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

[StarDust Bum]

85Nashville -86 Dallas
NASHVILLE is 16-8 ATS (7.6 Units) in road games against excellent power play teams - scoring on > 19% of their chances in the current season.

89Washington -90 Carolina
CAROLINA is 8-0 ATS (8 Units) in home games after 2 consecutive division games in the current season.




NHL

Monday, April 22

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Trend Report
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Washington Capitals
Washington is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Washington is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games at home
Carolina is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Carolina is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 9 games when playing at home against Washington

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


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NHL
Dunkel

Monday, April 22


Washington @ Carolina

Game 89-90
April 22, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
12.175
Carolina
9.995
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-105); Under

Nashville @ Dallas

Game 85-86
April 22, 2019 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
12.285
Dallas
10.825
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(+105); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, April 22

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NASHVILLE (49-32-0-6, 104 pts.) at DALLAS (46-33-0-8, 100 pts.) - 4/22/2019, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 287-223 ATS (+33.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 61-36 ATS (+16.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 27-42 ATS (+90.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 32-45 ATS (-22.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 11-8 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 11-8-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.0 Units)

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WASHINGTON (51-28-0-8, 110 pts.) at CAROLINA (48-31-0-8, 104 pts.) - 4/22/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 19-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CAROLINA is 32-17 ATS (+8.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 117-77 ATS (+7.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-15 ATS (+8.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 54-39 ATS (+98.7 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 69-47 ATS (+1.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 47-26 ATS (+9.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 47-25 ATS (+9.6 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 64-44 ATS (+12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 40-28 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 25-36 ATS (-18.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 116-131 ATS (-68.7 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 12-5 (+5.4 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 12-5-0 straight up against CAROLINA 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)

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, APRIL 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at CAR 07:00 PM
CAR -120
O 5.5

NAS at DAL 08:30 PM
NAS +119
U 5.0

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Rock this first-period prop like a Hurricane
Monty Andrews

Four teams have reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and two more could join the party Monday night as the Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars look to close out their respective series.

The defending Stanley Cup-champion Capitals try to snap to a home-dominant series trend at PNC Arena, while the Stars and Predators appear headed for yet another low-scoring affair. Here are the top NHL trends and best bets for Monday's Stanley Cup playoffs odds:

WASHINGTON CAPITALS AT CAROLINA HURRICANES

Moneyline Odds: Washington -105/Carolina -115
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Series Price: Washington leads 3-2 (Capitals -556/Hurricanes +330)
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, PNC Arena, Raleigh

Home dominance has permeated this first-round series, with the host team winning all five games. And that one-sidedness has been equally prevalent in the opening period, with the home team carrying a lead through the first 20 minutes in every game so far. That streak goes back a lot longer than the playoffs. The home team has been leading or tied after one period in 12 straight meetings and 18 of the past 19 overall. Bettors should roll with the Carolina first-period moneyline no push (+175) or the tie (+160).

As for player props, we're recommending a fade here rather than a bet choice, only because this one is generally popular. Alex Ovechkin should see plenty of action in the goal-scorer prop market after leading the NHL with 51 tallies this past season. But his performance at PNC Arena over the years leaves much to be desired. He has just two goals in his previous 14 visits to Raleigh – and none in this series – making him a strong fade candidate as the Capitals look to advance.


NASHVILLE PREDATORS AT DALLAS STARS

Moneyline Odds: Nashville -105/Dallas -115
Over/Under: 5 goals
Series Price: Dallas leads 3-2 (Stars -357/Predators +235)
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Oddsmakers aren't prepared to move this total despite the fact that the teams have combined for 14 goals over their past two games, and that should lead to plenty of action on the Over. The Stars and Predators have opened things up of late, combining for multiple goals in six of their previous eight periods of play. You could opt for the safe alternate total play and take Over 4.5 at -175 or you can roll with the standard Over 5 that pays out at +105, but beware the fun-pummeling push.

As for a live goal-scorer underdog, it might be worth considering Mats Zuccarello. The 31 year old had just 12 goals during the regular season, but has scored three times in the first five games of this series. He's fifth among Dallas forwards in average ice time, and has one of the Stars' four power-play goals in the best-of-seven. Choosing a successful goal prop is a crapshoot, but at +375, you could do worse than taking the guy ranked second on his team in postseason goal scoring.

[StarDust Bum]

Stars bounce Preds with OT win in Game 6; Canes force Game 7
April 23, 2019
By The Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) John Klingberg scored from the left circle 17:02 into overtime and the Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Monday night to wrap up their first-round Western Conference playoff series in six games.

Klingberg's first goal of the playoffs came on a cross-ice pass from Alexander Radulov.

The win by the Stars came 11 years after the previous time they clinched a playoff series on home ice. They needed overtime for a 2-1 win in that Game 6 as well - four overtimes to beat San Jose in the second round of the 2008 playoffs.

The Stars will play St. Louis in the second round of these playoffs, just as they did in their previous postseason appearance three years ago. The Blues, who have home-ice advantage this time, won that 2016 series with a Game 7 win in Dallas.

Ben Bishop, Vezina Trophy finalist, had a playoff career-high 47 saves for the Stars.

Pekka Rinne, who won the Vezina Trophy last year as the NHL's top goalie, also set a playoff career best by stopping 49 shots. That included an impressive pad save on Jamie Benn's shot just more than five minutes into the overtime period, when the Stars had a 14-8 advantage on shots.

Blake Comeau scored his first playoff goal for the Stars, tying the game at 1-1 in the second period. But he also had a tripping penalty with 1:53 left in regulation that put Nashville on the power play.

But the Predators didn't even get a shot on goal before the third period ended, or when finishing the final seconds with a man advantage to start overtime.

They were 0-for-4 on the power play in Game 6, and finished 0-for-15 in the series.

Austin Watson scored a goal for Nashville in the first period.

HURRICANES 5, CAPITALS 2

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Jordan Staal scored the go-ahead goal and added an assist in the third period, and Carolina beat Washington to force Game 7 in the first-round playoff series.

Justin Williams scored an insurance goal seconds after the Capitals had the tying goal disallowed, Warren Foegele and Teuvo Teravainen also scored, Dougie Hamilton added an empty-netter and Petr Mrazek made 23 saves.

The Hurricanes scored three third-period goals in bouncing back from a 6-0 beatdown in Game 5 and prolonging their first playoff appearance in a decade by one game at least.

Game 7 is Wednesday night in Washington. The winner will play the New York Islanders in the second round.

Alex Ovechkin scored for the third straight game, Brett Connolly also scored and Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY APRIL 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins TD Garden
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

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


Totals.............33-33-2..... 50.00%.... -14.24


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BEST BETS:

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

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


Totals....................10 - 8.....................+24.00...............21 - 16.............+17.00..................+41.00

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack

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

6-1: Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots

8-1: New Orleans Saints

10-1: Los Angeles Rams

12-1: Indianapolis Colts

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

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

Quote of the Day
“He’s the most serious rookie I’ve ever coached in my life. I’ve never coached a guy with the focus that he has”
Doc Rivers, talking about Clippers rookie Landry Shamet

Tuesday’s quiz
In the movie Draft Day, who played the coach of the Cleveland Browns?

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

Sunday’s quiz
San Diego Chargers drafted Eli Manning in 2004, then traded him to the Giants for Philip Rivers. Giants traded an ’05 #1 pick and an ‘04 3rd-round pick to the Chargers in that deal.

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

13) According to Wikipedia, the Wonderlic Personnel Test is a popular group intelligence test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. NFL teams give the test to prospects at the NFL Combine each year. It consists of 50 multiple choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes.

Can you process information quickly? That is what is being measured here.

20 is considered an average score; there are wide-ranging opinions as to whether test results are an indicator of future on-field success. Tom Brady got a 33; very good. Dan Marino got a 16; not so good. Ryan Fitzpatrick got a 48; excellent, but he’s heading to his 8th team this fall.

Of all the QB prospects in this year’s draft, Kyler Murray got the lowest score (20), which makes perfect sense only because Murray is a such a polarizing figure as a prospect. The Wonderlic test doesn’t measure how fast you run or how well you throw the ball.

12) Was reading some stuff about these tests and football coaches, and I laughed when I read that some coaches are leery of prospects who score really high on tests, because they think kids who are really smart won’t respect a coach’s opinions/coaching as much as they should.

11) Mets 5, Phillies 1— Bryce Harper got tossed in the fourth inning while he was in the dugout for carping about balls/strikes. It was Harper’s 12th career ejection, by 12 different umpires.

It was the first time since June 2015 that a Phillies player was ejected.

10) Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson got a 4-year, $140M contract extension last week; since then, he gave each of the Seahawks offensive lineman $12,000 in Amazon stock as a gift, to show his appreciation for them protecting him on Sunday afternoons.

9) Pretty cool that the Portland Trailblazers are a really good team, and their two best players went to college at Weber State and Lehigh, not exactly basketball factories.

8) From Elias Sports: Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon is first player to hit a walk-off home run and then hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the team’s next game since Jerome Walton did it for Cincinnati Reds on May 6-7, 1995. Blackmon did this Friday/Saturday.

7) Baseball injuries:
— Cardinals put P Michael Wacha (knee) on IL
— Red Sox P Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) is out 4-6 weeks.
— Pirates P Nick Burdi (elbow/bicep) appeared to suffer a serious injury.

6) Georgia CB Deandre Baker was supposed to be a first round draft pick in the NFL Draft Thursday, but in the months since the season ended, his stock has dropped, dating back to Baker’s decision to sit out Georgia’s season-ending Sugar Bowl loss to Texas.

In other words, if you skip your team’s bowl game, you might annoy the coaches, who talk to the scouts, and they’re not going to be as positive in their assessment of you.

This is something to track with other players going forward, as more kids skip bowl games to make sure they don’t get hurt.

5) Milwaukee 127, Detroit 104— This was Bucks’ first 7-game series sweep since 1983. Next up for Milwaukee is an interesting series with the Celtics. Detroit sets a dubious NBA record with its 14th consecutive playoff loss.

4) Joey Gallo hit his first career sac fly Sunday, in his 1,337th career plate appearance; only Greg Maddux (1,405) and Steve Sax (1,388) went longer in their careers before hitting their first sac fly.

3) I’ll sound like the older guy that I am saying this, but why do high school athletes go on TV to announce their college choice? Its like they’re attention junkies, craving the maximum amount of attention they can get. Just send out a message on Twitter or Instagram and be done with it.

2) Phoenix Suns fired coach Igor Kokoskov less than a year after hiring him; whatever poor soul coaches the Suns next year will be Phoenix’s 7th head coach in eight years.

1) Sounds like sports betting could become legal in Iowa as soon as June or July; always nice to know that Iowa, Mississippi and West Virginia are more advanced than New York in making sports betting legal. All New York is advanced in is raising taxes.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Maple Leafs (46-28) at Bruins (49-24)
Date: April 23, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins have been here before.

They will play a seventh game in a first-round playoff series at Boston on Tuesday night for the second season in a row and for the third time since 2013.

The Bruins forced the latest showdown with a 4-2 victory in Toronto on Sunday afternoon. Each team has won twice on the road in this series.

Although Boston won the Game 7 clashes in 2013 and 2018, both teams are claiming indifference to what happened in the past.

"I'm not a big believer of living in the past," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "I don't carry a lot of stuff around from the past at all. The bottom line is we've got a one-game series against these guys and we like each other, we like our group, we like hanging around together, we want to be together. The only way you get to be together is if you play good and execute and win."

Bruins left winger Jake DeBrusk, who scored a goal Sunday, said the success in Game 7 last year does not matter.

"No, to be honest, probably the only thing is home ice," he said. "But they've already won twice there. It's one of those things where you try to forget the past whether it's this series or last year's series."

Toronto started Game 6 with energy and scored the first goal of the game in the first period. Boston came back with two power-play goals and led 2-1 after the first period. It could have been more without a couple of superb saves by Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.

Boston had a 41-24 advantage in shots on goal for the game.

Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin feels the Maple Leafs did not handle the setbacks in Game 6 as well as they had in earlier games of the series.

"We're going to have to maintain our composure on the bench and in the room and go in there with the same attitude that we've gone in there before and I think we'll be OK," Muzzin said Monday.

"We're not going to look at anything that's happened in the past and expect it to play out a certain way," said Bruins left winger Brad Marchand, who scored twice on Sunday, including the clincher into an empty net. "We're fighting for our season again next game. We don't know how it's going to play out, but we're going to have fun doing it."

The Bruins played their best game of the series in Game 6 and will try to carry it over to Game 7.

"Obviously we're desperate, but this is the kind of thing we talked about (Saturday), trying to hit your ceiling," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We got as close to it (Sunday) as I've seen in a long time."

A key for the Maple Leafs will be to avoid penalties. The Bruins are 7-for-16 (43.75 percent) on the power play in the series after going 2-for-2 on Sunday. Toronto was 0-for-3 on the power play Sunday and is 3-for-14 (21.42 percent) on the series.

"Obviously, them getting two on the power play is not what we wanted," said Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly, who scored the first goal of the game Sunday. "It's important that we get that sorted out on the penalty kill."

--Field Level Media


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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Maple Leafs at Bruins
Thu, Apr 11 Final 4 to 1
Recaps

GAME 2
Maple Leafs at Bruins
Sat, Apr 13 Final 1 to 4
Recaps

GAME 3
Bruins at Maple Leafs
Mon, Apr 15 Final 2 to 3
Recaps

GAME 4
Bruins at Maple Leafs
Wed, Apr 17 Final 6 to 4
Recaps

GAME 5
Maple Leafs at Bruins
Fri, Apr 19 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 6
Bruins at Maple Leafs
Sun, Apr 21 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 7
Maple Leafs at Bruins
Tue, Apr 23 - 7:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Golden Knights (43-32) at Sharks (46-27)
Date: April 23, 2019 10:00 PM EDT

After twice failing to close out their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series, the Vegas Golden Knights now play the first Game 7 in the franchise's short history when they face the Sharks on Tuesday night in San Jose.

Vegas, despite outshooting San Jose by a remarkable 59-29 margin, will try to rebound from a 2-1 double overtime home loss on Sunday night. The Golden Knights also failed to clinch in Game 5 when they fell to the Sharks 5-2 on Thursday night in San Jose.

"We have to (put it behind us)," Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "It's the playoffs, right? You win, you lose, you put it behind quickly and get ready for the next one."

The Golden Knights, who advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, have played in just one elimination game in their short history and are 0-1, losing Game 5 to Washington 4-3 in the Capitals' Cup clincher at Las Vegas.

Now Vegas must bounce back in less than 48 hours after somehow dropping a game in which it outshot the Sharks by 30 combined with the double gut-punch of losing on a short-handed goal by Tomas Hertl 11:17 into the second overtime. It marked the first time in NHL history that a game-winner came on a short-handed goal in a contest that required multiple overtimes.

"Well, it's Game 7," said Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant when asked how his team could rebound after playing more than 91 physically and emotionally draining minutes. "If it wasn't Game 7, it could be really tough, but it's going to be Game 7, and I think both teams want to advance.

"Winner take all in Game 7. You get ready to play, you forget about (Sunday). It's over with now, and you move on and get ready to play the next one. ... I'm proud of our guys. The way they competed, 59 shots on net. It wasn't our night, but there is still another day for us fortunately."

The Sharks and goalie Martin Jones will try to cap a remarkable turnaround after getting outscored 16-6 in three consecutive losses in Games 2-4, two of which saw Jones get pulled. The 29-year-old netminder has rebounded to stop 88 of 91 shots the past two games, including a franchise-record 58 in the Sunday night victory.

"I thought he was fantastic tonight, but so was Fleury," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "It was great for (Jones). Our group has never lost faith in him. I think we knew he was capable of this, and we needed him tonight and he was our best player."

San Jose improved to 35-0 this season when allowing two goals or fewer in a game.

Hertl, who has scored five goals in the series, including three in the past two wins, wasn't far behind. He raised more than a few eyebrows with some bulletin-board material with his postgame comments after the Game 5 victory when he predicted the Sharks would be back in San Jose for a Game 7 "because we are a better team than them."

"Tomas wears his heart on his sleeve, and I don't know how that rolled out, whether it was social media or whatever, but it was ridiculous," DeBoer said. "There was no guarantee made. It was an emotional guy with English as his second language (Hertl is from the Czech Republic) ... just professing his confidence in our group. He did that, and he delivered."

Hertl, who refused several questions from the media after Game 6 when it came to Game 7 predictions, instead turned the focus on the play of Jones.

"He was unreal," Hertl said. "He had (58) saves. ... We can just thank him that we're still alive.

"After this huge win, we just have to finish. It will be really hard, but that's what you play hockey for, games like this. And now it's Game 7. There can be nothing better than to play a Game 7. And I can't wait for it."

--Field Level Media


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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Golden Knights at Sharks
Wed, Apr 10 Final 2 to 5
Recaps

GAME 2
Golden Knights at Sharks
Fri, Apr 12 Final 5 to 3
Recaps

GAME 3
Sharks at Golden Knights
Sun, Apr 14 Final 3 to 6
Recaps

GAME 4
Sharks at Golden Knights
Tue, Apr 16 Final 0 to 5
Recaps

GAME 5
Golden Knights at Sharks
Thu, Apr 18 Final 2 to 5
Recaps

GAME 6
Sharks at Golden Knights
Sun, Apr 21 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 7
Golden Knights at Sharks
Tue, Apr 23 - 10:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

B]Tuesday's Game 7 Notes
April 22, 2019
By VI News
[/B]
The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs will have a pair of Game 7’s slated for Tuesday with the winners advancing to the conference semifinals.

Toronto at Boston

In the Eastern Conference Boston will host Toronto from TD Garden at 7:08 p.m. ET.

The Maple Leafs lost to the Bruins in Game 7 last spring and during the 2013 playoffs. Toronto has not advanced to the second round since 2004.

Boston is listed as a -140 favorite for Game 7 at home while the return on Toronto is +120.

The road team has won four games in this series, which includes the Maple Leafs taking Game 1 and 5 at Boston.

Recent Game 7 History

Toronto (12-11 All-Time Record)
2018 Second Round - Toronto 4 at Boston 7
2013 Conference Quarterfinals - Toronto 4 at Boston 5

Boston (14-12 All-Time Record)
2018 Second Round - Boston 7 vs. Toronto 4
2014 Second Round - Boston 1 vs. Montreal 3
2013 Conference Quarterfinals - Boston 5 vs. Toronto 4


Vegas at San Jose

In the Western Conference, the Sharks forced a Game 7 with a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Golden Knights on Sunday night.

Prior to that result, the home team was 4-1 through the first five games of this series.

Vegas captured a 5-3 road win in Game 2 at the SAP Center as a +115 underdog.

San Jose has played in 10 Game 7’s and it owns a 6-4 record while Vegas will be playing its first Game 7 in franchise history.

Recent Game 7 History

San Jose (6-4 All-Time Record)
2016 Second Round - San Jose 5 vs. Nashville 0
2014 First Round - San Jose 1 vs. Los Angeles 5
2013 Conference Semifinals - San Jose 1 at Los Angeles 2

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

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

NHL Game 7 Playoff History (2012-2019)

2019
Toronto at Boston
Vegas at San Jose

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[StarDust Bum]

Bruins, Leafs go to Game 7 for 3rd straight playoff matchup
April 22, 2019
By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy doesn't want to change too much heading into Game 7 of Boston's first-round series against Toronto, explaining that his players ''are a bit like dogs.''

''They love routines, especially on game days,'' he said after the team's practice on Monday. ''So I think you try to stay as close to the routine as possible.''

Now all Cassidy needs to know is if he's got a locker room full of bloodhounds, in single-minded pursuit of their quarry, or some cuddly golden retrievers that just want a belly rub.

For the second straight year and the third time in as many playoff matchups, the Bruins and Maple Leafs have taken a series to the limit. The winner of Tuesday night's game (7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN) will head to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Bruins earned the right to play Game 7 at home by finishing seven points up on the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, but home-ice advantage hasn't meant much so far in the series. No team has won two in a row over the first six games; Boston would need to break that streak to advance.

''It's exciting. Game 7. It's what you play for,'' defenseman Zdeno Chara said. ''Everything's on the line.''

The Leafs could have ended this one in six games, but Boston won in Toronto 4-2 on Sunday to send a shiver through the city: In 2013, the Leafs led the Bruins by three goals in the third period of Game 7 before losing in overtime.

Last year, Toronto led Game 7 last year 4-3 heading into the third period but lost 7-4. Only one player from the unprecedented 2013 collapse will be in uniform on Tuesday night (Jake Gardiner; Nazem Kadri has been suspended).

''It's a new set of circumstances,'' Leafs forward John Tavares, who was signed as a free agent last offseason, told The Canadian Press after Game 6. ''It's a lot of guys who haven't been here, including myself.''

There are five Bruins left from the '13 comeback: Chara, Tuukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci. When Chara takes the ice, he will tie the NHL record (Patrick Roy, Scott Stevens) by appearing in the 13th Game 7 of his career.

He has four assists and a 5-7 record in those games.

''He's seen it all, right?'' Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said. ''He's been a calming influence every single time he steps on the ice for our team. ... When you see he has that look in his eye, it definitely brings another dimension to this team.''

With the Knights and Sharks also going to a seventh game on Tuesday night, it will be the first time the NHL will hold a pair of Game 7s on the same day since May 10, 2017, when the Penguins beat the Capitals and the Ducks beat the Oilers to reach their respective conference finals.

''The two series they were saying were pretty evenly matched were us and San Jose-Vegas,'' Cassidy said. ''So here we are.''

VEGAS AT SAN JOSE (10 p.m. EDT, NBCSN)

Martin Jones' poor play in goal almost sent San Jose home early in the playoffs. His surprising turnaround the past two games has helped the Sharks stave off elimination for two straight games and force Game 7 against Vegas.

Jones set a franchise record with 58 saves in a 2-1 double overtime win in Game 6 for the most saves by a goalie in a win when facing elimination since Dominik Hasek made 70 for Buffalo in Game 6 against New Jersey in 1994.

Jones has stopped 88 of 91 shots the past two games, after allowing 11 goals on 54 shots the previous three. He was pulled before the second period in two of those losses, but Sharks coach Peter DeBoer stuck with him and that decision has paid off handsomely.

''He's liked and respected in that room,'' DeBoer said Monday. ''That hasn't ever wavered. There's been a lot of pressure and outside noise but everyone has said from day one that has never wavered in our room. That's all that matters.''

Jones' play is a big reason the Sharks are in position to complete a comeback from 3-1 down in a series for the first time in franchise history. In fact, they had never even forced a Game 7 in the previous six times they trailed 3-1 in a series.

Now the Sharks have a chance to do it in front of their home crowd in their first Game 7 since beating Nashville in the second round in 2016.

''There are fun games to play in,'' forward Logan Couture said. ''You relish this moment and enjoy it. This is what hockey is all about.''

[StarDust Bum]

Vlasic helps Sharks reach Game 7
April 22, 2019
By The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks went off the rails a bit soon after shutdown defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was hit with a puck that sidelined him for two-plus games.

The fact that the tenor of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights has changed dramatically ever since Vlasic returned healthy in Game 5 comes as no surprise to the Sharks and is a reason they are confident heading into Game 7 at home on Tuesday night.

''He's a great defenseman. When they're naming the Canadian Olympic team he's one of the first names that comes out,'' coach Peter DeBoer said Monday. ''I don't think it's any surprise what a player of that level's impact is on a team. ... We missed him for a couple of games there. He's made a big difference when he's been back.''

Vlasic got hurt early in the second period of Game 2, after the Sharks had been the dominant team in a 5-2 victory in Game 1 and were tied at 3 in the second game. The Golden Knights scored the tiebreaking goal on a power play shortly after he left, starting a stretch where they outscored San Jose 13-3 in two-plus games to take a 3-1 series lead.

San Jose seemed to have no answer for Vegas' line of Paul Stastny, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, who combined for 28 points in the first four games of the series.

That trio hasn't recorded a single point the past two games, with Vlasic getting the bulk of the time defending them.

''Shutting down the top line. That's my job,'' he said. ''You look at the last two games, if I keep them off the scoresheet I did my job.''

Vlasic almost always does just that, whether with the Sharks or on the Canadian national team. When San Jose went on a run to the Stanley Cup Final three years ago, it was Vlasic's play against big scorers like Los Angeles' Tyler Toffoli, Nashville's Filip Forsberg and St. Louis' Vladimir Tarasenko that was a big reason why.

Those three potent forwards combined for one goal, one assist and a minus-18 rating against the Sharks in the 2016 playoffs with Vlasic and Justin Braun doing most of the work.

''He doesn't get outside himself,'' Braun said. ''He's always in the right position, great stick, knocking down pucks left and right. It's just the consistency from him. He's back to his old ways of shutting them down. That's been huge.''

Vlasic broke up a three-on-one late in the second period of Sunday night's 2-1 double-overtime win and then made the long pass that sent Tomas Hertl in for the game-winning short-handed goal in overtime.

It was just the typical performance his teammates expect from a player who is sometimes overshadowed on a team that includes two former Norris Trophy winners as the league's top defensemen in the more offensively minded Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.

''That's Steady Eddie. Just does everything well. Good skater, good stick, breaks up plays, smart with the puck. This is the Picks who has been here 12 or 13 years now,'' forward Logan Couture said, referring to Vlasic's nickname of Pickles.

''He's not flashy. A lot of people think the best d-men in the world are the offensive guys who are flashy and score the highlight-reel goals and stuff like that. Picks is a solid defenseman. He does get up in the rush sometimes. But he's more of the guy who will defend hard and make it hard for the other team to score.''

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

9Toronto -10 Boston
TORONTO is 20-22 ATS (-17.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

11Vegas -12 San Jose
VEGAS are 4-16 ATS (-12.5 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.




NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 23

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TORONTO (49-31-0-8, 106 pts.) at BOSTON (52-27-0-9, 113 pts.) - 4/23/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 49-39 ATS (-14.4 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 23-26 ATS (-20.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 20-6 ATS (+10.3 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 15-8 ATS (+23.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 291-246 ATS (-155.2 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 14-11 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 14-11-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
12 of 23 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.3 Units)

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VEGAS (46-34-0-8, 100 pts.) at SAN JOSE (49-30-0-9, 107 pts.) - 4/23/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 12-8 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 12-8-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
13 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)

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NHL

Tuesday, April 23

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Trend Report
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto's last 11 games
Toronto is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games on the road
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston
Toronto is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Toronto
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Toronto

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 7 games
Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Vegas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games on the road
Vegas is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vegas's last 8 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games
San Jose is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games
San Jose is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas


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NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 23


Toronto @ Boston

Game 9-10
April 23, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
11.376
Boston
9.921
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+120); Under

Vegas @ San Jose

Game 11-12
April 23, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
11.261
San Jose
9.739
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-105); Over

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, APRIL 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at BOS 07:00 PM
BOS -138
O 5.5

VEG at SJ 10:00 PM
SJ -113
O 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Sharks rally from down 3 in 3rd, beat Vegas in OT in Game 7
April 24, 2019
By The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Barclay Goodrow scored 18:19 into overtime to send San Jose into the second round of the playoffs with a wild 5-4 win in Game 7 on Tuesday night.

The Sharks erased a three-goal deficit by scoring four times on a disputed major penalty in the third period and Vegas tied it in the final minute of regulation. It started at 9:13 of the third after a bloody scene on the ice led to a major penalty on Cody Eakin and sent San Jose captain Joe Pavelski to the locker room dazed.

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

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

Jonathan Marchessault got a pass from Reilly Smith from behind the net and tied it 4-4 with the latest tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL History.

William Karlsson, Max Pacioretty and Eakin also scored for Vegas, and Fleury finished with 43 saves.

San Jose will face Colorado in the Western Conference semifinals.

BRUINS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1

BOSTON (AP) - Joakim Nordstrom and Sean Kuraly each had a goal and assist, Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots and Boston beat Toronto in Game 7 again to wrap up their first-round playoff series.

Marcus Johansson added his first goal of the postseason for Boston and Charlie Coyle scored on an empty netter late in the third. Patrice Bergeron also had a late goal.

It was the Bruins' second straight Game 7 win over the Maples Leafs and third in three playoff matchups between the teams. Boston previously knocked Toronto out of the postseason with Game 7 victories in 2018 and 2013. The Maple Leafs have now lost six straight road Game 7s.

Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals where it will meet the Columbus Blue Jackets, starting with Game 1 at home on Thursday night.

John Tavares had Toronto's goal on an assist by Tyler Ennis. Frederik Andersen finished with 27saves.

The Maple Leafs' loss means there are no Canadian teams remaining in the playoffs. Calgary and Winnipeg previously lost their first-round series.