Monday Trends and Indexes 5/18 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

[pm530]

NHL
Short Sheet


Monday, May 18th

Eastern Conference Finals
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:35 ET

Carolina:
6-16 SU off road win by 1 goal
13-5 Under off road win

Pittsburgh:
23-5 SU at home off win by 4+ goals
26-7 SU at home with same season revenge

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[pm530]

NHL
Write-up


Monday, May 18

NHL Playoffs

Pittsburgh is 6-10 vs Carolina the last four years, 4-4 the last two, 1-1 in each building this season, with Hurricanes 1-4 in last five visits to Steel City. Both teams just finished seven-game series, so rest between series was beneficial to all. Penguins are 4-2 at home in playoffs; their last four games all went over the total. Carolina won Game 7 in Boston, Game 7 in New Jersey, so foreign arenas don't bother them much (4-4 on road).

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[pm530]

NHL


Monday, May 18

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Trend Sheet
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7:30 PM
CAROLINA vs. PITTSBURGH
Carolina is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Carolina's last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games when playing Carolina
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina

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[pm530]

NHL


Monday, May 18

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Ice Picks: NHL best bets
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Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins (-200, 5.5)

Amid these story lines that will play out over as many as 16 days, the one likely to decide whether the Hurricanes go for a second Stanley Cup title since 2006 or the Penguins reach the finals for the second consecutive season is this:

'Canes vs. Crosby.

Sidney Crosby, the Penguins' 21-year-old kid captain, is dominating the playoffs with 12 goals and 21 points in 13 games, including eight goals and 13 points during a second-round duel with Washington's Alex Ovechkin that is likely to be talked about for the rest of their careers.

''For what he did this series, they should build a monument for him,'' Capitals rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov said of Crosby.

They are, sort of - the Penguins' new arena is rising across the street from Mellon Arena. For now, Crosby is carrying his team the way only elite athletes do, and the low-scoring Hurricanes might struggle to survive if they can't find a way to slow him down.

''He seems to crank it up another notch,'' linemate Bill Guerin said.

The Hurricanes are a fast team but admittedly aren't Crosby and Company fast, and Crosby's relentlessness and speed were unnerving at times to the Flyers and Capitals.

''If you sit back against this team, they're just going to tear you apart,'' Maurice said Sunday. ''So we have to find a way to establish our game.''

That game, good enough to produce comeback wins in road Game 7s against the third-seeded Devils and top-seeded Bruins, is to pressure the puck, play tight defense, lean on goalie Cam Ward (6-0 in playoff series) and get just enough goals to win.

That's another worry Carolina has on its mind: Pittsburgh is averaging 3.46 goals to the Hurricanes' 2.36, and Carolina leading scorer Staal has only one more point (13) than Crosby has goals.

Crosby is playing so well, it's reminiscent of Mario Lemieux scoring 16 goals each spring during the Penguins' Stanley Cup runs in 1991 and 1992.

Pick: Over 5.5

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