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

[StarDust Bum]

13San Jose -14 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 20-5 ATS (15.3 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.


NHL

Wednesday, May 15

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Trend Report
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San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games
San Jose is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
San Jose is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
San Jose is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
St. Louis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
St. Louis is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 8 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing at home against San Jose


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


NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 15

San Jose @ St. Louis

Game 13-14
May 15, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
12.413
St. Louis
10.943
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(+125); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 15

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

SAN JOSE (55-33-0-10, 120 pts.) at ST LOUIS (54-33-0-10, 118 pts.) - 5/15/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 39-21 ATS (+7.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 33-22 ATS (+4.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 21-10 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 226-241 ATS (+509.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 17-22 ATS (-14.9 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-5 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 6-5-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.5 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SJ at STL 08:00 PM

SJ +128

U 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Karlsson, Sharks beat Blues 5-4 after controversial no-call
May 15, 2019
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ST. LOUIS (AP) Erik Karlsson scored 5:23 into overtime after the officials missed a hand pass by Timo Meier, and the San Jose Sharks rallied to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference final.

Meier used his right hand to knock a loose puck toward the front of the net. Gustav Nyquist then passed it over to Karlsson, who beat Jordan Binnington for his second goal of the game.

Binnington and the Blues complained immediately about Meier's pass. The officials huddled while Karlsson and the Sharks celebrated, but the play wasn't reviewable and the goal stood.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in St. Louis.

The Blues led 4-3 before Logan Couture tied it with 61 seconds left in regulation. Joe Thornton scored twice for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 28 saves.

David Perron had two goals for St. Louis, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen also scored. Colton Parayko had three assists, and Jordan Binnington made 27 stops.

The Blues trailed 2-0 after one and 3-1 in the second before rallying.

Tarasenko, who faced criticism after a lackluster performance in Game 1, started the comeback with his first goal in six games at 4:05 of the second. Perron tied it by beating Jones on the stick side with a wrist shot from the left dot with 3:57 left in the period.

St. Louis went on a power play after Brent Burns took down Oskar Sundqvist late in the period. Perron scored his second goal of the series a minute later, giving the Blues the lead with their first power-play goal in 19 chances with the man advantage.

It was Perron's first multigoal playoff performance in 73 games.

After an early Blues push, the Sharks grabbed control in the first.

Blues defenseman Vince Dunn departed with 8:35 left in the first after getting hit in the face by a Brenden Dillon shot, forcing St. Louis to mix and match five defensemen.

San Jose then jumped in front when Karlsson intercepted a Joel Edmundson clearing attempt and beat Binnington with a wrist shot through traffic at 13:37.

Thornton made it 2-0 with 3:02 left in the first, scoring on a backhander after Robert Bortuzzo blocked a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot.

Steen got the Blues on the board at 1:18 of the second, but Thornton answered 18 seconds later with his second goal of the game, giving him his first multigoal playoff game over 176 games in a 22-year career.

NOTES: The Blues and Sharks entered the game tied for first in the NHL with 38 points in the postseason from their defensemen.

UP NEXT

Game 4 at St. Louis on Friday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 16, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM Boston Bruins Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena


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


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
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..............17-20-1 .....45.94% -24.35


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
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..................... 6 - 3.....................+17.70................6 - 12................-36.00.............-18.30


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

XFL head coaches; league starts play in 2020:

— Dallas- Bob Stoops

— Houston- June Jones

— Los Angeles- Winston Moss

— New York- Kevin Gilbride

— St Louis- Jonathan Hayes

— Seattle- Jim Zorn

— Tampa Bay- Marc Trestman

— Washington- Pep Hamilton

Quote of the Day
“This was a learning process for me, too. I’m going to get some things right and I’m going to get some things wrong, but I think I’m getting this right.”
Jets’ President Christopher Johnson, on firing their GM Wednesday

Thursday’s quiz
Who did the Jets beat in their only Super Bowl appearance?

Wednesday’s quiz
Peyton Manning holds the Denver Broncos’ single season record for most TD passes in a season, with 55 in 2013.

Tuesday’s quiz
Milwaukee Brewers started play in 1970, after they had played in 1969 as an expansion team in Seattle, the Seattle Pilots.

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

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

13) New Jersey Jets fired GM Mike Maccagnan Wednesday; first-year coach Adam Gase will serve as interim general manager. Jets are 24-40 the last four years, but…….

…….it is May 16, three weeks AFTER the draft.

If you were going to fire the GM, shouldn’t this have happened BEFORE the draft?

12) Not sure why the NBA paraded prospective draftees out to the draft lottery Tuesday; they had egg on their face when New Orleans won the lottery and Zion Williamson was ushered out of camera’s view pretty quickly. It was apparent that being a Pelican isn’t his goal in life.

All winter we had it shoved down our throats by ESPN how great a kid Zion is, blah, blah, blah. Well, if he is such a great kid, he goes to New Orleans and helps the Pelicans win games, while he is paid very handsomely, and increases his bankroll with a huge sneaker contract.

Steph Curry has played in Oakland the last 10 years and makes $500,000 a game, because he worked his butt off and is a great player. He does a ton of commercials. You can get rich anywhere in the NBA; doesn’t have to be New York or Los Angeles.

11) Bucks 108, Raptors 100— Milwaukee outscored Raptors 32-17 in 4th quarter; Brook Lopez scored 29 points, 13 in fourth quarter. Bucks lead this series, 1-0.

Milwaukee’s bench played 79:00, Toronto’s played 40:00.

10) Giants 4, Blue Jays 3— Edwin Jackson started on the mound for Toronto, his 14th MLB team, which is a new major league record.

9) College basketball transfer portal:
— Virginia Tech grad transfer Chris Clarke transferred to Texas Tech.
— Stephen F. Austin grad transfer T.J. Holyfield also transferred to Texas Tech.
— Minnesota transfer Isaiah Washington committed to Iona.

8) Central Florida basketball alum Tacko Fall has a 8’ 2 1/4” wingspan, 10’ 2 1/2” standing reach, which means he can grab the rim without jumping. Will be curious where he gets taken in the NBA Draft in June.

7) Baseball injuries:
— Twins put C Mitch Garver (ankle) on IL.
— Rangers put SS Elvis Andrus (hamstring) on IL.
— New York 3B Miguel Andujar (labrum surgery) is out for the year.

6) Eldrick Woods didn’t practice at Bethpage Wednesday, a day before the PGA Championship.

Not sure if this is connected, but Woods is being sued because back in December, a bartender at his restaurant in Florida died in a drunk driving accident, with a .256 BAC, which is really high.

5) It has been 100 years since an English golfer won the PGA Championship. Just thought you’d like to know.

4) Seahawks signed QB Geno Smith to help back up Russell Wilson.

3) Rays 1, Marlins 0— Miami hasn’t scored a run since the third inning on Saturday, thats 24 innings ago. They’ve lost seven games in a row, are 10-31.

2) Vanderbilt PG Darius Garland, who played four games in college before getting hurt and missing the rest of the season, left the NBA Draft Combine, making people think that Garland “got a promise” from one or more teams that he will get taken in the lottery.

1) Cubs’ 2B Ben Zobrist took a leave of absence from the team; he is getting divorced from his wife of 14 years. They have three kids, so this is a sad thing for the kids.

You always think pro athletes have this perfect life; they make a ton of money, they’re famous, but they’re also on the road for 100-120 days a year. Stuff happens. Nothing is perfect.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Bruins (49-24) at Hurricanes (46-29)
Date: May 16, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Boston Bruins have been in some binds in the postseason, but they don't want the luxury of a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals to distract them from the mission.

The Bruins will try to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final when they go for a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at PNC Arena.

"It's a good spot to be in," Bruins left winger Brad Marchand told reporters of the 3-0 lead. "But it's far from being over. ... It's all about the next one."

Boston was forced to seven games against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, then trailed the best-of-seven series against the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 before winning in six.

Now, the Bruins have won six straight games, delivering the Hurricanes a home loss for the first time in the playoffs with Tuesday night's 2-1 victory in Game 3.

"This year we feel like we really have each other's backs," Boston goalie Tuukka Rask said. "We've been in some tight games."

If the Bruins fail to sweep the series, the teams will go back to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday night.

Rask has stopped 85 of 90 shots faced (.944) in the series.

"Guys have played with Tuukka for a while now," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "They know what he's made of. ... (Since the playoffs began), he hasn't really had a poor night."

The Hurricanes haven't been quite as settled in the net. Curtis McElhinney made his first appearance of the series by playing Game 3 after the Bruins posted 11 total goals (one into an empty net) in the first two games with Petr Mrazek in net for Carolina. The team has yet to officially announce a Game 4 starter.

The Hurricanes won two elimination games against the Washington Capitals last month. They'll need four of those in this round.

"It's frustrating, for sure," Hurricanes left winger Warren Foegele said of the situation. "Just take it day by day. We believe."

The Hurricanes made progress in Game 3, something they'll aim to build off as they attempt to extend their season.

"I think you can feel good about the fact that we at least gave them a game," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "To me, we hadn't given them a game yet."

That was accomplished in Game 3 -- in which Carolina outshot Boston 36-31 but left without the desired result -- for the first time in a series the Hurricanes entered riding a six-game winning streak.

Yet the Bruins won't take anything for granted for Game 4.

"It's a tough place to play," Boston right winger David Backes said of the road venue. "It's a tough place to win."

The Bruins' six-game win streak is the franchise's longest in the postseason since 1978.

One glaring difference between the teams has been power-play production. The Bruins own a 31.9 percent success rate (15 of 47) this postseason on power plays compared to Carolina's 10 percent (5 of 50).

Boston has relied heavily at times on veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara, who played extended stretches. His penalty killing was crucial again in Game 3, as Carolina went scoreless in five power-play opportunities.

"He relishes those situations, he's going to give it his all," Cassidy said. "Really tough minutes for him. He was a rock for us."

The Bruins will be without right winger Chris Wagner, who sustained an arm injury when he was hit by slap shot late in Game 3.

--Field Level Media


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


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Hurricanes at Bruins
Thu, May 9 Final 2 to 5
Recaps

GAME 2
Hurricanes at Bruins
Sun, May 12 Final 2 to 6
Recaps

GAME 3
Bruins at Hurricanes
Tue, May 14 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 4
Bruins at Hurricanes
Thu, May 16 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Hurricanes at Bruins
Sat, May 18 - 7:15PM EDT

GAME 6
Bruins at Hurricanes
Mon, May 20 - 8:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

15Boston -16 Carolina
BOSTON is 7-0 ATS (7.7 Units) against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.


NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, May 16

Boston @ Carolina

Game 15-16
May 16, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
14.558
Carolina
12.129
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 2 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-120); Under


NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 16

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

BOSTON (60-29-0-9, 129 pts.) at CAROLINA (54-34-0-8, 116 pts.) - 5/16/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 38-20 ATS (+5.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 215-169 ATS (+45.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 35-22 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 9-3 (+6.0 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 9-3-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.3 Units)

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


NHL

Thursday, May 16

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Carolina

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Carolina is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games
Carolina is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing Boston
Carolina is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MAY 16
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at CAR 08:00 PM

BOS -107

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Bruins sweep 'Canes, head to Cup
May 16, 2019
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Boston's top line kept finding ways to score, especially on the power play. With a chance to clinch another series, Tuukka Rask was perfect - again.

Rask posted his seventh career playoff shutout, and the Bruins swept the Carolina Hurricanes out of the Eastern Conference final, winning 4-0 on Thursday night to reach their third Stanley Cup Final in nine years.

''Everyone in the room wanted to be at their best,'' forward Brad Marchand said, ''and everyone was at their best tonight.''

Rask made 24 saves in his second straight series-clinching shutout. Patrice Bergeron scored two goals, David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists and Marchand added an empty-netter. Both Bergeron and Pastrnak scored on second-period power plays.

The Bruins won their seventh straight postseason game - their longest playoff winning streak in nearly half a century - to return to the Cup final after winning in 2011 and losing to Chicago two years later.

''It's so difficult to advance in the playoffs, let alone make it to the final,'' said Rask, the backup to Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas in 2011. ''We need to really enjoy this but realize we have a lot of work to do.''

On its longest postseason win streak since reeling off nine straight in 1972, Boston earned a break before taking on the West winner. San Jose leads its series with St. Louis 2-1 heading into Game 4 Friday night.

The Bruins won this one without captain Zdeno Chara, who was scratched with an unspecified injury and is day to day, ending a run of 98 consecutive playoff games for the hulking 42-year-old veteran that dated to 2011.

Chara joined his teammates on the ice for the post-series handshake line with Carolina, and while coach Bruce Cassidy declined to elaborate on the nature of Chara's injury, he did say he's expected back for the start of the Cup final.

Curtis McElhinney made 19 saves for the Hurricanes, whose first playoff appearance since 2009 ended precisely the same way their previous postseason trip did - by being swept in the East final.

''Listen, the tank's been low for a long time,'' captain Justin Williams said. ''It's been running on adrenaline and sheer will. It's always tough to swallow when the season ends, just abruptly like that. It's like you're cut real quick. And you've got to go home.''

Carolina got this far by sweeping the New York Islanders in Round 2. Not that the extra rest time helped the Hurricanes, or anyone else in these playoffs: No team that swept its opponent has won its next series.

After outscoring them 17-5 in four games, Boston no doubt wants to halt that trend - especially with the sport's biggest prize on the line.

Special teams drove this series, with the Bruins scoring seven power-play goals in the four games while the Hurricanes had five during their entire 15-game postseason run. Boston had at least one power-play goal in every game while Carolina failed to score on its last 13 chances with the man advantage.

So it was no surprise that Boston took control with its best-in-the-playoffs power-play unit.

Eighteen seconds into a minor on the Hurricanes for having too many men on the ice, Pastrnak finished off a slick give-and-go with Marchand, getting past Calvin de Haan and slipping the puck into an open net at 4:46 of the second.

''Everything's going OK, then we get into that specialty area where that's obviously a huge advantage for them,'' coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''And they made us pay.''

With Greg McKegg in the box for goaltender interference, the Bruins scored on another give-and-go involving Pastrnak, who set up Bergeron's goal with 1:26 left in the second.

Rask - who blanked Columbus 3-0 in the decisive sixth game of the previous series - didn't even face a shot on goal for roughly the first half of the third, and only seven for the entire period.

''Tuukka's been very consistent,'' Cassidy said. ''Usually, if you're going to get on a roll, your goaltender's going to have to win a game for you somewhere along the way or steal one for you. ... He can't have a bad night.''

McElhinney made his second straight start in place of Petr Mrazek, a move made by Brind'Amour to shake things up after the Hurricanes lost the first two games of the series in Boston by a combined 11-4 score.

That this game was scoreless after 20 minutes was a testament to McElhinney, who came up with several early gems - including robbing Marchand from close range with his glove about 7 1/2 minutes in.

NOTES: D John Moore replaced Chara in the defensive pairing with Connor Clifton. ... With fourth-line forward Chris Wagner back in Boston having his injured right arm examined, C Noel Acciari slid into the lineup for the Bruins for the first time in the series. ... Both teams' general managers - Don Waddell of the Hurricanes, and Don Sweeney of the Bruins - were announced as finalists for the league's GM of the year award. ... Carolina LW Jordan Martinook (lower body) missed a second straight game.

UP NEXT

The Bruins have an extended break before the Stanley Cup Final.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 17, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 19, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:08 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose


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


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/16/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
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..............18-21-1 .....46.15% -24.85


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/16/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-5.50
05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
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..................... 6 - 3.....................+17.70................6 - 13................-41.50.............-23.80


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Six fastest-working pitchers in major leagues:

6) Mike Foltynewicz, Braves 21.4 seconds between pitches

5) Brett Anderson A’s, 21.2

4) Luis Castillo Reds, 21.0

3) Erik Swanson Mariners, 20.6

2) Steven Matz Mets, 20.4

1) Wade Miley Astros, 19.1


**********

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

13) Warriors 114, Trailblazers 111— Is it getting to the point where you ask if Kevin Durant has played his last game for Golden State? Warriors lead this series 2-0; Durant isn’t close to getting back on floor, and in this series at least, they don’t even seem to need him

12) In 2020, ESPN is opening a studio at The Linq Hotel along the Las Vegas Strip; Caesars will serve as ESPN’s official odds data supplier across TV and digital programming and content.

11) Arizona Cardinals’ 8-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson is being suspended the first six games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

10) Scott Pioli resigned as assistant GM of the Atlanta Falcons this week; he said he wasn’t fired, isn’t sick and doesn’t have another job lined up, but there is speculation that he might be going to TV or is a candidate for the vacant Jets’ GM job.

9) Quote of the Day, part 2; Chris Sale talking about getting pulled with 17 strikeouts:

“I don’t think there’s any pitcher on the planet … you’ve got 17 punchouts, you definitely want to go out for [another] inning. I’d love to have gone back out there, but I respect him as much as anybody on the planet and I’ll never question anything he does, even in regard to that.”

8) Ian Anderson is the Braves’ #1 pitching prospect, drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft out of Shenendehowa HS here in the Albany area. So far this season, Anderson is 2-3, 4.04 in eight starts in the AA Southern League; he’s walked 28 hitters in 35.2 IP, which is alarming.

He is only 21, but he’s going to have to cut down on those walks to succeed in the majors.

7) Here is the difference in this year’s A’s and last year’s A’s (so far):
— 2018— A’s were 46-29 in games decided by one or two runs.
— 2019— A’s are 10-13 in games decided by one or two runs.

Beating a cruddy team like Detroit 17-3 doesn’t impress me; holding a one-run lead in the 9th inning is very impressive, especially on the road.

6) College basketball transfer portal:
— Texas Tech G Khavon Moore bolts to Clemson.
— Oregon big man Miles Norris bolts to UC Santa Barbara.

5) Bruins 4, Hurricanes 0— Boston sweeps Eastern Conference final 4-0, moves on to the Stanley Cup final against the San Jose-St Louis survivor.

4) Brown University offered 7th grade QB Ryan Downes, a 6’3 13 year-old who is at IMG and already generating some interest from recruiters.

Not sure what they actually “offered” him, since Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships, but no doubt they have their ways of paying for the right kid, if he expresses an interest in their school.

3) Yale did a smart thing and signed basketball coach James Jones to a contract extension thru 2026. Last five years, Yale is 52-18 in Ivy League games, making NCAA’s twice in last four years.

2) Gene Simmons of KISS gave a news conference in the Pentagon briefing room Thursday.

Seriously, he did. He was there to help promote military service and thank the service members who were there.

Simmons’ mother survived a Nazi concentration camp when she was 14, and because of that he has always been a big supporter of our troops, so good for him for doing that.

1) Happy birthday to the great Joe Tait, the voice of Cleveland sports when I was a kid, who turned 82 this week. Loved listening to him call Cavalier games, and also Indian games on WWWE with Herb Score as his baseball analyst.

Before cable TV became a big thing (yes, I am that old), listening to games on the radio was fun for this teenager. WWWE was within range of upstate New York, so listened to Mr Tait a lot.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (47-27) at Blues (45-28)

The sting of their Game 3 overtime loss will once again test the mettle of the St. Louis Blues. Fortunately for them, the Blues have overcome enough adversity already this season to have a chance.

As the Blues look to rebound from a 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday when they continue the series Friday in St. Louis, it's with the confidence that they regrouped from being the league's last-place team when they awoke on Jan. 3 to reach the Western Conference finals -- a journey that includes a head coach firing and reliance upon a rookie goalie to turn the corner.

The motivation of knowing they received the short end of the stick when Timo Meier's hand-pass resulted in Erik Karlsson scoring the game-winning goal in Game 3 to give the Sharks a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series provides the Blues extra fuel for their underdog tale.

"We did in the last series," captain Alex Pietrangelo told NHL.com. "We were down against Dallas and came back (to win the second-round series in seven games). We were down 2-0 (Wednesday night) and came back. We know how to look in the mirror, and we know how to get better. We felt we had control of a lot of the game, so we'll use that recipe for next game."

Lost in the controversial goal that will likely prevent referees Marc Joannette and Dan O'Rourke and linesmen Jonny Murray and Matt MacPherson from many more assignments this spring is the fact the Blues had all kinds of opportunities to close out the game long before Karlsson's handball goal.

St. Louis led 4-3 after two periods, and golden chances to score the much-needed insurance goal were thwarted by Sharks goalie Martin Jones, and a couple of opportunities to hit an empty net were missed. Throw in Pietrangelo's late icing infractions and porous team defense on the tying goal with 61 seconds left in regulation, and the Blues can find plenty to focus on instead of the botched call.

"We've got to close that game out in my opinion," said head coach Craig Berube, who will do all he can to keep his players focused on moving forward and not looking back. "We should have won it 4-3."

Blues forward Alexander Steen added, "That's (the) playoffs. Got to get ready for Game 4. Mental toughness. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs. You're going to get some bounces. Some bounces aren't going to go your way, so you've just got to move forward."

Which is what everyone involved in the game will attempt. The Blues will try to avoid getting caught up in what might have been, and the Sharks will look to build on the momentum of a win that came because they recovered from their own blown lead. San Jose was ahead 2-0 after the first period Wednesday.

"It's the playoffs," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. "We've won stunningly. We've lost stunningly. When you get three rounds deep, you've seen it all. It's just reset and get ready for the next one. It's going to be harder than this one."

[StarDust Bum]

17San Jose -18 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 15-4 ATS (11.8 Units) against good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.3+ goals/game - 2nd half of the season in the current season.


NHL
Dunkel

Friday, May 17

San Jose @ St. Louis

Game 17-18
May 17, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.423
St. Louis
12.933
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-140); Over


NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, May 17

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

SAN JOSE (56-33-0-10, 122 pts.) at ST LOUIS (54-33-0-11, 119 pts.) - 5/17/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.4 Units)

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


NHL

Friday, May 17

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

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Jose's last 9 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games
St. Louis is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against San Jose

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MAY 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SJ at STL 08:00 PM

SJ +123

O 5.5