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

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY APRIL 18, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
7:08 PM Washington Capitals Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
8:38 PM St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Bell MTS Place
10:08 PM Vegas Golden Knights San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose


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NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

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.............21-26-1..... 44.58%.... -42.90


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BEST BETS:

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


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......................5 - 5.....................+6.300...............14 - 13.............-1.50..................+4.80

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

— Rays 8, Orioles 1— Tampa Bay has won 14 of its first 18 games.

— Cubs 6, Marlins 0— Miami is 4-15 and sinking fast.

— Indians 1, Mariners 0— Seattle started season 13-2, has now lost six in a row.

— A’s 2, Astros 1— Oakland beats its division rival for first time in five tries.

— Royals 4, White Sox 3 (10)— Tim Anderson homered, tossed his bat, then got drilled his next time up and the benches emptied. Go figure.

— Pacers (+7.5) were up 2 with 0:51 left in Boston, and not only lost….they didn’t cover the spread, losing 99-91.

Quote of the Day
“There’s the media. I meet the media twice each day — before batting practice, and then after the game. I think it’s gone well so far. I really like the group of media members in Baltimore. I also feel like I’m getting better at it. It’s something I’ve never really had any experience with. People ask me if there’s anything I didn’t realize I was getting myself into, and it’s that I’m talking a lot more than I ever have. To the media. To players. To coaches. To a lot of people. You talk a lot as a manager.”
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde

Thursday’s quiz
Miami Marlins have won two World Series; how many times have they won the NL East?

Wednesday’s quiz
When Gerald Ford became President in 1974, Nelson Rockefeller was his Vice President.

Tuesday’s quiz
Terry Francona has managed the Phillies, Red Sox and Indians.

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Week 1 NFL spreads
Packers @ Bears (-3.5, 46)
Falcons @ Vikings (-4.5, 47.5)
Redskins @ Eagles (-8, 46.5)
Bills @ Jets (-3.5, 38.5)
Ravens (-3.5, 37) @ Dolphins
49ers @ Buccaneers (-2.5, 49)
Chiefs (-5.5, 52.5) @ Jaguars
Titans @ Browns (-5, 45)
Rams (-2.5, 51) @ Panthers
Lions @ Cardinals (even, 49)
Bengals @ Seahawks (-7.5, 43.5)
Colts @ Chargers (-3.5, 48)
Giants @ Cowboys (-7.5, 46.5)
Steelers @ Patriots (-6, 51.5)
Texans @ Saints (-7.5, 53.5)
Broncos @ Raiders (-2.5, 43)

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Thursday’s List of 13: Quick comments on the 2019 NFL schedule

13) 100th season of the NFL starts with league’s oldest rivals (Packers/Bears) opening the season with a Thursday night game in Chicago September 5.

12) Monday night doubleheader in Week 1: Texans @ Saints, Broncos @ Raiders.

11) Cleveland Browns have four primetime games:
— Week 2, at Jets (Monday night)
— Week 3, Rams (Sunday night)
— Week 5, at 49ers (Monday night)
— Week 11, Steelers (Thursday night)

10) Reunion games:
— Bears @ Raiders, Week 5 (Khalil Mack against his old team)
— Redskins @ Vikings, Week 8 (Kirk Cousins against his old team)

9) Teams that open with two straight home games:
Panthers-Dolphins-Jets-Raiders

Teams that open with two straight road games:
Bills-Colts-Chiefs-49ers

8) Teams that finish with two straight home games:
Broncos-Vikings-Patriots-Seahawks-Buccaneers.
Teams that finish with two straight road games:
Cardinals-Packers-Saints-Raiders-Steelers.

7) Thanksgiving Day games:
Bears-Lions, Bills-Cowboys, Saints-Falcons

6) Pittsburgh plays five of its last seven games on road; they play Cleveland twice in three weeks, in Weeks 11, 13.

5) Teams with three straight weeks on road:
— Eagles, Week 6-8. This appears to be the only one in the whole league. Am guessing Philly brass won’t be happy with this.

4) Miami plays one road game in the first six weeks; they have four home games and a bye, with only road game in in Week 3 at Dallas.

3) Divisional games in Week 1:
Packers-Bears, Bills-Jets, Giants-Cowboys, Broncos-Raiders, Redskins-Eagles

2) Earliest byes: Jets, 49ers in Week 4.
Latest byes: Cardinals, Chiefs, Chargers, Vikings in Week 12.

1) No Thursday night game in Week 16-17.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

51Washington -52 Carolina
WASHINGTON is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent as a road favorite over the last 2 seasons.

53St Louis -54 Winnipeg
ST LOUIS are 17-4 ATS (13.3 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 4-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.




NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 18

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WASHINGTON (50-27-0-8, 108 pts.) at CAROLINA (47-30-0-8, 102 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 31-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 116-76 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 54-38 ATS (+97.6 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 68-46 ATS (+2.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 31-14 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 46-25 ATS (+9.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 9-3 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 45-28 ATS (+6.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 24-8 ATS (+12.8 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 63-43 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 39-27 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 24-35 ATS (-19.1 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 32-61 ATS (+117.9 Units) after shutting out their opponent in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 11-4 (+5.4 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 11-4-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

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ST LOUIS (47-29-0-10, 104 pts.) at WINNIPEG (49-32-0-5, 103 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 28-9 ATS (+16.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 30-16 ATS (+8.3 Units) in April games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 32-17 ATS (+7.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 5-0 ATS (+5.0 Units) in road games in the first round of the playoffs over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 26-18 ATS (+44.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 14-6 ATS (+20.1 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 12-5 (+6.7 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 12-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)

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VEGAS (46-33-0-7, 99 pts.) at SAN JOSE (47-30-0-9, 103 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 46-40 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 49-23 ATS (+15.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 47-24 ATS (+12.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 56-40 ATS (+10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 47-39 ATS (-0.9 Units) in all games this season.
SAN JOSE is 15-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 12-6 (+6.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 12-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.6 Units)

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NHL

Thursday, April 18

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

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
St. Louis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games
Winnipeg is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games
Vegas is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
Vegas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 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 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 2-14 ATS in its last 16 games
San Jose is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 18


Washington @ Carolina

Game 51-52
April 18, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
10.052
Carolina
12.119
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-125
6
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
(-125); Over

St. Louis @ Winnipeg

Game 53-54
April 18, 2019 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
10.199
Winnipeg
11.677
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Winnipeg
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
-125
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Winnipeg
(-125); Under

Vegas @ San Jose

Game 57-58
April 18, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
11.295
San Jose
8.704
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-120
6
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(+100); Over

[StarDust Bum]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Sharks need to bite early
Monty Andrews

San Jose tied Tampa Bay for the most first-period goals in the league during the regular season (102), and will need to get off to a quick start in this one to counter Vegas' terrific top line.

Only one team can clinch a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday night – and it's the defending Western Conference champions from Vegas, who are looking to eliminate the San Jose Sharks from postseason contention for the second year in a row. San Jose's only shot at staying alive? Shutting down the hottest line in hockey – and that could be easier said than done. Here are the top betting trends and tips for Thursday's three-game Stanley Cup playoff schedule:

WASHINGTON CAPITALS AT CAROLINA HURRICANES

Moneyline Odds: Washington +105/Carolina -125
Over/Under: 6 goals
Series Price: Carolina +280/Washington -455
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C.

The Hurricanes reached the postseason in part due to their success in limiting opposing scoring over the final 40 minutes – and that has carried over into their playoff encounter with the Capitals. Carolina was one of only eight teams to allow fewer than 80 goals in both the second and third periods during the season, and is outscoring Washington 8-2 over the final two frames in this series. Look to the Hurricanes as a strong option to score the final goal in Game 4 (-130).


ST. LOUIS BLUES AT WINNIPEG JETS

Moneyline Odds: St. Louis +105/Winnipeg -125
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Series Price: St. Louis -120/Winnipeg -120
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Man.

The Blues and Jets love to save the best for last. With the series tied at two wins apiece heading into Thursday's Game 5, it's notable that 10 of the 22 goals in the best-of-seven have come in the final frame. That certainly aligns with both teams' general regular-season patterns: The Jets scored more goals in the third (102) than any other period, while both teams allowed more goals in Period 3 than in either of the first two. Consider taking the final period as the highest-scoring stanza in Game 5 (+225).


VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT SAN JOSE SHARKS

Moneyline Odds: Vegas -105/San Jose -115
Over/Under: 6 goals
Series Price: Vegas -1667/San Jose +650
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET, SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.

These teams haven't been shy about mixing it up: The Sharks and Golden Knights rank first and third, respectively, in total power-play time in the postseason, and combined for a whopping 20 power plays in the first two games in San Jose. It's no surprise, then, that they've scored nine total man-advantage goals to date. Also worth consideration: The Sharks were blanked four times during the regular season, and averaged 4.5 goals in their next game (they fell 5-0 in Game 4). We like the O6 here (-125).

The Sharks and Golden Knights have been especially prolific in the opening period of their first four games, scoring a whopping 12 goals – six of which came in a wild 5-3 Vegas victory in Game 2. San Jose tied Tampa Bay for the most first-period goals in the league during the regular season (102), and will need to get off to a quick start in this one to counter Vegas' terrific triumvirate of Mark Stone, Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty. We recommend going with the O2.5 on the first-period total at a tempting +205.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, APRIL 18
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CAR 07:00 PM
CAR -125
O 6.0

STL at WIN 08:30 PM
STL +107
U 5.5

VEG at SJ 10:00 PM
VEG +105
O 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Hurricanes beat Capitals 2-1 in Game 4 to even series
April 19, 2019
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Teuvo Teravainen scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Thursday night to even their playoff series at two games apiece.

Warren Foegele scored 17 seconds in, giving him three goals in two home games, and Petr Mrazek made 30 saves for Hurricanes. They lost another key forward - Jordan Martinook - to injury yet fed off the energy of the largest hockey crowd in PNC Arena history to win their second straight on home ice after routing Washington 5-0 in Game 3.

Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal and Braden Holtby finished with 22 saves for the Capitals, who hadn't lost consecutive games in regulation since late January.

And in what has emerged as a theme of the first four games of the best-of-seven series, the road teams have yet to lead.

BLUES 3, JETS 2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - Jaden Schwartz scored with 15 seconds remaining to cap St. Louis' three-goal third period, giving the Blues a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn scored earlier in the final period for the Blues, who host Game 6 of the best-of-seven series on Saturday. Jordan Binnington stopped 29 shots.

On the winning goal, Tyler Bozak sent a pass over to Schwartz, who redirected it out of the air past Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg was up 2-0 after the first period on goals by Adam Lowry and Kevin Hayes. Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves as the Jets lost their sixth straight at home, including the regular season.

The Blues' win marked the first time in 15 years, and fourth time overall, the road team has won each of the first five games in a seven-game series. According to a league stat, when a best-of-seven NHL playoff series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 takes the series 78.8 per cent all time (205-55).

SHARKS 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Tomas Hertl got San Jose off to the fast start that had been missing the past three games, Martin Jones came up with the big saves and the Sharks staved off elimination in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Hertl scored his first of two goals just 76 seconds into the game to give the Sharks their first lead since Game 1. Logan Couture, Barclay Goodrow and Joe Pavelski also scored to cut the Golden Knights' lead in the series to 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Vegas on Sunday night.

Jones made 30 saves after getting pulled in two of the past three games, including a brilliant pad save midway through the third period to rob Reilly Smith's attempt at the tying goal on a 2-on-1 after Vegas had cut it to 3-2 on Jonathan Marchessault's power-play goal.

Fleury made 24 saves after a shutout in Game 4. Smith scored earlier in the game on a power play for the Golden Knights, who were hoping to eliminate the Sharks on their home ice for the second straight year.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins TD Garden
10:08 PM Colorado Avalanche Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome


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NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

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.............25-28-1..... 47.16%.... -33.09


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BEST BETS:

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

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......................6 - 6.....................+6.65...............16 - 14...............+3.00.................+9.65

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Tampa Bay Rays have outscored opponents 22-3 in first inning.

— A’s signed DH Khris Davis to a 2-year, $33.5 contract extension.

— Kyle Freeland has made 33 career starts at Coors Field; under is 27-6.

— Mariners 11, Angels 10— Seattle blew a 10-2 lead, won in 9th inning.

— Golden St 132, Clippers 105— Warriors led 73-52 at halftime.

— St Louis 3, Winnipeg 2— Blues trailed 2-0 after second period.


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

13) St John’s struggled with hiring a basketball coach; apparently there was an internal divide about who the school should go after. St John’s is located in Jamaica, Queens, which is part of New York City. You’d think it would be a prime job.

The basketball coach at Loyola-Chicago interviewed for the St John’s job, was offered an 8-year contract that doubled his salary, and turned it down. Not many people turn down $2M a year.

Loyola is in the Missouri Valley Conference, the 15th-rated league in America. Ramblers have been in the MVC for six years, going 27-9 the last two years, after going 27-45 in their first four years, when Wichita State was in the Valley and it was a tougher league (#10 league in 2017).

12) Porter Moser is the Loyola coach who turned St John’s down; he’s been a head coach for 15 years at three schools. Here is his breakdown:

2001-03, Ark-Little Rock: 48-34 overall, 25-19 in Sun Belt games. No trips to NCAA’s.
2004-07, Illinois State: 51-67 overall, 22-50 in MVC games, when both Creighton/Wichita were in the league. No trips to NCAA’s.
2012-present, Loyola: 141-125 overall, 6-28 in Horizon games, then 54-54 in MVC. One trip to NCAA’s.

11) 15 years as a head coach, one time in the NCAA tournament, but it was one great time, An 11-seed in 2018, Loyola made it to the Final Four, with three of their four wins in NCAA’s that year by either one or two points.

Big East was the #5 league this season, after being #2 or #3 the previous four years.

10) Then there is Iona coach Tim Cluess, who is 199-108 in nine years as coach at Iona, which is in New Rochelle. According to Mapquest, Iona/St John’s are 19.1 miles apart. Under Cluess, Iona is 124-46 in MAAC games; they’ve made the NCAA tournament the last four years and six of last eight years.

Cluess also coached D-II ball at CW Post (now LIU Post) for four years, going 98-23.

Cluess played at St John’s from 1979-81; three of his brothers also played at St John’s; he knows the NYC/New Jersey area. Not sure why St John’s didn’t hire him, but Cluess took his name out of the running Thursday.

Update: St John’s hired former UAB/Missouri/Arkansas coach Mike Anderson. His teams will play hard and play fast. He’s never had a losing season (two 16-16 seasons) and won 20+ games in 11 of 17 seasons as a head coach.

Elsewhere in the world……..
9) Chargers are going to wear their powder blue jerseys as their home uniform for the 2019 season, which is a smart decision. I’m wondering how many fans come up from San Diego to Carson for Charger home games now; they move into the Inglewood dome in 2020.

8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers might not be too happy with their 2019 schedule; they go seven weeks without playing a home game, and during those 49 days, they’ll travel a total of 20,378 miles to play in Los Angeles, New Orleans, London, Nashville and Seattle.

They play the Giants at home in Week 3, and then not again until Week 10.

7) USC has already added three grad transfers for next season, all kids who can shoot the 3; they shot 37-40-45% from the arc last year, at Akron-Columbia-San Jose State. Trojans have couple of highly-touted freshman big men coming in- they should be a lot better next season.

6) First seven games at the new ballpark in Las Vegas was 9,744, which amounts to seven sellouts. AAA Aviators are the Oakland A’s farm club.

Old ballpark was downtown, next to the Cashman Center; terrific park to watch a game. New park is in Summerlin, right near the Red Rock Hotel, roughly 14 miles from downtown.

5) LSU told athletic director Joe Alleva take a hike; not sure what this means for basketball coach Will Wade, who was suspended by Alleva but was reinstated last week.

4) Baseball injuries:
— A’s put P Marco Estrada (back) on the IL.
— Phillies put OF Odubel Herrera (hamstring) in the IL.

3) In 2015, there were 104 complete games pitched in the major leagues, only 42 last year.

2) Joey Votto popped out to the first baseman Wednesday night, for the first time in his 6,828 major league plate appearances. He still has never popped out to the catcher or the pitcher.

1) New Jersey Jets do not leave the eastern time zone at all during the 2019 season; they even have three home games in preseason, seeing how the Jets-Giants game is a Giants “home” game.

By way of contrast, LA Rams play four games in eastern time zone, a preseason game in Hawai’i and a regular season game in London. Lot of travel for them.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

63Toronto -64 Boston
TORONTO is 19-21 ATS (-17.4 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

65Colorado -66 Calgary
COLORADO is 3-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in road games when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%) in the current season.




NHL
Dunkel

Friday, April 19


Toronto @ Boston

Game 63-64
April 19, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
11.496
Boston
10.001
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

Colorado @ Calgary

Game 65-66
April 19, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
10.885
Calgary
9.505
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
-175
6
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+155); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, April 19

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

TORONTO (48-30-0-8, 104 pts.) at BOSTON (51-26-0-9, 111 pts.) - 4/19/2019, 7:08 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 22-25 ATS (-20.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 14-2 ATS (+10.0 Units) in home games after a division game this season.
TORONTO is 14-8 ATS (+22.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 291-245 ATS (-154.3 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 13-10 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 13-10-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.4 Units)

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

COLORADO (41-31-0-14, 96 pts.) at CALGARY (51-26-0-9, 111 pts.) - 4/19/2019, 10:08 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 41-45 ATS (-12.1 Units) in all games this season.
COLORADO is 17-53 ATS (+103.2 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 95-85 ATS (+188.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
CALGARY is 4-14 ATS (-18.2 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 22-21 ATS (-10.3 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 1-7 ATS (-9.5 Units) in the first round of the playoffs over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 9-4 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 9-4-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-1.2 Units)

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




NHL

Friday, April 19

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

Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games
Toronto is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Boston is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games at home
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games
Colorado is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Colorado's last 19 games
Colorado is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Colorado's last 9 games on the road
Colorado is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Calgary
Colorado is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Calgary
Colorado is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary Flames
Calgary is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Calgary is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games
Calgary is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Calgary is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games at home
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary's last 8 games at home
Calgary is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Colorado
Calgary is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Colorado
Calgary is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Colorado
Calgary is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Colorado

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, APRIL 19
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at BOS 07:00 PM
BOS -140
U 6.0

COL at CAL 10:00 PM
COL +150
U 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Leafs edge Bruins 2-1 in Game 5
April 19, 2019
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BOSTON (AP) The Toronto Maple Leafs have grown accustomed to playoff disappointment in recent years.

However, after putting together possibly their best defensive effort of the season, their latest victory has them on the brink of getting out of the first round for the first time since 2004.

Auston Matthews broke a scoreless tie in the third period, Kasperi Kapanen added another goal and the Maple Leafs held on to beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 Friday night and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.

With the goalie pulled for an extra skater, David Krejci got the Bruins on the board with 43.7 seconds left, but Boston couldn't tie it up.

The Maple Leafs, who have alternated wins and losses in the first five games, now have a chance to close out the series when it shifts back to Toronto for Game 6 on Sunday.

''Total team victory,'' Toronto's Zach Hyman said. ''Guys were battling. It took a full 60 to get it done, but we got it done''

Frederik Andersen had 28 saves for Toronto. The Bruins' Tuukka Rask finished with 25.

Boston failed to convert on its three power plays, and Toronto was 0 for 1.

''Defensively the ice was tough,'' Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. ''It was humid in the building. ... But I thought our guys kept grinding and stayed patient. We didn't get in our own way tonight.''

The Maple Leafs' goals broke up what had been a defense-dominated game for 2 1/2 periods.

Matthews' fourth goal of the postseason came after he took a feed from Jake Muzzin and found an open corner of the net on a slap shot with 8:27 left. The Bruins challenged Matthews' goal, arguing that Rask was interfered with, but the goal was upheld after a review.

''I guess you really just hope for the best,'' Matthews said. ''I never really got a good look at it, but I'm fortunate that they called it a good goal. So you'll take it.''

Kapanen got Toronto's second goal less than two minutes later, scoring on a wrist shot off assists from Andreas Johnsson and Morgan Rielly. Kapanen was also credited with an assist on Matthews' goal, along with Muzzin.

Toronto failed to convert on its power play in the third after the Bruins were nabbed for having too many men on the ice.

The Bruins were 2 for 2 on power plays in Game 4, helping propel them to the win. However they couldn't take advantage of their chances in Game 5.

Boston got its first power-play opportunity with three minutes remaining in the first after Zach Hyman was called for tripping. But it missed on two shots and Jake DeBrusk was wide of the net on another attempt shortly before the end of the period.

A second one-man advantage came just 4:13 into the second after Patrick Marleau was sent to the penalty box for hooking Krejci. This time the Bruins had two good chances. First Patrice Bergeron was denied on a wrist shot. A slap shot by David Pastrnak was also handled by Andersen.

Remarkably Boston got its third power-play chance about four minutes later when Mitchell Marner sent the puck over the glass for delay of game. Once again, the Bruins couldn't convert, mishandling the puck in the offensive zone a few times. Then Torey Krug bobbled a pass, giving Matthews a breakaway. But his he missed over the net.

Krejci thought he had a goal with 7:20 left in the second with a slap shot that slipped by Andersen's shoulder. A video review showed the puck bounced off the crossbar, failing to cross the line.

Both teams played conservatively and combined for only 13 shots on goal in the opening 15 minutes.

Rask smothered three loose pucks that hung around the net as part of seven first-period stops. Andersen had six saves in the first, his best coming when he turned away a tip-in opportunity by DeBrusk off a feed from Pastrnak.

''They were better than us in the third and finished plays,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''We've to generate more.''

NOTES: Sean Kuraly started at left wing for the Bruins, making his playoff debut after missing a month with a broken hand. ... With Toronto's Nazem Kadri suspended for the remainder of the first round, William Nylander played center on a line along with Patrick Marleau and Connor Brown for the first time on the road.

UP NEXT

Game 6 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.


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


AVALANCE 5, FLAMES 1

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:08 PM Dallas Stars Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
7:08 PM Winnipeg Jets St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center
8:08 PM Carolina Hurricanes Washington Capitals Capital One Arena


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


NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

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.............27-29-2..... 48.21%.... -27.59


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


BEST BETS:

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

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.....................7 - 6.....................+14.15...............17 - 14.............+8.00..................+22.15