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**Udog** · 05-19-2019, 08:14 AM

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.

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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.

**Udog** · 05-19-2019, 08:16 AM

Sunday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/19

**Udog** · 05-19-2019, 08:20 AM

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.

**Udog** · 05-19-2019, 08:24 AM

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

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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)

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NHL

Sunday, May 19

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Trend Report
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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

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**Udog** · 05-19-2019, 10:54 AM

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

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Sunday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/19

Sunday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/19

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