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

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

5St Louis -6 Dallas
DALLAS are 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) after having won 6 or 7 of their last 8 games in the last 3 seasons.


NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, May 5


St. Louis @ Dallas

Game 5-6
May 5, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
11.237
Dallas
12.118
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-125); Under


NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 5

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ST LOUIS (51-32-0-10, 112 pts.) at DALLAS (50-35-0-8, 108 pts.) - 5/5/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 50-43 ATS (+4.5 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 26-23 ATS (+50.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 36-20 ATS (+7.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 30-21 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-9 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 4-10 ATS (-7.2 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 10-8 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 10-8-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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NHL

Sunday, May 5

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Trend Report
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St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games
St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Dallas
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Stars
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Dallas is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against St. Louis

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blues (45-28) at Stars (43-32)
Date: May 05, 2019 3:00 PM EDT

The task couldn't be more straightforward at this juncture of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With their season on the brink, the St. Louis Blues have one mindset as they head to Dallas to face the Stars on Sunday afternoon for what could be a series-clinching game.

"Win or you go home. Simple as that," Blues forward Jaden Schwartz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Desperation level needs to be the highest it's ever been. Got to play our best game and we feel confident going in there."

Dallas leads the best-of-seven semifinals series 3-2, having gained the upper hand with a 2-1 win Friday night. The score might indicate a very close game, but the Blues were outplayed heavily during critical junctures - notably in the waning minutes when they struggled to break out of their zone and pull the goalie for an extra attacker - and even were booed off the ice by the home crowd at the end of the second period.

Sure, Dallas goalie Ben Bishop needed to make 38 saves to earn the win, but too few of the stops required the Vezina Trophy candidate to exert a ton of effort, and the Blues know it. As much as the Dallas defenders excelled at preventing the St. Louis skaters from getting to loose pucks, the Blues did not have that extra oomph in their game.

"We just have to get inside more," Schwartz said. "Pucks were laying there. We just have to find a way to get inside, get body position, and get a little more traffic."

"There were some pucks in between 1/8Bishop's 3/8 legs that we just couldn't get to," captain Alex Pietrangelo added. "I think we can be a little bit more aggressive in front of him."

In fact, the lone Blues goal was a gift from Bishop, who misplayed the puck as he attempted to pass to a defenseman and Schwartz took advantage. Bishop redeemed himself in a big way with a sprawling save on an Oskar Sundqvist attempt shortly after.

"It was a little satisfying, the fact that I made that error and was able to still close it out," Bishop said. "That's probably the only satisfying thing. Other than that, it's a good win, and there's one more, which is the hardest one to win. We'll try to get some rest here and get ready for the next game."

Over the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams that win Game 5 when a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 end up advancing more than three-quarters of the time. The odds are in the favor of Dallas, but it would be a fool's game for the Stars to simply think the Blues - the club that sat last in the league on Jan. 2 before going on a torrid run to make the playoffs - simply will roll over.

"We just have to collect ourselves, get some rest, and get ready for a game," Stars veteran Jason Spezza said. "It's going to come quickly with the afternoon game. We have a good opportunity to close out the series on home ice, and we have to make the most of it."

--Field Level Media

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Stars at Blues
Thu, Apr 25 Final 2 to 3
Recaps

GAME 2
Stars at Blues
Sat, Apr 27 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 3
Blues at Stars
Mon, Apr 29 Final 4 to 3
Recaps

GAME 4
Blues at Stars
Wed, May 1 Final 2 to 4
Recaps

GAME 5
Stars at Blues
Fri, May 3 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 6
Blues at Stars
Sun, May 5 - 3:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MAY 5
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at DAL 03:00 PM

STL +109

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Blues force Game 7 with win over Stars
May 5, 2019
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DALLAS (AP) Colton Parayko was shooting to score for the St. Louis Blues, and delivered a stunning blow to the Dallas Stars even without getting the puck in the net.

Parayko's hard shot from the slot hit Ben Bishop's left shoulder, knocking the goalie onto his back and deflecting the puck to deep in the circle. Alexander Steen took a shot from there that was redirected by Jaden Schwartz over the still laid-out goalie in a 4-1 victory to force Game 7 in the second-round Western Conference semifinal series.

''That's a hard shot. A really hard shot. Shoot the puck, right? It's a great play by (Steen) to put it right back on the net,'' Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. ''Great job Schwartzy. He's been around that all series long and keeps getting rewarded.''

Schwartz's eighth goal of the playoffs with 12:23 left made it 3-1, and was the first of two goals by the Blues in a 33-second span.

Bishop was tended to by a trainer and initially stayed in the game, but a switch was made soon after when Sammy Blais, playing his first postseason game, got a slap shot past him.

''When you're right there in the slot, and you're going to try to shoot to score,'' Parayko said. ''Obviously I just try to get it around that first guy and find a corner. ... I'm never out there to hurt anybody.''

Stars coach Jim Montgomery said Bishop was fine, pointing out that he had stayed in the game before Anton Khodobin got his first action of the postseason.

While St. Louis maintained possession of the puck while Bishop was down, Stars defenseman John Klingberg thought there should have been a whistle to stop play.

''We can't change anything right now,'' Klingberg said. ''We didn't play good enough to win. It's not like we're focusing on that right now.''

Blues coach Craig Berube said officials ''don't blow the whistle when you have possession. ... His mask was still on, so that's the reason.''

Pietrangelo scored only 63 seconds into the game and David Perron also had a goal for the Blues, who will be on home ice for the deciding game Tuesday night.

The Central Division rivals also went to a Game 7 when they met in the second round three years ago. That series finale was played in Dallas, where the Blues scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-1 win.

St. Louis rookie goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots, allowing only a power-play goal by Tyler Seguin in the first period.

Bishop, who came into the game with a .936 save percentage in the playoffs, allowed four goals on 20 shots. Khodobin had five saves in the final 12 minutes.

The two quick goals by St. Louis came right after Dallas couldn't score with Binnington sprawled on the ice.

Perron put the Blues ahead to stay at 2-1 with an interesting goal in what was otherwise a somewhat pedestrian second period.

Oskar Sundqvist skated deep into the right circle and passed back across the front of net. Perron, with Klingberg between him and Bishop, reached his stick around the defender to poke the puck in for his third goal of the playoffs.

''I'm ready to turn the page and move on to the next game. It was an exciting challenge for us,'' Perron said. ''None of the guys came in here with their head between their legs. I just thought we were ready for the challenge. ... We're just excited to keep playing hockey.''

The Stars' 23 shots matched their fewest in the playoffs. Their goal came with 8:25 left in the first period when Mats Zuccarello made a pass from the top of the right circle and Seguin's shot got under Binnington and trickled past the line to make it 1-1.

St. Louis had eight shots on goal before Dallas finally got its first nearly nine minutes into the game. The Stars then went nearly seven minutes before their first shot of the second period.

NOTES: St. Louis is 5-1 on the road in the playoffs, its most wins away from home in a single postseason. ... The Blues have scored 18 third-period goals this postseason, the most among the playoff teams. ''I think we're wearing teams down through games,'' Pietrangelo said. ''I think the way we play is hard to defend.'' ... The Blues are 29-41 when facing elimination in best-of-seven series, 11-26 on the road. Dallas dropped to 25-20 in potential clinchers, 13-7 at home. ... It was 11 years ago Sunday that Dallas finished a four-overtime win in Game 6 over San Jose (the game started on May 4, but ended after midnight on the May 5) to wrap up that second-round series. That had been the last time the Stars clinched a playoff series at home before their Game 6 win over Nashville in the first round this year.

UP NEXT

The deciding Game 7 is Tuesday night in St. Louis.

[StarDust Bum]

Tortorella: CBJ-Bruins will go to Game 7
May 5, 2019
By The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets are one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins.

But Columbus coach John Tortorella said it's not going to occur on home ice in Game 6.

''Things happen for a reason, and I truly believe that - we'll be back here (in Boston) for Game 7,'' Tortorella said after Columbus fought back with a three-goal third period but fell 4-3 in Game 5 on Saturday night.

With their top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand leading the offense, the Bruins hold a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series at it returns to Nationwide Arena for the final time on Monday (7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN). Game 7, if necessary, will be in Boston on Wednesday night.

''I have no problem with the intensity of our club right on through,'' Tortorella said. ''It's just that we need guys being more creative and making more plays throughout a 60-minute game.''

Pastrnak had two goals in the third period, including the game-winner, and Marchand had a goal and two assists as Boston's offensive stars were producing for the second consecutive game.

''They're dominant when they're on, and they're very good even when they're not on,'' Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said of his stars. ''So, if they start feeling it, it's a tall task for the other team.''

The bright spot for Columbus was an attacking third period that shifted the momentum until Pastrnak's goal with 1:28 left sealed the win for Boston.

The Blue Jackets are striving to carry that intensity into the must-win Game 6.

''Obviously would like to make it a little easier on ourselves, but that's the way it's gone,'' Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. ''So we can go home and worry about winning a big game at home and then get back here (to Boston).''

---

SHARKS at AVALANCHE, San Jose leads series 3-2 (10 p.m. EDT, NBCSN)

Nearly eliminated after falling behind 3-1 in a first-round series and by three goals in the third period of Game 7 against Vegas, San Jose is just one win away from making it to the conference finals for the fourth time this decade.

But after staging an epic comeback against the Golden Knights in the first round, the Sharks know the Avalanche can also do the same.

''We faced three elimination games against Vegas. We didn't go away easily and I don't anticipate they're going to either,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''This feels good. We put ourselves in a good spot with a chance to put them away.''

The teams have alternated wins through the first five games. The Sharks are coming off their most complete performance of the series as they dominated from start to finish in a 2-1 win at home on Saturday night.

San Jose outshot Colorado 39-22, got two goals from Tomas Hertl and held the Avalanche to just one shot on goal during three power plays. Colorado is just 2 for 17 with the man advantage this series.

''One of the changes has to come with their mindset,'' Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. ''We've got to get in attack mode and some of that is we have to move the puck and shoot the puck. It's happening too slow, we're too stationary, we're not shooting.''

The Sharks did the best job they have all series at slowing down Nathan MacKinnon, holding him to one shot on goal and ending his eight-game point streak. Defensive pair Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns got the bulk of the responsibility against Colorado's top line of MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.

That matchup will be harder to get consistently on the road for San Jose. But the Avalanche know it will take more than just getting one line going to extend this series.

''Everybody that's in this room knows what's at stake and how important the next one is going to be,'' Landeskog said.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM Boston Bruins Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
10:08 PM San Jose Sharks Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 AM Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 8, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Colorado Avalanche San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose
3:00 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Boston Bruins TD Garden


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


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals...............8-9-1 ......47.05% -9.20


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


BEST BETS:


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

05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
05/02/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.85..................1 - 1..................-0.50 ..............+0.35
05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00


Totals..................... 2 - 1.....................+6.30...................2 - 6.................-23.00.............-17.70


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


Totals....................10 - 12.................+3.00..................30 - 19.............+45.50...............+48.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

— Nuggets 116, Trailblazers 112— Murray scored 34 points for Denver.

— Raptors 101, 76ers 96— Non-Leonard Raptors shot 39.3%, an improvement.

— Braves 3, Marlins 1 (10)— Miami falls to 9-24; Inciarte’s double won the game.

— Red Sox 9, White Sox 2— Boston scored seven times in 8th inning.

— Tigers 5, Royals 2 (10)— Brandon Dixon hit a walkoff tater for Detroit.

— Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 7— Colorado scored five times in 8th inning.


**********

Armadillo: Monday's Den: Early Week 1 NFL trends……

Green Bay @ Chicago— Packers won last four season openers, but lost five of last seven road openers; over is 11-2 in their last 13 RO’s. Chicago started 0-1 the last five years; they lost four of last five home openers (under 3-1-1).

Atlanta @ Minnesota— Falcons won three of last four road openers; they split last eight season openers. Five of their last six RO’s stayed under. Minnesota won four of last five season openers; they won/covered their last four home openers- Vikings’ last five HO’s stayed under.

Washington @ Philadelphia— Redskins snapped a 5-game skid on Opening Day LY; they won last three road openers. Over is 7-3 in their last ten RO’s. Philly started 1-0 in seven of last eight seasons; they won four of last five home openers (under 4-1).

Buffalo at Jets— Bills are opening on road for first time in five years; they lost last three road openers, scoring 7-3-3 points. Since 2002, they’re 9-7 vs spread as an underdog in their RO. Jets won six of their last eight home openers.

Baltimore @ Miami— Ravens won last three Week 1 games by combined score of 80-10; they’re 7-4 vs spread in last 11 road openers. Over is 8-3-1 in their last dozen RO’s. Miami covered five of its last six home openers (4-2 SU). Dolphins’ last ten home openers stayed under the total; nine of their last ten RO’s went over.

San Francisco @ Tampa Bay— 49ers lost last four road openers (1-3 vs spread), losing by average of 13.8 ppg; four of their last six road openers stayed under. Tampa Bay won its last two Week 1 games, scoring 31-48 points; they didn’t play in Week 1 in 2017 because of a hurricane. Arians was 2-3 in openers while he was Arizona’s coach.

Kansas City @ Jacksonville— Chiefs won last four season openers; they covered five of last six road openers. Over is 5-3 in last eight RO’s. Jacksonville won its last two season openers, but lost six of last seven home openers- they’re 3-9 vs spread in 12 HO’s. Four of their last five home openers went over.

Tennessee @ Cleveland— Since re-joining NFL in 1999, Browns are 1-18-1 in Week 1; they tied Steelers in LY’s opener. Cleveland did cover five of last seven home openers. Titans lost last three season openers, but won/covered five of last six road openers.

Rams @ Carolina— Under McVay, Rams won their season openers 46-9/33-13; since 2000, they’re 4-15 vs spread in road openers (4-5 in last nine). Four of their last five road openers stayed under total. Carolina won its last five home openers, allowing 8-3 point last two years; they won four of last five season openers. Under is 5-1 in their last six HO’s.

Detroit @ Arizona— Detroit started six of last eight seasons 1-0; Lions covered last three road openers; over is 9-4-1 in their last 14. Cardinals lost last three home openers, scoring 14.7 ppg; six of their last seven home openers stayed under.

Cincinnati @ Seattle— Seahawks won their last ten home openers (8-2 vs spread); under is 15-2-1 in their last 18 HO’s. Bengals won four of last five road openers; eight of their last nine RO’s went over total. Cincy won four of last five Week 1 games. Seattle

Indianapolis @ Chargers— Colts lost seven of last nine road openers; they’ve started last five seasons 0-1. Indy’s last three season openers went over. Chargers lost last two home openers and winning six of previous seven; 13 of their last 16 HO’s went over. Bolts started last three seasons 0-1.

Giants @ Dallas— Giants lost seven of last eight season openers; they’re playing road opener in Dallas for 6th time in last seven years. NY is 2-7 in last nine RO’s overall, 1-4 in last five RO’s here- their last three RO’s stayed under. Dallas won six of last eight home openers; they split last ten season openers, with four of last five staying under.

Pittsburgh @ New England— Pitt opens on road for 5th straight year. Since 1997, Steelers are 1-8-1 vs spread when an underdog in their road opener; five of their last six RO’s stayed under. Patriots won 15 of last 17 home openers, but are 2-4-1 vs spread in last seven (under 5-2). NE started 13 of last 15 seasons 1-0, losing in ’14/’17.

Houston @ New Orleans— Saints started last five seasons 0-1; NO lost its last four home openers and were favored in three of them- last three went over total, with Saints giving up 35-36-48 points. Texans lost three of last four road openers (under 4-0); in franchise history, they’re 4-8 vs spread in RO’s.

Denver @ Oakland— Broncos are opening on road for first time since 2010; they won last seven season openers, but obviously, all of them were in Denver. Broncos are 7-8 in last 15 road openers, with three of last four going over total. Raiders lost four of last five home openers; since 2003, they’re 4-12 vs spread in HO’s, with four of last five going over.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

13Boston -14 Columbus
COLUMBUS are 42-26 ATS (14.4 Units) against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game in the current season.

15San Jose -16 Colorado
COLORADO is 25-33 ATS (-17.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - allowing 2.85+ goals/game in the current season.


NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, May 6

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BOSTON (56-29-0-9, 121 pts.) at COLUMBUS (53-33-0-5, 111 pts.) - 5/6/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 213-169 ATS (+43.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-6 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 8-6-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.6 Units)

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SAN JOSE (53-32-0-9, 115 pts.) at COLORADO (44-34-0-14, 102 pts.) - 5/6/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 34-18 ATS (+13.8 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-4 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 9-4-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.7 Units)

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NHL

Monday, May 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Boston Bruins
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Boston's last 15 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games
Columbus is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games
Columbus is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Columbus is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
Columbus is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Columbus's last 15 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston
Columbus is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing at home against Boston

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 6-18 ATS in its last 24 games
San Jose is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
San Jose is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
San Jose is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games on the road
San Jose is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 13 of San Jose's last 18 games when playing Colorado
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Colorado is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Colorado is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Colorado is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Colorado is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Colorado's last 18 games when playing San Jose
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose


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NHL
Dunkel

Monday, May 6


Boston @ Columbus

Game 13-14
May 6, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
13.309
Columbus
11.857
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Columbus
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+100); Under

San Jose @ Colorado

Game 15-16
May 6, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.863
Colorado
10.807
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-125
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(+105); Under

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MAY 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at CLB 07:00 PM
CLB -121
U 5.5

SJ at COL 10:00 PM
SJ +113
U 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Bruins put away Blue Jackets to advance to conference final
May 6, 2019
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Tuukka Rask was impenetrable when it counted in Game 6, and the Boston Bruins are on their way to the Eastern Conference final.

Rask made 39 saves and recorded his sixth career playoff shutout as Boston beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 Monday night to clinch their second-round series 4-2.

Rask was supported by great defensive play in front of the net by the Bruins, who were outshot 39-29 in a tight physical game that has been the norm in this series.

Boston advances to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept the New York Islanders in four games. The Bruins advanced to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when they lost in the Stanley Cup finals.

''(Rask) was definitely our most consistent player throughout the whole series,'' Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''We had guys give us good performances from game to game. He was there every night.''

Boston's top-liners were kept off the scoresheet again, but it didn't matter.

David Krejci scored in the first period , and Marcus Johansson and David Backes had third-period goals for the Bruins, who gave up four power plays to the Blue Jackets but Rask stonewalled Columbus on a number of high-danger chances.

Columbus hit posts at least four times.

''We peppered him,'' Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. ''It wasn't through lack of trying or competing on anyone's part. I thought everyone brought it, and it's just disappointing.''

Rask said he put up with increased pushing and shoving in the crease and kept Columbus from taking him out of his game.

''As the series went on, they kind of felt like they needed to do that,'' Rask said. ''Trying to get in my head a little bit. It's funny when that happens because you know you got the better of them at that point.''

Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had an outstanding postseason but allowed the two quick goals in the third period that sealed it for Boston. He finished with 26 saves.

The Bruins appeared to have a goal in the first period when Sean Kuraly put one in after an extended close-in attack on a power play, but it was overturned after a replay showed that Joakim Nordstrom had pushed Bobrovsky out of the crease.

After Jake DeBrusk hit a goal post, Krekci got the rebound off the boards and scored the first goal of the game with a slap shot from the top of the right circle with 7:47 left in the second.

''I was comfortable even with the one-goal lead just the way (Rask) was going,'' Cassidy said. ''You're not sitting there nursing it by any means, but I wasn't worried about Tuukka. ... He's been in a real good place, consistent, just solid and composed.''

Near the end of the second, Boston's Charlie McAvoy nearly took off Josh Anderson's head with a hit, but the officials leveled only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check. The Blue Jackets had 1:41 of the power play remaining to start the third period but again couldn't capitalize.

Boston got its second goal 8:58 into the third when Bobrovsky allowed a shot by Johansson to bounce behind him after the initial stop. Backes got the third on a rush about 2 1/2 minutes later .

Columbus faces a daunting offseason. Bobrovsky and star forward Artemi Panarin are unrestricted free agents and have refused, so far, to re-sign with the Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, picked up in trades at the deadline, also will be unrestricted free agents.

''We just have to remember how tough it is in the playoffs,'' Columbus forward Cam Atkinson said. ''Next year, who knows what's going to happen, who's going to be in this locker room, so this one stings.''

NOTES: Columbus F Markus Hannikainen played in his first career playoff game. Alexander Wennberg was a healthy scratch. D Adam Clendening also was scratched after playing in the last seven playoff games. ... Boston F Noel Acciari was a scratch for the second time in the series.

UP NEXT: Boston advances to conference final against Carolina.

[StarDust Bum]

AVANLANCE 4, SHARKS 3 OT

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SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

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DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/06/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.55
05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals...............9-12-1 ......42.85% -20.75


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BEST BETS:


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

05/06/2019..............0 - 1......................-5.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-5.50
05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
05/02/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.85..................1 - 1..................-0.50 ..............+0.35
05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00


Totals..................... 2 - 2.....................+1.30...................3 - 7.................-23.50.............-23.20


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APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


Totals....................10 - 12.................+3.00..................30 - 19.............+45.50...............+48.50

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack

Some college football over/under win totals from New Jersey books:
— Alabama 11, under -$121
— Clemson 11, over -$139
— Georgia 10.5, over -$182
— Oklahoma 10, over -$148
— Ohio State 10, under -$121
— Boise State 10, under -$118

Quote of the Day
“Don’t ever have a rule that you won’t enforce with your best player.”
Doug Collins

Tuesday’s quiz
When was the last time the NBA Finals went to a 7th game?

Monday’s quiz
Chicago Bulls (24-11, .686) have the best W-L %age in NBA Finals games. San Antonio (23-11, .676) have the next-best record.

Sunday’s quiz
When the Rockets first came into the NBA, they were the San Diego Rockets.

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

13) From metsblog.com:
”These baseballs suck. They’re more slick and the seams are more smooth and hard to grip.”

That is a major league relief pitcher, talking about this year’s batch of baseballs.

Noah Syndergaard told reporters last week that gripping a baseball on a cold night has felt like trying to throw an ice cube.

From Robert Arthur, who provides pitch-tracking information in every ballpark:
”As baseballs become more aerodynamic, they travel further given a certain initial velocity. A deep fly ball that might have been caught at the warning track can instead (with just a three percent change in drag) go into the first row of the stands (for a home run).”

So if you’re wondering why home runs are on the increase again, this is part of why.

12) Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer will be a minority owner of the new Seattle team in the NHL, which will begin play in the fall of 2021.

Bruckheimer produced the CSI shows, Without a Trace as well as numerous movies, like Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop.

11) Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 15 will have a play-caller this season who is in his first full year calling plays for that team.

10) Sunday afternoon against the Giants, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker and Derek Dietrich of the Reds hit back-to-back-to-back homers on three straight pitches off Jeff Samardzija.

Last team to do this was the Dodgers on June 12, 2007: Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and Hong-Chih Kuo all homered off the Mets’ John Maine.

9) This year the Reds are celebrating their team’s 150th anniversary; they’re wearing 15 different sets of throwback uniforms this season, to commemorate various eras in their long history. Sunday’s uniforms were actually dark blue, with red lettering.

8) Max Homa won the Wells Fargo golf tournament this past weekend; coming into the week, Homa was ranked 417th in the world. Now he is a millionaire and exempt on tour for the next 2.5 years, so a big four days for him. Golf is a really, really competitive sport.

7) Baseball injuries:
— Red Sox put P David Price (elbow) on IL.
— Nationals put 1B Matt Adams (shoulder) on IL.
— Mets put P Jason Vargas (hamstring) on IL.

6) When the Red Sox go to the White House Thursday to be honored for winning the World Series, manager Alex Cora, who is from Puerto Rico, won’t be there. He isn’t happy how the government responded to Hurricane Maria last year:

“Although the government of the United States has helped, there is still a long way to go, that is OUR reality. I have continually used my voice so that we Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence is not different. Therefore, at this moment, I do not feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.”

David Price, Mookie Betts and Rafael Devers will also be no-shows Thursday.

5) How has Brewers’ CF Lorenzo Cain never won a Gold Glove? Guy plays a great centerfield. He made another great catch against the Mets Sunday, crashing into the fence in right-center but hanging onto the ball.

4) Interesting trade in our fantasy league Sunday night; this is a 16-team dynasty league, where you keep your roster from year-to-year.

Team A traded Mike Trout, Max Scherzer and Robbie Ray. In return, they got Yordan Alvarez, Keston Hiura and Brendan Rodgers, three of the best minor league prospects, all at the AAA level. Was really surprised to see Trout get dealt; wonder if the Angels will ever do that?

Team A is the defending champ in our league but is 0-4-1 so far this season, so they decided to build for the future; time will tell who won this trade.
3) I wasted a decent amount of space this spring writing about the AAF, so I won’t be writing a lot about the XFL until it proves it has staying power, but the XFL did sign a TV deal with ABC and FOX this week. All 43 games will be shown somewhere on network TV next spring.

2) College basketball transfer portal:
— Clemson poached grad transfer Curran Scott (8.9 ppg LY) from Tulsa.
— UNLV F Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua jumps from UNLV to Baylor.


1) Oakland A’s on Sundays so far this season:
— W2-1 vs Angels.
— L9-8 @ Houston— Led 8-6 in 8th inning.
— L8-7 @ Texas— Led 7-4 in 8th inning.
— L5-4 vs Toronto— Blue Jays swept series in Oakland.
— L5-4 @ Toronto (11)— Led 4-1 in the 11th.
— L5-3 @ Pittsburgh (13)— Led 3-1 in the 13th.

[StarDust Bum]

Blues, Stars meet again in Game 7
May 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

The Blues and Stars are set for Game 7 in a second-round series again, three years after St. Louis dominated a winner-take-all matchup in Dallas for a spot in the Western Conference finals.

Deja vu or ancient history?

Maybe a little of both for Alex Pietrangelo and company, who won 6-1 after going up 3-0 in the first period in 2016 to clinch the only trip to the West finals for either franchise in the past decade.

''A lot of different players on these teams, different makeup, different coaches,'' Pietrangelo said after a 4-1 win in Dallas that forced Tuesday night's deciding game . ''Some of this helps because we've been through a few of these before. We've got some guys that are ready, who have been through this.''

The biggest difference is the site: St. Louis, after the Blues recovered from having the NHL's fewest points on Jan. 2 and are already the only team to win a playoff series after carrying that lowly distinction at the start of a calendar year. The Blues finished third in the Central Division, with the Stars six points behind in the first wild-card spot.

''Best out of one,'' said forward Mats Zuccarello, a trade deadline addition for Dallas this season. ''We've got to be excited about it. It's going to be fun. It's always fun to play Game 7s in the Stanley Cup playoffs.''

It won't be deja vu for Stars coach Jim Montgomery, a rookie making the rare jump from the college coaching ranks and two years removed from winning an NCAA title at the University of Denver.

''When I was a little kid, every time I played street hockey or I played in my basement with my cousin, it was always Game 7 every time,'' Montgomery said. ''I'm excited.''

Montgomery said goaltender Ben Bishop was fine after taking a puck to the shoulder on a hard shot from Colton Parayko that sent the goalie sprawling to the ice as Alexander Steen gathered the long carom and had his shot redirected into the net by Jaden Schwartz over the still-prone Bishop.

The decisive sequence helped turn a one-goal lead into a three-goal cushion with less than 12 minutes left when Sammy Blais scored on a breakaway 33 seconds later. Montgomery pulled Bishop after the Blais goal, giving Anton Khodobin his first action of the postseason. But the coach left little doubt Bishop would be back in net.

''We have confidence in both our goalies,'' defenseman John Klingberg said.

Tyler Seguin leads the Stars with 11 points in the playoffs (four goals, seven assists) after signing a $78.8 million, eight-year contract extension before the season. Three years ago, the high-scoring forward missed all but one of Dallas' 13 playoff games because of Achilles tendon and calf issues. He missed the entire St. Louis series.

The biggest Dallas contributors in the 2016 playoffs were captain Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza, who was a healthy scratch late in the regular season and early in the playoffs before tallying three goals against the Blues.

Klingberg was the emerging star for Dallas at the blue line three years ago, a distinction that now belongs to 19-year-old Miro Heiskanen. Alexander Radulov and Zuccarello are the most productive veterans who weren't with the Stars the last time they saw the Blues in the playoffs.

Schwartz, who entered the day tied for second in the NHL with eight goals this postseason, and Pietrangelo were double-digit playoff scorers then for the Blues, and again now. Vladimir Tarasenko is probably the most notable holdover, with Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron among the key veterans who were elsewhere in 2016.

Parayko was a rookie back then along with Robby Fabbri, who led first-year players in the 2016 playoffs with 15 points, tying Tarasenko for the team lead. Fabbri has struggled with knee injuries since and been in and out of the lineup this postseason.

Bishop was last in the playoffs three years ago - with Tampa Bay. The Blues have a rookie goalie in Jordan Binnington, who has been a big part of the team's turnaround.

Both goalies have been better on the road than at home in the playoffs, and both teams have more road wins than home victories in the postseason. So the biggest difference from three years - the venue change - doesn't figure to matter much.

''Nothing's a gimme,'' said Blues coach Craig Berube, who replaced the fired Mike Yeo in November after a rough start. ''It doesn't matter if they had success or not there already. Game 7s are Game 7s. You have to put it all on the line and be ready to go. We will be.''