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

[Udog]

Sharks vs Blues NHL betting picks and predictions: Keep riding Over the total
Monty Andrews

Ryan O'Reilly and the St. Louis Blues will try to avenge a tough overtime loss in Game 3 against the Sharks, as they look to tie up the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.

After losing a heartbreaking – and controversial – decision in Game 3 of the Western Conference final, the St. Louis Blues will almost certainly come out firing as they host the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 Friday night.

The Sharks scored the tying goal with less than a minute left in regulation, then converted the winner in extra time – aided by a hand pass that wasn't called – to take a 2-1 series lead and regain the home-ice edge in the best-of-seven series.
San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues (-135, 5.5)

QUICK-HITTER

Two truths have emerged with this San Jose team: It is one of the most dangerous offensive units in hockey, and it has struggled mightily to keep the puck out of the net. That said, it has done well in the first period of the past two games, limiting the Blues to just one goal in that stretch. San Jose has been a superior first-period team for the majority of the 2018-19 campaign, finishing tied for the league lead in 1P goals and outscoring St. Louis 4-2 in this series. We like the Sharks to lead after one.

PREDICTION: San Jose first period moneyline (+110)

PERIOD BET

These teams have been surprisingly stout on defense in the final 20 minutes of regulation, producing just four total goals through the first three games of the series. But the same cannot be said for the middle frame, which has seen an incredible amount of offense so far. The Blues and Sharks have combined to score 13 of their 24 total goals in the second period, with five of those coming in the Sharks' stunning Game 3 triumph. Why not ride that wave into Game 4?

PREDICTION: Highest scoring period: Period 2 (+240)

TEAM/PLAYER BET

Each team has scored three or more goals five out of six times in the series, with only the Sharks falling short in their 4-2 home setback in Game 2. And they can blame a lack of discipline in that regard, as they handed the Blues five power-play opportunities that left San Jose shorthanded for an entire half-period worth of playing time. A more disciplined Sharks team should not only reach the three-goal mark, but is a solid bet to get there first; it's at least worth a look at these odds.

PREDICTION: Race to 3 goals: San Jose (+175)

FULL-GAME TOTAL

While these teams have averaged eight total goals per game in the Western Conference final, oddsmakers have refused to budge on the total, only shifting the odds on the Over or the Under slightly in favor of the former. There's nothing to suggest that either defense unit or goaltender can slow down the other side, with the teams combining for an .860 save percentage despite having gone just 2-for-14 with the man advantage. This looks like a great time for another O5.5 play.

PREDICTION: Over 5.5

FULL-GAME SIDE

Teams generally respond to gut-punch losses in two ways: Either they rally around the loss, or they come out deflated. Even if St. Louis can tighten things up – and avoid another critical non-call going their way – it's worth considering that the Blues have now won just three of their eight home games during the Stanley Cup playoffs, and are a minus-5 in goal differential in those contests. San Jose has the more consistent offense, and shouldn't need a blown call to prevail in this one.

PREDICTION: San Jose +115

[StarDust Bum]

Binnington sparkles, Blues top Sharks
May 17, 2019
ShareFacebookTwitterDiggMySpace

ST. LOUIS (AP) Jordan Binnington made 29 saves to set a franchise record with his 10th playoff win this postseason and the St. Louis Blues edged the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Friday night to even the Western Conference final at two games apiece.

Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev scored in the first period for the Blues, giving Binnington all the scoring he needed.

Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks, and Martin Jones made 20 saves.

Game 5 is in San Jose on Sunday.

Barbashev gave the Blues a quick lead when his shot deflected off of Gustav Nyquist's stick and into the net just 35 seconds in. Alexander Steen's hip check of Brent Burns behind the Sharks' net created a turnover that led to Barbashev's first career playoff goal.

There have been seven goals scored in the opening minute of playoff games this year, with three of them coming against San Jose - the most since the Boston Bruins allowed four during their Stanley Cup run in 2011.

The Blues needed just 9 seconds to convert on a power play as Bozak's shot found its way through several skates and past Jones to make it 2-0 with 2:07 left in the first.

San Jose tilted the ice in its favor in the second period, but Binnington stopped all 11 shots the Sharks sent his way. Burns had the Sharks' best chance, hitting the crossbar with about three minutes left in the period.

Hertl banged home a rebound off of a slap shot by Burns on the Sharks' second power play of the game at 6:48 of the third period to cut the Blues' lead to 2-1. The goal snapped San Jose's scoreless streak of 226 minutes, 48 seconds in Game 4s in a playoff series dating to last year's postseason.

FACE IN THE CROWD

Soccer star Becky Sauerbrunn was at the game. The U.S. women's national team played a friendly against New Zealand at Busch Stadium on Thursday night.

NOTES: The Blues and Sharks entered the game with 42 points each in the playoffs, the most in the NHL. ... Blues D Vince Dunn, who was hit in the face by a puck in Game 3, was replaced in the lineup by Carl Gunnarsson.

[StarDust Bum]

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
8:08 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

05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
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..............18-23-1 .....46.15% -49.70


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
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 - 4.....................+12.70................6 - 14................-47.00.............-34.30


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack

Six slowest-working pitchers in major leagues:

6) Matt Andriese, Arizona, 29.5 seconds between pitches

5) Sam Dyson, Giants 29.7

4) Blake Treinen, A’s, 30.1

3) David Price Red Sox, 30.2

2) Josh Hader Brewers, 30.9

1) Kenley Jansen Dodgers, 31.3

Tweet of the Day
“So Le’Veon Bell walked away from $14.5 million last year with a coach that wanted him and now will play for $14.5 million this year with a coach that doesn’t want him. Got it.”
Andrew Brandt

Saturday’s quiz
When was last time NBA had a franchise in Canada, other than the Raptors?

Friday’s quiz
Mike Dunleavy was the Portland Trailblazers’ coach the last time they were in a Western Conference final.

Thursday’s quiz
Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in their only Super Bowl appearance, in Super Bowl III.

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

Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind…….

13) You watch Angel Hernandez call balls/strikes, and the electronic strike zone that will come to baseball someday doesn’t seem like a such a bad idea.

I’m against the electronic strike zone, but Hernandez is a terrible umpire, and has been for a long time. Friday night, Colorado’s Jon Gray walked the opposing pitcher on 10 pitches; three of the four pitches Hernandez called balls were strikes on the electronic strike zone on TV.

I had no dog in the fight, no fantasy players involved, was just watching the game. No one pays to watch the umpire; call strikes, especially on the opposing pitcher. It isn’t that difficult.

12) Not sure if I’ve told this story here before, so here goes. It is a little random, but it was a funny moment. Was listening this week to some people talk about their kids going to high school now, and it reminded me of this:

I’m in 10th grade, long time ago (1974-75) and it is Biology class, which was a struggle for me. I sat in the back of the class, where I had a great view of a classmate named Joann who was very pretty but didn’t know I existed (go figure).

Anyway, our teacher was a little……different. If a kid was talking in class, the teacher would take an eraser (yes, we had chalkboards back then) and drill the kid with it. I mean, he would fire the eraser at the kid, drill him, and no one ever complained. These days, he would get sued.

One day, the kid sitting three seats in front of me was yukking it up about something, a big kid named Nick, and the teacher takes aim with his eraser, but he misses and drills the young lady sitting next to Nick. Stunned silence, then muffled laughter; the girl started crying.

Was very difficult to sit there the rest of the period and not laugh; never saw another eraser thrown though. Could you imagine if they let that nitwit carry a gun in class?

11) Last three seasons, Golden State Warriors are:
— When Curry plays and Durant doesn’t: 32-4
— When Durant plays and Curry doesn’t: 28-18
— When neither one plays: 1-6
— When they both play: 163-46

10) 50 years ago Friday, Colts, Browns, Steelers agreed to move from the NFL to the AFC, so that when the NFL/AFL merger happened, there would be an equal number of teams in both conferences.

According to Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, Raiders’ owner Al Davis came up with the idea, but no one would agree to switch until $3M was put on the table; then the teams became willing. Funny how that happens.

9) Indiana Pacers’ G Tyreke Evans was dismissed/disqualified from the NBA for two years, for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. Under the program, he is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

Evans averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.4 apg in 20.3 mpg this year- he’s scored 15.7 ppg in his 11-year NBA career, and was due to become a free agent this offseason.

8) I’ve said this here before, but if you like the NBA, then the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in early July is an excellent thing to see.

They play in two gyms at UNLV, there are usually eight games a day, and it costs around $30 for the whole day, which is worth it, just to be out of the 110-degree desert heat.

I’ve gone a few times, and it is good stuff. You see all the rookies, some 2nd-year guys; most of the coaches/GM’s are there. I was walking in the hallway one day, and Jerry West was there, talking to some people. If you like the NBA, it is an excellent thing to do.

I would discourage you from wagering on the games, however; teams need to take a look at certain guys, so they don’t always use their best possible lineups every game.

7) If you’re heading to Las Vegas this summer, right now Treasure Island, the Wynn, Venetian, Palazzo, SLS, Tropicana, Circus Circus, and Stratosphere are the casinos on the Strip that offer free parking. Lot of casinos charge to park now because of the T-Mobile Arena not having its own parking lot.

6) Las Vegas casinos pretty much now all have betting lines up for every NFL game this season, except for Week 17. Lot can change between now and the season, but if you think you’re better than the oddsmakers, you can take your shot at the windows now.

Golden Nugget is posting spreads for its college games of the year on May 30.

5) From Ralph Michaels:

Since 2015, Week 2 NFL road teams that also played on the road in Week 1 are 1-14 vs spread; there are four such teams this season. Only cover in that sample was Kansas City winning 42-37 at Pittsburgh LY, after they led 21-0 in first quarter.

4) Baseball stuff:
— Giants activated C Buster Posey from the 7-day concussion DL.
— Colorado brought up 2B prospect Brandon Rodgers.
— Toronto P Aaron Sanchez (blister) left Friday’ game early.
— Justin Turner (bruised shin) left Friday’s game early

3) QB Tommy Stevens transferred from Penn State to Mississippi State, where he’ll play for Joe Moorhead, who used to be OC at Penn State.

2) Most teams pitched for, MLB history:
Edwin Jackson: 14, Octavio Dotel: 13, Mike Morgan, Ron Villone: 12 each.

1) Jim Nantz turned 60 years old Friday, which makes me feel old.

[StarDust Bum]

Sweep gives surging Bruins a break
May 17, 2019
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Boston Bruins have earned a break before their biggest series in a few years.

Their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final has afforded them a few extra days to rest up before their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.

So they can sit back, let their bumps and bruises heal - especially the ones that kept 42-year-old captain Zdeno Chara out of the series-clincher - and watch the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues beat each other up a few more times.

''I think as you get older, you appreciate it even more, and you realize how hard it is to get to this point and advance and be thankful and stay in the moment,'' forward Patrice Bergeron said. ''But then it's back to work, and there's a lot of work in front of us.''

They won't spend the break worrying about losing the momentum of their longest postseason winning streak in nearly half a century. No team that has swept its opponent from these playoffs has won its next series - a list that includes Columbus, the New York Islanders and these very Hurricanes.

The Bruins polished off their sweep on Thursday night, beating Carolina 4-0 in Game 4 for their seventh straight postseason victory - their longest streak in the playoffs since they reeled off nine straight wins in 1972.

Now, after seven wins in 15 nights, they have the luxury of taking a deep breath before they play for the Cup yet again.

A handful of veterans in this group - including Chara, Bergeron, goalie Tuukka Rask and forward Brad Marchand - won it in 2011 and lost to Chicago at this stage two years later.

''We've basically kind of grew up together,'' Bergeron said. ''It's been a fun ride to be a part with these guys as the core group. The leaders have been through a lot, I guess, ups and downs, and ... you realize how hard it is to get to this point, so you've got to be thankful for that.''

The Bruins found a way to sidestep the run of first-round upsets that knocked both division winners, Tampa Bay and Washington, out early, though they needed seven games to get past Toronto.

They found their stride in their second-round series with Columbus, advancing in six games after winning the final three.

And once they got rolling, Carolina was powerless to stop them.

Boston was the quicker, stronger and tougher team - and it helped that they the best goalie. With Rask stopping 109 of the 114 shots he faced in the series, the Bruins trailed in only one game - the first one. After a pair of bang-bang power-play goals in the third period of that one, Carolina never led again. The Bruins scored 10 consecutive goals during a stretch that spanned the first two games.

Boston's best-in-the-playoffs power-play unit went 7 of 15 in the series with at least one goal in every game, including two in the series clincher. Rask has closed two straight series with shutouts and continued to look the part of a leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.

''I don't think the break will hurt him, other than you lose some of your sharpness of game intensity,'' coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''I just see Tuukka not only as a goalie but as a person, as a really zoned-in guy right now. Really even-keeled. I don't see why that would change in a week. ... I assume he'll come out of it very well. He's played a lot of hockey, too. The break will do him some good.''

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

— Are the Jets trying to hire Peyton Manning as their new GM?

— Memphis now has the #1 recruiting class in college hoop this spring.

— Braves 4, Brewers 3— Freddie Freeman with a walk-off homer.

— Twins 18, Mariners 4— Seattle started season 13-3; they’re 9-23 since then.

— Angels 6, Royals 3— Mike Trout hit his 250th career home run.

— In case you were wondering, 80 years ago this week, a Princeton-Columbia baseball game was televised, the first sporting event ever televised.


**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

13) Warriors 110, Trailblazers 99— Looks like the two conference finals could be very short series. I’ve said this before, but basketball doesn’t need best-of-7 series. Would be way better with best-of-3 series, with a best-of-5 final; imagine the drama?

Kevin Durant’s first game against the Warriors next year has to be on national TV, right? Opening night? Christmas?

12) Earlier this year, a guy at Caesers Palace in Las Vegas bet $20,000 that Eldrick Woods would NOT win all four majors this year, so when Woods missed the cut at the PGA Friday, the guy won his bet, which paid him off a handsome $20.

He risked $20,000 to win $20. Oy.

11) Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom was the 2nd guy to have Tommy John surgery back in the 60’s, which means he came close to being the first guy to have Brent Strom surgery.

10) Former NFL QB David Carr works on NFL Network now; this week, Carr left Joe Montana out of his list of the top 10 QB’s in the Super Bowl era.

If you know me, you know I’ve been a Ram fan since the mid-60’s and I’m no Notre Dame fan, so Montana isn’t my favorite player, but good grief, you lose credibility when you leave him off a top 10 list of QB’s in the last 53 years.

9) Orioles averaged 30,805 fans per home game in 2014; they’re averaging 15,720 this year. Its not that they’re losing, its that they have no chance of winning- there’s a difference.

From 2012-16, Baltimore won the most games in the AL; now? Not so much.

8) College basketball transfer portal:
— South Dakota State G David Jenkins bolts to UNLV.
— Javonte Smart is coming back to LSU next year; must pay well to play ball there.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Minnesota put DH Nelson Cruz (wrist) on the IL.
— Washington put P Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) on IL.
— White Sox put P Manny Banuelos (shoulder) on IL.

6) Rick Porcello is the last major league pitcher to throw a shutout where he didn’t strike anyone out- that happened in 2014.

5) From CNN.com: “Local, state and federal law enforcement conducted a massive heroin bust in Connecticut on Friday, resulting in 51 arrests and the seizure of guns, $15,000 in cash and thousands of bags of heroin packaged for sale.”

I have a question; what happens to all that heroin? What happens to the money? Seriously, inquiring minds would like to know.

4) White Sox 4, Blue Jays 1 (5)— Ryan Feierabend made his first MLB appearance in five years; it was his first start in the majors since 2008. This game was shortened by rain.

3) If the Bruins win the Stanley Cup this spring, then Boston would have the reigning champs in the NHL, MLB and the NFL. Last time that happened? Detroit, in 1935.

2) Joke of the Day: Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?

Great food, no atmosphere.

1) May 19 is a sad day in my house; my dad passed away four years ago tonight. He was a terrific guy; loved golf, the Mets, Knicks and his weekly football pools. He was a great example of what a person should be, and I miss him every day.

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

Sharks, Blues confident going to Game 5
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks have been at their best this postseason when they had little margin for error.

That's probably why they feel comfortable heading home for Game 5 of the Western Conference final against the Blues after a lackluster start led to a Game 4 loss in St. Louis.

Having squandered a series lead for the second time in this matchup, the Sharks know a loss Sunday could mean they won't get to play on home ice again this postseason.

''It's a great spot to be in,'' coach Peter DeBoer said Saturday. ''This is supposed to be hard. What happened with Boston on the other side, that usually doesn't happen. Usually these are all six, seven hard-fought games, hard-fought series. We're right where I expected we would be, in a good spot going home, and we've got to get the job done.''

After alternating wins in the first four games, the Sharks and Blues now have a best-of-three to decide who plays the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. Boston swept Carolina in the East and will have 10 days off before the start of the next round May 27.

Nothing has come easy for San Jose or St. Louis. The Blues went six games in the opening round against Winnipeg before needing double overtime in Game 7 of the second round against Dallas to make the conference final.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have endured two seven-game series - Vegas and Colorado. That's happened in part because they have appeared to let up when leading a series before responding with greater desperation.

San Jose is 0-6 this postseason when leading a series. But it is 10-2 when tied or trailing, including four wins in elimination games sparked by a comeback from 3-1 down in the opening round to the Golden Knights.

''There's a lot of emotion in the playoffs,'' Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. ''We're in the conference finals. We've had overtime wins, we've had game sevens. We've had emotional games for sure. You just lace them back up next game and you compete.''

The Blues got a goal from Ivan Barbashev 35 seconds into Game 4 and added another late in the first period before hanging on for the 2-1 win Friday.

It was an impressive rebound from a crushing Game 3 loss when the Blues allowed the tying goal with 1:01 left in regulation and then the winner in overtime after the officials failed to see a hand pass by San Jose that set up Erik Karlsson's goal.

''We're in a good spot,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''So just pushing and keep fighting and be aggressive. Just be aggressive as a team and be confident as a team. That's our message. You're going to have ups and downs in the playoffs and you have to move on from it. You really do. As much as we had to move on from that Game 3 loss we have to move on from last night's win.''

The Sharks need to come out in Game 5 with the kind of play they showed in the final two periods Friday. They controlled the puck and hemmed the Blues into the defensive end for long stretches.

The only problem was St. Louis rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who stopped all 11 shots in the second period and then nine of 10 in the third. He allowed only a power-play goal to Tomas Hertl on the way to his franchise-record 10th win this postseason.

Binnington improved to 11-2 this season in games following a loss.

''As soon as people start doubting him, he pulls another sick performance,'' Blues forward David Perron said.

Another big concern for the Sharks is the health of Karlsson, who played only one shift in the final 9:24 after an apparent injury. Karlsson missed 27 of the final 33 games in the regular season with groin injuries that have hampered him in the playoffs.

He's had big moments, with 14 assists and two goals, including the disputed overtime winner in Game 3 against the Blues. But he also seems to labor at times, as he did in the third period before taking an extended break when the Sharks were fighting for the tying goal.

He returned for the final 1:55 game with the goalie pulled but mostly stayed positioned at the point for passes and shots, his skating limited. DeBoer offered no update Saturday on Karlsson's condition.

The Blues will again be without defenseman Vince Dunn, who took a puck to the face in Game 3.

[StarDust Bum]

21St Louis -22 San Jose
ST LOUIS are 21-6 ATS (14.8 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.


NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, May 19


St. Louis @ San Jose

Game 21-22
May 19, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
11.406
San Jose
12.951
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-130
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-130); Over


NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 19

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

ST LOUIS (55-33-0-11, 121 pts.) at SAN JOSE (56-34-0-10, 122 pts.) - 5/19/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 19-6 ATS (+10.5 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 40-22 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-23 ATS (+10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 22-11 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 7-6 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 7-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.4 Units)

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


NHL

Sunday, May 19

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

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
San Jose is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Jose's last 14 games at home
San Jose is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Jose's last 10 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis

[StarDust Bum]

Sharks vs Blues NHL betting picks and predictions: San Jose bounces back after loss
Monty Andrews

Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks leads the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in scoring and is a solid bet to pot a goal tonight against the St. Louis Blues, with his odds set at +170.

The Western Conference final is now a best-of-three – and that suits the San Jose Sharks just fine as they host the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues drew even for the second time in the best-of-seven set, pulling ahead early and holding on for a 2-1 triumph behind a 29-save performance from Jordan Binnington. But while San Jose struggled to do much in Game 4, it hasn't lost consecutive games since midway through its first-round series victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5.5)

QUICK-HITTER

Early scoring has been a trademark of the Sharks' playoff performance, for better or worse. San Jose has allowed a goal in the first minute of the game on three separate occasions this postseason – the most since the Boston Bruins surrendered four opening-minute goals during their successful Stanley Cup run. Three of the first four games have featured goals within the opening four minutes, and we like one of these teams to get on the scoresheet early enough in Game 5 to convert this prop.

PREDICTION: Time of 1st score: Before 9:30 elapsed (-140)

PERIOD BET

It's worth sticking with the opening period here, since it has seen the most consistent output. The second period had been an incredible Over play heading into Game 4, but the teams went scoreless in the middle frame after scoring 13 times over the previous three games. And they've done little in the final frame, with just five total goals through four games. The opening period has gone O1.5 in three of four games – including Game 4 – and we favor that trend continuing Sunday afternoon.

PREDICTION: Over 1.5 first-period goals (-110)

TEAM/PLAYER BET

It might seem like low-hanging fruit, but when you're looking for player prop options at this point in the postseason, you can't do much better than going with the guy who leads the Stanley Cup playoffs in goal-scoring. Logan Couture has been sensational so far, piling up 14 goals – four more than runner-up and teammate Tomas Hertl – and has been particularly prolific at SAP Center, with eight goals in 10 postseason contests. Take the hottest player on NHL ice to keep his impressive streak alive.

PREDICTION: Logan Couture anytime goal (+170)

FULL-GAME TOTAL

Both teams showed impressive defensive prowess in Game 4, but bettors shouldn't expect that to be a prevailing trend over the rest of the series. The sides combined for 24 goals through the first three games, and only some outstanding goaltending on both sides – particularly Binnington and the Blues – kept the score down in Game 4. We expect these teams to find more success in the goal department in Game 5, making the O5.5 the superior play.

PREDICTION: Over 5.5 goals (-110)

FULL-GAME SIDE

These teams have played near dead-even hockey through four games, with both teams winning once on the road and once on home ice. But the Sharks were better than the Game 4 scoresheet indicated, finishing with a 30-22 shots advantage – and now they'll return to SAP Center, where they average a whopping 3.90 goals through their first 10 home playoff games. San Jose has won four consecutive games following a loss, and is a great play to make it five in a row in Game 5.

PREDICTION: San Jose -140

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MAY 19
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at SJ 03:00 PM

SJ -128

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Blues blank Sharks 5-0, lead series 3-2
May 19, 2019
ShareFacebookTwitterDiggMySpace

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) From last in the league in early January all the way to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final in nearly a half-century, it has been quite a ride for the St. Louis Blues.

A remarkable turnaround continued Sunday with perhaps their most convincing win of a charmed playoff run.

Jaden Schwartz started a dominant second period with the first of his three goals, Vladimir Tarasenko scored on a penalty shot and the Blues moved within one win of the Cup final with a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.

''It's probably tough to put into words,'' Schwartz said. ''It's something that everyone's worked for and dreamed about. You don't want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win's going to be. It would be a dream come true.''

St. Louis used a relentless forecheck to take control of the game and series in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting the beleaguered Sharks 20-6 during the frame. It also got 21 saves from Jordan Binnington in his first playoff shutout and a first-period goal from Oskar Sundqvist to overwhelm the Sharks.

Schwartz added two goals in the third for his second hat trick this postseason, becoming the first player with two in one playoff run since Johan Franzen for Detroit in 2008.

The victory gave the Blues a 3-2 series lead, the closest they've been to making the final since getting there in their first three seasons as the winner of the all-expansion Western Conference. St. Louis can earn its first trip back to the final since 1970 with a win at home in Game 6 on Tuesday night, an improbable journey for a team that was last in the standings on Jan. 2.

''We're close. We're very close right now,'' forward Patrick Maroon said. ''I think the guys know that. It's in the back of their heads, but we know that that's a good hockey team over there too and they're not going to give up.''

Martin Jones made 35 saves for the Sharks but got little help from his teammates, who have been held to one goal in losing the past two games. San Jose now faces elimination for the third straight series, having overcome a 3-1 series deficit to Vegas in the first round and winning a Game 7 at home in the second round against Colorado.

''We've been here before,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''Had to go on the road and win in Vegas in order to get to a Game 7. You're never comfortable when your back's against the wall like that, but we have been here before and found a way and I'm confident we can do that again.''

San Jose got off to a spirited start in the rare afternoon contest that led to a more subdued crowd than usual at the Shark Tank. Evander Kane hit the post just 12 seconds into the game and the Sharks had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes despite falling behind 1-0 when Sundqvist converted a turnover from a hobbled Erik Karlsson into a goal less than six minutes into the contest.

Karlsson has been hampered by a groin injury that sidelined him for 27 of the final 33 games in the regular season and has been extremely limited since the third period of Game 4. He tried to make a quick outlet under pressure but his pass went through teammate Brenden Dillon's skates, off the boards and right to Sundqvist, who beat Jones to give the Blues their fourth goal of the series from the fourth line.

The Blues then took over in the second period, putting 11 shots on goal in less than five minutes. They added to the lead when Tarasenko's shot was partially blocked. Jones then swept it away but it went right to Schwartz, who knocked it into the open net.

Schwartz added the two goals in the third, giving him 12 in the playoffs after scoring just 11 in 69 regular-season games.

''It was an off-year obviously for him in the regular season,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''But the guy keeps working hard. He's not going to change his attitude. He keeps with it, he keeps working and it's paying off now.''

The Blues kept up the pressure, leading to a breakaway by Tarasenko. He was pulled down by Brent Burns for a penalty shot and converted it with a shot high to Jones' glove side.

The game got out of hand in the third as the Sharks took a parade to the penalty box, upset about a hit to the head of Tomas Hertl in the first period by Ivan Barbashev and a high hit to captain Joe Pavelski by Alex Pietrangelo early in the third.

''I thought we obviously took way too many penalties,'' forward Logan Couture said. ''You can't come back when you're in the box the whole period, got away from us at the end. Would have really liked us to control our emotions and given ourselves a chance.''

NOTES: Karlsson and Hertl didn't play in the third period and Pavelski didn't return after his hit. DeBoer gave no update on their conditions. ... Tarasenko's goal was the first converted penalty shot in the playoffs ever for the Blues. They missed their only other chance by Jimmy Roberts in 1968.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:08 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.90
05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
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..............18-25-1 .....41.86% -61.60


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/19/2019..............0 - 0...................+0.00........./..........0 - 1................-5.50.............-5.50
05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
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 - 4.....................+12.70................6 - 15................-52.50.............-39.80


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Odds to win the US Open golf tournament next month:

5-1— Brooks Koepka

8-1— Dustin Johnson

12-1— Eldrick Woods

14-1— Rory McIlroy

16-1— Justin Rose

20-1— Day, Fowler, Rahm, Smith, Thomas


**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: In a perfect world, where I made all the decisions……

13) Kids could go right from high school to the NBA; going to school for only one year is a farce, so if a kid goes to college, then he is there for at least two years. College baseball has that rule, but I think it is three years for them.

12) Both leagues would have the DH; this will happen in a couple years. Add a player or two to rosters, to appease the players’ union.


11) NFL would have an 18-game regular season, only two preseason games; Super Bowl would be Sunday night of Presidents’ Day weekend.

10) College football teams wouldn’t play I-AA opponents; SEC teams do this a lot. Last year, Alabama played The Citadel, Ole Miss played Southern Illinois, South Carolina played Tenn-Chattanooga. Seriously? Go play a MAC team or a Sun Belt team, at least.

9) Online poker would be made legal so the poker companies would advertise on TV and ESPN would start replaying the World Series of Poker again, like they used to. The stuff ESPN puts on in daytime on weekdays is mostly terrible. Mike Greenberg, Stephen A Smith both make around $6M a year, a tremendous waste of money.

Listening to talking heads in contrived arguments is a waste of electricity. Much rather watch people play cards, or replays of games, actual competition.

8) As far as college basketball transfers go, if you poach a transfer from a team, then you have to go play a game in that team’s gym. Most of the teams that poach transfers are way better than the teams they poach from anyway, but they often don’t have the onions to play road games.

By way of explanation, over the last seven seasons, Duke has played only three non-conference road games, all mandated by the ACC-Big 14 challenge. When Duke poached Seth Curry from Liberty, they should have had to go there and play a true road game.

7) I would take the radios out of NFL players’ helmets; coaches have six days to prepare their teams to play. Gameday should be the players’ day; let the QB’s call their own plays, which would make the game lot more exciting. QB’s calling the plays would make the game more fun.

6) I’d eliminate the American/National Leagues and go to geographic realignment, which would reduce travel costs and invigorate regional rivalries. Going to 32 teams (which will happen soon) will make scheduling a lot easier.

5) NBA playoff series would be best-of-3, with finals best-of-5. Less games, more drama; it is more interesting when the best team has a chance to lose. Would the NCAA tournament be at all interesting if a 16-seed played Duke/Kentucky best-of-3?

4) I’d get rid of the Electoral College in our presidential election; whoever gets the most votes wins, just like in all the other elections.

3) Would definitely move the NBA Draft Lottery back to a half hour before the actual draft; imagine the drama then? Lot of executives would have to think on their feet.

2) You want to make baseball’s All-Star Game more interesting? Make it USA vs the World, and it’ll become a serious game fairly quickly. Maybe too serious.

1) Would like to make people happier; nowadays, there is so much anger in the world. There is a lot less tolerance of others than there used to be. You be you, and let others do what they do. Cheer the bleep up!!!!

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack

Odds for this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge:

9-1— Justin Rose

12-1— Jon Rahm

14-1— Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth

16-1— Xander Schauffele

20-1— Francesco Molinari

25-1— Casey, DeChambeau, Finau

Quote of the Day
“We’re all motivated by different things. I’ve always been somebody who if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to give everything I have to spite you. Whether that’s a good quality or not, that’s just who I am.”
UNLV basketball coach TJ Otzelberger

Tuesday’s quiz
Which college football bowl game is played in El Paso every December?

Monday’s quiz
In the movie Dave, Ben Kingsley played the Vice-President.

Sunday’s quiz
Former Colorado Rockie Todd Helton (246) has the most career hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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

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

13) There was some grumbling in Toronto Monday when last week’s AL Player of the Week, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, was given a day off for the Blue Jays’ Victoria Day game with Boston, a game the Red Sox won easily, 12-2.

Why give a 20-year old kid a day off when he is hot? When you have a big crowd in the house on a holiday? When you can use him at DH and at least let him get four AB’s in front of the home crowd, which is rooting for a lousy Toronto team this season?

12) Strange stat: Boston’s Andrew Benintendi is 2-for-35 in his first at-bat of a game; he is hitting .326 in all his other AB’s.

11) The softball coach at Oklahoma, who has won four national titles, makes $1M a year. We were guessing Sunday night how much softball coaches get paid, so I did a google search and was stunned to find that out.

10) Washington Redskins’ LB Reuben Foster was carted off the field Monday with a knee injury during the Redskins’ OTAs.

9) Tampa Bay Bucs released DT Gerald McCoy, who was set to make $13M this season.

8) Mets’ OF Yoenis Cespedes suffered multiple fractures in his right ankle on his ranch down in Florida, so who knows when he’ll be back in the major leagues. Unlike Gerald McCoy, Cespedes will keep getting paid, because baseball contracts are guaranteed- most NFL contracts aren’t.

7) Conference USA reached a broadcast deal with NFL Network, which will show 10 of their games next season.

6) ESPN’s Hubie Brown said over the weekend that he has worked with 21 different TV play-by-play broadcasters during his career, including Al Michaels, Brent Musburger, Marv Albert, Dick Stockton and Mike Breen. He is 85 years old and still going strong. Amazing guy.

5) Toronto’s Ryan Feierabend returned to the majors Saturday as a knuckleballer; he is the first lefty knuckleballer in the major leagues since Baltimore’s Danny Boone, in 1990.

4) All the passengers on a flight at JFK Airport in NYC had to deplane before takeoff Monday afternoon due to a guy who refused to turn his phone off after they closed the boarding door. Police removed him, but only after everyone else was off the plane first.

3) Former Florida State QB Deondre Francois will walk on at Florida Atlantic this fall; hr got tossed from FSU because of a couple of domestic violence incidents. He will compete for the QB job with LY’s starter Chris Robison, who was suspended this spring due to an investigation into an alleged sexual battery that led to no charges being filed.

Francois played in 25 games at quarterback for the Seminoles, throwing for 6,291 yards, 36 TDs and 21 INTs.

2) Vegas Dave, the huckster/tipster featured on Showtime’s Action series last month, had been indicted in January by the Federal Government on 19 felony counts carrying a potential sentence of 40+ years in federal prison, but in the end winds up with no felony convictions.

A judge ordered that he must stay out of Las Vegas sportsbooks for three years; he also gets three years probation, must get gambling treatment and do 150 hours of community service.

1) Am guessing there is no way to know this, but I’d be curious how many fantasy baseball leagues there are in this country. Every time Mike Trout or Bryce Harper hits one out, how many owners are they helping out?

Am also guessing that being an official scorer for major league games has become a much tougher job, with people having money on the line, as far as what is a hit and what isn’t.