Da Bum's 2014 NHL Playoff Best Bets- News,Stats-Trends !

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SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Canadiens at Bruins
Thu, May 1 Final 4 to 3
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Canadiens at Bruins
Sat, May 3 Final 3 to 5
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 3
Bruins at Canadiens
Tue, May 6 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 4
Bruins at Canadiens
Thu, May 8 Final 1 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 5
Canadiens at Bruins
Sat, May 10 Final 2 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 6
Bruins at Canadiens
Mon, May 12 Final 0 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 7
Canadiens at Bruins
Wed, May 14 - 7:00PM EDT

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Preview: Ducks (54-20) at Kings (46-28)

Date: May 14, 2014 9:30 PM EDT


EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - The Los Angeles Kings are facing their fifth playoff elimination game of the spring.

Given the way Los Angeles handled this situation four times in the previous round, the Anaheim Ducks are understandably wary.

'I love those opportunities,' Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said Tuesday. 'I love the pressure. I know going into those games I'm going to be counted upon. Because we're comfortable in that situation, we know exactly how desperate we have to play.'

After three consecutive wins in the first Freeway Faceoff postseason series, the Ducks are one victory away from their first trip to the Western Conference finals since their only Stanley Cup season in 2007.

But the Ducks realize the Kings have a Stanley Cup pedigree and an uncommon postseason resilience.

After winning four consecutive games to escape an 0-3 hole in the first round against San Jose, they only need to win Game 6 at Staples Center - where the Ducks won twice earlier in the series - to force a seventh game back in Anaheim.

'They've got so much pride and championship blood that it's just going to take a perfect game,' Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said.

'I would still venture to guess that people are still thinking that they're the favorites to win the series because of what they've done in the past.'

The Kings never even faced an elimination game during their 16-4 rampage to their only Stanley Cup title in 2012.

In the two seasons since, they've twice rallied out of 0-2 deficits in the first round and won five potential elimination games overall, losing only to Chicago in last summer's conference finals.

The Kings seem unshakably confident they can snap a three-game skid with a complete defensive effort in front of Jonathan Quick, who has been bested by Anaheim rookie goalie John Gibson in two straight outings.

Gibson has stopped 67 of 70 shots while winning his first two NHL playoff games, and he still hasn't lost in the big leagues after going 3-0 late in the Ducks' regular season.

'We know we can beat him,' Doughty said. 'We know he's a very good goalie. At the same time, we haven't done everything we can. As good as he is, he's not impossible to beat. I'd take Quickie over him any day still.'

Before they took a bus up the I-5 freeway to spend another night in downtown Los Angeles, the Ducks prepared for a defining moment of their season with both excitement and trepidation.

The Ducks clinched their last playoff series on the road in Game 6, but the experience didn't exactly fill them with confidence.

Anaheim started poorly at Dallas and fell behind by two goals, only to finish off the Stars with two late regulation goals and an overtime winner.

'In the first round, we're very conscious of what happened for them and for us,' Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. '(Game 6 in Dallas) was a miraculous comeback. We probably didn't deserve to win that game. ... We're all desperate. We all want to get there.'

The Ducks also will draw from last season's playoff run, when they took a 3-2 series lead on Detroit and failed in two chances to close it out, losing Game 6 on the road.

'All the great teams, they have to go through some tough times together,' Teemu Selanne said. 'Last year was so disappointing. We really want to remember that, now that we've got ourselves in a pretty good position.'

The Kings already excavated themselves from one bad position in this postseason with a six-game winning streak that ended in Game 3. Los Angeles has been dominant and dismal in alternating stretches for much of this season, but always seemed to recover its mojo when it really mattered.

To even the series, the Kings likely must generate offense from somebody besides Marian Gaborik, whose NHL-best eight playoff goals are double the total of any teammate.

Los Angeles has 11 goals in five games in the series, including just five in its three straight losses.

Doughty, captain Dustin Brown, Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and NHL playoff scoring leader Anze Kopitar haven't scored a goal against the Ducks, while Jeff Carter has just one.

'We knew this series was going to be tight,' said Gaborik, who has five goals in the series. 'We just have to win tomorrow. We haven't played our best hockey, and I'm sure we're going to lay everything out there. It is a grind, but that's the whole playoffs.'

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SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Kings at Ducks
Sat, May 3 Final 3 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 2
Kings at Ducks
Mon, May 5 Final 3 to 1
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 3
Ducks at Kings
Thu, May 8 Final 3 to 2
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 4
Ducks at Kings
Sat, May 10 Final 2 to 0
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 5
Kings at Ducks
Mon, May 12 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores • Recaps


GAME 6
Ducks at Kings
Wed, May 14 - 9:30PM EDT


GAME 7
Kings at Ducks
Fri, May 16 - 9:00PM EDT

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NHL playoff record as of TUESDAY Night :

18 - 20 - 2 .................- 2.70 *****

18- 16 - 1 ........................+ .64 DOUBLE PLAY

7- 13 - 1 ...................... - 18.81 TRIPLE PLAY

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NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, May 14

Montreal at Boston, 7:05 ET
Montreal: 15-16 SU revenging a loss where team scored 1 or less goals
Boston: 10-2 SU after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game

Anaheim at Los Angeles, 9:35 ET
Anaheim: 23-9 SU off a home win
Los Angeles: 2-7 SU off a road loss against a division rival

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Wednesday, May 14

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Montreal - 7:00 PM ET Boston -170 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Boston - Under 5 500 TRIPLE PLAY


Anaheim - 9:30 PM ET Anaheim +126 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Los Angeles - Over 5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

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NHL
Dunkel

Los Angeles at Anaheim
The Kings head to Anaheim for the deciding Game 7 and come into tonight's contest with a 7-1 record in their last 8 Friday games. Los Angeles is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Kings favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+105). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

FRIDAY, MAY 16

Game 81-82: Los Angeles at Anaheim (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 13.059; Anaheim 11.741
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 3 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-125); 5
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+105); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, May 16

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LOS ANGELES (53-33-0-9, 115 pts.) at ANAHEIM (61-24-0-9, 131 pts.) - 5/16/2014, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 61-33 ATS (+23.0 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 25-10 ATS (+9.3 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ANAHEIM is 179-135 ATS (+43.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 28-19 ATS (+4.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 206-194 ATS (+445.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 11-10-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
10 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.5 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 16

Los Angeles won four of last five road games after getting trounced in first two games of San Jose series. Visitor won four of six series games, seven of last nine games overall in rivalry. Ducks won three of last four games after falling behind 2-0 in series; they had only 12 shots on goal in first two periods of Game 6. Kings have now gone 3L-6W-3L-W in playoffs. Five of 11 Ducks' in last five games have come on power play (5 of 17). Los Angeles is 3-17 on power play in series. League-wide, over is 38-24-12 in the playoffs, 9-12-5 in this round. LA is 27-20 on road this season; Anaheim is 4-2 at home in playoffs.




NHL

Friday, May 16

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Trend Report
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9:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. ANAHEIM
Los Angeles is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Anaheim is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
Anaheim is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home


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NHL

Friday, May 16

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Game of the Day: Kings at Ducks
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Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks (-116, 5)

Southern California fans couldn't ask for a better way for the first-ever Stanley Cup playoff series between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks to culminate. With a trip to the Western Conference final on the line, the Pacific Division-champion Ducks host the rival Kings in Game 7 of their second-round matchup on Friday. Fresh off its historic comeback against San Jose in the opening round, Los Angeles kept rolling by winning the first two games of this set on the road before dropping the next three contests.

Anaheim jumped into the driver's seat thanks in part to rookie sensation John Gibson, who posted a shutout in his postseason debut to even the series before improving to 5-0-0 (regular season included) during his brief time in the NHL with another strong effort in Game 5. Los Angeles drew from recent experience and staved off elimination Wednesday by recording a 2-1 triumph at home. Defenseman Jake Muzzin and Trevor Lewis scored while Jonathan Quick made 10 of his 21 saves in the third period, including several during a frenzied comeback attempt by the Ducks during the final minutes of the session.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS

LINE HISTORY: Pinnacle Sports opened the Ducks as -113 home faves with a total of 5.

INJURY REPORT: Kings - D Willie Mitchell (Questionable, hand), D Robyn Regehr (Questionable, upper body). Ducks - RW Tim Jackman (Questionable, hand), G Frederick Andersen (Questionable, lower body).

ABOUT THE KINGS: Los Angeles likely wouldn't be one victory away from the conference final without the tremendous play of Anze Kopitar. The 26-year-old Slovenian has registered at least one point in all but one of the Kings' 13 playoff games and leads the league in postseason scoring with 17 points. Kopitar made a nifty cross-slot backhand pass to set up Muzzin's goal on Wednesday and was very efficient in the faceoff circles, winning 15 of his 23 draws.

ABOUT THE DUCKS: Captain Ryan Getzlaf has been producing against the Kings, collecting a goal and six assists, but Anaheim needs more from Corey Perry. The former Hart Trophy winner has registered only a tally and two assists versus Los Angeles after recording two tallies and five assists against Dallas in the first round. Anaheim dropped from first overall to sixth in playoff power-play efficiency, failing on all five opportunities in Game 6 to fall to 25.5 percent (12-for-47).

TRENDS:

* Under is 7-2-3 in the last 12 meetings.
* Kings are 7-3 in their last 10 vs. Pacific.
* Road team is 7-2 in the last nine meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in Ducks last five Friday games.

CONSENSUS: 65 percent of Covers Consensus wagers are on the Ducks.

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NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, May 16

Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks, 9:05 ET
LA Kings: 8-13 SU after having lost 3 of their last 4 games
Anaheim: 10-2 OVER after scoring 1 goal or less

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Friday, May 16

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Los Angeles - 9:00 PM ET Anaheim -126 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Anaheim - Over 5 500 TRIPLE PLAY

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NHL
Dunkel

NY Rangers at Montreal
The Canadiens open up the series at home today where they are 9-1 in their last 10 games versus the Rangers. Montreal is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Canadiens favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-130). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

SATURDAY, MAY 17

Game 1-2: NY Rangers at Montreal (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Rangers 10.818; Montreal 12.391
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 1 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-130); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 17

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NY RANGERS (53-37-0-6, 112 pts.) at MONTREAL (54-30-0-9, 117 pts.) - 5/17/2014, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 67-83 ATS (-40.0 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
MONTREAL is 54-39 ATS (+9.7 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 31-21 ATS (+0.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
MONTREAL is 27-18 ATS (+5.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MONTREAL is 17-12 ATS (+30.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 22-14 ATS (+7.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
NY RANGERS are 17-10 ATS (+6.4 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 12-7 ATS (+19.7 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
NY RANGERS are 11-4 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 7-3 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-3-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+6.2 Units)

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NHL

Saturday, May 17

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Trend Report
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1:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games
NY Rangers are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Montreal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

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NHL

Saturday, May 17

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Three big betting trends for the NHL playoffs conference finals
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Only four teams remain in the quest for the Stanley Cup championship - and bettors will want to pay attention to certain trends that have highlighted conference finals in recent years.

Here are three trends betters should be on the lookout for as the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks face off for a spot in the Stanley Cup final:

Under a (Slightly) Stronger Play

Despite oddsmakers making adjustments to account for the greater emphasis on defense, teams have still trended Under of late. While clubs are 18-19-4 O/U in conference finals over the past four years, three of the previous four series have favored the Under; only last year's Chicago-Los Angeles series (2-2-1 O/U) did not. Expect low totals this year, with three of the four finalists ranked in the bottom half in regular-season offense and all four in the top 12 in goals against.

Comebacks (Slightly) More Common

Teams that scored first in the regular season prevailed roughly 69.5 percent of the time. That number dips slightly when looking at the previous four conference finals, with teams that hit the scoresheet first winning 68.2 percent of those games. Recent comebacks have been more prevalent in the Western Conference; the teams scoring first are just 6-4 over the past two conference finals, compared to a 10-0 mark for Eastern Conference teams that score first.

Power Outages Expected

Don't expect to see many power-play goals in either conference championship series. Last year saw just three power-play goals scored in the nine conference final games; there were 11 the season before, but those came in 95 combined opportunities. Aside from the Vancouver-San Jose outlier series in 2010-11 - in which the teams combined for a mind-boggling 16 man-advantage goals in their five-game showdown - no other series since 2010 has had more than eight.

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NHL

Saturday, May 17


Rangers-Canadiens matchup trending towards under

The Montreal Canadiens host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday afternoon and thanks to two superb goaltenders the under has been a strong play in the matchup.

The under is 7-0-2 in the last nine meetings between the two teams and is 6-0-2 in the last eight meetings at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The Rangers Henrik Lundquvist has had a slightly better postseason than the Habs Carey Price, posting 1.99 goals against average and a .939 save percentage compared to Price's 2.15 gga and .926 save percentage, but both net minders have been spectacular.

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 17

Canadiems won Game 7 in Boston Wednesday; Rangers ended their series Tuesday with win at Pittsburgh. Montreal won seven of last nine series games, with losing side scoring zero or one goal in all nine games. Habs won two of three vs Rangers this year (2-0/0-1/1-0)- they've shut New York out in four of last five meetings overall. Montreal is 8-3 in playoffs, winning four of five at home, with only loss in OT. Rangers are 4-3 on road playoffs; under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

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Kings, Blackhawks set for Western final

May 17, 2014



CHICAGO (AP) - On Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings were in Anaheim for Game 7 of their second-round series against the top-seeded Ducks.

On Saturday, they traveled 1,700 miles to Chicago on the eve of Game 1 of the Western Conference final.

Not much rest for Los Angeles, but certainly better than the alternative this time of year.

The Kings take on the Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon in a short turnaround from their series-clinching 6-2 victory over Anaheim. It is a rematch of last year's Western Conference final, when the Blackhawks won in five games on the way to their second Stanley Cup title in four seasons.

''It's not going to be easy, but at this time of year, we know it's hard,'' Kings center Anze Kopitar said. ''You've always got to be excited when you get a chance to play the next round.''

Los Angeles is making its third consecutive appearance in the Western Conference final after rallying past San Jose and Anaheim in the first two series.

The Sharks had a 3-0 lead in the first round and the Ducks led 3-2 in their series against the Kings.

Chicago has been waiting for its next opponent since it beat Minnesota 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks had a similar break after they eliminated St. Louis in the first round.

''I think the days off helps every team this time of year, get some rest, allows you to prepare for your opponent,'' Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. ''At the end of the day, once that puck drops tomorrow, I think both teams are going to be ready to play.''

The break between series also provided more time for Chicago forward Andrew Shaw to get healthy. The tenacious center missed the final five games of the Wild series with an apparent right leg injury, but he skated before the Blackhawks practiced on Saturday and could return against the Kings.

Los Angeles is hoping for the return of injured defensemen Robyn Regehr and Willie Mitchell. Regehr has missed the Kings' past six games, and Mitchell has been sidelined for eight in a row.

The status of Shaw, Regehr and Mitchell could be a factor in a matchup of the NHL's second-highest scoring team in Chicago and the stingiest team in the league in Los Angeles.

''L.A.'s really comparable to a St. Louis, maybe just a little deeper in scoring,'' Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg said. ''That's why they're a little more dangerous. Have to respect their attack and that they're one of the best defensive teams in the league and physical as well.''

Los Angeles was looking to defend its Stanley Cup title when it took on Chicago in the playoffs last year. But the banged-up Kings were unable to keep up with the high-flying Blackhawks, who got a hat trick from Patrick Kane in the clinching double-overtime victory in Game 5.

Chicago is 9-2 against Los Angeles over the past two years, outscoring the Kings by a 35-24 margin.

''They're playing really well right now so we've got to be focused on what they've been doing the last couple series,'' Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook said. ''They're never out of a game or a series. If we get up, we have to step on their throats. If we're down we have to work like hell to get back.

''But at the end of the day we have to play our game and focus on what we've been doing well throughout the playoffs, get better at that and be the team that we can be.''

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Sunday, May 18

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Los Angeles - 3:00 PM ET Los Angeles +136 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Chicago - Over 5 500 TRIPLE PLAY