Announcement

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:19 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Monday, May 11

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Two playoff series could come to an end on both the hardwood and the ice, and the Mets send their ace to battle the Braves.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Cavaliers and Nuggets will both be looking for series sweeps on Monday night when they hit the hardwood on the road in NBA playoff action. Cleveland got a huge game from LeBron James on Saturday night as they surged to a 97-82 win over the Hawks in Atlanta. James led the way with 47 points for the Cavs in the win, and also picked up 12 boards. Joe Johnson had 21 points in the loss.

Denver grabbed a 3-0 series lead on Saturday night with a 106-105 win over the Mavericks on a Carmelo Anthony 3-pointer. Anthony was good for 31 points for the Nuggets in that victory, while Chauncey Billups had a team-high 32 points. Dirk Nowitzki picked up 33 points and 16 boards in the loss for Dallas. Jason Terry poured in 17 points off the Mavs bench, while Josh Howard had 14 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Mets' Johan Santana will take on the Braves' Derek Lowe in Atlanta on Monday night in one of just four games on the baseball schedule. Santana blanked the Phillies on two hits over seven innings in his last outing, boosting his record to 4-1 and dropping his ERA to a miniscule 0.91 ERA this season. Lowe has won three consecutive contests to sit at 4-1 with a 3.98 ERA in seven starts.

The other two National League games on the slate for Monday are Cincinnati at Arizona and Washington at San Francisco, while the American League offers up the White Sox at Cleveland. Chicago starter Gavin Floyd (2-2, 6.29 ERA) was knocked around for six runs over five innings by the Royals last time out. Indians starter Carl Pavano (2-3, 6.61 ERA) has bounced back with two straight victories.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Coming off an overtime win on Saturday night, the Penguins can close out their series with the Capitals on Monday when the teams meet in Pittsburgh for Game 6 of the seven-game set. Evgeni Malkin had the marker in the extra frame in Game 5, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of 31 shots in the win. Alexander Ovechkin had two goals for the Capitals, while Simeon Varlamov had 38 saves.

The Blackhawks can also advance to the third round of the NHL playoffs with a home win on Monday night; they're coming off a 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Saturday which put them up 3-2 in the series. Dave Bolland and Martin Havlat (into an empty net) scored for Chicago in the third to give them the win, while Dustin Byfuglien had two goals for the Hawks. Ryan Kesler and Mats Sundin tallied for the Canucks, and Roberto Luongo surrendered three goals on 29 shots.

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:19 AM

Six-pack for Monday

Leaders in statistical categories, major league baseball........

-- RBI-- Longoria, TB-- 44; Bay, Bos, Pujols, StL-- 33

-- Runs-- Adam Jones, Balt, Markakis, Balt-- 33

-- HRs-- Pena, TB-- 13; Pujols, StL-- 12

-- Total Bases-- Longoria, TB- 92; Hill, Tor- 84; Kinsler, Tex- 80

-- ERA-- Greinke, KC 0.51; Santana, NYM, 0.91

-- Strikeouts-- Greinke, KC-- 59; Vazquez, Atl-- 57

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

Monday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a Sunday night......

13) Why would anyone take up baseball and bat righthanded? There is a tangible advantage to batting lefty (closer to first base). Shouldn't every kid taking up the sport bat from the left side?

12) Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel has six rods in one of his arms; he's broken 36 bones in his riding career.

11) Must have been an interesting power struggle behind the scenes in Arizona, where Stanford grad Hinch replaced Cal grad Melvin as skipper of the Diamondbacks. Both were backup catchers in major leagues, but before Friday, Hinch had never managed anywhere; from what happened this weekend, looks like Melvin may have been a bit resistant to bringing some younger kids up from the minors to play.

10) Think there was some frustration in the desert Saturday night? Snakes lost 2-1 to Washington, leaving 16 men on base. National Ps gave up nine hits and eight walks. Washington also made two errors, but they still won, somehow.

9) If I was a Pirate fan now, seeing the LaRoche brothers man both corner infield positions wouldn't excite me too much; then again, if I rooting for the Bucs, I'd be sucking down so much Paxil it wouldn't matter if it was Andy LaRoche or Andy Rooney playing 3rd base.

8) There are 12 sets of brothers in the major leagues this year, with the LaRoche brothers and Gonzalez brothers (San Diego) only pairs playing on the same team.

7) In their 122 years of baseball, Pirates have never led the National League in home runs. Stargell-Bonds-Clemente-Parker-Bonilla, but in 122 seasons, they've never led the league once.

6) Cliff Lee is 0-2, 1.74 in his last four starts; Indians scored total of two runs in those four games. Cleveland scored three runs against the Tigers this weekend, getting swept by Detroit.

5) Lefthanded hitters are 0-24 vs LA's Jonathan Broxton this season.

4) Baseball season is five weeks old: these would be the teams in the playoffs, if they started on Monday morning.......
AL: Toronto-Detroit-Texas-Red Sox
NL: Mets-Cardinals-Dodgers-Brewers

3) Rays-Red Sox don't play again until August 4, another part of the bizarre baseball scheduling that exists because of interleague play. If baseball intelligently realigned geographically, scheduling would be a hell of a lot easier to do well than it is now.

2) Very tough for golfer who has never won on Tour to lead going to the last round of a tournament, and to be paired with Eldrick Woods in that final round. Alex Cejka had a five-stroke lead going into the final 18 holes, but he shot 79 and lost by eight strokes to Stenson. Woods shot a 73, finishing a shot ahead of Cejka.

1) Despite not having Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming, Houston beat the Lakers by 12 Sunday, evening their series 2-2. I am very serious when I say that Rick Adelman might be the most underrated coach in NBA history-- all the guy does is win games.

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:20 AM

Len’s Top Five

Monday, May 11

Len's Top 5

Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 11, 2009 from len berman sports.

1. Quick Hits

The NBA Playoffs are heating up. The Celtics beat Orlando at the buzzer, Houston playing without Yao Ming still dumped the Lakers. Both series are tied at 2.
The sizzling first place Mets have now won 7 straight games, then again it's May. Check back in October.
Henrik Stenson of Sweden won the Player's Championship by 4 strokes.
Tiger Woods finished 7 back. Up until yesterday, Stenson was best known for stripping down to his underpants to hit a ball out of the mud earlier this year.

2. Spinoff

Cablevision wants to spinoff the Garden/Knicks/Rangers. That headline sent my heart racing. Please.... please... please Dolans, sell the Knicks! Of course they won't. The operative word is spinoff, which means they probably just want to form a new separate unit. Great. The Cablevision family that brings you the "Optimum Triple Play," could call their new sports unit: "Fouling Out."

3. J-E-T-S

Now comes a story that the Jets are supposedly interested in the troubled Pacman Jones. Remember when they supposedly had interest in Plaxico Burress? What's with them? No interest in Michael Vick? Could the Jets be bringing back the "Statue of Liberty" play? Give us your tired, your poor, your "huddled" masses.

4. The Coach

Chuck Daly died over the weekend at the age of 78. What a coaching resume. From Penn, to the champion Pistons, to the Olympic Dream Team. An affable guy who loved to play golf and tell basketball stories. Here's what I wrote on my Top 5 two months ago. "Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Daly has pancreatic cancer. When the Knicks were making their run in 1994 I got to host pre and post game shows with Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe on one side, and Chuck Daly on the other. With respect to Lou Gehrig, I considered myself the luckiest man on the face of a basketball court."
RIP, Chuck.

5. Page 6

I knew you needed to know this. Becks only has eyes for Posh. According to the Star tabloid, soccer star David Beckham says he's never even flirted with another woman, that "I've only got eyes for one woman... my wife." (Victoria) This comes after rumors of a fling with a Hungarian model. It's in the Star, so it must be true.

Today's Birthday: Former NBA great, Hall of Famer Jack Twyman. 75.
Sgt. Bilko (Phil Silvers) was born on this date in 1912. I loved that TV show.

Today in Sports: Pete Rose, playing for the Phillies, steals second, third and home in the same inning. 1980. (He later steals any chance of making Cooperstown by betting on baseball.)
Bonus Event: Sammy Davis, Jr. marries Altovise. 1970

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:20 AM

NBA
Dunkel Index

Denver at Dallas
The Mavericks look to avoid elimination, but are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite between 1 and 4 1/2 points, while the Nuggets are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog by the same margin. Denver is the pick (+2) according to Dunkel, which has the game even. Dunkel Pick: Denver (+2). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

MONDAY, MAY 11

Game 729-730: Cleveland at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 129.936; Atlanta 121.444
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 8 1/2; 182
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 10; 183
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+10); Under

Game 731-732: Denver at Dallas
Dunkel Ratings: Denver 126.841; Dallas 126.565
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 204
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 2; 210
Dunkel Pick: Denver (+2); Under

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:21 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, May 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND (73 - 16) at ATLANTA (51 - 41) - 5/11/2009, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 24-12 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 56-33 ATS (+19.7 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 50-27 ATS (+20.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in the second round of the playoffs over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) after allowing 85 points or less this season.
CLEVELAND is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
CLEVELAND is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CLEVELAND is 51-34 ATS (+13.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 8-6 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 11-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

DENVER (61 - 29) at DALLAS (54 - 36) - 5/11/2009, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 53-36 ATS (+13.4 Units) in all games this season.
DENVER is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) against Southwest division opponents this season.
DENVER is 29-18 ATS (+9.2 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
DENVER is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DENVER is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
DENVER is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 14-25 ATS (-13.5 Units) against Northwest division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DENVER is 11-3 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 10-4 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:22 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, May 11th

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round Two
Game Four
Cleveland Leads, 3-0
Cleveland at Atlanta, 7:05 ET

Cleveland:
10-0 ATS off four straight DD wins
7-0 ATS as a # 1 seed in the playoffs

Atlanta:
20-4 Under revenging DD loss
16-29 ATS off DD loss

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

Western Conference Playoffs - Round Two
Game Four
Denver Leads, 3-0
Denver at Dallas, 9:35 ET

Denver:
8-0 ATS in playoffs
11-3 ATS vs. Dallas

Dallas:
7-18 ATS after a loss by 6 points or less
18-8 Under playing with double revenge

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:22 AM

NBA
Write-up

Monday, May 11

NBA playoffs

Cavaliers are 7-0 in playoffs, with an 11-point win closest game they've had so far, winning first three games of this series, 99-72/105-85/97-82. Atlanta looks happy to have won one playoff series- they were -23 on boards in Game 3, an indication they may have packed it in-- this game is for pride in front of the home folks. Cavs won playoff road games this spring by 11-21-15 points.

How do Mavericks react after non-call at home cost them Game 3 and a chance to get back in series, especially when non-call came in a contest where teams combined to shoot 89 free throws? Denver is 7-1 so far in playoffs, with six wins by 12+ points. Nuggets are 7-0 vs Dallas this year, wiinning three games in this series by 14-12-1 point. Denver is a staggering 96-125 on foul line in series. Dallas is 64-83.

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:23 AM

NBA

Monday, May 11

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Sheet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. ATLANTA
Cleveland is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Cleveland is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 games at home
Atlanta is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games at home

9:30 PM
DENVER vs. DALLAS
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Denver is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:23 AM

NBA

Monday, May 11

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips and Trends
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks [TNT | 9:35 PM ET]

Nuggets: "We're going to be aggressive and we're going to fight extremely hard," said Chauncey Billups, the veteran point guard who is likely doing all he can to remind his younger teammates that this series isn't over. "They're facing elimination. That's always the toughest game to win, especially in a sweep situation. They're going to fight really hard and do everything they can possibly do to keep their season alive." Denver is the only team to win in Dallas since mid-February and the Nuggets have done it twice. With a win in Game 4, Denver will be headed to the conference finals for the first time since 1985.

The Nuggets are 10-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
The Under is 17-4 in the Nuggets' last 21 playoff games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 102

Mavericks (-1.5, O/U 210): No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 deficit and Dallas is unlikely to be the first considering they're 0-7 against Denver this season. Dallas has never been swept in a four-game series. "These guys have met adversity with unity, with a collective will," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It happened in November; we got off to a 2-7 start. It happened in January; we lost four games in a row and everybody said we wouldn't be a playoff team. It happened after we lost to Oklahoma City ... and it's obviously going to happen now. But, hey, that's what this is about. When it gets tough, you've got to stick together and keep fighting."

The Mavericks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite of 4.5 or less.
The Under is 9-2 in the Mavericks' last 11 playoff games as a favorite of 4.5 or less.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 103 (UNDER - Total Play of the Day)

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:24 AM

NBA

Monday, May 11

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks (+9.5, 182.5)

With one of his best performances ever, LeBron James carried the Cavaliers to the brink of another playoff sweep. The Atlanta Hawks sure know what they're up against, having watched their most inspired showing of the series turned into just another loss by the MVP's 47 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

"Right now, he's playing at such a high level," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson, sounding a bit disheartened as his team heads into Game 4 Monday night. "Man, it's crazy how good he's playing. It really is."

James has that look Michael Jordan used to bring out at playoff time, a steely eyed determination to win a championship no matter what's in the way. If that means taking every big shot, so be it. If that means turning the game into me against them, well, that's the way it has to be.

James has played 108 minutes in this series - and scored 108 points.

The Hawks tried to guard James with two or three players, but it really didn't matter. Once he pulled up at the top of the key, a good five feet shy of the 3-point line, and hoisted a shot before Atlanta even had time to react.

Swish.

A couple of times, he dribbled past all five players on the home team, weaving this way and that as though he were a catch-me-if-you-can point guard - not a 6-foot-8, 250-pounder. The result was the same.

Swish.

The Cavaliers have yet to be seriously challenged in this postseason, setting an NBA record with seven straight double-digit victories. The Hawks know they have little chance of winning this series. At this point, they'd be satisfied with a 48-minute effort.

"They came out and hit us, and we just backed down," Atlanta star Joe Johnson said. "There's no way you can tell us this team is 20 to 30 points better than we are. It's not possible."

Sorry Joe. We respectfully disagree.

Pick: Cleveland

Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks (-1.5, 210)

Still grumpy about how Game 3 finished, and groggy from the practically sleepless night that followed, the Dallas Mavericks got together Sunday to watch some film.

Guess what clip coach Rick Carlisle didn't show?

Hint: It's one the league isn't proud of, either.

As much as they don't want to see the play, it's one they'll all remember: Antoine Wright bumping Carmelo Anthony in an obvious attempt to draw a foul, then bumping him again, yet failing to get rung up either time at the end of a game during which the officials had no trouble blowing their whistles. Anthony wound up swishing a 3-pointer with 1 second left, taking the Denver Nuggets from two points down to one point ahead and a commanding 3-0 lead in this second-round series.

"We're not going to get that last play back, so just by watching it doesn't do us any good," Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki and his teammates admittedly had trouble letting go of what happened. The difference in being down 2-1 and 3-0 is a big part of it, but so is the fact that two hours after the game ended NBA president Joel Litvin essentially said, "Oops," acknowledging that a foul should've been called.

"If I was the league, I wouldn't say that," Nowitzki said. "I don't think it makes anybody feel better. We don't get the last seven seconds back to kind of play it over again. More than anything, I think it made it worse."

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Sunday that the league was still reviewing the postgame scene on the court, when Dallas' Josh Howard and team owner Mark Cuban were among those visibly upset.

The Mavericks are in enough trouble already. No NBA team has overcome a 3-0 deficit and they're unlikely to be the first considering they're also 0-7 against the Nuggets this season. Denver also is the only team to win in Dallas since mid-February and the Nuggets have done it twice.

Pick: Denver

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:25 AM

NHL
Dunkel Index

Vancouver at Chicago
The Blackhawks look to wrap up the series at home and build on their 6-0 mark in their last 6 games as a home favorite between -150 and -200. Chicago is the pick (-175) according to Dunkel, which has the Blackhawks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-175). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

MONDAY, MAY 11

Game 59-60: Washington at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 12.175; Pittsburgh 13.782
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-185); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-185); Under

Game 61-62: Vancouver at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 11.797; Chicago 13.460
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-175); 5
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-175); Over

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:25 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, May 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON (56-28-0-10, 122 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (52-32-0-9, 113 pts.) - 5/11/2009, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 19-6 ATS (+10.7 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
PITTSBURGH is 74-46 ATS (+0.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 22-12 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 24-9 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 7-1 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 49-32 ATS (+86.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 11-6 (+5.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 11-6-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)

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

VANCOUVER (51-29-0-11, 113 pts.) at CHICAGO (53-29-0-11, 117 pts.) - 5/11/2009, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 37-22 ATS (+60.7 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 25-12 ATS (+8.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
CHICAGO is 48-41 ATS (+5.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 9-2 ATS (+11.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
VANCOUVER is 139-130 ATS (+282.0 Units) in road games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 10-7 ATS (+20.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 10-7 (+0.4 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 10-7-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.8 Units)

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:26 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Monday, May 11th

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Semifinals
Game Six
Pittsburgh Leads, 3-2
Pittsburgh at Washington, 7:05 ET

Washington:
4-7 SU when playing 6 or more games in 10 days
3-6 SU off BB games where both teams scored 3+ goals

Pittsburgh:
19-6 SU at home when the total is 5.5
48-23 SU as a home favorite of -200 or less

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

Western Conference Playoffs - Semifinals
Game Five
Series Tied, 2-2
Chicago at Vancouver, 10:35 ET

Chicago:
6-19 SU in a road game where where the total is 5 or less
37-61 SU as a road underdog

Vancouver:
6-2 SU as a # 3 seed in the playoffs
13-4 SU revenging a 1 goal loss

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

**pm530** · 05-11-2009, 10:26 AM

NHL
Write-up

Monday, May 11

NHL Playoffs

Four of five Washington-Pittsburgh games were decided by a single goal, with Penguins winning last three, after losing first two. Caps lost Games 3-4 here, 3-2ot/5-3. Pens are 5-25 on power play in series (45:31), a lot longer than Washington (4-15, 23:09) has had the man advantage. Over is 9-2-1 in last twelve series games. Penguins outshot Washington 56-35 in third period in this series. Caps are 2-3 on road so far in playoffs.

Canucks have 21-21-15-21 shots on goal in last four games; road team is 3-2 in series, but in last three games, Vancover has managed total of only 16 shots on goal in third period. Chicago is up 3-2 in series despite not having led any of the games after first period. Blackhawks are 4-23 with man advantage in series (38:56); Canucks are 6-21 (32:21). Chicago won Game 5 in last 5:00, after winning Game 4 in OT. Cancuks are 3-1 on the road so far in playoffs- they need win here, or their season is over.

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

Announcement

Monday Trends and Indexes 5/11 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Monday Trends and Indexes 5/11 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment