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

[Cnotes53]

Thursday?s 6-pack

Odds to win the Wells Fargo PGA event this week:

6-1: Rory McIlroy

10-1: Jason Day

12-1: Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler

18-1: Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau

20-1: Webb Simpson

22-1: Sergio Garcia

Quote of the Day
?I?ve never learned anything while I was talking.?
Larry King

Thursday?s quiz
In the basketball movie Hoosiers, what was the name of the high school where Gene Hackman coached?

Wednesday?s quiz
Celtics? general manager Danny Ainge 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.

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

Thursday?s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but??

13) Cleveland Browns haven?t made the NFL playoffs since 2002; they?re -$120 to make the playoffs this season, with a rookie head coach and a 2nd-year QB. That would take a pretty big leap of faith on my part, to wager on the Browns to make the 2019 playoffs.

12) Rookie QB Dwayne Haskins will wear number 7 with the Redskins, the first person to do that since Joe Theismann retired 34 years ago.

11) Royals swept a doubleheader from Tampa Bay Wednesday, 3-2/8-2; Whit Merrrifield led off bottom of the 1st inning in both games with a double. He is the first player in major leagues to do this since Scott Podsednik, in 2005 for the White Sox.

10) Part of why the Miami Marlins are terrible:
? Chris Paddack was traded for Fernando Rodney
? Domingo Germ?n was traded for Martin Prado
? Luis Castillo was traded for Dan Straily

They traded three really good young pitchers for older, marginal players. Then they traded Yelich, Ozuna, Stanton and didn?t get much of a return for them. Astoundingly inept.

9) Morning line favorite Omaha Beach has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby with a trapped epiglottis, which apparently is a breathing problem. Game Winner (4-1) now appears to the favorite for Saturday?s race.

8) Chicago Bears hired Brad Childress as senior offensive assistant, which helps explain why he quit as head coach of the AAF team in Atlanta, which turned out to be a good move by him, since the league folded before their first season ended.

7) Baseball injuries:
? Mets put P Jeurys Familia (shoulder) on the IL.
? Indians will put P Corey Kluber (forearm) on IL.

6) Game 2 of Rockets-Warriors was Tuesday, Game 3 isn?t till Saturday; chance for coaches to make whatever adjustments need to be made. Chance for James Harden?s eye to heal, and for Steph Curry?s left hand to feel a little better- he dislocated a finger in Tuesday?s game.

5) ESPN the Magazine is shutting down this fall; they tried very hard to be different, and they were different, but in a bad way. Too many articles on stuff not many people care about.

4) College basketball transfer portal:
? Former Vandy/Notre Dame F Matt Ryan is transferring to Chattanooga. He is a career 36.5% shooter on the arc who shot only 32.8% for Vandy LY.
? Georgia poaches grad transfer Donnell Gresham from Northeastern.

3) San Diego Padres finished April with a 17-13 record, first time since 2010 that they finished the first month of the season with a winning record.

2) Indians? ace Corey Kluber got hit by a line drive last night, broke his right forearm and is out for a long time, a huge blow to Cleveland?s chances this season.

1) This from Ryan Spaeder:

In 2005, Braves? C Brian McCann hit a sac fly against Paul Quantrill; Dave Roberts (now the Dodgers? manager) caught the fly ball for San Diego.

Tuesday night, 5,001 days later, McCann flew out against Cal Quantrill, Paul?s son. also against the Padres.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

75Boston -76 Columbus
COLUMBUS are 6-1 ATS (4.9 Units) as a # 4 seed in the playoffs in the current season.

77San Jose -78 Colorado
COLORADO is 24-32 ATS (-17.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - allowing 2.85+ goals/game in the current season.


NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 2

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

BOSTON (54-29-0-9, 117 pts.) at COLUMBUS (53-31-0-5, 111 pts.) - 5/2/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 59-63 ATS (-30.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 53-36 ATS (+10.1 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 212-169 ATS (+42.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 10-2 ATS (+7.4 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 6-6-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.4 Units)

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

SAN JOSE (52-31-0-9, 113 pts.) at COLORADO (43-33-0-14, 100 pts.) - 5/2/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 8-3 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 8-3-0 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

Thursday, May 2

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games on the road
Boston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 13 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Columbus is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games
Columbus is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Columbus is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Columbus is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 13 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Jose is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Jose's last 11 games
San Jose is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games on the road
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing Colorado
San Jose is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Colorado is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Colorado is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Colorado is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing San Jose
Colorado is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing at home against San Jose


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

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, May 2


Boston @ Columbus

Game 75-76
May 2, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
12.213
Columbus
13.953
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Columbus
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(-120); Under

San Jose @ Colorado

Game 77-78
May 2, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.323
Colorado
11.346
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-125
6
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-125); Under

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Bruins (49-24) at Blue Jackets (47-31)
Date: May 02, 2019 7:30 PM EDT

The Columbus Blue Jackets pushed their chips to the center of the table prior to the NHL trade deadline, acquiring Matt Duchene among others in their bid to advance past the first round for the first time in franchise history.

Duchene has provided a substantial payoff for the Blue Jackets, who look to push the Boston Bruins to the brink of elimination on Thursday when they play Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round series in Columbus, Ohio.

"It's a good marriage for us," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said of Duchene, who followed up his goal in double overtime of a 3-2 win on Saturday with his franchise-best fifth postseason tally three nights later in a 2-1 victory in Game 3.

Duchene's goal on Tuesday came on the power play for Columbus, which has scored with the man advantage in six of its seven games and is 8-for-21 in the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets, who hold a 2-1 series lead, have won 13 their last 15 games overall, sweeping Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay while putting a 107-point Boston team on its heels.

"I'm not surprised. This is definitely what we're capable of," said the 28-year-old Duchene, who also has four assists on the playoffs.

The Bruins believe they are capable of more on the power play, as they followed up their 7-for-16 performance against Toronto in the first round by converting just one of their 10 opportunities in this series.

"I think we've got to execute better, that's the bottom line," Patrice Bergeron said of his team's power-play difficulties. "The plays that we want to make are there in a way, but I think we're forcing a lot of them too. We've just got to go back to taking what's there in front of you."

That mindset may also be beneficial in igniting the team's vaunted top line of Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. That group, which combined for 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) against the Maple Leafs, has totaled just one in this series.

While two-time Vezina Trophy recipient Sergei Bobrovsky deserves some of the "blame" for the top line's power outage, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters that he expects the group to produce.

"Is it sustainable? I don't know," Cassidy said. "I can't predict the future. I'd like to think they're going to have to score. Obviously, some of that starts on the power play. We had one that was not very good -- the second one, we got taken off it, so that's not even really a power play.

"We're going to have to figure something out as a group."

Marchand is expected to have a chance to get the Bruins back on track on Thursday, as multiple outlets reported that the NHL would not provide supplemental discipline after the pesky forward's actions in Game 3.

The 30-year-old Marchand, who has six previous suspensions, delivered a quick jab to the back of the head of unsuspecting Columbus defenseman Scott Harrington toward the latter stages of the third period on Tuesday.

Harrington was not injured on the play.

--Field Level Media


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blue Jackets at Bruins
Thu, Apr 25 Final 2 to 3
Recaps

GAME 2
Blue Jackets at Bruins
Sat, Apr 27 Final 3 to 2
Recaps

GAME 3
Bruins at Blue Jackets
Tue, Apr 30 Final 1 to 2
Recaps

GAME 4
Bruins at Blue Jackets
Thu, May 2 - 7:30PM EDT

GAME 5
Blue Jackets at Bruins
Sat, May 4 - 7:15PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Sharks (46-27) at Avalanche (38-30)
Date: May 02, 2019 10:00 PM EDT

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar more often than not epitomizes calmness.

Bednar showed plenty of emotion after his team's 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, which has the Sharks up 2-1 in the second-round playoff series. And it's obvious he expects better of his players -- much, much better -- when the series resumes with Game 4 on Thursday in Denver.

"To me, we didn't consistently work for the puck, didn't talk (for) the puck and in turn our execution was poor," Bednar said after his club's loss. "We made some bonehead decisions with the puck, too, at times. The bulk of their scoring chances come off turnover plays and mismanaging the puck and just poor execution."

As the Sharks look to take a stranglehold on the best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series, the situation can be viewed from two angles. The Sharks have been outstanding in overcoming adversity in their two victories, or the Avalanche have failed to take advantage of their opportunity.

San Jose won the series opener by twice erasing deficits before running away with a 5-2 win. In Tuesday's game, the Sharks blew a 2-0 lead, but immediately after it became a tie game late in the third period, they took advantage of a crucial miscue and Logan Couture scored the game winner amidst a hat-trick performance.

Sure, the Avalanche spent much of the game chasing, but they had all the momentum and watched it disappear in the blink of an eye.

"They outplayed us and we turned a lot of pucks over, big turnovers, costly ones," Nathan MacKinnon told the Denver Post. "We started to find our momentum in the second half of the second period and in the third period, 15 minutes of the third period, then we lost it again. It's unfortunate. We were feeling great thinking about OT, maybe we could have got another one with the momentum with (Matt Nieto) tying it up, but it didn't happen."

Instead, the Avs are facing a critical match at home while the Sharks are brimming with confidence, believing they can win a game no matter the situation. Many teams would have crumbled after seeing a lead disappear midway through the third period.

"I loved our response," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "It was even-keeled. It was just get out there and let's get back at this. We knew at that point it was 2-2, but we deserved to be in a different spot than that. We knew what was working for us and we needed to get back to that."

Of course, it helps when a player such as Couture steps up -- especially with captain Joe Pavelski on the sidelines after being injured in the first-round series clinching game. Couture's three goals give him nine in the playoffs, seven of them over the past six games.

"This is what you play hockey for. This is what you play 82 games for," Couture said. "I've been fortunate enough to play on some very good teams and we've only missed the playoffs once since I've been in San Jose, and these games are so much fun."

Colorado forward Matt Calvert missed Game 3 due to an upper-body injury stemming from a hit late in Game 2. He is listed as questionable for Game 4.

--Field Level Media


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Avalanche at Sharks
Fri, Apr 26 Final 2 to 5
Recaps

GAME 2
Avalanche at Sharks
Sun, Apr 28 Final 4 to 3
Recaps

GAME 3
Sharks at Avalanche
Tue, Apr 30 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 4
Sharks at Avalanche
Thu, May 2 - 10:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Avalanche at Sharks
Sat, May 4 - 10:00PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

THURSDAY, MAY 2
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at CLB 07:30 PM
BOS +117
U 5.5

SJ at COL 10:00 PM
SJ +115
O 6.0

 

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Sharks, Avalanche won't stop scoring
Monty Andrews

The Sharks and Avalanche have now combined to score six or more goals in 17 of their previous 21 meetings overall, including all six encounters this season.

Will the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks seize 3-1 leads in their respective Stanley Cup second-round playoff series? Or will the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche draw even in the best-of-seven? The Blue Jackets are in great shape with a 2-1 series lead and the home-ice edge in Game 4, while the Sharks have a slightly more difficult task ahead as road underdogs at Pepsi Center. Here are the top betting trends and tips ahead of Thursday's two-game playoff schedule:

BOSTON BRUINS AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Moneyline Odds: Boston +105/Columbus -125
Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Series Price: Columbus -270/Boston +185
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

That hook on the total is significant when you consider that the teams combined for five goals in each of the first two games of this series before slogging through a three-goal defensive struggle in the Blue Jackets' 2-1 victory Tuesday night. And with only eight of the 13 goals in the series coming at 5-on-5 ? and with series traditionally seeing fewer penalties as they go on ? you can expect more strong defensive play from both sides Thursday night, putting the U5.5 squarely in play (-125).

While Game 3 was the first of the series to be decided in regulation, it was still a one-goal affair ? and as we pointed out in this space last time out, this has become a significant trend between these teams. They've seen seven of their past 10 head-to-head encounters decided by one goal, with five of them going to extra time. With neither side willing to budge on defense and 5-on-5 goals remaining at a premium for each team, we like either the Boston (+280) or Columbus (+240) one-goal victory margin.


SAN JOSE SHARKS AT COLORADO AVALANCHE

Moneyline Odds: San Jose +105/Colorado -125
Over/Under: 6 goals
Series Price: Colorado +205/San Jose -303
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET, Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.

At some point, you simply have to accept that the Sharks and Avalanche are going to score plenty of goals whenever they face off. These teams settled for a P6 in the Sharks' 4-2 triumph over Colorado in Game 3; the teams have now combined to score six or more goals in 17 of their previous 21 meetings overall, including all six encounters this season. And with five of those games producing at least seven total goals, it's hard to get away from the O6 (-120) as the superior option in Game 4.

This is essentially a must-win game for Colorado ? and while our suggestion of Mikko Rantanen for an anytime goal didn't pan out Tuesday, we're coming back to it here. Rantanen finished with five shot attempts in Game 3, including three shots on goal. He was among the top dozen skaters in the league in home goal-scoring during the regular season, and went more than three games without a goal (his current streak) just four times in 2018-19. We like Rantanen to score anytime at +145.

 

[Cnotes53]

Bruins roll Jackets to even series
May 2, 2019
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Boston's stars were going to be kept off the scoresheet in this playoff series for only so long.

David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand had combined for 260 points in the regular season, but had been neutralized by the Columbus Blue Jackets through the first three games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The only point among them was a goal by Pastrnak in Game 2 that was a deflection off his skate.

All three top-liners contributed Thursday night as the Bruins beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 to even their series at two games apiece. The best-of-seven set moves to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday.

Bergeron had two goals, Pastrnak had a goal and an assist and Marchand picked up a helper for the Bruins.

''If you break down the chances we've had game to game, we are getting five, six opportunities every game,'' said Marchand, who also was whistled for three penalties in Game 4. ''It's only a matter of time before these guys score goals. You give them that many opportunities every game, they are going to score. They are that good. There is no panic.''

Sean Kuraly - who grew up in suburban Columbus - also scored, and Tuukka Rask stopped 39 shots.

''I don't think they got too many rebound opportunities,'' Rask said. ''That's how they've been scoring. They were trying to play down low, pushing more pucks in there but I thought we protected the house well, (I) saw every puck. That was huge.''

Artemi Panarin scored for Columbus on a blown call by the officials , and Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been spectacular in the postseason so far, had 41 saves but was beaten on long shots by Pastrnak and Bergeron in the first period.

''I don't think any team wins without their best players being their best players,'' Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''We can survive for a while. So far in this series we had.''

Early in the first, Pastrnak was flattened by a huge hit from Columbus defenseman Adam Clendening. Around 25 seconds later, Pastrnak rifled a shot past Bobrovsky from the left circle to get the Bruins on the board.

Boston made it 2-0 on Bergeron's snap shot from the slot at 7:18 of the first.

Columbus then got a gift. After the puck appeared to go into the netting and back onto the ice behind Boston's goal, Panarin ended up with it and scored from close range. The Bruins protested, but the play was not subject to review because the scoring player, Panarin, wasn't the first to possess the puck off the net.

''You play through it. That's hockey,'' shrugged Marchand. ''A lot of calls are missed - that's part of the game. That's why they shouldn't have the review on as much as they do. Play through that stuff.''

After a scoreless second, Kuraly put back a rebound off the end board 8:40 into the final period. Bergeron picked up his second goal off a rebound with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Columbus gave away six power plays and Boston scored on two of them.

''Their top guys score some goals on the power play, we gave them a chance to get going now by just sitting in that box too much,'' Columbus coach John Tortorella said. ''That's the hard part of this game here tonight.''

Overall, Tortorella and Blue Jackets players are happy with how they are playing entering Game 5.

''It's the series, man,'' Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said, ''It's 2-2, and this is what we thought it was going to be, so I'm not too concerned. We obviously need to tighten up in certain areas, make sure our (penalty) kill is a little bit better.''

NOTES: Boston F David Backes was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch since Game 5 of the first round against Toronto. Karson Kuhlman went to the bench. ... Columbus F Riley Nash was out with an injury, replaced by rookie Alexandre Texier. Nash had taken some hard hits in the first two games. ... Boone Jenner was awarded a penalty shot in the first period after Marchand tripped him on a breakaway, but Rask stopped it. ... The crowd of 19,431 was a Nationwide Arena record.

UP NEXT

The series moves to Boston for Game 5.

 

[Cnotes53]

Avalanche blank Sharks, Bruins top Blue Jackets
May 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

DENVER (AP) Nathan MacKinnon kept up his scoring spree with a second-period goal, Philipp Grubauer stopped 32 shots for his first career playoff shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0 Thursday night to tie the Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

MacKinnon has at least a point in eight straight games. It's the longest streak by an Avalanche player in the postseason since Peter Forsberg had a point in eight straight in 2002.

Colin Wilson gave Colorado a two-goal cushion with a power-play goal early in the third period. Wilson's score was set up by a no-look, between-the-legs pass from Mikko Rantanen, who registered two assists. Erik Johnson added an empty-netter with 1:09 remaining.

Game 5 is Saturday in San Jose.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 3, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:08 PM New York Islanders Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
9:38 PM Dallas Stars St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:15 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Boston Bruins TD Garden
10:08 PM Colorado Avalanche San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 5, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:08 PM St. Louis Blues Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
7:08 PM Carolina Hurricanes New York Islanders Barclays Center


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


NHL PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00


Totals..............4-4-0 50.00% -O.65


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


BEST BETS:

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

05/02/2019..............1 - 1.....................+0.85..................1 -1..................-0.50 ..............+0.35
05/01/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00



Totals..................... 1 - 1.....................+0.85...................1 - 3.................-11.50.............-10.65


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

APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS

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

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday?s 6-pack

Spreads on some random NFL games this fall:

? Week 10: Chargers (-4) @ Oakland

? Week 11: Patriots @ Philadelphia (-1.5)

? Week 12: Packers (-1) @ San Francisco

? Week 13: Saints (-3) @ Atlanta

? Week 14: Cowboys @ Chicago (-3.5)

? Week 15: Colts @ New Orleans (-4)

Tweet of the Day
?I should feel bad for Rosen who hasn?t earned anything in the NFL yet? I was a 5th rounder & in 11 seasons 5 guys were specifically drafted to take my job. I could have (cried) about it or compete & f?ing fight for it. Period. That?s the @nfl & Life.?
Former NFL lineman David Diehl

Friday?s quiz
What is the western-most province in Canada?

Thursday?s quiz
In the basketball movie Hoosiers, Gene Hackman coached at Hickory HS.

Wednesday?s quiz
Celtics? general manager Danny Ainge holds the Toronto Blue Jays? franchise record for youngest player to hit a home run.

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

Friday?s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here?..

13) Mets 1, Reds 0? Noah Syndergaard threw a complete game 1-0 shutout and hit a home run; this is only the 7th time this has EVER happened, and only second time since 1971. Here are the other six times this happened (thanks to Andrew Simon for the research):

? Red Ruffing 8/13/32
? Spud Chandler, 5/21/38
? Early Wynn, 5/1/59
? Jim Bunning, 5/5/65
? Juan Pizarro, 9/16/71
? Bob Welch, 6/17.83

12) %age of runs scored on home runs the last four years:
2016: 40.2%
2017: 42.3%
2018: 40.3%
2019: 43.4% (thru Monday)

Before 2016, the all-time record was 37.3%.

11) Milwaukee Brewers have pitching issues; only once in their last 18 games has their starting pitcher finished the 6th inning; in half of those 18 games, the starter didn?t even finish the 5th inning, so there has been a tremendous strain on their bullpen.

10) Pac-12 is joining the ACC, Big 14 in moving to 20 conference basketball games, starting with the 2020-21 season. This does two main things:
? Creates more programming for the Pac-12 Network.
? Decreases the opportunities for mid-majors to schedule quality non-league games.

Now, if the geniuses who run the Pac-12 would allow their network to be shown on DirecTV. then maybe the league could get the exposure it deserves.

9) Golden State Warriors? TV guy Jim Barnett was in the SF Giants? TV booth during the game Wednesday night; he was saying how when he played in the NBA (Barnett had an 11-year career, scoring 11.7 ppg), he went through four pairs of sneakers per season.

Then he was saying that nowadays, Stephen Curry wears a different pair of sneakers every game. Must make the Warriors? equipment manager?s job a real joy.

8) Apparently the family of a Chinese student admitted to Stanford in 2017 paid $6.5M to try to guarantee her spot there. My question is, why? Stanford is an excellent school, but still??

Why $6.5M? Why not $1M? Or $10M?

Is it that difficult to get into these schools? Or that lucrative to be an alumnus of one of these schools? Why not just save the $6.5M and go to a state school?

7) Baseball injuries:
? White Sox put P Carlos Rodon (edema in left arm) on IL.

6) College basketball transfer portal:
? Rutgers poaches Stony Brook grad transfer Akwasi Yeboah (16.7 ppg).

5) Wednesday night was 7th time in Jacob deGrom?s career that he?s thrown 7+ scoreless innings without getting the win in that game.

4) From the New York Post:

?Over last three fiscal years, Madison Square Garden paid CEO James Dolan $75.6M, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of his shareholders. The average salary for CEO?s at similar companies is $17M a year.

The lawsuit claims Dolan is too focused on touring and recording as the frontman and guitarist for his band JD & the Straight Shot. In 2017 the band performed 50 times in six countries and 41 US cities.?

Lot fewer people would complain about Dolan if the Knicks didn?t suck every year. They?ve missed the playoffs the last six years, haven?t won an NBA title since 1973. NHL?s Rangers haven?t won the Stanley Cup since 1994; that is their only title since 1940- they missed the playoffs the last two years.

3) There are 16 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who weren?t drafted.

2) Sounds like Auburn is going to have a freshman QB starting this fall, which isn?t always good for a coach?s job security.

1) Get well soon to Celtics? GM Danny Ainge, who suffered a mild heart attack in Milwaukee Tuesday night. He received immediate medical attention and is expected to make a full recovery.

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Islanders (48-27) at Hurricanes (46-29)
Date: May 03, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

With all the momentum on their side, the Carolina Hurricanes will be in no mood to give it back.

The Hurricanes will go for the series sweep of the New York Islanders in Friday night's Game 4 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

"That's what we'll try to do," Hurricanes right winger Sebastian Aho said. "It's going to be a battle."

The Hurricanes are coming off Wednesday night's 5-2 victory in Game 3, albeit a deceiving result because the final two goals were empty-net tallies.

Still, the Hurricanes have continued to excel on home ice, where they're unbeaten in four playoff games.

"It's a big motivation to be able to close it out," Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "If we can win, that's great. To be able to sweep here at home would be huge."

The Islanders never led in Game 3, though they were competitive from the get-go. It has been a series of missed chances for New York.

The Islanders lost for the first time in three road outings in this postseason. They'll need to claim another road victory in order to return the series to Brooklyn.

"We've got to earn the right to keep playing," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "Our backs are against the wall. We got to come with our best effort, and if we don't, then we won't earn the right to play."

The Hurricanes are aware that a big challenge awaits. Friday's game marks the fifth game in 10 days for Carolina.

When defenseman Justin Faulk came out of the penalty box to score in the second period, he became the sixth Carolina player to register his first career playoff goal this postseason.

It was a rather fortunate sequence for the Hurricanes.

"I thought we had big breaks, too," Trotz said. "I'm a big believer in that. We earned some opportunities. We've got to push harder to get more opportunities and more breaks. ... We haven't been able to find the extra goal to be on the positive side."

Carolina has scored five goals in three of its playoff home games.

"We're up 3-0. The last one is the hardest, and it always is," captain Justin Williams said. "The other team's backs are against the wall. We certainly don't want to go back there (to Brooklyn). If we have to, we will. We're going to work our tails off to hopefully get it done in four."

Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney made his first start of this postseason as Petr Mrazek recovers from a lower-body injury sustained in Sunday's Game 2. At 35 years and 343 days old, McElhinney became the oldest goalie in NHL history to start a playoff game.

"We had some mistakes and our goalie came up huge when he had to," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said of McElhinney's 28-save performance.

The Hurricanes were energized in several ways, aided by the return from injury of forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Martinook.

Not only did they get the desired result, the Hurricanes had a good feeling about how it was achieved.

"I thought we were good all game and it looked more like our team throughout the game," Brind'Amour said. "It's just a battle that is sticking with your game and trying to create that one little gap."

--Field Level Media


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


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Hurricanes at Islanders
Fri, Apr 26 Final 1 to 0
Recaps

GAME 2
Hurricanes at Islanders
Sun, Apr 28 Final 2 to 1
Recaps

GAME 3
Islanders at Hurricanes
Wed, May 1 Final 2 to 5
Recaps

GAME 4
Islanders at Hurricanes
Fri, May 3 - 7:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Hurricanes at Islanders
Sun, May 5 - 7:00PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Stars (43-32) at Blues (45-28)
Date: May 03, 2019 9:30 PM EDT

Bad blood. A bit of hatred. You can almost hear the Hanson brothers yelling: "Old-time hockey! Like Eddie Shore!"

The Western Conference semifinal series between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars is not heading down the path of famed hockey movie "Slap Shot," but as the clubs head to Friday's Game 5 in St. Louis tied at 2-2, the emotions are elevated.

Or maybe the fracas that punctuated the middle frame of Dallas's 4-2 victory on Wednesday is just part of the ebb and flow of a Stanley Cup playoff series.

"There's nothing really to comment about," Dallas captain Jamie Benn told NHL.com. "Just a bunch of grown men being donkeys out there."

Well, there were some comically strange elements to the little dustup in the middle frame. First, Blues forward David Perron slashed Ben Bishop in the back after the Dallas goalie played the puck, and the towering Bishop fell like a redwood tree. Then, at the buzzer, Blues goalie Jordan Binnington took a swing at Benn while he was in his face. To cap it off, Binnington slashed at Bishop as the goalies crossed paths en route to the benches to head to the dressing room.

"Emotions were high," said Binnington, who was assessed roughing and slashing penalties. "I came back in (the dressing room) and regrouped. It's playoff hockey, it's exciting, and the fans are into it. So, it was an exciting game, and we are looking forward to the next game."

Don't be shocked, though, if that's the apex of the nastiness. Now that the series has become a best-of-three, clubs tend to focus on their execution with the knowledge a foolish penalty could end up costing the series.

And what a series it's already been, with outstanding back-and-forth performances. The Blues won the first and third games, while the Stars took the second and fourth, so it's up to St. Louis to respond after their first road loss of the playoffs.

"You turn the page, that's what the playoffs are all about," Perron said. "It's a tough one to swallow, but at the end of the day, it's 2-2. Both teams have played some really good hockey so far. We knew it was going to be a tough one. It's not going to be easy against this team, they're a really good team. They make you pay for your mistakes."

Stars head coach Jim Montgomery deserves some credit for his team's performance on Wednesday. He mixed up his lineup moving Tyler Seguin to a line with Jason Dickinson and Mats Zuccarello, and he put Roope Hintz between Benn and Alexander Radulov. Plus, Tyler Pitlick took the place of Mattias Janmark on the fourth line.

"I think you get some sparks from different line combinations," Benn said. "We've talked about that throughout the year. You're going to play with a lot of different guys at certain times. It worked out."

It's not likely the Blues will make sweeping roster changes, though, in response. They expect to rely on the experience that brought them to this point.

"We're disappointed," Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "That wasn't the kind of game we wanted but it's a best out of three now and we're confident we'll turn it around."

--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 Final 4 to 3
Recaps

GAME 4
Blues at Stars
Wed, May 1 Final 2 to 4
Recaps

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

GAME 6
Blues at Stars
Sun, May 5 - 3:00PM EDT

 

[Udog]

 

[Udog]

79Ny Islanders -80 Carolina
CAROLINA is 10-0 ATS (10 Units) in home games after 2 consecutive division games in the current season.

81Dallas -82 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 18-8 ATS (10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season in the current season.




NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, May 3

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

NY ISLANDERS (52-29-0-8, 112 pts.) at CAROLINA (53-31-0-8, 114 pts.) - 5/3/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 37-17 ATS (+9.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 26-11 ATS (+12.0 Units) after a division game this season.
CAROLINA is 15-6 ATS (+8.5 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 52-37 ATS (+13.3 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 22-13 ATS (+35.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 22-12 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a division game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-8 ATS (+22.9 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 9-7-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.8 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

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

DALLAS (49-35-0-8, 106 pts.) at ST LOUIS (51-31-0-10, 112 pts.) - 5/3/2019, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 28-43 ATS (-24.3 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 33-46 ATS (-22.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 36-19 ATS (+7.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 30-20 ATS (+2.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 18-8 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 11-7 ATS (+20.1 Units) in road games vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 221-242 ATS (+514.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 9-8 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 9-8-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.2 Units)

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




NHL

Friday, May 3

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

New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games
NY Islanders is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
NY Islanders is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games on the road
NY Islanders is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Carolina
NY Islanders is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 7 games when playing Carolina
NY Islanders is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Carolina
NY Islanders is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 7 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
Carolina is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Carolina is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

Dallas Stars
Dallas is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games
Dallas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
St. Louis is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games at home
St. Louis is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas


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




NHL
Dunkel

Friday, May 3


NY Islanders @ Carolina

Game 79-80
May 3, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
12.792
Carolina
11.479
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-140
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(+120); Over

Dallas @ St. Louis

Game 81-82
May 3, 2019 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
12.579
St. Louis
11.077
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(+125); Over

 

[Udog]

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs best bets and prop predictions: Sportsbooks keep low total for Blues, Stars
Monty Andrews

The Stars and Blues series has gone 3-0-1 to the Over so far, but that hasn't deterred oddsmakers from setting the O/U for tonight's game at just 5.

The Carolina Hurricanes are in cruise control, while the New York Islanders are scrambling for answers as the teams prepare to do battle Friday night in Game 4 of their Stanley Cup second-round series in Raleigh. Big changes could be in the offing for the Isles, and it's hard to know how they'll look coming out of the gate. Meanwhile, Dallas and St. Louis are now playing a best-of-three series that continues to surprise in the goal-scoring department. Here are the top betting tips for Friday's playoff games:

NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT CAROLINA HURRICANES

Moneyline Odds: New York +120/Carolina -140
Over/Under: 5 goals
Series Price: Carolina -3334/New York +1400

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C.

Carolina's recipe for success in the postseason has closely mirrored what the Hurricanes did so well in the regular season; namely, dominating the shot attempt game. Carolina finished with a league-best +750 shot attempts differential in 2018-19, and is sitting at +25 through the first three games of this series. And while the Hurricanes could be doing a much better job with their shot attempts (they've have 48 missed shots compared to the Islanders' 34), they're doing a sensational job of limiting New York's high-danger attempts. Look for the Hurricanes to do just enough to wrap things up at home Friday night.

Having said that, neither team looked particularly strong on offense in the first two games of the series, but did generate more chances in Carolina's 5-2 triumph in Game 3. The Hurricanes appear to have solved their offensive woes ? and with Thomas Greiss a possibility in goal for the Isles despite not having played since April 4, Carolina could find itself shooting on a rusty netminder. On the other side, New York has posted a pitiful 1.6 percent shooting rate at 5-on-5 in the series, and positive regression could be in the works. The O5 is a strong option here at +100.


DALLAS STARS AT ST. LOUIS BLUES

Moneyline Odds: Dallas +120/St. Louis -140
Over/Under: 5 goals
Series Price: St. Louis -167/Dallas +125

Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET, Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Oddsmakers remain stubborn on the total for Game 5, despite the fact that these teams have going 3-0-1 O/U against that number through the first four games. And the teams have wasted little time getting the offense going for the majority of this series, having produced nine first-period goals in their last three meetings. The game's first goal has come inside the opening 7 1/2 minutes in every game this series, as well. Banking on the continuation of these trends could mean big profit for those taking the first goal to be scored within the first 9:30 (-120), as well as the Over on the 1.5-goal first-period total.

The team scoring first has won three of the first four games in the best-of-seven ? but you could do worse than wagering on that not being the case in Game 5. St. Louis struck first Wednesday night, only to see the Stars score four consecutive goals and put the game away. It's also worth considering that, while both teams finished seventh and eighth in the league in winning percentage when scoring first during the regular season, they also had 20 victories between them when allowing the first goal, while Dallas is a -68 in shot attempts when leading during the playoffs. Consider the No on the team scoring first to win the game at +195.

 

[Cnotes53]

FRIDAY, MAY 3
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NYI at CAR 07:00 PM
NYI +119
O 5.0

DAL at STL 09:30 PM
STL -150
O 5.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Hurricanes sweep Islanders with 5-2 victory in Game 4
May 3, 2019
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Teuvo Teravainen scored a quick goal, and moments later, so did Greg McKegg. Just that quickly, the Carolina Hurricanes chased New York's goalie out of the game - and the Islanders right out of the playoffs.

Carolina earned a second-round sweep of the Islanders on Friday night, beating them 5-2 after Teravainen and McKegg scored 66 seconds apart in the second period.

Teravainen and Sebastian Aho each finished with a goal and an assist, captain Justin Williams and rookie star Andrei Svechnikov each added insurance goals, and goalie Curtis McElhinney made 26 saves in his second career playoff start.

The Hurricanes - who went a decade between playoff berths - earned the first four-game sweep in franchise history and have reached the Eastern Conference final in each of their last four postseason appearances since 2002. They're also unbeaten in five home playoff games.

''Imposing your will on a team and giving them doubt is the key to winning a series, whenever that may be,'' Williams said. ''We pushed and we pushed, we got a couple goals, we got a good lead, and that's how you win a series. You tell a team it's too hard for them, and it was.''

Now the Hurricanes - after winning six straight and eight of nine - have some time to heal before they face the Columbus-Boston winner.

''I don't have a favorite,'' defenseman Justin Faulk said. ''We're sitting here, we're ready for whoever we've got next.''

Mathew Barzal scored a power-play goal and Brock Nelson added a late goal for the Islanders, who managed just five goals in the series and were swept for the first time since the Rangers did it in the first round in 1994.

Coach Barry Trotz kept the identity of his starting goalie a secret until warmups - when Robin Lehner led them onto the ice for the fourth straight game in the series.

He didn't last long.

Trotz pulled him in favor of backup Thomas Greiss after the bang-bang goals by Teravainen and McKegg early in the second period.

''We just got punched in the nose, and I was looking for a spark,'' Trotz said. ''I knew that goals had been pretty hard to come by in the series. ... We just couldn't get close enough in the end.''

Teravainen put the Hurricanes ahead to stay after some slick passes from Aho and Warren Foegele set up his sixth goal of the postseason. And McKegg chased Lehner when the goalie couldn't keep hold of the rebound of Brett Pesce's shot and the Carolina rookie stuffed it in for his first playoff goal.

''Our backs were against the wall. Once again, they found a way to pop a goal on us, then they popped another one,'' captain Anders Lee said. ''You've seen in this series, these guys are relentless when they get a lead. They're relentless when they're defending. You saw it again tonight.''

Greiss wasn't much better against the high-energy Hurricanes, with Williams scoring their third goal of the period off a give-and-go from Nino Niederreiter at 8:51 and Svechnikov riling up the rowdy Caniacs with his goal with 4:47 left.

Lehner and Greiss each finished with eight saves for the Islanders. Their counterpart - McElhinney - wouldn't let them make this a game again, stopping Josh Bailey from point-blank range with about 10 1/2 minutes remaining.

With elimination looming over his team, Trotz declared this game as a Game 7 and they approached it with the urgency of one, taking full advantage of a high-sticking penalty to Svechnikov 73 seconds in. Barzal slipped behind Jaccob Slavin and poked the rebound of Devon Towes' shot past McElhinney for his second goal in three games.

From there, though, it was all Hurricanes - who got some help from an Islanders defenseman to end their lengthy power-play drought.

Carolina was 3 of 34 with the man advantage during this postseason and had no power-play goals since Game 3 of the Washington series, but when Adam Pelech accidentally shoveled the puck into his own net during a scrum in front of Lehner - for a goal credited to Aho - that dry spell was over.

NOTES: Faulk added two assists. ... Toews had two assists for New York. ... Three of the Islanders' five goals during the series came on the power play. ... Niederreiter rang the left post with a first-period backhand. ... Williams' goal was his 100th career point in the playoffs. ... Foegele tied Erik Cole's franchise record for rookies with nine points (five goals, four assists) in the postseason. ... The announced crowd of 19,495 was a PNC Arena record for hockey.

UP NEXT

The Hurricanes have some extended time to rest before the Eastern Conference final.

 

[Cnotes53]

Goalie drama: Lehner out, Greiss in for Islanders
May 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz mulled whether to change goaltenders with his team facing elimination before deciding to stick with the reliable Robin Lehner as the starter.

By the time he made the switch, the Islanders were down two goals and on their way being swept out of the playoffs.

The Carolina Hurricanes chased Lehner with a pair of goals in 66 seconds early in the second period in Friday night's 5-2 win in Game 4 of the second-round Eastern Conference series, though the switch came more out of Trotz's desperation to find something - anything - that could extend their season a little longer.

''It was a real tough decision because in this series, goaltending really wasn't the problem,'' Trotz said of mulling the switch before the game. ''It was more the goal scoring.''

Lehner allowed three goals in 11 shots before Trotz went to Thomas Greiss. But Greiss - appearing in his first playoff game since 2016 - gave up one of his own to Justin Williams midway through the second to put the Islanders in a 4-1 hole, turning the third period into a formality in a building filled with rowdy fans breaking into multiple chants of ''Sweep! Sweep!'' over the final minutes.

Lehner and Greiss had paired to form a reliable duo all season for the Islanders, who allowed a league-low 196 goals this season and combined for a franchise-record 11 shutouts.

Lehner had a single-season franchise record .930 save percentage, good for second in the NHL, to go with a 2.13 goals-against average that ranked third in the league among qualifying goaltenders who played at least 21 games.

Lehner allowed six goals in a four-game sweep of Pittsburgh in the first round, only to find himself on the losing end of three close games to start the series with Carolina - leaving him winless in seven career games against the Hurricanes.

This time, after a 1-1 first period, the Hurricanes went ahead on a perfectly executed bang-bang-bang play that ended with Teuvo Teravainen alone on the right side for the score at 2:11.

A little more than a minute later, Greg McKegg stuffed a loose rebound under Lehner and into the net for the 3-1 lead to end the netminder's night.

''We just got punched in the nose, and I was looking for a spark,'' Trotz said, adding he was trying to find a way to ''quiet it down.''

Lehner said he felt good and expected to start despite Trotz declining to announce a starter beforehand, with Trotz saying he didn't want to give the Hurricanes a chance to prepare. But Lehner didn't resent Trotz for the decision to pull him, saying the Hurricanes ''came out flying'' in the second period and called Trotz ''the best coach in the league.''

''It's hockey, I don't take that personal,'' Lehner said. ''I think they came out really hot (in the second). I think the first period, I saw six shots, but they were all right in front of me. I felt like I made some really good saves at the beginning of the second, but they scored two pretty good goals.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Spezza, Lindell score as Stars edge for 3-2 series lead
May 3, 2019
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ST. LOUIS (AP) Jason Spezza scored and Ben Bishop made 38 saves as the Dallas Stars beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 Friday night to take a 3-2 lead int heir Western Conference semifinal series.

Esa Lindell also scored for the Stars, who can advance with a win in Game 6 at home on Sunday.

Jaden Schwartz scored and Jordan Binnington made 25 saves for the Blues, including stops on three breakaways in the first 4:08 of the second period to keep it a one-goal game at the time.

Spezza gave the Stars a 1-0 lead at 2:42 of the first, burying a one-timer from Tyler Seguin. The goal extended Spezza's points streak to three games and he's scored in the last two.

Lindell made it 2-0 with a backhand from the high slot at 6:13 of the second. It was Lindell's first goal of the postseason.

Bishop made a couple of saves during a Blues power play in the second and stopped quality chances from Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas in the first. But Bishop's giveaway at 8:26 of the third put the puck right on Schwartz's stick, setting him up for a one-timer that pulled the Blues within one.

Bishop redeemed himself late in the third, stretching to get his pad on a point-blank chance for Oskar Sundqvist.

The Blues went 0 for 4 on the power play, giving up several quality short-handed chances to the Stars. The third power play at the end of the second was so futile that it drew hearty boos from the 18,542 at Enterprise Center.

NOTES: The Blues' defense entered the game with 26 points, third in the league behind Carolina and San Jose (27 points each). ... Stars F Mats Zuccarello snapped a career-high four-game postseason points streak. ... Blues D Alex Pietrangelo had points in four of his previous five games and is fourth on the franchise list for career points for a defenseman with 35.

UP NEXT

Game 6 is Sunday at Dallas.