Cnotes 2018 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Blues (45-28) at Stars (43-32)
Date: April 29, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

The St. Louis Blues will try to regain home-ice advantage when they visit the Dallas Stars for Game 3 of their Western Conference second-round series on Monday night.

The Stars won Game 2 in St. Louis 4-2 on Saturday to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

"It's going to be tight," Blues coach Craig Berube said the loss. "Both teams play good defensive hockey, both goalies are playing well."

Ben Bishop of the Stars and Jordan Binnington of the Blues were the only two NHL goalies to allow an average of fewer than two goals per game during the regular season.

Binnington, who didn't become the No. 1 goalie in St. Louis until early January, led the league with a 1.89 goals-against average, while Bishop was second at 1.98.

Bishop had the top save percentage in the NHL during the regular season at .934 and Binnington was tied for fourth at .927.

Binnington outplayed Bishop in a 3-2 win in Game 1 on Thursday, but Bishop came back with 32 saves in Game 2, a strong bounce-back performance after he stopped only 17 of 20 shots in the opener.

"Every game is a new game," said Bishop, who is 26-16 in his postseason career with a 2.08 GAA and .929 save percentage. "That's the way that I've done it in my career in the playoffs. I try not to get caught up in the past."

As strong as Binnington was during the regular season, he wasn't particularly sharp in his three regular-season starts against Dallas, posting an .879 save percentage and 2.76 GAA.

"They're a highly offensive team and they've got some skill, so they can capitalize on their chances," Binnington said.

Dallas forward Jamie Benn has a goal and an assist so far in the series. He scored five goals in four regular-season games against St. Louis this season as well.

This is Benn's fifth playoff series in 10 seasons with this Stars and he's never made it out of the second round.

Dallas rookie Roope Hintz scored two goals in Game 2 to give him four in these playoffs, tying the franchise record for the most goals by a rookie in a single postseason. Niko Kapanen scored four goals for Dallas during the 2003 playoffs.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said the Stars' combination of size and speed has been difficult to counter.

"They do a good job of getting up ice," Parayko said. "I think just advancing it past them and making sure that we get in the zone cleanly, but obviously that's easier said than done. We'll take a look at the video and kind of go from there."

Berube said the Blues needs to be better in a number of areas if they hope to take a 2-1 series lead.

"We've got to do a better job of little things, like in the breakout, better execution, and face-offs," Berube said. "That will help for sure."

Stars coach Jim Montgomery knows there's still a long series ahead with more ups and downs to come.

"The thing that our group has shown is that we're resilient," Montgomery said. "We always come back with a better effort."

--Field Level Media

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Stars at Blues
Thu, Apr 25 Final 2 to 3
Recaps

GAME 2
Stars at Blues
Sat, Apr 27 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 3
Blues at Stars
Mon, Apr 29 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Blues at Stars
Wed, May 1 - 9:30PM EDT

GAME 5
Stars at Blues
Fri, May 3 - 9:30PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, APRIL 29
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at DAL 08:00 PM

DAL -114

U 5.0

 

[Udog]

Blues vs Stars NHL betting picks and predictions: Find third-period profits with this prop
Monty Andrews

Dallas rebounded from a 3-2 defeat in Game 1 by jumping out to a 3-1 first period lead in Game 2 and hanging on for a 4-2 victory. But don't expect the Blues to go quietly.

The Dallas Stars used a road split in their first-round series with Nashville to propel themselves to a six-game victory. They hope to do the same in Round 2 as they host the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.

Dallas rebounded from a 3-2 defeat in Game 1 by jumping out to a 3-1 first period lead in Game 2 and hanging on for a 4-2 victory. But don't expect the Blues to go quietly. They're unbeaten on the road in the Stanley Cup playoffs, defeating the Jets three times in Winnipeg en route to a six-game first-round triumph.

We break down the best bets for the NHL odds for Game 3 between the Blues and Stars Monday night ? from quick-paying props to the moneyline and Over/Under.

St. Louis Blues vs. Dallas Stars (-115, 5)

QUICK-HITTER

Both teams have played eight games in the postseason. The Stars have seen a total of 13 first-period goals scored in their playoff contests, while the Blues have been part of 12 goals in the opening period. That makes for a difficult first-period totals bet, with both sides sitting right near the 1.5 first-period goals-per-game threshold.

But with the Stars scoring seven of their eight first-period goals in just two of those games, we like these teams to keep things low-scoring in the opening 20 minutes of Game 3. Rather than going with the Under 1.5 (-170), we suggest the "exactly one goal" prop. The chances are good that someone will score.

PREDICTION: Exactly one first-period goal scored (+160)


PERIOD BET

The Blues and their opponents have saved the best for last throughout the majority of their Stanley Cup playoff run. Consider St. Louis' total goal distribution by period so far in the playoffs: 12 in the first period, 10 in the second and 20 in the third. And while the Stars' second period has been the most prolific of all, they've allowed more goals in the final period (six) than either of the first two.

Both teams also saw opponents score more third-period goals during the regular season than either of the first or second frames ? all of which we're using to say that the third is a great choice as the highest-scoring period of Game 3.

PREDICTION: Highest-scoring period: Period 3 (+225)


TEAM/PLAYER BET

Some guys seem to thrive when playing on the road and Vladimir Tarasenko is near the top of the list among forwards still toiling in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tarasenko finished tied for sixth in the NHL in away goals during the regular season (21) despite finishing tied for 30th in overall goals (33).

He's also one of the hottest players in this series, having racked up four goals in eight postseason games after finishing the regular season with seven points over his final four contests. At decent odds to score anytime in Game 3, Tarasenko is a must-play option for those favoring the Blues.

PREDICTION: Vladimir Tarasenko anytime goal (+230)


FULL-GAME TOTAL

It's no surprise that the Game 3 total is sitting at five goals after the teams combined for 11 goals in the first two games in St. Louis. And that might tempt some bettors to consider the Over, but there are two strong trends at work that should keep this game on the Under 5 side.

Dallas boasted the lowest home goals-against average during the regular season at 2.24, while the Blues were one of three teams (Calgary and the New York Islanders were the others) to post the lowest road GAA in the league (2.39). Look for goals to be at a premium in what should be a closely contested Game 3.

PREDICTION: Under 5 (-120)


FULL-GAME SIDE

This one is a near-toss-up in oddsmakers' eyes, and with good reason. Both sides are 5-3 in the postseason, have one win apiece in this series and are separated by just one goal through two games. But we like the Stars to prevail in this one on the strength of home-ice advantage and superior special teams.

Dallas is scoring on 19.2 percent of its power-play chances while putting up a 95.5-percent penalty kill success rate. And while the Blues are operating at 23.1 percent efficiency with the man advantage, their penalty kill rate of 77.8 percent is trouble. This one should be close, but we like the hosts to prevail.

PREDICTION: Dallas -115

 

[Cnotes53]

Blues prevail in wild 3rd to beat Stars 4-3 for 2-1 lead
April 29, 2019
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DALLAS (AP) Pat Maroon paused briefly before thrusting both of his arms into the air, unsure if he had gotten the puck into the net to put the St. Louis Blues back in front late in a wild third period.

Maroon's flicked shot across the body and over the right shoulder of Ben Bishop was indeed a goal, a game-winner against the Dallas Stars with 1:38 left to give the Blues a 4-3 victory and a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinal matchup.

''I think I just had more time and more time to use my hands. Usually I'm muffing it in the pads,'' said Maroon, who gathered the puck before his shot. ''I got it up quick. I've been working on that in practice, is just taking it from the back of the net and trying to lift it instead of just putting it into the pads.''

His second goal of the playoffs ended a span of just under 5 1/2 minutes when both teams scored two goals , including Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo ending a 25-game drought since scoring his last goal Feb. 19.

Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak each had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who are still undefeated on the road this postseason after winning all three games at Winnipeg in the first-round series they won in six games. All four of the road wins have been by one goal.

''I can't explain it. We've been a good road team all year,'' Blues coach Craig Berube said. ''Right from the get-go we were engaged right away in the game. We were aggressive. Sets the tone for us in the game.''

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Dallas.

Pietrangelo's one-timer with 5:36 left, for a 3-2 lead, came right after the end of a Blues power play during which Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 1:18 earlier.

But Dallas quickly got even again at 3-3 on Tyler Seguin's goal with 4:08 left that was his first point in this series, only to see the Blues regain the lead again when the St. Louis-born Maroon got the puck past the Stars goalie who grew up in St. Louis, then was drafted by the Blues and made his NHL debut for them.

''You see the amount of times we came back. It's frustrating to lose a game like that,'' center Jason Spezza said. ''It wasn't our best game, and we still had a chance to win.''

This is Maroon's first season with the Blues after he played his first seven NHL seasons with three other teams, most of it in Anaheim.

''It's his home. It's great for him. We all love Patty,'' Berube said. ''It's a big goal. To do it for your hometown team is pretty special.''

The Stars were on the power play for the final 44 seconds of the game after a delay of game penalty against Colton Parayko, a penalty that was called after a lengthy discussion by the four on-ice officials. Dallas had a two-skater advantage with Bishop out of net and on the bench, but had three shots blocked and missed another before time ran out.

Bishop stopped 30 shots, while Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington had 28 saves.

''It was a great playoff game. It was back and forth, both teams were giving what they had,'' Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. ''I just thought the Blues did a better job possessing pucks in the offensive zone than we did.''

Alexander Radulov scored on a power play in the first period for the Stars, his team-high fifth goal of the playoffs.

St. Louis went ahead 2-1 midway through the second period when Vince Dunn passed to Robert Thomas, whose shot from the middle of the right circle got through Bishop's legs and behind him. Bozak was there, along with Stars forward Roope Hintz, and was able to knock the puck in for his second goal of the playoffs.

Even with the wild finish, Binnington had another solid performance in net, including a stop of Radulov's backhand on a breakaway just seconds after the Blues had taken the 2-1 lead in the second. The rookie also had a lead-protecting shot early in the game when he smothered a shot into his gut by Stars captain Jamie Benn, who had already had a shot slip into the outside of the net.

The Blues led 1-0 only 87 seconds into the game when Ryan O'Reilly made a pass from behind the net to Parayko, whose shot from the blue line was hit so hard that Schwartz's stick was reverberating when he deflected the puck past Bishop for the goal.

Dallas got even on a power-play goal in the first by Radulov, who was sliding backward in front of the net and connected on a quick wrister on a pass from Jason Spezza.

NOTES: On the short-handed goal for the Stars, Brayden Schenn pushed a puck to the other end. Mattias Janmark chased down the puck for the Stars and pushed it toward the net. Cogliano scored after knocking in his own rebound. ... Jay Bouwmeester assisted on both St. Louis goals in the third period. ... Before their four-game road winning streak so far in the playoffs, the Blues were 12-4-4 in their last 20 regular-season games away from home.

UP NEXT

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Dallas, before the series shifts back to St. Louis.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY APRIL 30, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM Boston Bruins Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
10:08 PM San Jose Sharks Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center


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


NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

04/29/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.20
04/28/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -4.05
04/27/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -4.00
04/26/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -12.15
04/25/2019 0-3-1 0.00% -15.50
04/24/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -2.25
04/23/2019 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
04/22/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +10.00
04/21/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +12.50
04/20/2019 3-3-0 50.00% +0.85
04/19/2019 2-1-1 66.67% +5.50
04/18/2019 4-2-0 66.67% +9.85
04/17/2019 1-4-0 20.00% -17.00
04/16/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -10.35
04/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.40
04/14/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
04/13/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +20.00
04/12/2019 1-7-0 12.50% -42.60
04/11/2019 1-2-0 33.33% -5.50
04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals.............43-46-3..... 48.31%.... -43.39


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


BEST BETS:

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

04/29/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-5.50
04/28/2019..............0 - 0.................... -0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/27/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/26/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 1..............-0.50...................-6.00
04/25/2019..............0 - 2....................-10.00...................0 - 1..............-5.50...................-10.50
04/24/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0..............+5.00.................+5.00
04/23/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/22/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+5.00
04/21/2019..............2 - 0....................+13.00.................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+12.50
04/20/2019..............1 - 1....................+1.85...................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+1.35
04/19/2019..............1 - 0....................+7.50...................1 - 0...............+5.00.................+12.50
04/18/2019..............1 - 1....................+0.35...................2 - 1...............+4.50.................+4.85
04/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 2................-6.00..................-11.50
04/16/2019..............2 - 1....................+8.35...................1 - 3...............-11.50.................-3.15
04/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.10...................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-0.40
04/14/2019..............1 - 0....................+8.25...................2 - 2...............-1.00..................+7.25
04/13/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................4 - 0..............+20.00................+15.00
04/12/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50..................-11.50
04/11/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................1 - 2...............-6.00..................-11.00
04/10/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0..............+20.00...............+20.10


Totals....................10 - 11.................+8.50..................29 - 19.............+40.50...............+49.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Westgate SuperBook posted NFL win totals for 2019:

? Arizona Cardinals, 5

? Atlanta Falcons, 8.5

? Baltimore Ravens, 8.5, over -$120

? Buffalo Bills, 6.5, over -$160

? Carolina Panthers, 8, under -$120

? Chicago Bears, 9, under -$120


**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but??

13) 76ers 94, Raptors 89- Kawhi Leonard was 13-24 from floor; rest of Toronto?s team was 20-67 (29.9%). Series is tied, 1-1.

12) Ben Simmons is a weird player; I think he?s one of the five best passers I?ve ever seen, but it almost seems like he defiantly refuses to become a shooting threat.

In this game, Simmons played 44:00, was 3-6 from floor. No foul shots, no 3?s. He had seven rebounds, five assists. Someone who has the ball as much as Simmons does takes six shots in 44:00? Very unusual.

11) Nuggets 121, Trailblazers 113? Jokic had 37 points, nine rebounds, six assists as Denver takes the first game of this series. Nuggets are 41-5 at home this season.

10) Today?s unusual stat from Dan Hayes: Max Kepler?s 10-pitch walk in the 1st inning vs Justin Verlander Monday night was the 76th time Verlander has thrown 10 pitches in a plate appearance among the 11,497 batters (0.6%) he has faced in his great career.

9) Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes parlayed his dalliance with UCLA into a 5-year, $26M contract extension with the Vols.

8) Texas Tech basketball coach Chris Beard signed a six-year contract that will pay him $4.575M annually, through the 2024-25 season. His annual salary is now 4th-highest in the country, behind John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski and Barnes.

7) Baseball injuries:
? Giants put P Derek Holland (finger) on the IL.
? Braves put P Chad Sobotka (abdomen) on the IL.
? A?s put 1B/OF Mark Canha (wrist) on the IL.
? Brewers put P Aaron Wilkerson (foot) on the IL.

6) New England Patriots ranked 25th in NFL LY with a 53.8% touchback rate on kickoffs, so it is possible that the punter they traded up to draft in the 5th round will also be used as a kickoff guy, seeing how PK Stephen Gostkowski is 35 now. Field position is important.

5) James Harden led the NBA in foul shots attempted in five of the last seven years, and finished 2nd/3rd the other two seasons.

4) Blues 4, Stars 3? St Louis wins a road game, is up 2-1 in this series.

3) Giants 3, Dodgers 2? Evan Longoria?s bases loaded double in the 7th inning was the game-winning hit.

2) Reds 5, Mets 4? Jesse Winker?s 9th-inning homer decided this one. It was the first hit that Mets? closer Edwin Diaz allowed to a lefty batter this season.

1) I?d be curious to know how much NFL teams value if a prospect played for a winning program in college. I?m not 100% sold that playing on a winning team is that big a deal; sometimes your deficiencies can be hidden if you?re surrounded by superior athletes.

But I?d be more interested in how NFL teams feel than how I think about it.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

67Boston -68 Columbus
COLUMBUS are 41-24 ATS (15.6 Units) against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game in the current season.

69San Jose -70 Colorado
SAN JOSE is 22-30 ATS (-11 Units) revenging a close loss vs opponent of 1 goal or less in the last 3 seasons.




NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 30


Boston @ Columbus

Game 67-68
April 30, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
11.278
Columbus
12.888
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Columbus
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(-115); Over

San Jose @ Colorado

Game 69-70
April 30, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.569
Colorado
12.100
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-120
6
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-120); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 30

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

BOSTON (54-28-0-9, 117 pts.) at COLUMBUS (52-31-0-5, 109 pts.) - 4/30/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 59-62 ATS (-28.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 52-36 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all games this season.
COLUMBUS is 7-2 ATS (+3.9 Units) in April games this season.
BOSTON is 212-168 ATS (+43.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 12-3 ATS (+7.8 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
BOSTON is 24-7 ATS (+13.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-5 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 6-5-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)

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

SAN JOSE (51-31-0-9, 111 pts.) at COLORADO (43-32-0-14, 100 pts.) - 4/30/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 33-17 ATS (+50.7 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 137-90 ATS (+22.7 Units) in April games since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 91-58 ATS (+25.1 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights since 1996.
COLORADO is 12-21 ATS (-11.1 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 7-3 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 7-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.0 Units)

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




NHL

Tuesday, April 30

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 9 games on the road
Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 12 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Columbus is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games
Columbus is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 12 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 5-16 ATS in its last 21 games
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
San Jose is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Colorado
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Colorado is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Colorado is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing San Jose
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, APRIL 30
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at CLB 07:00 PM
BOS +111
U 5.5

SJ at COL 10:00 PM
COL -130
O 6.0

 

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Sharks have Over bettors in a feeding frenzy
Monty Andrews

The Sharks (3.44) and Avalanche (3.29) now rank third and fourth, respectively, in goals per game during the postseason.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche both earned road splits in their respective Stanley Cup playoff series and return to friendly confines looking to take advantage of home ice. But while Columbus and Colorado find themselves in the proverbial drivers' seat heading into Game 3, the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks were higher-seeded teams during the regular season for a reason.

Here are the top betting trends and best bets for Tuesday's NHL Stanley Cup playoffs odds:

BOSTON BRUINS AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Moneyline Odds: Boston +105/Columbus -125
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Series Price: Series tied 1-1 (Boston -120/Columbus -115)
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

Every year, there's always one series that ends up producing a handful of overtime games and this is shaping up to be that series, with these teams having already gone to OT twice. Each side has produced a 3-2 victory in extra time, and there's little separating these teams in their recent head-to-head series. Six of their last nine meetings have been decided by a goal, with five of them decided after 60 minutes and Columbus owning a slim 5-4 edge in the win column. With the regulation tie set at +280, bettors might want to consider a flyer this long-shot play.

One other trend worth considering: the host side has been the superior first-period play for several years now. The home team has led after 20 minutes in each of the first two games of the series, and is 11-2-7 in the opening period in the previous 20 games between the Eastern Conference adversaries. And if that wasn't enough, the hosts are outscoring the visitors by a 28-13 margin over that stretch. With the opening-period draw at +160 and the Columbus -0.5 first-period line at +170, you could conceivably wager both and come out ahead as long as Boston doesn't lead after 20 minutes.


SAN JOSE SHARKS AT COLORADO AVALANCHE

Moneyline Odds: San Jose +110/Colorado -130
Over/Under: 6 goals
Series Price: Series tied 1-1 (San Jose -128/Colorado -108)
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.

Why abandon a rock-solid trend? These teams can't seem to stop putting the puck in the net, as evidenced by the 14 goals they've combined to produce through the first two games of their best-of-seven. That's now three consecutive games of seven or more goals between the teams, as well as in nine in their past 12 meetings. The Sharks (3.44) and Avalanche (3.29) now rank third and fourth, respectively, in goals per game during the postseason, and have combined for more than 70 shots per game on average. Look for these teams to continue their high-scoring ways in Game 3 and take the Over 6 play at -120.

As for which player prop to favor in Game 3, there are many decent options to choose from but one Colorado forward stands out above the rest. Mikko Rantanen has been sensational so far in the postseason, racking up 11 points through seven games to sit just one off the playoff lead. And Rantanen was one of the most dangerous forwards in the league on home ice this season, sitting just outside the Top 10 with 20 home goals in just 36 games at Pepsi Center. We like Rantanen at +145 to score anytime in Game 3. And, if you're feeling particularly frisky, he's listed at +900 to score twice or more.

 

[Cnotes53]

Couture scores 3 goals, Sharks beat Avs 4-2 in Game 3
April 30, 2019
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DENVER (AP) Logan Couture scored three times, including the go-ahead goal with 7:10 remaining, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Couture sent a shot over the shoulder of Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer just 65 seconds after Matt Nieto tied the score. Couture sealed it on an empty-net goal with 29.5 seconds remaining. Timo Meier also scored for the Sharks, who improved to 24-16 all-time in Game 3 of a series.

Game 4 is Thursday in Denver.

It's been an exciting few days for Sharks center Gustav Nyquist, whose wife gave birth to a daughter Monday. He returned to the team before the game and recorded two assists.

Martin Jones stopped 25 shots.

Nathan MacKinnon had a short-handed goal and Nieto added another to help the Avalanche rebound from a 2-0 first-period deficit. Philipp Grubauer made 27 saves for Colorado, which snapped an eight-game home win streak.

The Avalanche went on the power play with 2:56 left when Couture was called for tripping. Colorado pulled Grubauer for an extra skater, but Couture wrapped it up with a goal to register the hat trick.

Nieto tied the score when Samuel Girard sent a shot at him. Nieto managed to tip it in while jumping in the air. As the crowd was still buzzing, Couture made a nifty move to score and silence the building. Couture has a playoff-leading nine goals.

Down 2-0, Grubauer kept the Avalanche within reach during the second period. He had a shot by Marc-Edouard Vlasic bounce off his glove and clang off the crossbar. Grubauer later stopped Evander Kane on a breakaway that energized the crowd.

Late in the period and with San Jose on the power play, Brent Burns tried to send a pass up the ice, only to have it intercepted near center-ice by defenseman Ian Cole. He dished it over to the speedy MacKinnon who raced into the zone and beat Jones with a wrist shot.

MacKinnon has at least a point in seven straight postseason games. The last Avalanche player with a point in seven straight was Peter Forsberg in the 2004 postseason.

Colorado once again teamed up a pair of 20-year-old defensemen in Cale Makar and Samuel Girard. The combined age of Makar and Girard is only slightly greater than Sharks forward Joe Thornton, who turns 40 in July.

Couture gave the Sharks the early lead when he fended off Makar down low and knocked in a backhand shot over Grubauer. Toward the end of the first period, Meier took advantage of a turnover by Erik Johnson in the neutral zone to give the Sharks a two-goal lead.

It was Meier's third goal of the 2019 playoffs after scoring 30 in the regular season.

NOTES: Sharks captain Joe Pavelski and F Joonas Donskoi didn't travel with the team, coach Peter DeBoer said. Pavelski and Donskoi were both hurt during the Vegas series and have yet to play in this one. ... Colorado F Matt Calvert was out with an upper-body injury. ... With Colorado and the Denver Nuggets both in the second round, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was asked if the ice was at all an issue as the Pepsi Center goes through constant conversions. ''Not for me,'' Bednar said. ''It didn't seem to hurt us in the Calgary series.''

UP NEXT

Back at Pepsi Center for Game 4 on Thursday.

 

[Cnotes53]

Jackets top Bruins, take 2-1 series edge
April 30, 2019
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) With Columbus holding on to a two-goal lead late in the second period, Boston's Brad Marchand snapped a shot from the top of the left circle. The puck rebounded and trickled dangerously in the blue paint before Sergei Bobrovsky stretched out and swept it away with his glove.

Another big save for Bobrovsky , who has made a bunch of them in what has been an outstanding postseason so far. He finished with 36 stops in the 2-1 win over Boston on Tuesday night that gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boone Jenner and Matt Duchene scored for the Blue Jackets, who won a second-round home game for first time in franchise history.

Game 4 is Thursday night.

Tuukka Rask had 32 saves for Boston. The Bruins' only goal was a flukey one in the last minute of the second period, the only chink in an otherwise brilliant game by Bobrovsky.

The Russian stopper withstood a flurry by Boston earlier in the second period, including the acrobatic save of the kind that has become almost routine for him in these playoffs. The Bruins pulled Rask with 2:11 left but couldn't beat Bobrovsky with the 6-on-5 advantage.

''I thought we stayed together in the third period,'' Bobrovsky said. ''Obviously they had a good push, we stood together, we worked for each other and we got rewarded.''

Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo predicted that the former Vezina Trophy won't be able to keep it up.

''The secondary saves that he's making are very impressive, but he's going to crack at some point,'' Carlo said. ''I have a lot of faith that we're going to pucks past behind him pretty soon. Credit to him today, but overall I don't think it's going to last.''

Columbus overcame deficits twice to win Game 2 in overtime at Boston on Saturday but never trailed in Game 3. There were some big hits but the game was less testy than the previous two meetings between the two teams in the postseason.

The Blue Jackets struck late in the first period when Jenner, skating left to right across the slot, slid the puck past Rask on the glove side before the goalie could adjust. The tally with 1:23 left was Jenner's first of the postseason.

With Zdeno Chara in the penalty box for high-sticking Jenner in the face, the Blue Jackets swarmed for an extended time in front of the Boston net before Duchene tapped in another goal with 7:18 left in the second.

Boston made it a one-goal game with 40 seconds left in the middle period when in a knot of players in front the Columbus net, the puck trickled behind Bobrovsky and over the line. The goal initially was waved off by an official, but a video review determined that play hadn't stopped before the puck slid in. Jake DeBrusk got credit for the goal .

That would be it for the Bruins.

Their best opportunity to tie the score came with just under 9 minutes left when David Savard went to the penalty box for tripping, but 16 seconds later Patrice Bergeron was whistled for the same infraction, creating a 4-on-4 and then a brief Columbus advantage.

''I still think we had enough good looks to win the game,'' Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''We hit two posts and a crossbar. (Bobrovsky) stopped a lot of other good ones. Clearly we'd love to get into the slot a little more.

All three of the games in the series have been decided by one goal.

NOTES: Tuesday's game was the latest in April that Columbus has played in franchise history. The Blue Jackets, who won a playoff series for the first time, have never played in May. ... Columbus rookie Alexandre Texier was a healthy scratch for the first time in the playoffs. ... David Krejci joined Ray Bourque (125) and Bobby Orr (66) as the third player in Boston franchise history to have 60 playoff assists. ,,, Columbus has won 13 of 15 games dating back to March 24.

UP NEXT

Game 4 on Thursday night.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 1, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM New York Islanders Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
9:38 PM St. Louis Blues Dallas Stars American Airlines Center


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


NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

04/30/2019 1-2-1 33.33% -6.50
04/29/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.20
04/28/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -4.05
04/27/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -4.00
04/26/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -12.15
04/25/2019 0-3-1 0.00% -15.50
04/24/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -2.25
04/23/2019 4-0-0 100.00% +20.00
04/22/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +10.00
04/21/2019 3-1-0 75.00% +12.50
04/20/2019 3-3-0 50.00% +0.85
04/19/2019 2-1-1 66.67% +5.50
04/18/2019 4-2-0 66.67% +9.85
04/17/2019 1-4-0 20.00% -17.00
04/16/2019 3-5-0 37.50% -10.35
04/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.40
04/14/2019 4-4-0 50.00% -2.00
04/13/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +20.00
04/12/2019 1-7-0 12.50% -42.60
04/11/2019 1-2-0 33.33% -5.50
04/10/2019 5-2-1 71.43% +14.95


Totals.............44-48-4..... 47.82%.... -49.89


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


BEST BETS:

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

04/30/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.50...................1 - 0..............+5.00..................-0.50
04/29/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-5.50
04/28/2019..............0 - 0.................... -0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/27/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/26/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 1..............-0.50...................-6.00
04/25/2019..............0 - 2....................-10.00...................0 - 1..............-5.50...................-10.50
04/24/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0..............+5.00.................+5.00
04/23/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+10.00
04/22/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................2 - 0..............+10.00.................+5.00
04/21/2019..............2 - 0....................+13.00.................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+12.50
04/20/2019..............1 - 1....................+1.85...................1 - 1...............-0.50...................+1.35
04/19/2019..............1 - 0....................+7.50...................1 - 0...............+5.00.................+12.50
04/18/2019..............1 - 1....................+0.35...................2 - 1...............+4.50.................+4.85
04/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.50....................1 - 2................-6.00..................-11.50
04/16/2019..............2 - 1....................+8.35...................1 - 3...............-11.50.................-3.15
04/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.10...................0 - 1...............-5.50...................-0.40
04/14/2019..............1 - 0....................+8.25...................2 - 2...............-1.00..................+7.25
04/13/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................4 - 0..............+20.00................+15.00
04/12/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50..................-11.50
04/11/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00...................1 - 2...............-6.00..................-11.00
04/10/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.10..................4 - 0..............+20.00...............+20.10


Totals....................10 - 12.................+3.00..................30 - 19.............+45.50...............+48.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday?s 6-pack

The Athletic?s NBA Mock Draft

1) Zion Williamson, Duke

2) Ja Morant, Murray State

3) RJ Barrett, Duke

4) Darius Garland, Vanderbilt

5) Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech

6) De?Andre Hunter, Virginia

Quote of the Day
?They have to win the division. This is a put-up-or-shut-up season for them, especially for Clay Helton. I?m looking to see drastic improvements. People have to be held accountable and players have to be held accountable. They have to create an environment there where players really understand the tradition of winning that came before them.?
USC alum Reggie Bush, talking about the Trojans? football team

Wednesday?s quiz
Which NBA general manager holds the Toronto Blue Jays? franchise record for youngest player to hit a home run?

Tuesday?s quiz
Spurs, Pacers, Nets, Nuggets came to the NBA when the ABA folded in 1976.

Monday?s quiz
In the football movie Invincible, which is a true story. a 30-year old bartender tried out for and made the Philadelphia Eagles as a special teams player in 1976.

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

Wednesday?s List of 13: Mid-week musings??.

13) Last year, the Arizona Cardinals spent a lot of $$$ on quarterbacks:
? They paid Sam Bradford $16M; he played three games.
? They paid Josh Rosen $11.5M; he lives in Miami now.
? They paid Mike Glennon $5M; he lives in Oakland now.

Now the Cardinals? QB?s are Kyler Murray, Brett Hundley and two guys I?ve never heard of, free agents from Murray State and Princeton. Kyler Murray better be the real deal.

12) No idea how NFL teams will handle their rookie QB?s this year, but last season, all five first-round quarterbacks were playing by midseason, so there?s that.

11) Interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about UCLA?s search for a new basketball coach; Bruins offered to double Jay Wright?s salary, but the Villanova coach turned them down. When a coach declines having his salary doubled, thats a major red flag.

Similar to Loyola coach Porter Moser turning down St John?s, when they offered to more than double his salary. Turning down a Big East job to stay at Loyola was an eye-opener.

10) So far this baseball season, relief pitchers have a worse ERA than starting pitchers; that hasn?t happened over a full season in fifty years. Starting pitchers need to last longer in games; there is too much strain being put on bullpens.

9) There are 127 I-A college football teams; for some reason, in 2020 there will be three new bowl games, bringing the total (for now) to 43.

Fenway Park, Myrtle Beach and the new dome in Los Angeles get the new bowl games; why do baseball stadiums in Boston/New York have bowl games? These games are in December; warm weather cities seem like a better bowl destination.

Do kids want to freeze their butts off in a bowl game? I think not.

With 43 bowls, teams with losing records will go to bowls, which also isn?t ideal.

8) 233 players have declared for early entry to the NBA Draft; players have until late May to pull their names from the draft. NBA Draft is two rounds- 60 players get picked, so do the math, then add in the seniors who will also be involved.

If you?re not a first round pick, go back to school. Become a better player. Unless you want to play in the G-League or in Europe.

7)

6) Harden led the NBA in foul shots attempted in six of last seven years; he led the NBA in free throws made the last five years in a row. He is obviously used to getting calls.

5) Baseball stuff:
? Dodgers put OF AJ Pollock (elbow) on IL.
? Nationals put 3B Anthony Rendon (elbow) on DL.
? Padres put SS Fernando Tatis (hamstring) on DL
? Mariners sent OF Mallex Smith to AAA because he can?t hit.

4) Ranger College basketball coach Billy Gillispie was named JUCO Coach of the Year this week, after leading Ranger to a 31-4 record this year- they played in the NJCAA championship game.

The former head coach at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UTEP, Gillispie returned to coaching this season after a kidney transplant. Good for him.

3) Tim Mead was named this week as the new vice-president of National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Mead represented the Los Angels Angels for the last 40 years, under three owners, nine managers and six interim managers, last 22 years as the team?s vice president of communications.

Not often you see a guy get a new job, followed by a flood of 100% positive tweets giving the thumbs up to the hire. Everyone really likes this guy, so good for the Hall of Fame.

2) Milwaukee Bucks are now 19-4 vs spread this season in the game following a loss.

1) Wake Forest signed football coach Dave Clawson to an 8-year contract extension; Wake is the smallest school that has big-time college football. Tough job.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

71Ny Islanders -72 Carolina
NY ISLANDERS are 16-1 ATS (14.9 Units) after scoring 2 goals or less in 2 straight games in the current season.

73St Louis -74 Dallas
ST LOUIS are 15-7 ATS (12.7 Units) in road games vs. winning teams in the current season.


NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 1

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

NY ISLANDERS (52-28-0-8, 112 pts.) at CAROLINA (52-31-0-8, 112 pts.) - 5/1/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 36-17 ATS (+7.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 25-11 ATS (+11.0 Units) after a division game this season.
CAROLINA is 14-6 ATS (+7.5 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 52-36 ATS (+14.3 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 31-19 ATS (+6.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 22-12 ATS (+34.7 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 22-11 ATS (+10.1 Units) after a division game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-7 ATS (+21.6 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 8-3 ATS (+11.7 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
CAROLINA is 49-61 ATS (-26.9 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 8-7-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.8 Units)

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

ST LOUIS (51-30-0-10, 112 pts.) at DALLAS (48-35-0-8, 104 pts.) - 5/1/2019, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 29-18 ATS (+9.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 36-18 ATS (+10.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-13 ATS (+10.8 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 30-19 ATS (+10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-7 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-8-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.2 Units)

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


NHL

Wednesday, May 1

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

New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 5 games
NY Islanders is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
NY Islanders is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games when playing Carolina
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
NY Islanders is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Carolina is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
Carolina is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Stars
Dallas is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Dallas's last 15 games at home
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis


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

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 1


NY Islanders @ Carolina

Game 71-72
May 1, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
11.863
Carolina
13.378
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 1 1/2
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
(-120); Under

St. Louis @ Dallas

Game 73-74
May 1, 2019 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
10.479
Dallas
11.876
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-125); Over

 

[Cnotes53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NYI at CAR 07:00 PM
CAR -130
U 5.0

STL at DAL 09:30 PM
DAL -119
U 5.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Islanders facing big hole in series
May 1, 2019
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Robin Lehner sat in the locker room, surrounded by reporters and taking the blame for the New York Islanders' latest playoff loss. His lament: a turnover behind the net that led to the go-ahead goal for the Carolina Hurricanes.

''I own that one,'' the goaltender said.

Yet, that play offered a glimpse at how the Islanders have found themselves facing a massive hole in a playoff series filled with close games. It's been a mistake here, a missed opportunity there, and an inability to come up with a needed goal to wrestle some lasting momentum from the surging Hurricanes. Now they're down 3-0 in their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series following Wednesday night's 5-2 loss, a game blown open by Carolina's two empty-net goals in the final minute.

Before those scores, neither team had led by more than a goal in the series. Here the Islanders are, though, needing to win Game 4 on Friday night in Raleigh - where the Hurricanes are 4-0 in the postseason - just to push the series back north.

''We can't let the frustration set in,'' said winger Josh Bailey, who had a goal and an assist. ''I think the series could easily be the other way around. I think that's how close our teams are and how these games have gone. It hurts thinking about it that way, but at the same time we're right in it.''

The Islanders certainly have reason to be frustrated, and a little shaken.

They rode a defensive-minded approach to near the top of the Metropolitan Division, then swept Pittsburgh in the first round to earn an extended break while the Hurricanes fought their way past the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in a seven-game series.

But they lost Game 1 at home 1-0 in overtime on Jordan Staal's winner, then had two shots hit the post in the third period against backup Carolina goaltender Curtis McElhinney only to end up with a 2-1 loss in Game 2.

This time, there were a couple of opportunistic goals that both went Carolina's way, too.

''That's kind of what these games are,'' Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''One team makes that (mistake). ... It's just a battle of, really, will and sticking to your game and trying to create that one gap, and that's what happened.''

The first came when Carolina's Justin Faulk came out of the penalty box behind everyone and took a long feed from Warren Foegele - he gloved it near the blue line and dropped it to the ice - to score on a 1-on-1 chance against Lehner.

Then there was Lehner's turnover when he tried to clear a puck by sending it along the boards from behind the net and out of trouble. Carolina's Sebastian Aho managed to knock the puck down with his stick, then fed a cutting Justin Williams to beat Lehner for the 3-2 lead midway through the third.

''I screwed up,'' Lehner said.

Told that Lehner had taken responsibility for the loss in the locker room, Islanders coach Barry Trotz turned the focus away from the goaltender.

''I appreciate him doing that, but we win or lose as a team,'' Trotz said. ''There's other plays during a game that he's bailed us out many times.''

Now the Islanders have only their second three-game losing streak of the season - the other came in November - at the worst possible time.

''They score a lot of scrambly goals, if you want to say,'' Lehner said. ''That's because they work hard and they put the puck to the net and they attack the net very well. ... Again, it's been tight games that come down to small, small mistakes. That's tough.''

 

[Cnotes53]

'Canes top Isles, take 3-0 series lead
May 1, 2019
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Hurricanes put an old goalie in net and welcomed back their teenage draft pick. With the game tied, another young star set up their graying captain's go-ahead goal.

That blend of young and old has the surging Hurricanes on the verge of a sweep.

Sebastian Aho assisted on Justin Williams' key goal with 9:45 remaining, and Carolina beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in their second-round series.

Teuvo Teravainen had two goals, including an empty-netter with 57.1 seconds remaining, Justin Faulk also scored and Aho added another empty-net goal with 4.8 seconds to play.

The wild-card Hurricanes - in the playoffs for the first time in a decade - moved within a victory of a berth in the Eastern Conference final and took a 3-0 series lead for just the second time since they moved to North Carolina in 1997.

After losing the first two games of its first-round series with Washington, Carolina has won seven of eight and will try for the sweep Friday night.

''The next game's always the toughest,'' coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''They're not going to go away. We know that. These games have all been tight - one-goal games, essentially, and it's going to be like that on Friday.''

Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist and Devon Toews scored on the power play to spark a dormant Islanders offense. New York had scored one goal in the first two games of this series and its average of 2 1/2 goals in its previous six postseason games was the lowest among the eight teams that are still playing.

But it wasn't enough to keep them from a precarious spot. After sweeping Pittsburgh in the first round, the Islanders are in danger of being swept. Only four teams in NHL history have won a series after losing the first three games.

''It's a big mountain, but we've dug in many times this year when people doubted us,'' coach Barry Trotz said. ''So we're just going to have to dig in. ... We have to earn the right to keep playing. That's it. It's do or die.''

Curtis McElhinney - who at 35 years and 343 days old became the oldest goalie in NHL history to make his first playoff start - stopped 28 shots in place of Petr Mrazek, who is day to day with a lower body injury. After McElhinney made two bang-bang saves in the second period while doing a split, the crowd chanted his first name.

''It's one of those timely saves that you need to come up with at certain points of the game,'' McElhinney said, ''and tonight, it was there for me.''

Robin Lehner stopped 34 shots for the Islanders, but his career record against the Hurricanes fell to 0-7 with four losses in the regular season and three more in this series.

It took an impressive individual effort for Aho to put the Hurricanes ahead to stay.

After Nino Niederreiter dumped the puck in, Lehner played it behind the net - only to have Aho snatch it in the corner and pass to Williams, who chipped it past the Islanders goalie.

''Every time we get pucks deep, good things will happen,'' Aho said.

New York couldn't get Lehner off the ice for an extra attacker until about 90 seconds remained, and if Teravainen didn't ice it with his empty-netter in the final minute, Aho certainly did with his.

The Hurricanes have six players dealing with publicly known injuries, but - aside from the injury to Mrazek - they seem to be getting a bit healthier.

Rookie winger Andrei Svechnikov, a 19-year-old who had been in the concussion protocol after taking a punch from Alex Ovechkin in Game 3 of the Washington series, returned to the lineup. And forward Jordan Martinook, who missed the first two games of this series and suffered a lower body injury in Game 4 against the Capitals, also was back.

The most impressive goal of the night belonged to Faulk. As he stormed out of the penalty box after his hooking minor expired, Warren Foegele flipped the puck toward him at the blue line. Faulk plucked it out of the air - like an outfielder tracking a fly ball - and then beat Lehner with a rising backhand with 8:02 left in the second.

''I watched a lot of Torii Hunter,'' quipped Faulk, a native Minnesotan and noted Twins fan.

The lead didn't last long. Bailey tied it at 2 with 5:47 left when his shot from between the circles got past McElhinney's glove - and then teammate Brock Nelson gave the Carolina goalie's helmet a tap after the play.

It was the second time a Hurricanes lead turned out to be short-lived. Teravainen put them up 1-0 with 13:19 left in the first. Unchecked at the right post, he stopped the rebound of Jaccob Slavin's shot with his left skate, then whacked it in for his fourth goal of the playoffs and third in five games.

Toews - who drew a high stick that sent Foegele to the penalty box - tied it 99 seconds later with a straightaway blast from just inside the blue line through traffic.

NOTES: The last team to win a series after trailing it 3-0 was Los Angeles against San Jose in the first round in 2014. ... Slavin, who assisted on first Teravainen's goal, has a league-best 11 assists during the playoffs. ... Svechnikov rang the post with a wrist shot late in the first, and Williams did it early in the second. ... New York RW Cal Clutterbuck returned after he was helped off the ice during Game 2.

UP NEXT

The series resumes here Friday night for Game 4.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 2, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:38 PM Boston Bruins Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
10:08 PM San Jose Sharks Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center


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NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00


Totals..............2-2-0 50.00% -1.00


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BEST BETS:

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


05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00



Totals...................... 0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00


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APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS

Totals....................10 - 12.................+3.00..................30 - 19.............+45.50...............+48.50