Jose.

The hosts come into the opener having scored 102 first-period goals during the campaign, tied with the Lightning for the most in the league.

The Sharks are installed at +160 to lead after one period, and they're a good option to do just that.

[StarDust Bum]

Blue Jackets stun Lightning with 3rd-period comeback
April 10, 2019
By The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Seth Jones scored the go-ahead goal on the power play to cap Columbus' three-goal third period, and the Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Game 1 of the teams' first-round Eastern Conference playoff series Wednesday night.

Jones made it 4-3 from the slot with 5:55 to play as the Blues Jackets erased a 3-0 deficit after the Lightning scored three times in the opening period.

With Columbus trailing 3-1 in the third, David Savard deked around Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and scored 7:56 into the period to make it a one-goal game. Josh Anderson picked up a short-handed goal that tied it at 3 at 11:54.

Nick Foligno had the other goal for Columbus, and Sergei Bobrovsky ended up with 26 saves after struggling in the first period.

The Lightning, who matched the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in a regular season with 62, got first-period goals from Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots.

Game 2 is Friday night in Tampa Bay.

ISLANDERS 4, PENGUINS 3, OT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - Josh Bailey scored on a rebound at 4:39 of overtime, leading the New York Islanders past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opener of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist, and Brock Nelson and Nick Leddy also scored for New York, which was opening a postseason series at home for the first time in 31 years. Robin Lehner stopped 41 shots.

Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist, and Justin Schultz also scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray finished with 29 saves.

On the winning goal, Mathew Barzal brought the puck into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 break, faked in front to draw Murray out and sent a backhand shot that bounced off the left post, but Bailey was there to knock it in.

Game 2 is Friday night back at the Nassau Coliseum.

BLUES 2, JETS 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - Tyler Bozak scored with 2:05 left in the third period to give the St. Louis Blues the victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference opening-round playoff series.

Pat Maroon sent a backhand pass from behind the net out to Bozak in the slot, and Bozak's quick shot went by Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck for the go-ahead goal.

David Perron also scored for St. Louis early in the third, and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves.

Patrik Laine scored late in the first period and Hellebuyck stopped 24 shots for the Jets, who host Game 2 on Friday.

STARS 3, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Rookie Miro Heiskanen scored two goals in his first postseason game, and the Dallas Stars beat the Predators in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference series.

Heiskanen became the eighth rookie teenage defenseman in NHL history to score a goal in their first career playoff game and the first since Adam Larsson with New Jersey on May 1, 2012, against Philadelphia, according to NHL Stats. He also became the third-youngest with a multi-goal game and the youngest in franchise history with a postseason goal at 19 years, 266 days.

Mats Zuccarello also scored, helping Dallas continue its success from the regular season in Nashville, where the Stars won twice.

Roman Josi and P.K. Subban each scored for Nashville.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday night in Nashville.

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

Pavelski's painful goal leads Sharks past Golden Knights 5-2
April 10, 2019
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Joe Pavelski took a puck off his chin to score the opening goal and the San Jose Sharks raced past the Vegas Golden Knights with a 5-2 victory Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Evander Kane added goals in a wild second period that featured heavy hitting, a parade to the penalty box and the high intensity expected in a series between two franchises that have become fierce rivals in just two seasons.

Tomas Hertl added an empty-net goal and Martin Jones made 24 saves to get San Jose started off right in this series heading into Game 2 on Friday night.

Mark Stone scored both goals for the Golden Knights, who struggled to generate much offense at all against a Sharks team that has appeared to shake off a late-season slide in time for the postseason. Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves.

The captain set the tone for the Sharks with his goal in the first period and then his presence on the ice in the second despite playing hurt thanks to taking a puck to his face.

With the Sharks on the power play, Pavelski went to the front of the net, where he is usually so adept at tipping pucks with his stick for goals. Burns' point shot came in high and hit him in the chin instead before bouncing into the net.

Pavelski was unable even to celebrate, heading straight to the dressing room for treatment while the crowd roared at the series-opening goal. There was concern in the arena when Pavelski didn't come out to start the second but he re-emerged early in the period with a bloody mouth and a full shield to protect his injured face.

Things then got wild early in the period following a series of penalties. After coincidental minors to San Jose's Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Marchessault left the teams playing four on four, the Sharks went on a power play when Deryk Engelland was called for a trip.

That was quickly negated when Pavelski was called for tripping, creating the rare 3-on-3 in the playoffs. The Sharks capitalized when Erik Karlsson fed Burns, who beat Fleury from the top of the circle with a wrister to make it 2-0.

Then with the teams back at 4-on-4 less than a minute later, Joe Thornton set up Vlasic in the slot for the goal that made it 3-0.

The Golden Knights got on the board seconds after Pavelski's penalty ended when Stone got inside of Burns at the side of the net to knock in a loose puck.

But the Sharks regained the three-goal lead with 17.1 seconds remaining in the period when Kane deftly deflected a perfect pass from Karlsson at the point past Fleury.

Stone scored late in the third on a power play to make it 4-2. But Jones stopped Reilly Smith on a breakaway with less than three minutes left and Hertl sealed it with his empty-netter.

The Sharks went into the series looking to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them against Vegas the past two seasons. The Golden Knights had scored in the first five minutes in eight of 14 meetings, including all four this season.

But San Jose didn't even allow a shot on goal in the first five minutes, spending most of the time in Vegas' zone. The Sharks then got on the board late in the period in painful fashion with Pavelski's goal after fourth-liner Micheal Haley drew a penalty on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare for the game's first power play.

NOTES: Karlsson had two assists in his second game back after missing 17 games with a groin injury. ... Fleury has allowed at least four goals in all three games since missing nearly three weeks with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Game 2 is Friday night in San Jose.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY APRIL 11, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins TD Garden
7:30 PM Carolina Hurricanes Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
10:00 PM Colorado Avalanche Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome


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

NHL APRIL/MAY PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals...............5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


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


BEST BETS:

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


04/10/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0.................+20.00.............+20.10


Totals......................1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0.................+20.00.............+20.10

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

Odds to win The Masters:

— Rory McIlroy 8-1

— Dustin Johnson 11-1

— Justin Rose 14-1

— Rickie Fowler 15-1

— Jordan Spieth, Eldrick Woods 16-1

— Koepka, Molinari, Rahm, Thomas 20-1

Quote of the Day
“It was a relief at first, like OK, that’s over with, pulling the trigger on retiring, But the closer to spring it got … I know it’s just a game, but it’s almost like mourning. It was more than a game to us, it was my life since I was a kid. It’s almost like a part of you dies.”
Former big leaguer Will Middlebrooks, talking about retiring

Thursday’s quiz
When was the last time a Canadian franchise won the Stanley Cup?

Wednesday’s quiz
Mike Dunleavy was the Lakers’ coach the last time they made the playoffs, in 2013.

Tuesday’s quiz
Kansas beat Memphis 75-68 in OT in the 2008 national title game.

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

Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……

13) Tampa Bay 9, White Sox 1- Rays are off to a 10-3 start; they scored in top of the first inning in all six games on this road trip. Wondering if they prepare differently than other teams, which allows them to score early in games?

12) A gambler wagered $85,000 at a William Hill sportsbook on Eldrick Woods to win The Masters; if Woods wins, the gambler banks $1.19M.

11) Thinking about the Virginia-Texas Tech game Monday night, and how the total opened at 120 and was quickly bet down to 117. Books cleaned up on that, after the 85-77 final.

10) Next fall St John’s will have their 6th hoop coach in 18 years; located in Queens, you’d think the Red Storm would be good at basketball, but over the last 17 years. St John’s is 106-190 in Big East games. Of their last five coaches, Steve Lavin was by far the best.

Why wouldn’t the people who run the school take a deep breath, count to 10, think of all the money they’re about to make and hire Rick Pitino?

9) Baseball wagering advice; next time Freddy Peralta pitches for the Brewers, check the lineup to see who Milwaukee’s catcher is.

When Manny Pina catches Peralta, as he has 75% of the time, batters hit .165 vs Peralta.

When someone else catches Peralta, teams hit around .300 against him.

This isn’t difficult; I mean, I was lucky to graduate from a state college, but even I know that Peralta is a way better pitcher when Pina is his catcher.

8) Twins’ OF Max Kepler was born in Germany; both his parents were ballet dancers.

Twins were scheduled to fly home after their game at Citi Field last night, but they might not have made it; they were expecting 15 inches of snow in the Twin Cities, so the plane may have had to land in Milwaukee instead.

7) Coaching carousel:
— BYU hired former Utah Valley coach Mark Pope as its new coach.
— Belmont hired Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander, a Belmont alum.

6) I get this phone call Tuesday afternoon, from some company supposedly trying to get me a job, a job I haven’t asked for, nor one that I want.

Politely tell the woman that I’m not interested, but she rattles on and I listen. She asks if I’m an American citizen, I say yes. Then she asks what year I graduated high school. When I tell her, she abruptly ends the call and hangs up. Alrighty then.

Thanks for nothing, lady.

5) Orlando Magic made the NBA playoffs this year for first time in seven years under coach Steve Clifford, who is in his first year with the Magic.

Coaches often lead a nomadic existence; way back in 1994-95, Clifford spent a season as an assistant coach at Siena College, which is four miles from Armadillo World HQ here in beautiful Colonie, NY.

Siena is a small school; they have a good mid-major basketball program, but its a hell of a long way from the NBA. Credit to coach Clifford for making it to and succeeding in the bigtime.

4) Celtics’ Marcus Smart has suffered a torn oblique on his left side and could be sidelined for the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

3) Kansas City’s Billy Hamilton scored from second on a long fly ball to centerfield Tuesday night. Hamilton ain’t much of a hitter, but he is a good fielder and is very, very fast.

2) Magic Johnson must’ve been pretty disgusted if he quit without telling Jeannie Buss or Rob Pelinka first; common wisdom seems to be that Johnson didn’t work that hard at the job- he has business interests he deals with, too. Being a team president is a pretty serious job.

He actually said, “Now I can tweet whenever I like” kind of a stunning thing to say.

1) Just because a guy was a great ballplayer doesn’t mean he will be great at other stuff.

Playing.
Coaching.
Being an executive. Three different skill sets.

Great players can be arrogant about thinking they know more about everything than a guy who didn’t play, or didn’t play as well. That simply isn’t true, and it gets proven every year.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 11

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TORONTO (46-28-0-8, 100 pts.) at BOSTON (49-24-0-9, 107 pts.) - 4/11/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 20-23 ATS (-21.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 13-1 ATS (+10.9 Units) in home games after a division game this season.
TORONTO is 13-7 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 290-244 ATS (-155.4 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 11-8 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 11-8-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

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CAROLINA (46-29-0-7, 99 pts.) at WASHINGTON (48-26-0-8, 104 pts.) - 4/11/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 67-101 ATS (-44.1 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
CAROLINA is 23-33 ATS (-14.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 26-54 ATS (+86.2 Units) in road games after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
CAROLINA is 16-44 ATS (+74.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 114-75 ATS (+193.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 66-45 ATS (-0.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 44-24 ATS (+9.3 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 44-23 ATS (+10.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 23-8 ATS (+12.6 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 61-42 ATS (+2.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 37-26 ATS (+6.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 30-14 ATS (+10.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 19-8 ATS (+7.7 Units) after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-3 (+4.4 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 9-3-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

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COLORADO (38-30-0-14, 90 pts.) at CALGARY (50-25-0-7, 107 pts.) - 4/11/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 38-44 ATS (-15.0 Units) in all games this season.
COLORADO is 16-52 ATS (+100.3 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 0-6 ATS (-7.3 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 8-1 (+7.0 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 8-1-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.1 Units)

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NHL

Thursday, April 11

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

Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
Toronto is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games on the road
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Boston is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto


Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games
Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Carolina is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games on the road
Carolina is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Carolina is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Washington is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games at home
Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Carolina
Washington is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina


Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
Colorado is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Colorado's last 15 games
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games on the road
Colorado is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Calgary
Colorado is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Calgary
Colorado is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary Flames
Calgary is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Calgary's last 11 games
Calgary is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Calgary is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games at home
Calgary is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
Calgary is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
Calgary is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
Calgary is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 11


Toronto @ Boston

Game 11-12
April 11, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
11.448
Boston
9.849
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-145
6
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+125); Over

Carolina @ Washington

Game 13-14
April 11, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Carolina
10.987
Washington
12.184
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-145); Under

Colorado @ Calgary

Game 15-16
April 11, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
11.195
Calgary
10.094
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
-190
6
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+165); Over




11Toronto -12 Boston
TORONTO is 5-11 ATS (-12.1 Units) in road games against horrible power play killing teams-opp score on >19% of chances in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

13Carolina -14 Washington
CAROLINA is 10-1 ATS (8.9 Units) after 2 consecutive division games in the current season.

15Colorado -16 Calgary
CALGARY is 9-17 ATS (-16.2 Units) in home games against excellent power play teams- scoring on >17.5% of their chances in the 2nd half of the year over the last 2 seasons.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, APRIL 11
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at BOS 07:00 PM
O 6.0

CAR at WAS 07:30 PM
CAR +128
O 5.5

COL at CAL 10:00 PM
O 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

B]Caps jump out early, beat Hurricanes
April 11, 2019
By The Associated Press[/B]

WASHINGTON (AP) Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin combined to score three goals on the first eight shots, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals survived a surge from Andrei Svechnikov and the Carolina Hurricanes to win Game 1 of their first-round series 4-2 on Thursday night.

Backstrom scored twice and Ovechkin scored on the power play to fire up a raucous sellout crowd in the first playoff game in Washington since celebrating the franchise's first title in June. Defenseman John Carlson tied an NHL playoff record with three assists in one period. Lars Eller sealed with an empty-netter with 36.6 seconds left.

It looked as though the Capitals would roll toward a statement victory against an opponent lacking playoff experience, but the pesky Hurricanes turned up the heat. Petr Mrazek bounced back from a rough start to make four huge saves early in the third period, while Svechnikov scored twice in his playoff debut to put some fear into the Capitals. Braden Holtby made 27 saves and the penalty kill came up big on two late Carolina power plays to allow Washington to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is Saturday in Washington.

The Hurricanes were playing their first playoff game since 2009 after ending the league's longest drought.

MAPLE LEAFS 4, BRUINS 1

BOSTON (AP) - Mitch Marner scored twice, the second on a short-handed penalty shot to give Toronto the lead for good, and Toronto won the opener of the first-round playoff series. It was the Maple Leafs' first postseason penalty shot in 20 years.

Frederik Andersen made 37 saves and William Nylander and John Tavares also scored for Toronto, which swiped the home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series as it tries to advance through Boston for the first time in six tries.

Tuukka Rask stopped 29 shots for Boston, and Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal midway through the first on a pass from Brad Marchand.

Game 2 is Saturday night in Boston.

CALGARY 4, COLORADO 0

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:30 PM Pittsburgh Penguins New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
9:30 PM St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Bell MTS Place
10:30 PM Vegas Golden Knights San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose


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


NHL APRIL/MAY PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

04/11/2019 1-2-0 33.33% -5.50
04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals...............6-4-1 60.00% +9.45


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


BEST BETS:

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

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......................1 - 2.....................-4.90....................5 - 2................+14.00.............+9.10

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

Odds for first round NBA playoff series:
— Clippers +$10,000 vs Golden State -$50,000
— San Antonio +$170 vs Denver -$200
— Oklahoma City -$150 vs Portland +$130
— Utah +$300 vs Houston -$400
— Detroit +$2,000 vs Milwaukee -$10,000
— Orlando +$800 vs Toronto -$1,400
— Brooklyn +$550 vs Philadelphia -$800
— Indiana +$500 vs Boston -$700

Quote of the Day
“Not this toxic, no. Not that affected two teams. And two guys. One (GM) lost his job and the other one resigned from his job. So no, in 31 years I hadn’t had anything that would equal this kind of fallout. No, I haven’t.”
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, talking about the Anthony Davis/Lakers situation

Friday’s quiz
Which major league ballpark has a swimming pool behind the fence in right-center field?

Thursday’s quiz
Last time a Canadian franchise won the Stanley Cup was when Montreal won in 1993.

Wednesday’s quiz
Mike D’Antoni was the Lakers’ coach the last time they made the playoffs, in 2013.

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

Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here……

13) Baseball season is only 15 days old, and San Diego Padres have already had three starting pitchers (Paddack, Margevicius, Avila) make their major league debuts. None of the three ever pitched at the AAA level, which is very unusual- the three combined to make only eight starts at the AA level, which is revolutionary thinking.

12) Teams/players have exit interviews after each season; if HBO wants to do a good reality show along the lines of Hard Knocks, these interviews would be fun to watch.

No matter what team it is, there are always unhappy players at the end of a season; some of these teams don’t have many happy players. Must be some interesting conversation going on, moreso in basketball/baseball, teams with smaller rosters.

11) I mean, Sacramento Kings just finished a 39-43 season, their best season in 13 years, yet they fired their coach. How do you think that exit interview went?

Lot of politics in NBA coaching circles; the coach tried to win games, people in the front office wanted him to play the younger players more, which would’ve resulted in fewer wins, but maybe more longterm success if the younger players developed faster.

Maybe there’s a reason Sacramento hasn’t had a winning season in over a decade.

10) Southern Miss recently hired a new athletic director, and Thursday basketball coach Doc Sadler quit, probably to become an assistant to Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska.

Sadler was at USM for five years, re-buillding a program that was ravaged by NCAA sanctions. Golden Eagles went 20-13 this year, their best season under Sadler- they started three seniors, so the new coach will have some recruiting to do.

Whats slightly odd is that Sadler was Nebraska’s head coach from 2006-12, when the Huskers moved from the Big X to the Big 14. He was making $360,000 at Southern Miss, will take a pay cut to become an assistant, but probably not a big one.

Just catches your attention when a pretty good head coach quits to become an assistant.

9) If I ran major league baseball, I’d end all blackout policies, would let people use all the highlights from major/minor league games. In short, I’d give the game maximum exposure so that the casual fan/non-fans can see how excellent it is and they’ll develop an interest.

Baseball does the opposite, and I’m guessing there is a financial reason why, but over the long haul, getting younger people invested in the game seems like a smarter business plan.

8) Not really sure why, but ESPN doesn’t have Baseball Tonight anymore, but they have an hour-long NBA show during the day year-round. Baseball needs more exposure.

7) Coaching contract:
— Nevada signed Steve Alford to replace Eric Musselman as coach.

6) Every returning Nevada player has entered the transfer portal, except for two guys who transferred there last year, and aren’t eligible until 2nd semester next season. Alford is going to have to do quick work re-recruiting the returnees, or he’ll have to recruit a whole new team.

Similar thing at LSU, where five players have declared for the NBA Draft; if they fire Will Wade, and it seems likely they will, the new coach is going to be handed a depleted roster.

5) In the bottom of the 5th inning Wednesday night, Mets had seven consecutive batters reach base against Minnesota, without ever hitting a fair ball- six walks and a hit batter, against three different pitchers. All in all, Mets scored six runs in the inning, with two singles.

4) Cubs’ pitcher Jon Lester started his big league career 0-66 at the plate, but since then he’s hit .130 (27-207) to raise his career batting average to .099.

3) Patrick Reed shot a 73 at The Masters Thursday; each of the last eight rounds at The Masters by that year’s defending champ have been over par.

2) Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 6— Last season, Nathan Eovaldi allowed 14 homers in 111 IP. He’s allowed six homers this season in 15 IP. Boston scored twice in 9th for the comeback win; both teams are now 4-9 this season.

1) On February 12, 2016, Milwaukee traded Khris Davis to the A’s, for Jacob Nottingham and Bubba Derby.

Since that trade, Davis has homered 142 times for Oakland. Nottingham is 4-20 in nine major league games, Derby has a 4.16 ERA in 103 minor league games. Pretty good trade for the A’s.

[StarDust Bum]

Tampa aims to bounce back from collapse
April 11, 2019
By The Associated Press

The Tampa Bay Lightning faced little adversity in the regular season on the way to a record-tying 62 wins and the most points in a season in 23 years.

That all changed as fast as the Lightning squandered a three-goal lead before losing 4-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their first-round series Wednesday night. Now a team that lost consecutive games just twice all season, must rebound in Game 2 at home on Friday night (7 p.m. EDT, CNBC) or be in danger of a quick playoff stay following a spectacular run all season.

Coach Jon Cooper acknowledges that blowing the big lead has put ''pressure'' on his team heading into Game 2.

''I actually thought our biggest foe last night was us,'' Cooper said Thursday. ''Columbus had no quit in them and good on them. Our biggest obstacle was us. We'll just see how our response is tomorrow. If we're going to go on past history, we've usually responded pretty well.''

The Blue Jackets were the sixth NHL team to comeback from being down at least three goals to beat a No. 1 seed in a postseason game.

A comeback seemed farfetched when they fell behind 3-0 in the first period. But Columbus rallied back when Nick Foligno scored on a breakaway in the second period following an errant pass by Ryan McDonagh. The Blue Jackets then scored three times in the third, tying it on a short-handed goal by Josh Anderson and getting the go-ahead goal on the power play from Seth Jones with 5:55 remaining.

But building on that won't be easy against a star-studded team featuring scoring champion Nikita Kucherov, star Steven Stamkos and stellar goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

''Who knows what happens in the series,'' Columbus coach John Tortorella said. ''I'm not worried about our team, how they handle things. Do we succeed? I don't know. I don't have a crystal ball. But I'm very comfortable that they can handle a lot different things. Momentum swings in the series and stuff that happens.''

Here are some other things to watch Friday night:

Penguins at Islanders, New York leads 1-0 (7:30 p.m. EDT, NBCSN)

Making their 13th straight appearance in the playoffs, with three championships and two other deep runs, the Pittsburgh Penguins know they can't get discouraged with a tough series-opening loss.

Pittsburgh trailed three times in regulation and tied the score each time before falling 4-3 in overtime against the New York Islanders in Game 1 of their first-round series.

''The guys have been here before,'' the Penguins' Justin Schultz said. ''We know it's a long series. You can't hang your head on each play. You got to move on and worry about the next shift.''

Star center Sidney Crosby, who was held off the scoresheet in the opener, wasn't surprised by the close game.

''These games are going to be close, they're going to be tight the entire series,'' he said.

The Penguins also knew how tough the Islanders play after splitting four meetings in the regular season. New York's stingy defense earned the Jennings Trophy by allowing the fewest goals in the league this season.

---

Blues at Jets, Winnipeg leads 1-0 (9:30 p.m. EDT, CNBC)

Holding onto leads was a problem all season for Winnipeg so maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise it happened again in the playoff opener for the Jets.

Winnipeg led 1-0 after two periods in Game 1 against the Blues before losing 2-1. The Jets were tied with Florida for the most losses in the regular season when leading after two periods with nine.

''We've had a couple of those where they score the winning goal in the last two minutes,'' forward Patrik Laine said. ''So it's always tough, but that's how it goes sometimes.''

---

Golden Knights at Sharks, San Jose leads 1-0 (10:30 p.m. NBCSN)

San Jose's big offseason move paid off in the opener of the playoff rematch against Vegas.

Star defenseman Erik Karlsson showed why both the Sharks and Golden Knights coveted him so much when Ottawa put him on the trading block, recording two assists and playing more than 26 minutes in San Jose's 5-2 victory on Wednesday night.

It was just Karlsson's second game back after missing 17 games with a groin injury.

''I think he'll get better and better which is good for us,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''He's got another level he can get to. He makes a huge difference for us, in our defensive and offensive game.''

Vegas struggled to generate much of anything, putting just 10 shots on goal in the first two periods before applying more pressure in the third when it was too late to help.

Getting off to a faster start in Game 2 will be key for the Golden Knights, who had scored in the opening five minutes in eight of 14 previous meetings against San Jose.

''We didn't have our support guys coming through the middle,'' defenseman Shea Theodore said. ''I thought we were turning over more pucks than we should of instead getting deep and keeping it simple. ... We shot ourselves in the foot.''

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, April 12

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

COLUMBUS (48-31-0-4, 100 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (62-17-0-4, 128 pts.) - 4/12/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 62-21 ATS (+40.0 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 25-11 ATS (+12.2 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 22-3 ATS (+16.6 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
TAMPA BAY is 32-14 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TAMPA BAY is 251-247 ATS (+565.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 21-13 ATS (+7.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
COLUMBUS is 32-13 ATS (+14.1 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-4 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 6-4-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.5 Units, Under=-0.8 Units)

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

PITTSBURGH (44-26-0-13, 101 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (49-27-0-7, 105 pts.) - 4/12/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 44-39 ATS (-14.7 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 33-35 ATS (-17.8 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 49-34 ATS (+83.1 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 35-17 ATS (+52.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 11-1 ATS (+9.8 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 19-10 ATS (+30.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 19-9 ATS (+28.6 Units) after a division game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 51-86 ATS (+151.4 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-7 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-6-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)

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ST LOUIS (46-28-0-9, 101 pts.) at WINNIPEG (47-31-0-5, 99 pts.) - 4/12/2019, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 28-8 ATS (+18.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 28-15 ATS (+7.6 Units) in April games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 31-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-16 ATS (+41.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 13-4 ATS (+17.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 10-4 (+5.3 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 10-4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.3 Units)

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

VEGAS (43-33-0-7, 93 pts.) at SAN JOSE (47-27-0-9, 103 pts.) - 4/12/2019, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 43-40 ATS (-19.0 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 20-21 ATS (-15.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 133-86 ATS (-14.7 Units) in April games since 1996.
VEGAS is 46-23 ATS (+12.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 188-158 ATS (-86.1 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 9-6 (+2.9 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 9-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.5 Units)

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




51Columbus -52 Tampa Bay
TAMPA BAY is 59-19 ATS (29 Units) against mistake free teams - opponents average <=4 power plays/game in the current season.

53Pittsburgh -54 Ny Islanders
NY ISLANDERS are 42-24 ATS (20.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the current season.

55St Louis -56 Winnipeg
ST LOUIS are 16-2 ATS (15.3 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

57Vegas -58 San Jose
VEGAS are 3-15 ATS (-12.6 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.




NHL

Friday, April 12

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Trend Report
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Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Columbus is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Columbus's last 18 games
Columbus is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Columbus's last 14 games on the road
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Columbus is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Columbus's last 24 games when playing Tampa Bay
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Columbus is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Tampa Bay's last 24 games when playing Columbus
Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus
Tampa Bay is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing at home against Columbus

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Pittsburgh's last 19 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games when playing NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
NY Islanders is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of NY Islanders's last 15 games
NY Islanders is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 7 games at home
NY Islanders is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh
NY Islanders is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
NY Islanders is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
NY Islanders is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Winnipeg is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Winnipeg is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games at home
Winnipeg is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
Vegas is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
Vegas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Vegas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games on the road
Vegas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 2-11 ATS in its last 13 games
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
San Jose is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games
San Jose is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games at home
San Jose is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home
San Jose is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 5 games at home
San Jose is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing at home against Vegas

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, April 12


Columbus @ Tampa Bay

Game 51-52
April 12, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.783
Tampa Bay
12.874
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-250
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-250); Over

Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders

Game 53-54
April 12, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.603
NY Islanders
11.069
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-130
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-130); Under

St. Louis @ Winnipeg

Game 55-56
April 12, 2019 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
10.010
Winnipeg
11.181
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Winnipeg
(-120); Under

Vegas @ San Jose

Game 57-58
April 12, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
10.366
San Jose
9.498
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-125
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(+105); Over