Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 01:49 AM

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena
8:05 PM Washington Capitals St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center
10:05 PM Vancouver Canucks Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
10:35 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:05 PM Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:05 PM Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
8:05 PM Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
8:35 PM Boston Bruins Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
9:05 PM Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
10:05 PM Arizona Coyotes Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
2:05 PM Chicago Blackhawks Philadelphia Flyers O2 Arena
7:05 PM Toronto Maple Leafs Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
7:05 PM Washington Capitals New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets New Jersey Devils Prudential Center
10:35 PM Vegas Golden Knights San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY OCTOBER 5, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Carolina Hurricanes Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
7:05 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:05 PM Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena
7:05 PM New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
7:05 PM New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center
7:05 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers BB&T Center
8:05 PM Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center
8:05 PM Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
9:05 PM Boston Bruins Arizona Coyotes Gila River Arena
9:05 PM Minnesota Wild Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
10:05 PM Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
10:05 PM San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
10:05 PM Vancouver Canucks Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
5:05 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Little Caesars Arena
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets New York Islanders Barclays Center

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 01:52 AM

Sharks F Kane suspended for 3 games
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for the first three games of the season for abuse of an official.

The punishment handed out Tuesday comes after a run-in Kane had with Vegas' Deryk Engelland in a preseason game on Sunday.

Kane responded with a slash after being cross-checked by Engelland. His stick also made contact with linesman Kiel Murchison. Murchison later grabbed Kane's jersey to split the two players up and the two fell to the ice. Kane then appeared to shove the linesman as he got up. Kane was given a game misconduct for the play.

The Sharks open the season Wednesday night in Vegas and then host the Golden Knights on Friday night. Kane will also miss a game in Nashville on Oct. 8.

Kane will forfeit more than $112,000 based on his annual salary because of the suspension.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 01:54 AM

Wild defenseman Pateryn out 6 weeks
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn has undergone surgery on his midsection and will be out about six more weeks.

The Wild said Tuesday the procedure for a bilateral core muscle repair went as planned in Philadelphia. Pateryn missed most of training camp because of the injury.

The seven-year veteran was starting his second season with the Wild. He had one goal and six assists with a minus-11 rating in 80 games last season.

The injury to Pateryn paved the way for rookie Carson Soucy to make the roster, with Brad Hunt and Nick Seeler the other options for the third blue line pair behind Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin.

The Wild open the season Thursday at Nashville.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 01:56 AM

Culture is key in developing for Devils
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

Whether it involves New Jersey rookie center Jack Hughes or any other prospect, Devils general manager Ray Shero says the most important aspects of a prospect's development must be in place before first stepping into the locker room.

Simply put, the key is culture, and how it rubs off on an impressionable 18-year-old.

''If you have a bad group of guys, if you're not in a good environment in terms of work ethic, you're like, `OK, that's how it's done here, great. I'm not going to work, I'm going to stay out `til 4 o'clock,''' Shero told The Associated Press.

''If there's accountability, and that's really a big thing in terms with anything whether it's business, sports, whatever ... when you walk into that it's `Oh, that's how it's done,''' he added. ''There's learning curves for everything on and off the ice. I think the better you support those guys as young kids and teenagers, the better off they're going to be.''

The start of the NHL season this week places the focus on a new crop of youngsters set to make their debuts.

In New Jersey, all eyes are on Hughes, the under-sized, play-making center who became the eighth American-born player selected with the top pick in June. He joins a team that features two other No. 1 draft picks in Taylor Hall, who was selected first by Edmonton in the 2010 draft, and Nico Hischier, selected No. 1 by the Devils in 2017.

Nothing Hughes has done thus far should give Shero pause as the Devils prepare to open their season hosting Winnipeg on Friday.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Hughes displayed how much of a competitor he is in expressing how unhappy he was losing in his first NHL competitive setting - a 6-4 loss to Buffalo in in the Sabres prospects tournament last month.

''We kind of got lucky to put four on the board, and only gave up six. Disappointing game,'' Hughes said.

The youngster responded once the preseason began by scoring twice, including the decisive goal, on a give-and-go with Nikita Gusev in a 4-3 overtime win in his preseason debut against Boston.

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban was so impressed, he referred to Hughes' performance as ''nasty.''

And the player who spent the past two years setting USA Hockey's National Development Program's scoring record followed up by scoring a breakaway goal 34 seconds into a 4-2 win over the Rangers a few days later. Hughes finished the preseason with three goals and an assist in four games.

Coming from a hockey family in which his brother Quinn is a defenseman in Vancouver and father Jim a former coach, Jack Hughes understands he has not accomplished anything just yet. And he got a taste of what playing in the NHL would be like representing the United States at the world hockey championships in May.

''I went into this summer knowing I needed a lot of work to be done. I kind of figured it out that it wasn't the USHL,'' he said. ''It was kind of wakeup call to work on my game and get a lot better.''

The Devils are encouraging Hughes' development by assigning him a locker next to Hall.

Hall sees his role as being someone Hughes can use as a sounding board

''He's taking in a lot of information every day, so helping him with that. It's more leading by example,'' Hall said. ''I think it's up to us as players as coaches as management to shelter him as much as possible to make sure all his energy is going toward hockey.''

Like any youngster, Hughes is bound to make mistakes. One issue that stood out in Buffalo was the number of times he coughed up the puck.

Former NHLer turned broadcaster Ed Olczyk isn't concerned, believing Hughes will learn to adapt.

''He's going to try things that he won't in 50 games game from now or 100 games from now. You've going to have to take the good with the bad and vice versa,'' he said.

Devils assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald said Hughes' turnovers are no different than what he saw during his time in Pittsburgh with then-youngsters Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

''I just think you allow the player to be who they are, and that's what he is,'' Fitzgerald said. ''Jack's a magician with the puck.''

Here's a list of other youngster to keep an eye on this season:

D CALE MAKAR, COLORADO

After helping UMass make its first Frozen Four appearance in April, college hockey's Hobey Baker Award-winner made the jump to the NHL by joining Colorado in the midst of its first-round playoff series with Calgary. He became the first defenseman to score a playoff goal in his NHL debut and finished with a goal and five assists in 10 games.

D QUINN HUGHES, VANCOUVER

A play-making defenseman, Hughes spent two years at Michigan before closing last season with three assists in five games with the Canucks.

RW KAAPO KAKKO, NEW YORK RANGERS

Selected second overall behind Jack Hughes, the 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward led Finland with six goals in 10 games at the world championships. His 22 goals in the Finnish Elite League last season were the most by a draft-eligible player.

LW ALEXANDRE TEXIER, COLUMBUS

The 20-year-old is being counted upon to be part of the Blue Jackets' young core to step up following the offseason free-agency departures of Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene. Texier had two goals and an assist in eight playoff games with Columbus last spring.

D ERIK BRANNSTROM, OTTAWA

Acquired in a trade that sent Mark Stone to Vegas in February, Brannstrom is expected to get plenty of playing time on a young Senators team.

F VICTOR OLOFSSON, BUFFALO

Nicknamed Victor ''Goal-ofsson'' for his deft shooting ability, he had two goals and two assists in six games with the Sabres last year, and had a team-leading 30 goals in 65 games with AHL Rochester. A seventh-round pick, the 24-year-old rookie was a late-bloomer after playing five seasons in his native Sweden.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 01:58 AM

Stone ready to lead in first full season
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) The first time Mark Stone ever skated onto the ice for an NHL game, he was 19 years old and his Ottawa Senators were facing the New York Rangers in the playoffs.

Erik Karlsson was his teammate then and he remembers it well. ''I've been with Stoney since he played his first game,'' said Karlsson, now a San Jose Sharks defenseman. ''I've seen him kind of evolve into the guy he is today. He's taken the right steps from day one. He was very fortunate to be around some of the guys in Ottawa that were still there.''

Today, Stone is 27 and one of the best forwards in the league, and Karlsson said things have come full circle for his friend in Las Vegas, where Stone has emerged as a mentor and leader for the Golden Knights.

Stone's arrival in Vegas in February via trade after six-plus years in Ottawa solidified the third-year franchise as a contender as the big-bodied defensive forward makes things happen in both zones.

Though they now play for heated rivals who will open the season facing each other Wednesday, Karlsson said he is happy for his friend, whom he believes is in a good place with Vegas, where many young players can benefit from his leadership on and off the ice.

''He's a fantastic man and a good hockey player, I think we all know that,'' said Karlsson, who reunited with Stone in Ottawa this summer for several offseason workouts. ''He has the right values and he knows what needs to be done to be the best that you can be.

''I think that he's always realized what his attributes are on the ice and he's used that as an example over the course of the years and I think he's learned his own way of leading and I think he does that by example. As of lately, I think that he's evolved in helping others reach their potential. He's taken the long hard road and he's turned himself into the player that he is today by the dedication and the love of the game that he has, and I know he's gonna be great for the guys here.''

Stone's talent is no secret.

He positions himself on offense to make things happen, whether for himself or his teammates. His sturdy 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame allows him to hold the puck a second or two longer in the offensive zone and tends to draw an added defender. The tactic generally leaves one of his linemates open, allowing him to find someone in the crease.

''The minute you think he's gonna pass it, he shoots; he's not afraid to do both,'' Golden Knights center Paul Stastny said.

On defense, Stone has a knack for disrupting opposing forwards by pickpocketing pucks, intercepting passes, or singlehandedly shutting down another team's offensive attack before it even starts.

''He's able to clean up other people's mistakes and turn them into quick offense,'' wing Reilly Smith said. ''He's a mainstay in this league, he's one of the best players, so we're happy to have him for sure.''

Where he's been just as valuable has been in blending perfectly into a system that has relied on locker-room chemistry. Now the Golden Knights benefit from having him for an entire season, being the type of mentor he once relied on in Ottawa.

''You add Mark in for the whole year this year and he's such a presence for our group,'' defenseman Nate Schmidt said. ''He makes a lot of guys better around him.''

Stone said he has no problem taking on a leadership role with a team that became his number one choice when he knew things would no longer work in Ottawa.

''I heard awesome things about the organization, the ownership, the management, the coaches and, ultimately, the players in this room and it hasn't disappointed,'' said Stone, who had 11 points in 18 regular-season games and 12 points in seven playoff games for Vegas last season. ''This is a group of guys that I love to come to the rink with and work with every day and going and competing with every day.''

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 12:44 PM

Culture is key in developing for Devils
October 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

Whether it involves New Jersey rookie center Jack Hughes or any other prospect, Devils general manager Ray Shero says the most important aspects of a prospect's development must be in place before first stepping into the locker room.

Simply put, the key is culture, and how it rubs off on an impressionable 18-year-old.

''If you have a bad group of guys, if you're not in a good environment in terms of work ethic, you're like, `OK, that's how it's done here, great. I'm not going to work, I'm going to stay out `til 4 o'clock,''' Shero told The Associated Press.

''If there's accountability, and that's really a big thing in terms with anything whether it's business, sports, whatever ... when you walk into that it's `Oh, that's how it's done,''' he added. ''There's learning curves for everything on and off the ice. I think the better you support those guys as young kids and teenagers, the better off they're going to be.''

The start of the NHL season this week places the focus on a new crop of youngsters set to make their debuts.

In New Jersey, all eyes are on Hughes, the under-sized, play-making center who became the eighth American-born player selected with the top pick in June. He joins a team that features two other No. 1 draft picks in Taylor Hall, who was selected first by Edmonton in the 2010 draft, and Nico Hischier, selected No. 1 by the Devils in 2017.

Nothing Hughes has done thus far should give Shero pause as the Devils prepare to open their season hosting Winnipeg on Friday.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Hughes displayed how much of a competitor he is in expressing how unhappy he was losing in his first NHL competitive setting - a 6-4 loss to Buffalo in in the Sabres prospects tournament last month.

''We kind of got lucky to put four on the board, and only gave up six. Disappointing game,'' Hughes said.

The youngster responded once the preseason began by scoring twice, including the decisive goal, on a give-and-go with Nikita Gusev in a 4-3 overtime win in his preseason debut against Boston.

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban was so impressed, he referred to Hughes' performance as ''nasty.''

And the player who spent the past two years setting USA Hockey's National Development Program's scoring record followed up by scoring a breakaway goal 34 seconds into a 4-2 win over the Rangers a few days later. Hughes finished the preseason with three goals and an assist in four games.

Coming from a hockey family in which his brother Quinn is a defenseman in Vancouver and father Jim a former coach, Jack Hughes understands he has not accomplished anything just yet. And he got a taste of what playing in the NHL would be like representing the United States at the world hockey championships in May.

''I went into this summer knowing I needed a lot of work to be done. I kind of figured it out that it wasn't the USHL,'' he said. ''It was kind of wakeup call to work on my game and get a lot better.''

The Devils are encouraging Hughes' development by assigning him a locker next to Hall.

Hall sees his role as being someone Hughes can use as a sounding board

''He's taking in a lot of information every day, so helping him with that. It's more leading by example,'' Hall said. ''I think it's up to us as players as coaches as management to shelter him as much as possible to make sure all his energy is going toward hockey.''

Like any youngster, Hughes is bound to make mistakes. One issue that stood out in Buffalo was the number of times he coughed up the puck.

Former NHLer turned broadcaster Ed Olczyk isn't concerned, believing Hughes will learn to adapt.

''He's going to try things that he won't in 50 games game from now or 100 games from now. You've going to have to take the good with the bad and vice versa,'' he said.

Devils assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald said Hughes' turnovers are no different than what he saw during his time in Pittsburgh with then-youngsters Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

''I just think you allow the player to be who they are, and that's what he is,'' Fitzgerald said. ''Jack's a magician with the puck.''

Here's a list of other youngster to keep an eye on this season:

D CALE MAKAR, COLORADO

After helping UMass make its first Frozen Four appearance in April, college hockey's Hobey Baker Award-winner made the jump to the NHL by joining Colorado in the midst of its first-round playoff series with Calgary. He became the first defenseman to score a playoff goal in his NHL debut and finished with a goal and five assists in 10 games.

D QUINN HUGHES, VANCOUVER

A play-making defenseman, Hughes spent two years at Michigan before closing last season with three assists in five games with the Canucks.

RW KAAPO KAKKO, NEW YORK RANGERS

Selected second overall behind Jack Hughes, the 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward led Finland with six goals in 10 games at the world championships. His 22 goals in the Finnish Elite League last season were the most by a draft-eligible player.

LW ALEXANDRE TEXIER, COLUMBUS

The 20-year-old is being counted upon to be part of the Blue Jackets' young core to step up following the offseason free-agency departures of Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene. Texier had two goals and an assist in eight playoff games with Columbus last spring.

D ERIK BRANNSTROM, OTTAWA

Acquired in a trade that sent Mark Stone to Vegas in February, Brannstrom is expected to get plenty of playing time on a young Senators team.

F VICTOR OLOFSSON, BUFFALO

Nicknamed Victor ''Goal-ofsson'' for his deft shooting ability, he had two goals and two assists in six games with the Sabres last year, and had a team-leading 30 goals in 65 games with AHL Rochester. A seventh-round pick, the 24-year-old rookie was a late-bloomer after playing five seasons in his native Sweden.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 12:47 PM

3WASHINGTON -4 ST LOUIS
WASHINGTON is 26-16 ATS (8.4 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 in the last 3 seasons.

7SAN JOSE -8 VEGAS
VEGAS are 28-9 ATS (18.1 Units) in home games first half of the season in the last 3 seasons.

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, October 2

Ottawa @ Toronto

Game 1-2
October 2, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
9.099
Toronto
10.564
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
-290
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(-290); Under

Washington @ St. Louis

Game 5-6
October 2, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
10.762
St. Louis
14.467
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 3 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-140); Over

Vancouver @ Edmonton

Game 5-6
October 2, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vancouver
11.652
Edmonton
10.575
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
-135
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver
(+115); Under

San Jose @ Vegas

Game 7-8
October 2, 2019 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.276
Vegas
9.659
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-165
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(+145); Under

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 2

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

OTTAWA (29-47-0-6, 64 pts.) at TORONTO (49-32-0-8, 106 pts.) - 10/2/2019, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 5-3 (+6.4 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 5-3-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.1 Units)

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

WASHINGTON (51-30-0-8, 110 pts.) at ST LOUIS (61-36-0-11, 133 pts.) - 10/2/2019, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 283-201 ATS (+37.3 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 117-79 ATS (+15.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-16 ATS (+9.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 2-2-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.0 Units)

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

VANCOUVER (35-36-0-11, 81 pts.) at EDMONTON (35-38-0-9, 79 pts.) - 10/2/2019, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 4-4 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 4-4-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.8 Units)

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

SAN JOSE (56-36-0-10, 122 pts.) at VEGAS (46-34-0-9, 101 pts.) - 10/2/2019, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 49-30 ATS (-2.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
VEGAS is 46-43 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 12-9 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 12-9-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
14 of 21 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.4 Units)

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

NHL

Wednesday, October 2

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

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing Montreal
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games
Montreal is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Montreal's last 13 games
Montreal is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Montreal is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games on the road
Montreal is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing Carolina
Montreal is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina

New York Rangers
NY Rangers is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
NY Rangers is 5-16 SU in its last 21 games
NY Rangers is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
NY Rangers is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games
Winnipeg is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games
Winnipeg is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
Winnipeg is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 14 games
Pittsburgh is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games when playing Buffalo
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Buffalo
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
Buffalo is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games
Buffalo is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Buffalo is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Buffalo is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Buffalo is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Tampa Bay's last 17 games
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing Florida
Tampa Bay is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Florida
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 20 games when playing at home against Florida
Florida Panthers
Florida is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Florida's last 10 games
Florida is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
Florida is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Florida is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games on the road
Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Florida's last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay
Florida is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Florida's last 20 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 12:48 PM

by: Monte Andrews

MAPLE LEAFS FOREVER

For a team that still hasn't won a first-round playoff series since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs sure do get favorable treatment in the futures odds department. Toronto, which kicks off the season Wednesday against visiting Ottawa, is the No. 2 favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +900, behind only Tampa Bay (+750) – and while there's plenty of reason to optimism behind the high-powered (and high-priced) trio of John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, bettors might be skittish to invest in a team that has lost in the first round three straight times. Better value: the Over on Toronto's regular-season point total, set at 102.5 (-115).

TIME FOR AN ENCORE

How do the Lightning follow up on an NHL record-tying 62-win season? Past history suggests that Tampa Bay is in for another successful season, at least from a points perspective. Fans would love to see the team overcome its stunning first-round knockout at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but bettors will be focused on a futures point total that sits at 108.5, the highest of any team in the league. Nine teams recorded 120+ points in a season prior to Tampa racking up 128 a season ago – and those teams averaged 114 points the following season. The Over (-115) looks like a strong option.

OUTLOOK: NOT SO GOOD

The Anaheim Ducks enter the season with high hopes and low expectations – but can they reach their Vegas point total of 80.5? In addition to boasting one of the least impressive offensive attacks in the league going into the season, the Ducks will need to find a way to stay healthier this season after seeing just three players appear in more than 70 games in 2018-19. And then there's this: Anaheim finished with 20 one-goal victories (out of 35 total), tied for the third-most in the NHL. If their one-goal success rate of .541 normalizes even slightly, the Ducks will be hard-pressed to avoid going Under their point threshold (-115).

READY TO GO

Patrik Laine will be in the Winnipeg Jets lineup for their season opener against the host New York Rangers – and he's ready to fill the net with pucks. Laine, who signed a two-year bridge deal with the team late last week, has put together back-to-back 30-goal seasons to open his NHL career but went through a dreadful slump last season in which he scored just two goals in a 28-game span from mid-December to late February. But Laine will be the most dangerous goal-scorer on either end of the ice against the Rangers, and is a great prop play to score a goal anytime.

GOALIE PROFILE: BEN BISHOP, DALLAS STARS

It still seems like Bishop doesn't get the credit he deserves, even after what was arguably the best season of his career. Bishop is coming off a sensational campaign in which he led all qualified netminders in save percentage (.934) while finishing second in goals-against average (1.98) – and yet he still finished a distant second in the Vezina Trophy voting to Tampa Andrei Vasilevskiy, who no doubt benefited from the Lightning's record-breaking season. Bishop is a great value play as the No. 3 favorite to win this year's top goaltender award (+750), provided he can stay healthy.

INJURY UPDATE: CONNOR MCDAVID, EDMONTON OILERS

McDavid will start the season, but it might take a while for him to return to peak game form. He suffered a serious leg injury in late March and is only now returning to action, scoring one goal in two preseason games while showing plenty of rust in the process. And while you probably aren't going to fade his Hart Trophy odds any more than if he were completely healthy to open the season – he's the +350 favorite despite playing on an Oilers team that managed just 74 points last season – it might be worth betting against Edmonton in the early going, beginning with Wednesday's encounter with visiting Vancouver (+120).

HAT TRICK TRENDS

• Looking for a fun opening night prop play? Consider that the San Jose Sharks led the NHL with 102 first-period goals last season, while the rival Vegas Golden Knights had just 74. We like the Sharks to lead after 20 minutes in Vegas.

• The Bruins (35-44-3 O/U) and Stars (24-50-8) were two of the top Under options last season. They tangle Wednesday in their season opener in Texas, and with little changing from a personnel perspective on either side, we like the Under play here.

• The Washington Capitals have one of the more challenging schedules to open the year, with nine of their first 14 games coming on the road. It might be worth waiting on their Stanley Cup futures – currently at +1800 – until after this stretch.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-02-2019, 06:20 PM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

OTT at TOR 07:00 PM
O 6.5

WAS at STL 08:00 PM
WAS +133
O 5.5

VAN at EDM 10:00 PM
U 5.5

SJ at VEG 10:30 PM
SJ +150
O 6.5

**StarDust Bum** · 10-03-2019, 03:04 AM

Capitals beat Stanley Cup champion Blue 3-2 in OT in opener
October 2, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) Jakub Vrana scored at 2:51 of overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in the opener for both teams.

Vrana beat Jordan Binnington with a wrist shot to the upper corner for his first point in five career games against the Blues.

Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov also scored, and Braden Holtby made 21 saves for the Capitals.

Sammy Blais and Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Blues, and Binnington made 31 saves.

The Blues raised their Stanley Cup banner during a pregame ceremony that featured a video of members of the team celebrating with the cup during the offseason and highlights of the postseason run.

MAPLE LEAFS 5, SENATORS 3

TORONTO (AP) - Auston Matthews scored twice in Toronto's four-goal second period against Ottawa.

Matthews gave Toronto a 3-2 lead at 8:02 of the second and made it 4-2 on a power play with 5:10 left in the period. He has nine goals and two assists in the four season-opening games, starting with a four-goal game against the Senators in his NHL debut in 2016.

Ilya Mikheyev had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, Frederik Gauthier and Trevor Moore also scored, and Frederik Andersen stopped 23 shots.

Scott Sabourin scored in his NHL debut for Ottawa, Brady Tkachuk, and Bobby Ryan added goals, and Craig Anderson made 37 saves. Former Toronto assistant D.J. Smith made his debut as an NHL head coach.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, SHARKS 1

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Reilly Smith had two goals, Cody Glass scored the first of his career and Vegas beat San Jose in the opener for both teams.

Mark Stone also scored for the Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves to earn the win in the 799th game of his career.

Fleury, now in his 16th season, improved to 10-5-0 in openers. The victory tied him with Curtis Joseph (10-2-0) and Martin Brodeur (10-5-3) for the most season-opening wins in NHL history.

Vegas, which will play in San Jose on Friday, improved to 6-1-2 all-time against the Sharks in the regular season.

Marcus Sorensen scored for San Jose. Martin Jones made 31 saves.

OILERS 3, CANUCKS 2

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, Connor McDavid snapped a third-period tie and Edmonton topped Vancouver in Dave Tippett's debut as Oilers coach.

McDavid broke a 2-all deadlock with 5+ minutes to play, splitting the defense before beating goalie Jacob Markstrom on a strong solo effort.

Zack Kassian also scored for the Oilers. Mike Smith made 31 saves in his first game with Edmonton.

Alexander Edler and Tanner Pearson had the goals for the Canucks, who won their previous five openers.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-03-2019, 03:15 AM

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:05 PM Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:05 PM Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
8:05 PM Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
8:35 PM Boston Bruins Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
9:05 PM Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
10:05 PM Arizona Coyotes Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

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

NHL OCTOBER BEST BETS AND OPINIONS BASED ON 5 UNITS ( LIKE BASE DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )

DATE....................W-L-T....................%................UNITS

10/02/2019............3-3-0...............50.00%.............+0.65

TOTALS..................3-3-0...............50.00%.............+0.65

BEST BETS

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

10/02/2019................1 - 1...............+1.65....................2 - 2...............-1.00.................+0.65

TOTALS......................1 - 1...............+1.65....................2 - 2...............-1.00.................+0.65

**StarDust Bum** · 10-03-2019, 03:15 AM

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:05 PM Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:05 PM Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
8:05 PM Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
8:35 PM Boston Bruins Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
9:05 PM Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
10:05 PM Arizona Coyotes Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

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

NHL OCTOBER BEST BETS AND OPINIONS BASED ON 5 UNITS ( LIKE BASE DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )

DATE....................W-L-T....................%................UNITS

10/02/2019............3-3-0...............50.00%.............+0.65

TOTALS..................3-3-0...............50.00%.............+0.65

BEST BETS

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

10/02/2019................1 - 1...............+1.65....................2 - 2...............-1.00.................+0.65

TOTALS......................1 - 1...............+1.65....................2 - 2...............-1.00.................+0.65

**StarDust Bum** · 10-03-2019, 03:17 AM

Thursday’s 6-pack

Odds to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this season:

— NY Rangers No -$150, Yes +$130

— Winnipeg Jets Yes -$135, No +$115

— Philadelphia Flyers No -$135, Yes +$115

— NY Islanders Yes -$110, No -$110

— New Jersey Devils Yes -$110, No -$110

— Arizona Coyotes No -$125, Yes +$105

Quote of the Day
“Every day, multiple times in a day, I’ve got my dad on my shoulder saying, ‘You’re not going to make it.’ 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

Thursday’s quiz
Which two NFL teams always host games on Thanksgiving Day?

Wednesday’s quiz
Giants beat Detroit in 2012, the last time the World Series was a sweep.

Tuesday’s quiz
Sam Darnold played his college football at USC.

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

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

13) This is the 8th year of the one-game Wild Card playoff in baseball; the teams that won those games are 6-8 in their next series, 3-4 in both leagues.

2014 Giants are only Wild Card winner to win the World Series; they beat the Royals that year, the only other Wild Card team to make the World Series.

12) Wild Card wrap:
NL game: Washington 4, Milwaukee 3— Nationals rallied for three runs in 8th inning off of Josh Hader, with Juan Soto getting the key hit. Washington plays the Dodgers next.

AL game: Rays 5, A’s 1— Tampa Bay hit four home runs and advances to play the Astros in the ALDS, starting Friday afternoon in Houston.

11) I mention this every season, but couple of years ago, when the Houston Texans were on HBO’s Hard Knocks, Texans coach Bill O’Brien started a talk to his players by saying, “Welcome to the most competitive business in the world.”

There is such a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL; one week you look unbeatable, the next week, the fans want the QB benched and the coach fired. Injuries, officials, the bounce of an oddly shaped ball. Lot of intangibles for a multi-billion dollar business.

10) Good grief, if I never see another commercial promoting pro wrestling, it’ll be too soon.

9) When college football coordinators visit NFL teams in the offseason, they generally visit with coaches on their side of the ball for new ideas, but when Washington Huskies’ DC Jimmy Lake visits NFL teams, he likes to visit with offensive coordinators, to pick their brain about where the game is headed. Nothing like knowing what the competition is thinking about.

8) On Wednesday, the Steelers signed QB Taryn Christion to the practice squad, to try and mimic Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson in practice. Christion played college ball at South Dakota State; he rushed for 1,515 yards, threw for 11,535 yards and had 130 total touchdowns.

7) Isabel Albright of San Lorenzo, CA was among the oldest living people in America; she passed away last December at the age of 102, but her family got an “early termination fee” of $160 from DirecTV, because her family had added a DirecTV box in a back room for caregivers, which then started a new 2-year agreement with DirecTV.

Common sense finally prevailed; DirecTV agreed to waive the early termination fee after all, saying simply, “We have apologized to the family and resolved this.”

Oy.

6) Football stuff:
— Broncos lost LB Bradley Chubb wth a partially torn ACL. a big loss.
— Bengals lost WR John Rosa (shoulder) for a few weeks.
— Patriots’ K Stephen Gostkowski (hip) is out for the year.

5) Washington Nationals offered 3B Anthony Rendon $210M for seven years and he turned it down? Figures that his agent is scumweasel $cott Bora$, who always drags things out to try and suck every last penny out for his client (and himself).

I mean, if you’re Rendon and you’re happy playing for the Nationals, how the bleep do you turn down $30M a year? If you’re not happy, then you eat the waters.

4) Speaking of Boras, he represents three Nationals: Rendon, Scherzer and Strasburg, who this year made a combined total of $94,538,895, which makes Boras’ 3% of the take $2,836,166.

It says on the Interweb (so it has to be true) that in 2017, Boras earned $108.3M in commission from his clients. He makes more money than most of the ballclubs do.

3) Sacramento Kings are playing Indiana this weekend in two preseason games in India (not Indiana, INDIA), the country where Kings’ owner Vivek Ranadivé lived until he was 16.

There are 1.3 billion people in India; some think India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country as soon as 2027. If the NBA is popular there. thats a lot of t-shirts and jerseys that can be sold.

2) Get well soon to Senator Bernie Sanders, who had a couple of stents placed in his heart Tuesday night; the 78-year old Sanders will suspend campaigning “until further notice” after doctors treated the blockage in an artery.

1) The commissioner of the Pac 12 has a salary of $5.3M a year, but he can’t get the Pac-12 Network on DirecTV. I’m thinking he is overpaid.

**StarDust Bum** · 10-03-2019, 02:14 PM

11MONTREAL -12 CAROLINA
CAROLINA is 329-422 ATS (-135.2 Units) first half of the season since 1996.

13WINNIPEG -14 NY RANGERS
NY RANGERS are 95-118 ATS (-34.8 Units) at home when the total is >=6 since 1996.

19BOSTON -20 DALLAS
BOSTON is 216-170 ATS (29 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 since 1996.

23ARIZONA -24 ANAHEIM
ARIZONA is 34-39 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games vs. division opponents since 1996.

Announcement

Da Bum's 2019-2020 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

Da Bum's 2019-2020 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

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