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

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 19, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:08 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose


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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/16/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/06/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.55
05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals..............18-23-1 .....46.15% -49.70


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
05/16/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-5.50
05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/06/2019..............0 - 1......................-5.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-5.50
05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
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..................... 6 - 4.....................+12.70................6 - 14................-47.00.............-34.30


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday?s 6-pack

Six slowest-working pitchers in major leagues:

6) Matt Andriese, Arizona, 29.5 seconds between pitches

5) Sam Dyson, Giants 29.7

4) Blake Treinen, A?s, 30.1

3) David Price Red Sox, 30.2

2) Josh Hader Brewers, 30.9

1) Kenley Jansen Dodgers, 31.3

Tweet of the Day
?So Le?Veon Bell walked away from $14.5 million last year with a coach that wanted him and now will play for $14.5 million this year with a coach that doesn?t want him. Got it.?
Andrew Brandt

Saturday?s quiz
When was last time NBA had a franchise in Canada, other than the Raptors?

Friday?s quiz
Mike Dunleavy was the Portland Trailblazers? coach the last time they were in a Western Conference final.

Thursday?s quiz
Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in their only Super Bowl appearance, in Super Bowl III.

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

Saturday?s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind??.

13) You watch Angel Hernandez call balls/strikes, and the electronic strike zone that will come to baseball someday doesn?t seem like a such a bad idea.

I?m against the electronic strike zone, but Hernandez is a terrible umpire, and has been for a long time. Friday night, Colorado?s Jon Gray walked the opposing pitcher on 10 pitches; three of the four pitches Hernandez called balls were strikes on the electronic strike zone on TV.

I had no dog in the fight, no fantasy players involved, was just watching the game. No one pays to watch the umpire; call strikes, especially on the opposing pitcher. It isn?t that difficult.

12) Not sure if I?ve told this story here before, so here goes. It is a little random, but it was a funny moment. Was listening this week to some people talk about their kids going to high school now, and it reminded me of this:

I?m in 10th grade, long time ago (1974-75) and it is Biology class, which was a struggle for me. I sat in the back of the class, where I had a great view of a classmate named Joann who was very pretty but didn?t know I existed (go figure).

Anyway, our teacher was a little??different. If a kid was talking in class, the teacher would take an eraser (yes, we had chalkboards back then) and drill the kid with it. I mean, he would fire the eraser at the kid, drill him, and no one ever complained. These days, he would get sued.

One day, the kid sitting three seats in front of me was yukking it up about something, a big kid named Nick, and the teacher takes aim with his eraser, but he misses and drills the young lady sitting next to Nick. Stunned silence, then muffled laughter; the girl started crying.

Was very difficult to sit there the rest of the period and not laugh; never saw another eraser thrown though. Could you imagine if they let that nitwit carry a gun in class?

11) Last three seasons, Golden State Warriors are:
? When Curry plays and Durant doesn?t: 32-4
? When Durant plays and Curry doesn?t: 28-18
? When neither one plays: 1-6
? When they both play: 163-46

10) 50 years ago Friday, Colts, Browns, Steelers agreed to move from the NFL to the AFC, so that when the NFL/AFL merger happened, there would be an equal number of teams in both conferences.

According to Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, Raiders? owner Al Davis came up with the idea, but no one would agree to switch until $3M was put on the table; then the teams became willing. Funny how that happens.

9) Indiana Pacers? G Tyreke Evans was dismissed/disqualified from the NBA for two years, for violating the terms of the NBA?s anti-drug program. Under the program, he is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

Evans averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.4 apg in 20.3 mpg this year- he?s scored 15.7 ppg in his 11-year NBA career, and was due to become a free agent this offseason.

8) I?ve said this here before, but if you like the NBA, then the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in early July is an excellent thing to see.

They play in two gyms at UNLV, there are usually eight games a day, and it costs around $30 for the whole day, which is worth it, just to be out of the 110-degree desert heat.

I?ve gone a few times, and it is good stuff. You see all the rookies, some 2nd-year guys; most of the coaches/GM?s are there. I was walking in the hallway one day, and Jerry West was there, talking to some people. If you like the NBA, it is an excellent thing to do.

I would discourage you from wagering on the games, however; teams need to take a look at certain guys, so they don?t always use their best possible lineups every game.

7) If you?re heading to Las Vegas this summer, right now Treasure Island, the Wynn, Venetian, Palazzo, SLS, Tropicana, Circus Circus, and Stratosphere are the casinos on the Strip that offer free parking. Lot of casinos charge to park now because of the T-Mobile Arena not having its own parking lot.

6) Las Vegas casinos pretty much now all have betting lines up for every NFL game this season, except for Week 17. Lot can change between now and the season, but if you think you?re better than the oddsmakers, you can take your shot at the windows now.

Golden Nugget is posting spreads for its college games of the year on May 30.

5) From Ralph Michaels:

Since 2015, Week 2 NFL road teams that also played on the road in Week 1 are 1-14 vs spread; there are four such teams this season. Only cover in that sample was Kansas City winning 42-37 at Pittsburgh LY, after they led 21-0 in first quarter.

4) Baseball stuff:
? Giants activated C Buster Posey from the 7-day concussion DL.
? Colorado brought up 2B prospect Brandon Rodgers.
? Toronto P Aaron Sanchez (blister) left Friday? game early.
? Justin Turner (bruised shin) left Friday?s game early

3) QB Tommy Stevens transferred from Penn State to Mississippi State, where he?ll play for Joe Moorhead, who used to be OC at Penn State.

2) Most teams pitched for, MLB history:
Edwin Jackson: 14, Octavio Dotel: 13, Mike Morgan, Ron Villone: 12 each.

1) Jim Nantz turned 60 years old Friday, which makes me feel old.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sweep gives surging Bruins a break
May 17, 2019
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Boston Bruins have earned a break before their biggest series in a few years.

Their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final has afforded them a few extra days to rest up before their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.

So they can sit back, let their bumps and bruises heal - especially the ones that kept 42-year-old captain Zdeno Chara out of the series-clincher - and watch the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues beat each other up a few more times.

''I think as you get older, you appreciate it even more, and you realize how hard it is to get to this point and advance and be thankful and stay in the moment,'' forward Patrice Bergeron said. ''But then it's back to work, and there's a lot of work in front of us.''

They won't spend the break worrying about losing the momentum of their longest postseason winning streak in nearly half a century. No team that has swept its opponent from these playoffs has won its next series - a list that includes Columbus, the New York Islanders and these very Hurricanes.

The Bruins polished off their sweep on Thursday night, beating Carolina 4-0 in Game 4 for their seventh straight postseason victory - their longest streak in the playoffs since they reeled off nine straight wins in 1972.

Now, after seven wins in 15 nights, they have the luxury of taking a deep breath before they play for the Cup yet again.

A handful of veterans in this group - including Chara, Bergeron, goalie Tuukka Rask and forward Brad Marchand - won it in 2011 and lost to Chicago at this stage two years later.

''We've basically kind of grew up together,'' Bergeron said. ''It's been a fun ride to be a part with these guys as the core group. The leaders have been through a lot, I guess, ups and downs, and ... you realize how hard it is to get to this point, so you've got to be thankful for that.''

The Bruins found a way to sidestep the run of first-round upsets that knocked both division winners, Tampa Bay and Washington, out early, though they needed seven games to get past Toronto.

They found their stride in their second-round series with Columbus, advancing in six games after winning the final three.

And once they got rolling, Carolina was powerless to stop them.

Boston was the quicker, stronger and tougher team - and it helped that they the best goalie. With Rask stopping 109 of the 114 shots he faced in the series, the Bruins trailed in only one game - the first one. After a pair of bang-bang power-play goals in the third period of that one, Carolina never led again. The Bruins scored 10 consecutive goals during a stretch that spanned the first two games.

Boston's best-in-the-playoffs power-play unit went 7 of 15 in the series with at least one goal in every game, including two in the series clincher. Rask has closed two straight series with shutouts and continued to look the part of a leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.

''I don't think the break will hurt him, other than you lose some of your sharpness of game intensity,'' coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''I just see Tuukka not only as a goalie but as a person, as a really zoned-in guy right now. Really even-keeled. I don't see why that would change in a week. ... I assume he'll come out of it very well. He's played a lot of hockey, too. The break will do him some good.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

? Are the Jets trying to hire Peyton Manning as their new GM?

? Memphis now has the #1 recruiting class in college hoop this spring.

? Braves 4, Brewers 3? Freddie Freeman with a walk-off homer.

? Twins 18, Mariners 4? Seattle started season 13-3; they?re 9-23 since then.

? Angels 6, Royals 3? Mike Trout hit his 250th career home run.

? In case you were wondering, 80 years ago this week, a Princeton-Columbia baseball game was televised, the first sporting event ever televised.


**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

13) Warriors 110, Trailblazers 99? Looks like the two conference finals could be very short series. I?ve said this before, but basketball doesn?t need best-of-7 series. Would be way better with best-of-3 series, with a best-of-5 final; imagine the drama?

Kevin Durant?s first game against the Warriors next year has to be on national TV, right? Opening night? Christmas?

12) Earlier this year, a guy at Caesers Palace in Las Vegas bet $20,000 that Eldrick Woods would NOT win all four majors this year, so when Woods missed the cut at the PGA Friday, the guy won his bet, which paid him off a handsome $20.

He risked $20,000 to win $20. Oy.

11) Astros? pitching coach Brent Strom was the 2nd guy to have Tommy John surgery back in the 60?s, which means he came close to being the first guy to have Brent Strom surgery.

10) Former NFL QB David Carr works on NFL Network now; this week, Carr left Joe Montana out of his list of the top 10 QB?s in the Super Bowl era.

If you know me, you know I?ve been a Ram fan since the mid-60?s and I?m no Notre Dame fan, so Montana isn?t my favorite player, but good grief, you lose credibility when you leave him off a top 10 list of QB?s in the last 53 years.

9) Orioles averaged 30,805 fans per home game in 2014; they?re averaging 15,720 this year. Its not that they?re losing, its that they have no chance of winning- there?s a difference.

From 2012-16, Baltimore won the most games in the AL; now? Not so much.

8) College basketball transfer portal:
? South Dakota State G David Jenkins bolts to UNLV.
? Javonte Smart is coming back to LSU next year; must pay well to play ball there.

7) Baseball stuff:
? Minnesota put DH Nelson Cruz (wrist) on the IL.
? Washington put P Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) on IL.
? White Sox put P Manny Banuelos (shoulder) on IL.

6) Rick Porcello is the last major league pitcher to throw a shutout where he didn?t strike anyone out- that happened in 2014.

5) From CNN.com: ?Local, state and federal law enforcement conducted a massive heroin bust in Connecticut on Friday, resulting in 51 arrests and the seizure of guns, $15,000 in cash and thousands of bags of heroin packaged for sale.?

I have a question; what happens to all that heroin? What happens to the money? Seriously, inquiring minds would like to know.

4) White Sox 4, Blue Jays 1 (5)? Ryan Feierabend made his first MLB appearance in five years; it was his first start in the majors since 2008. This game was shortened by rain.

3) If the Bruins win the Stanley Cup this spring, then Boston would have the reigning champs in the NHL, MLB and the NFL. Last time that happened? Detroit, in 1935.

2) Joke of the Day: Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?

Great food, no atmosphere.

1) May 19 is a sad day in my house; my dad passed away four years ago tonight. He was a terrific guy; loved golf, the Mets, Knicks and his weekly football pools. He was a great example of what a person should be, and I miss him every day.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

Sharks, Blues confident going to Game 5
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks have been at their best this postseason when they had little margin for error.

That's probably why they feel comfortable heading home for Game 5 of the Western Conference final against the Blues after a lackluster start led to a Game 4 loss in St. Louis.

Having squandered a series lead for the second time in this matchup, the Sharks know a loss Sunday could mean they won't get to play on home ice again this postseason.

''It's a great spot to be in,'' coach Peter DeBoer said Saturday. ''This is supposed to be hard. What happened with Boston on the other side, that usually doesn't happen. Usually these are all six, seven hard-fought games, hard-fought series. We're right where I expected we would be, in a good spot going home, and we've got to get the job done.''

After alternating wins in the first four games, the Sharks and Blues now have a best-of-three to decide who plays the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. Boston swept Carolina in the East and will have 10 days off before the start of the next round May 27.

Nothing has come easy for San Jose or St. Louis. The Blues went six games in the opening round against Winnipeg before needing double overtime in Game 7 of the second round against Dallas to make the conference final.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have endured two seven-game series - Vegas and Colorado. That's happened in part because they have appeared to let up when leading a series before responding with greater desperation.

San Jose is 0-6 this postseason when leading a series. But it is 10-2 when tied or trailing, including four wins in elimination games sparked by a comeback from 3-1 down in the opening round to the Golden Knights.

''There's a lot of emotion in the playoffs,'' Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. ''We're in the conference finals. We've had overtime wins, we've had game sevens. We've had emotional games for sure. You just lace them back up next game and you compete.''

The Blues got a goal from Ivan Barbashev 35 seconds into Game 4 and added another late in the first period before hanging on for the 2-1 win Friday.

It was an impressive rebound from a crushing Game 3 loss when the Blues allowed the tying goal with 1:01 left in regulation and then the winner in overtime after the officials failed to see a hand pass by San Jose that set up Erik Karlsson's goal.

''We're in a good spot,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''So just pushing and keep fighting and be aggressive. Just be aggressive as a team and be confident as a team. That's our message. You're going to have ups and downs in the playoffs and you have to move on from it. You really do. As much as we had to move on from that Game 3 loss we have to move on from last night's win.''

The Sharks need to come out in Game 5 with the kind of play they showed in the final two periods Friday. They controlled the puck and hemmed the Blues into the defensive end for long stretches.

The only problem was St. Louis rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who stopped all 11 shots in the second period and then nine of 10 in the third. He allowed only a power-play goal to Tomas Hertl on the way to his franchise-record 10th win this postseason.

Binnington improved to 11-2 this season in games following a loss.

''As soon as people start doubting him, he pulls another sick performance,'' Blues forward David Perron said.

Another big concern for the Sharks is the health of Karlsson, who played only one shift in the final 9:24 after an apparent injury. Karlsson missed 27 of the final 33 games in the regular season with groin injuries that have hampered him in the playoffs.

He's had big moments, with 14 assists and two goals, including the disputed overtime winner in Game 3 against the Blues. But he also seems to labor at times, as he did in the third period before taking an extended break when the Sharks were fighting for the tying goal.

He returned for the final 1:55 game with the goalie pulled but mostly stayed positioned at the point for passes and shots, his skating limited. DeBoer offered no update Saturday on Karlsson's condition.

The Blues will again be without defenseman Vince Dunn, who took a puck to the face in Game 3.

 

[Cnotes53]

21St Louis -22 San Jose
ST LOUIS are 21-6 ATS (14.8 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.


NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, May 19


St. Louis @ San Jose

Game 21-22
May 19, 2019 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
11.406
San Jose
12.951
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-130
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-130); Over


NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 19

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

ST LOUIS (55-33-0-11, 121 pts.) at SAN JOSE (56-34-0-10, 122 pts.) - 5/19/2019, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 19-6 ATS (+10.5 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 40-22 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-23 ATS (+10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 22-11 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 7-6 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 7-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.4 Units)

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


NHL

Sunday, May 19

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

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
San Jose is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Jose's last 14 games at home
San Jose is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Jose's last 10 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis

 

[Cnotes53]

Sharks vs Blues NHL betting picks and predictions: San Jose bounces back after loss
Monty Andrews

Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks leads the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in scoring and is a solid bet to pot a goal tonight against the St. Louis Blues, with his odds set at +170.

The Western Conference final is now a best-of-three ? and that suits the San Jose Sharks just fine as they host the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues drew even for the second time in the best-of-seven set, pulling ahead early and holding on for a 2-1 triumph behind a 29-save performance from Jordan Binnington. But while San Jose struggled to do much in Game 4, it hasn't lost consecutive games since midway through its first-round series victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5.5)

QUICK-HITTER

Early scoring has been a trademark of the Sharks' playoff performance, for better or worse. San Jose has allowed a goal in the first minute of the game on three separate occasions this postseason ? the most since the Boston Bruins surrendered four opening-minute goals during their successful Stanley Cup run. Three of the first four games have featured goals within the opening four minutes, and we like one of these teams to get on the scoresheet early enough in Game 5 to convert this prop.

PREDICTION: Time of 1st score: Before 9:30 elapsed (-140)

PERIOD BET

It's worth sticking with the opening period here, since it has seen the most consistent output. The second period had been an incredible Over play heading into Game 4, but the teams went scoreless in the middle frame after scoring 13 times over the previous three games. And they've done little in the final frame, with just five total goals through four games. The opening period has gone O1.5 in three of four games ? including Game 4 ? and we favor that trend continuing Sunday afternoon.

PREDICTION: Over 1.5 first-period goals (-110)

TEAM/PLAYER BET

It might seem like low-hanging fruit, but when you're looking for player prop options at this point in the postseason, you can't do much better than going with the guy who leads the Stanley Cup playoffs in goal-scoring. Logan Couture has been sensational so far, piling up 14 goals ? four more than runner-up and teammate Tomas Hertl ? and has been particularly prolific at SAP Center, with eight goals in 10 postseason contests. Take the hottest player on NHL ice to keep his impressive streak alive.

PREDICTION: Logan Couture anytime goal (+170)

FULL-GAME TOTAL

Both teams showed impressive defensive prowess in Game 4, but bettors shouldn't expect that to be a prevailing trend over the rest of the series. The sides combined for 24 goals through the first three games, and only some outstanding goaltending on both sides ? particularly Binnington and the Blues ? kept the score down in Game 4. We expect these teams to find more success in the goal department in Game 5, making the O5.5 the superior play.

PREDICTION: Over 5.5 goals (-110)

FULL-GAME SIDE

These teams have played near dead-even hockey through four games, with both teams winning once on the road and once on home ice. But the Sharks were better than the Game 4 scoresheet indicated, finishing with a 30-22 shots advantage ? and now they'll return to SAP Center, where they average a whopping 3.90 goals through their first 10 home playoff games. San Jose has won four consecutive games following a loss, and is a great play to make it five in a row in Game 5.

PREDICTION: San Jose -140

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, MAY 19
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at SJ 03:00 PM

SJ -128

O 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Blues blank Sharks 5-0, lead series 3-2
May 19, 2019
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) From last in the league in early January all the way to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final in nearly a half-century, it has been quite a ride for the St. Louis Blues.

A remarkable turnaround continued Sunday with perhaps their most convincing win of a charmed playoff run.

Jaden Schwartz started a dominant second period with the first of his three goals, Vladimir Tarasenko scored on a penalty shot and the Blues moved within one win of the Cup final with a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.

''It's probably tough to put into words,'' Schwartz said. ''It's something that everyone's worked for and dreamed about. You don't want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win's going to be. It would be a dream come true.''

St. Louis used a relentless forecheck to take control of the game and series in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting the beleaguered Sharks 20-6 during the frame. It also got 21 saves from Jordan Binnington in his first playoff shutout and a first-period goal from Oskar Sundqvist to overwhelm the Sharks.

Schwartz added two goals in the third for his second hat trick this postseason, becoming the first player with two in one playoff run since Johan Franzen for Detroit in 2008.

The victory gave the Blues a 3-2 series lead, the closest they've been to making the final since getting there in their first three seasons as the winner of the all-expansion Western Conference. St. Louis can earn its first trip back to the final since 1970 with a win at home in Game 6 on Tuesday night, an improbable journey for a team that was last in the standings on Jan. 2.

''We're close. We're very close right now,'' forward Patrick Maroon said. ''I think the guys know that. It's in the back of their heads, but we know that that's a good hockey team over there too and they're not going to give up.''

Martin Jones made 35 saves for the Sharks but got little help from his teammates, who have been held to one goal in losing the past two games. San Jose now faces elimination for the third straight series, having overcome a 3-1 series deficit to Vegas in the first round and winning a Game 7 at home in the second round against Colorado.

''We've been here before,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''Had to go on the road and win in Vegas in order to get to a Game 7. You're never comfortable when your back's against the wall like that, but we have been here before and found a way and I'm confident we can do that again.''

San Jose got off to a spirited start in the rare afternoon contest that led to a more subdued crowd than usual at the Shark Tank. Evander Kane hit the post just 12 seconds into the game and the Sharks had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes despite falling behind 1-0 when Sundqvist converted a turnover from a hobbled Erik Karlsson into a goal less than six minutes into the contest.

Karlsson has been hampered by a groin injury that sidelined him for 27 of the final 33 games in the regular season and has been extremely limited since the third period of Game 4. He tried to make a quick outlet under pressure but his pass went through teammate Brenden Dillon's skates, off the boards and right to Sundqvist, who beat Jones to give the Blues their fourth goal of the series from the fourth line.

The Blues then took over in the second period, putting 11 shots on goal in less than five minutes. They added to the lead when Tarasenko's shot was partially blocked. Jones then swept it away but it went right to Schwartz, who knocked it into the open net.

Schwartz added the two goals in the third, giving him 12 in the playoffs after scoring just 11 in 69 regular-season games.

''It was an off-year obviously for him in the regular season,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''But the guy keeps working hard. He's not going to change his attitude. He keeps with it, he keeps working and it's paying off now.''

The Blues kept up the pressure, leading to a breakaway by Tarasenko. He was pulled down by Brent Burns for a penalty shot and converted it with a shot high to Jones' glove side.

The game got out of hand in the third as the Sharks took a parade to the penalty box, upset about a hit to the head of Tomas Hertl in the first period by Ivan Barbashev and a high hit to captain Joe Pavelski by Alex Pietrangelo early in the third.

''I thought we obviously took way too many penalties,'' forward Logan Couture said. ''You can't come back when you're in the box the whole period, got away from us at the end. Would have really liked us to control our emotions and given ourselves a chance.''

NOTES: Karlsson and Hertl didn't play in the third period and Pavelski didn't return after his hit. DeBoer gave no update on their conditions. ... Tarasenko's goal was the first converted penalty shot in the playoffs ever for the Blues. They missed their only other chance by Jimmy Roberts in 1968.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 21, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 23, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:08 PM St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks SAP Center at San Jose

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

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.90
05/17/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/16/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.90
05/14/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.50
05/13/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -1.50
05/12/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/11/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/09/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
05/08/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/06/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.55
05/05/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.45
05/04/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -13.00
05/02/2019 2-2-0 50.00% +0.35
05/01/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00

Totals..............18-25-1 .....41.86% -61.60


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


BEST BETS:


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


05/19/2019..............0 - 0...................+0.00........./..........0 - 1................-5.50.............-5.50
05/17/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-10.50
05/16/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............-5.50
05/15/2019..............1 - 0....................+6.40...................0 - 1.................-5.50.............+0.90
05/14/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/12/2019..............1 - 0....................+5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/11/2019..............0 - 0 .................. +0.00...................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/09/2019..............0 - 1.....................-5.00.................. 0 - 1.................-5.50..............-10.50
05/08/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/07/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.00..................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/06/2019..............0 - 1......................-5.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-5.50
05/05/2019..............1 - 0.....................+5.45..................0 - 0................. -0.00.............+5.45
05/04/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................0 - 2.................-11.00.............-11.00
05/03/2019..............0 - 0.....................+0.00..................1 - 1..................-0.50...............-0.50
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..................... 6 - 4.....................+12.70................6 - 15................-52.50.............-39.80


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


APRIL'S NHL BEST BETS


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

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Odds to win the US Open golf tournament next month:

5-1? Brooks Koepka

8-1? Dustin Johnson

12-1? Eldrick Woods

14-1? Rory McIlroy

16-1? Justin Rose

20-1? Day, Fowler, Rahm, Smith, Thomas


**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: In a perfect world, where I made all the decisions??

13) Kids could go right from high school to the NBA; going to school for only one year is a farce, so if a kid goes to college, then he is there for at least two years. College baseball has that rule, but I think it is three years for them.

12) Both leagues would have the DH; this will happen in a couple years. Add a player or two to rosters, to appease the players? union.


11) NFL would have an 18-game regular season, only two preseason games; Super Bowl would be Sunday night of Presidents? Day weekend.

10) College football teams wouldn?t play I-AA opponents; SEC teams do this a lot. Last year, Alabama played The Citadel, Ole Miss played Southern Illinois, South Carolina played Tenn-Chattanooga. Seriously? Go play a MAC team or a Sun Belt team, at least.

9) Online poker would be made legal so the poker companies would advertise on TV and ESPN would start replaying the World Series of Poker again, like they used to. The stuff ESPN puts on in daytime on weekdays is mostly terrible. Mike Greenberg, Stephen A Smith both make around $6M a year, a tremendous waste of money.

Listening to talking heads in contrived arguments is a waste of electricity. Much rather watch people play cards, or replays of games, actual competition.

8) As far as college basketball transfers go, if you poach a transfer from a team, then you have to go play a game in that team?s gym. Most of the teams that poach transfers are way better than the teams they poach from anyway, but they often don?t have the onions to play road games.

By way of explanation, over the last seven seasons, Duke has played only three non-conference road games, all mandated by the ACC-Big 14 challenge. When Duke poached Seth Curry from Liberty, they should have had to go there and play a true road game.

7) I would take the radios out of NFL players? helmets; coaches have six days to prepare their teams to play. Gameday should be the players? day; let the QB?s call their own plays, which would make the game lot more exciting. QB?s calling the plays would make the game more fun.

6) I?d eliminate the American/National Leagues and go to geographic realignment, which would reduce travel costs and invigorate regional rivalries. Going to 32 teams (which will happen soon) will make scheduling a lot easier.

5) NBA playoff series would be best-of-3, with finals best-of-5. Less games, more drama; it is more interesting when the best team has a chance to lose. Would the NCAA tournament be at all interesting if a 16-seed played Duke/Kentucky best-of-3?

4) I?d get rid of the Electoral College in our presidential election; whoever gets the most votes wins, just like in all the other elections.

3) Would definitely move the NBA Draft Lottery back to a half hour before the actual draft; imagine the drama then? Lot of executives would have to think on their feet.

2) You want to make baseball?s All-Star Game more interesting? Make it USA vs the World, and it?ll become a serious game fairly quickly. Maybe too serious.

1) Would like to make people happier; nowadays, there is so much anger in the world. There is a lot less tolerance of others than there used to be. You be you, and let others do what they do. Cheer the bleep up!!!!

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday?s 6-pack

Odds for this week?s Charles Schwab Challenge:

9-1? Justin Rose

12-1? Jon Rahm

14-1? Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth

16-1? Xander Schauffele

20-1? Francesco Molinari

25-1? Casey, DeChambeau, Finau

Quote of the Day
?We?re all motivated by different things. I?ve always been somebody who if you tell me I can?t do something, I?m going to give everything I have to spite you. Whether that?s a good quality or not, that?s just who I am.?
UNLV basketball coach TJ Otzelberger

Tuesday?s quiz
Which college football bowl game is played in El Paso every December?

Monday?s quiz
In the movie Dave, Ben Kingsley played the Vice-President.

Sunday?s quiz
Former Colorado Rockie Todd Helton (246) has the most career hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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

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

13) There was some grumbling in Toronto Monday when last week?s AL Player of the Week, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, was given a day off for the Blue Jays? Victoria Day game with Boston, a game the Red Sox won easily, 12-2.

Why give a 20-year old kid a day off when he is hot? When you have a big crowd in the house on a holiday? When you can use him at DH and at least let him get four AB?s in front of the home crowd, which is rooting for a lousy Toronto team this season?

12) Strange stat: Boston?s Andrew Benintendi is 2-for-35 in his first at-bat of a game; he is hitting .326 in all his other AB?s.

11) The softball coach at Oklahoma, who has won four national titles, makes $1M a year. We were guessing Sunday night how much softball coaches get paid, so I did a google search and was stunned to find that out.

10) Washington Redskins? LB Reuben Foster was carted off the field Monday with a knee injury during the Redskins? OTAs.

9) Tampa Bay Bucs released DT Gerald McCoy, who was set to make $13M this season.

8) Mets? OF Yoenis Cespedes suffered multiple fractures in his right ankle on his ranch down in Florida, so who knows when he?ll be back in the major leagues. Unlike Gerald McCoy, Cespedes will keep getting paid, because baseball contracts are guaranteed- most NFL contracts aren?t.

7) Conference USA reached a broadcast deal with NFL Network, which will show 10 of their games next season.

6) ESPN?s Hubie Brown said over the weekend that he has worked with 21 different TV play-by-play broadcasters during his career, including Al Michaels, Brent Musburger, Marv Albert, Dick Stockton and Mike Breen. He is 85 years old and still going strong. Amazing guy.

5) Toronto?s Ryan Feierabend returned to the majors Saturday as a knuckleballer; he is the first lefty knuckleballer in the major leagues since Baltimore?s Danny Boone, in 1990.

4) All the passengers on a flight at JFK Airport in NYC had to deplane before takeoff Monday afternoon due to a guy who refused to turn his phone off after they closed the boarding door. Police removed him, but only after everyone else was off the plane first.

3) Former Florida State QB Deondre Francois will walk on at Florida Atlantic this fall; hr got tossed from FSU because of a couple of domestic violence incidents. He will compete for the QB job with LY?s starter Chris Robison, who was suspended this spring due to an investigation into an alleged sexual battery that led to no charges being filed.

Francois played in 25 games at quarterback for the Seminoles, throwing for 6,291 yards, 36 TDs and 21 INTs.

2) Vegas Dave, the huckster/tipster featured on Showtime?s Action series last month, had been indicted in January by the Federal Government on 19 felony counts carrying a potential sentence of 40+ years in federal prison, but in the end winds up with no felony convictions.

A judge ordered that he must stay out of Las Vegas sportsbooks for three years; he also gets three years probation, must get gambling treatment and do 150 hours of community service.

1) Am guessing there is no way to know this, but I?d be curious how many fantasy baseball leagues there are in this country. Every time Mike Trout or Bryce Harper hits one out, how many owners are they helping out?

Am also guessing that being an official scorer for major league games has become a much tougher job, with people having money on the line, as far as what is a hit and what isn?t.

 

[Cnotes53]

Schwartz, Tarasenko have Blues close to Cup Final
May 20, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) Jaden Schwartz is on a scoring run that has the St. Louis Blues dreaming big.

Schwartz's hat trick in Game 5 on Sunday helped give the Blues a 3-2 series lead against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference final and set the single-season franchise record for playoff wins.

The Blues could advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970 when they host Game 6 Tuesday night.

''It's probably tough to put into words,'' Schwartz said. ''It's something that everyone's worked for and dreamed about. You don't want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win's going to be. It would be a dream come true.''

Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko have played huge roles in the Blues' playoff success. Just not necessarily in the way that was expected.

Tarasenko has come up with more big assists than goals against the Sharks.

Meanwhile, Schwartz has found a scoring touch that eluded him during the regular season. After scoring 11 goals in 69 regular-season games, Schwartz has 12 goals in 18 playoff games.

''He's obviously a tenacious player, a hard-working player,'' Blues coach Craig Berube said. ''I know, goal-wise, he didn't have a good regular season, but the work ethic was there and other things besides not producing with the goals.

''He's a 200-foot player for us and he's around the net for us, that's where he scores. His hard work, being relentless and staying with it is paying off.''

Schwartz's scoring run began on a quick pass from Tyler Bozak with 15 seconds left in regulation to snap a 2-2 tie in Game 5 in the first round against Winnipeg. He followed that up with a hat trick in Game 6 to send the Blues to the second round.

Schwartz is the first player to have two hat tricks in the same playoffs since Johan Franzen did it for Detroit in 2008 and he is the first to do it for the Blues.

Not bad for a guy who went 23 games without a goal during the regular season.

''He's obviously been kind of our engine and a guy that's scored huge goals for us throughout every series,'' Bozak said.

''Pucks weren't going in as much as he probably wanted in the regular season, but he was still playing really good hockey I thought and getting a lot of chances. And obviously what he's done in this playoffs so far has been incredible. We're pretty lucky to have him and we know he's just going to keep getting better and keep doing those things for us.''

Tarasenko is the only player to get a point in every game of the Western Conference final. But just two of his seven points in the series are goals.

Instead he has become a potent playmaker, setting up Bozak's eventual game-winning goal in Game 4 and assisting on two of Schwartz's goals in Game 5.

''Every time he gets the puck he puts them on edge,'' Blues center Ryan O'Reilly said. ''Having such a shot like he does, teams are scared when he gets the puck and obviously they maybe will overcompensate for that and other things come available. Having played with him throughout the year, you see how dangerous he is whether it's taking that shot or just being that threat that opens so much up.''

Tarasenko's unselfish play was evident on Schwartz's third goal. Carrying the puck on the power play, he could have taken a shot. But with San Jose playing the shot, he found Schwartz cutting towards the net for a one-timer into a wide-open net.

''Vlady is a good passer, he makes plays,'' Berube said. ''He's got his head up a lot, sees the ice well. His hard work is paying off. He's working hard without the puck, and he's a powerful guy.''

Tarasenko has led the Blues in goals in each of the past five seasons. Though he has taken a back seat to Schwartz in goal-scoring, the Blues are thriving in the postseason as never before from his playmaking ability.

And they are one win away from playing for the Stanley Cup, which many thought would have been impossible on Jan. 3 when the Blues were at the bottom of the NHL standings.

''Everyone knows we have a lot of work to do and we're going to get their best game,'' Schwartz said. ''They're going to have the most desperation they've had in this series. We'll enjoy it tonight, but we know there's a lot of work yet.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Sharks dealing with key injuries
May 20, 2019
By The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks could be headed into their fifth elimination game of the postseason short-handed.

The Sharks left town Monday to play Game 6 of the Western Conference final at St. Louis with questions about the status of captain Joe Pavelski, high-scoring forward Tomas Hertl and playmaking defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Coach Peter DeBoer gave no update on their conditions and didn't say whether any of the three made the trip to St. Louis. San Jose lost all three stars to injuries during a 5-0 loss at home to the Blues on Sunday that left them trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2 headed into Tuesday night's game.

The Sharks have already staved off elimination four times this postseason, rallying from 3-1 down in a first-round series against Vegas and then winning a seventh game on home ice in the second round against Colorado.

''We've dealt with this before and guys have stepped in and got the job done,'' DeBoer said. ''People can write us off but I know in our room we know we have guys in there who we know can step in and get this done.''

Pulling it off again against a deep and physical Blues team could be even more of a challenge, especially if the Sharks will be missing some key pieces.

Karlsson has been dealing with groin injuries since January. He missed 27 of the final 33 regular-season games but returned for the start of the playoffs even if he often looked hampered by the injury. Karlsson appeared to be finding his groove, scoring two goals, including the overtime winner, in Game 3 at St. Louis before coming up lame again in the fourth game.

Karlsson played just one shift in the final 9:24 of Game 4 but told DeBoer he was good to go Sunday. He wasn't moving well early in the game and committed a turnover that led to St. Louis' first goal. He played just 3:03 in the second period and was unable to accelerate on the play that led to Vladimir Tarasenko's penalty shot. Karlsson then didn't come back out for the third as DeBoer acknowledged he had regrets about playing him.

If Karlsson is unable to go, Tim Heed will likely get his first action since filling in for an injured Marc-Edouard Vlasic in Games 3 and 4 of the opening round. But the Sharks will miss Karlsson, who has two goals and 14 assists this postseason.

Hertl was hit high in the first period by Ivan Barbashev in a play the Sharks believe should have been penalized as an illegal hit to the head. He remained in the game through the second period but also didn't come out for the third.

That was the second time this series the Sharks felt one of their players got hit in the head with no penalty in the game or supplemental discipline. Defenseman Justin Braun got hit by Sammy Blais in Game 3.

''You don't want to see your teammates get hit like that,'' Braun said. ''You can't worry about the refs' calls or non-calls. You have to go out there and keep playing.''

Pavelski, who led the team with 38 goals in the regular season, dealt with yet another injury early in the third when Alex Pietrangelo sent him into the boards and appeared to hit him high at the end with an elbow. Pavelski didn't return and there is concern because he missed six games already this postseason after a bloody concussion when his helmet slammed into the ice in Game 7 against Vegas.

If Hertl and Pavelski can't go, the Sharks' depth up front will take a serious hit. Marcus Sorensen, who missed two of the past three games, could move back into the lineup, with winger Lukas Radil and untested center Dylan Gambrell also options.

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Sharks (47-27) at Blues (45-28)
Date: May 21, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

The team that sat dead last in the NHL when the calendar flipped to 2019 is now one win away from the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970.

That kind of turnaround sounds like a cheesy movie of the week, but it's the scenario before the St. Louis Blues after they blasted the host San Jose Sharks 5-0 Sunday afternoon to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

"We're close," Blues forward Patrick Maroon told reporters. "We're very close right now. I think the guys know that. It's in the back of their heads, but we know that that's a good hockey team over there, too, and they're not going to give up."

The Blues will look to close out the best-of-seven series Tuesday at home when they host Game 6. The winner of the series will face the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final.

Coincidentally, the last time the Blues reached the championship round, they lost to the Bruins -- a result forever framed by the famous image of Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring the Cup-winning goal. St. Louis made the Cup final in each of its first three seasons but hasn't returned since.

"It's gonna be a lot of emotion and it's important our players keep it in check," Blues head coach Craig Berube said. "Our players have done a pretty good job of ... focusing. I don't expect anything different. It's important at the start of the game you're simple and direct. Keep your emotions in check and not let them get out of control."

Berube's charges moved ahead in the series with their most dominating performance of the playoffs. Jaden Schwartz recorded a hat trick and goalie Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for his first career playoff shutout as the Blues claimed their seventh win in nine road tilts this spring.

"If you saw the game, you saw how good everyone on the team played," Binnington told Sportsnet after the game. "Everyone was outstanding, making the right decisions, playing hard and playing disciplined. That's a good team win."

And a costly one for the Sharks. Not only did they suffer a defeat, but the Sharks suffered through a war of attrition in what may be their final home game of the season. Defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Tomas Hertl didn't play in the third period, while captain Joe Pavelski left early in the final frame after taking a hard check.

Karlsson, who appeared to aggravate a groin injury that limited him during the regular season, looked nothing like himself on the game's first goal. His poor giveaway resulted in Oskar Sundqvist's game-opening goal before the six-minute mark. From there, it went to downright ugly for the hosts as the Blues took complete control.

Schwartz's trio of goals gives him 12 in the playoffs, one more than he collected through the regular season, while Vladimir Tarasenko netted a penalty shot goal in a three-point game. Tarasenko has collected at least one point in every game this series.

Now, the Sharks must find a way to recover and win on the road to force a seventh game at home, which would be Thursday.

"We've been here before. We had to go and win in Vegas to get to a Game 7," said coach Peter DeBoer, whose team has been outscored 7-1 in the last two games. "You're never comfortable when your back's against the wall like that, but we've been there before and found away. We're confident we can do that again."

Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped 35 shots in the loss.

--Field Level Media


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


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Blues at Sharks
Sat, May 11 Final 3 to 6
Recaps

GAME 2
Blues at Sharks
Mon, May 13 Final 4 to 2
Recaps

GAME 3
Sharks at Blues
Wed, May 15 Final 5 to 4
Recaps

GAME 4
Sharks at Blues
Fri, May 17 Final 1 to 2
Recaps

GAME 5
Blues at Sharks
Sun, May 19 Final 5 to 0
Recaps

GAME 6
Sharks at Blues

Tue, May 21 - 8:00PM EDT
GAME 7
Blues at Sharks

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

25San Jose -26 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 22-6 ATS (16 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.


NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 21

San Jose @ St. Louis

Game 25-26
May 21, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.475
St. Louis
12.882
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 2 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-150); Under


NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 21

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

SAN JOSE (56-35-0-10, 122 pts.) at ST LOUIS (56-33-0-11, 123 pts.) - 5/21/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 41-22 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 35-23 ATS (+4.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-11 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 92-58 ATS (+26.2 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 227-242 ATS (+512.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 17-23 ATS (-14.1 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 8-6 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 8-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.4 Units)

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


NHL

Tuesday, May 21

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

San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
San Jose is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Jose's last 11 games when playing St. Louis
San Jose is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of St. Louis's last 11 games when playing San Jose
St. Louis is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games when playing at home against San Jose
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose

 

[Cnotes53]

Blues close to Stanley Cup Final

ST. LOUIS (AP) Jaden Schwartz is on a scoring run that has the St. Louis Blues dreaming big.

Schwartz's hat trick in Game 5 on Sunday helped give the Blues a 3-2 series lead against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference final and set the single-season franchise record for playoff wins.

The Blues could advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970 when they host Game 6 Tuesday night.

''It's probably tough to put into words,'' Schwartz said. ''It's something that everyone's worked for and dreamed about. You don't want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win's going to be. It would be a dream come true.''

Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko have played huge roles in the Blues' playoff success. Just not necessarily in the way that was expected.

Tarasenko has come up with more big assists than goals against the Sharks.

Meanwhile, Schwartz has found a scoring touch that eluded him during the regular season. After scoring 11 goals in 69 regular-season games, Schwartz has 12 goals in 18 playoff games.

''He's obviously a tenacious player, a hard-working player,'' Blues coach Craig Berube said. ''I know, goal-wise, he didn't have a good regular season, but the work ethic was there and other things besides not producing with the goals.

''He's a 200-foot player for us and he's around the net for us, that's where he scores. His hard work, being relentless and staying with it is paying off.''

Schwartz's scoring run began on a quick pass from Tyler Bozak with 15 seconds left in regulation to snap a 2-2 tie in Game 5 in the first round against Winnipeg. He followed that up with a hat trick in Game 6 to send the Blues to the second round.

Schwartz is the first player to have two hat tricks in the same playoffs since Johan Franzen did it for Detroit in 2008 and he is the first to do it for the Blues.

Not bad for a guy who went 23 games without a goal during the regular season.

''He's obviously been kind of our engine and a guy that's scored huge goals for us throughout every series,'' Bozak said.

''Pucks weren't going in as much as he probably wanted in the regular season, but he was still playing really good hockey I thought and getting a lot of chances. And obviously what he's done in this playoffs so far has been incredible. We're pretty lucky to have him and we know he's just going to keep getting better and keep doing those things for us.''

Tarasenko is the only player to get a point in every game of the Western Conference final. But just two of his seven points in the series are goals.

Instead he has become a potent playmaker, setting up Bozak's eventual game-winning goal in Game 4 and assisting on two of Schwartz's goals in Game 5.

''Every time he gets the puck he puts them on edge,'' Blues center Ryan O'Reilly said. ''Having such a shot like he does, teams are scared when he gets the puck and obviously they maybe will overcompensate for that and other things come available. Having played with him throughout the year, you see how dangerous he is whether it's taking that shot or just being that threat that opens so much up.''

Tarasenko's unselfish play was evident on Schwartz's third goal. Carrying the puck on the power play, he could have taken a shot. But with San Jose playing the shot, he found Schwartz cutting towards the net for a one-timer into a wide-open net.

''Vlady is a good passer, he makes plays,'' Berube said. ''He's got his head up a lot, sees the ice well. His hard work is paying off. He's working hard without the puck, and he's a powerful guy.''

Tarasenko has led the Blues in goals in each of the past five seasons. Though he has taken a back seat to Schwartz in goal-scoring, the Blues are thriving in the postseason as never before from his playmaking ability.

And they are one win away from playing for the Stanley Cup, which many thought would have been impossible on Jan. 3 when the Blues were at the bottom of the NHL standings.

''Everyone knows we have a lot of work to do and we're going to get their best game,'' Schwartz said. ''They're going to have the most desperation they've had in this series. We'll enjoy it tonight, but we know there's a lot of work yet.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Sharks dealing with key injuries

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks could be headed into their fifth elimination game of the postseason short-handed.

The Sharks left town Monday to play Game 6 of the Western Conference final at St. Louis with questions about the status of captain Joe Pavelski, high-scoring forward Tomas Hertl and playmaking defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Coach Peter DeBoer gave no update on their conditions and didn't say whether any of the three made the trip to St. Louis. San Jose lost all three stars to injuries during a 5-0 loss at home to the Blues on Sunday that left them trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2 headed into Tuesday night's game.

The Sharks have already staved off elimination four times this postseason, rallying from 3-1 down in a first-round series against Vegas and then winning a seventh game on home ice in the second round against Colorado.

''We've dealt with this before and guys have stepped in and got the job done,'' DeBoer said. ''People can write us off but I know in our room we know we have guys in there who we know can step in and get this done.''

Pulling it off again against a deep and physical Blues team could be even more of a challenge, especially if the Sharks will be missing some key pieces.

Karlsson has been dealing with groin injuries since January. He missed 27 of the final 33 regular-season games but returned for the start of the playoffs even if he often looked hampered by the injury. Karlsson appeared to be finding his groove, scoring two goals, including the overtime winner, in Game 3 at St. Louis before coming up lame again in the fourth game.

Karlsson played just one shift in the final 9:24 of Game 4 but told DeBoer he was good to go Sunday. He wasn't moving well early in the game and committed a turnover that led to St. Louis' first goal. He played just 3:03 in the second period and was unable to accelerate on the play that led to Vladimir Tarasenko's penalty shot. Karlsson then didn't come back out for the third as DeBoer acknowledged he had regrets about playing him.

If Karlsson is unable to go, Tim Heed will likely get his first action since filling in for an injured Marc-Edouard Vlasic in Games 3 and 4 of the opening round. But the Sharks will miss Karlsson, who has two goals and 14 assists this postseason.

Hertl was hit high in the first period by Ivan Barbashev in a play the Sharks believe should have been penalized as an illegal hit to the head. He remained in the game through the second period but also didn't come out for the third.

That was the second time this series the Sharks felt one of their players got hit in the head with no penalty in the game or supplemental discipline. Defenseman Justin Braun got hit by Sammy Blais in Game 3.

''You don't want to see your teammates get hit like that,'' Braun said. ''You can't worry about the refs' calls or non-calls. You have to go out there and keep playing.''

Pavelski, who led the team with 38 goals in the regular season, dealt with yet another injury early in the third when Alex Pietrangelo sent him into the boards and appeared to hit him high at the end with an elbow. Pavelski didn't return and there is concern because he missed six games already this postseason after a bloody concussion when his helmet slammed into the ice in Game 7 against Vegas.

If Hertl and Pavelski can't go, the Sharks' depth up front will take a serious hit. Marcus Sorensen, who missed two of the past three games, could move back into the lineup, with winger Lukas Radil and untested center Dylan Gambrell also options.