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

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Some college football spreads for this fall:

Sept 21? Notre Dame @ Georgia (-9.5)

Sept 28? USC @ Washington (-9.5)

Oct 5? Michigan State @ Ohio State (-15.5)

Oct 12? Texas vs Oklahoma (-6.5)

Oct 19? Michigan (-4.5) @ Penn State

Nov 9? LSU @ Alabama (-16)


**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend??

13) Warriors 109, Raptors 104? Golden State opened second half on an 18-0 run; they even series 1-1, with Game 3 in Oakland Wednesday. Klay Thompson tweaked a hamstring in the 4th quarter and is questionable for Game 3.

12) Chicago Bears? coach Matt Nagy gave the commencement address at his alma mater, the U of Delaware this weekend; they showed a 2:30 clip on Twitter and it was sound advice for all of us. Basically, the theme of the talk was:

?Be You = Believing in yourself more than anyone else.?

11) Dwyane Wade was a surprise speaker at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS?s graduation ceremonies Sunday in Parkland, FL; that is the school where a mass shooting took place last year. The now-retired Wade has been a regular supporter of the school ever since the shooting.

We hear a lot about famous people doing cruddy things; Wade does a lot of good things.

10) Hasheem Thabeet was the No. 2 overall draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft; he scored only 2.2 ppg in his five-year NBA career- he last played for the Thunder in 2014. Thabeet has played overseas since then.

He is 32 now, and is trying to make a comeback in the NBA. Am guessing someone gives him a shot in the Las Vegas Summer League. He is 7-foot-3, after all.

9) Had lot of thunderstorms in the Albany area Sunday, and thunderstorms knock out my satellite signal, so I can?t watch baseball. I don?t like thunderstorms.

8) Some SEC football teams are upgrading their non-conference schedules; Florida didn?t sell out recent home games with Charleston Southern, Colorado State and Idaho, plus they got hurt by strength of schedule, when you think about the college football playoff selection process, so they?ve added home/home series with Colorado/Texas.

7) Baseball stuff:
? Milwaukee put P Jhoulys Chacin (back) on the IL.
? Seattle traded Jay Bruce to the Phillies, for a minor league 3B.
? Rangers put OF Joey Gallo (oblique) on the IL.

6) Despite Bruce getting traded from Seattle to Philly, the Mets remain responsible for a $1.5M installment of his signing bonus, a payment due Jan. 31, 2020.

5) Stan Wawrinka beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets at the French Open tennis tournament; match took five hours, nine minutes. Next round will be a tough one for him.

4) College basketball transfer portal:
? Former Valparaiso C Jaume Sorolla bolted to Cincinnati.
? UMass transfer Unique McLean bolted to St Francis NY.

3) Since 2016, Khris Davis has the most multi-HR games (19), followed by Giancarlo Stanton (16), Manny Machado (15) and Trevor Story (13).

2) If the baseball playoffs started today:
NL: New York-Twins-Astros. Wild Card: Rays-Rangers
AL: Phillies-Brewers-Dodgers. Wild Card: Braves-Cubs

1) Baseball draft starts at 6pm Monday; the weirdest of the drafts, since kids get picked and then disappear into the minor leagues for a few years. Hopefully this year, the A?s won?t pick any football players.

Because of the draft, it is a very slow day for games; only four games scheduled, one a makeup; the three regularly-scheduled games are all on the west coast.

 

[Cnotes53]

<a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/L7VIJFq.png" alt="Commercial Photography"></a>

 

[Cnotes53]

7Boston -8 St Louis
ST LOUIS are 24-8 ATS (16.3 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

Monday, June 3

Boston @ St. Louis

Game 7-8
June 3, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
15.639
St. Louis
12.134
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 3 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-110
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-110); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, June 3

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

BOSTON (63-29-0-10, 136 pts.) at ST LOUIS (58-35-0-11, 127 pts.) - 6/3/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 43-24 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 280-200 ATS (+15.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 22-10 ATS (+10.5 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ST LOUIS is 37-25 ATS (+4.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-13 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 216-169 ATS (+46.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 42-21 ATS (+8.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 38-23 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 25-15 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)

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




NHL

Monday, June 3

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

Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games on the road
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 9 games
St. Louis is 1-11 ATS in its last 12 games at home
St. Louis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing at home against Boston

 

[Cnotes53]

Maroon's perfect St. Louis homecoming
June 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) Each morning Anthony Maroon woke up during a visit to see his father, he'd ask his grandmother how many days he had left with him.

Nine? All smiles.

The goodbyes were brutal. Patti Maroon told her grandson she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't cry, but she'd try.

By the last day, she had to wear sunglasses to keep Anthony from seeing the tears in her eyes. Then they'd pull up to the airport and Anthony would scream, ''I want my daddy!''

''It was heartwrenching,'' Patti said.

Patrick Maroon played his first eight National Hockey League seasons away from his son, who lived with his mother in suburban St. Louis. When he was a free agent last summer, the interest from teams on a long-term contract didn't materialize, but he had a more lucrative offer from the New Jersey Devils and a multiyear offer from the San Jose Sharks to weigh against a deal for $1.75 million with the St. Louis Blues for just this season.

He agonized over the decision and ultimately took less, betting on himself to play for his hometown team in front of his son and surrounded by his tight-knit family. After a rough start to the season for him, Maroon helped the Blues make the playoffs, scored the double-overtime series-clinching goal in Game 7 of the second round against Dallas and is now in the Stanley Cup Final with the team he always yearned to play for.

''It's meant the world to me,'' Maroon said. ''As a kid, you dream of this your whole life and to come back home and play for your team you grew up watching your whole life, and to actually live out your dream and actually put your skates on and play (in) the Stanley Cup finals, it's a pretty cool moment for me. Not only a cool moment for me, but my dad that's been a season-ticket holder and Blues fan, my mom, my family, my son. It's been really cool and very special: A lot of highs, a lot of lows, but we're getting through this together.''

There was the criticism for taking the No. 7 Keith Tkachuk wore, jeers in the stands his parents had to hear, sessions with a sports psychologist, a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, the death of his grandfather the day before the playoffs began, his game-winning assist in the postseason opener, his overtime heroics and an emotional meeting with his family after moving on to the Cup Final.

Those are some significant highs and lows. Now Maroon is on the ultimate high playing for the Blues against the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup - a playoff run that has given his family a reason to come together to watch his games at an emotionally difficult time, and none of it would've happened had Maroon not gone home.

''If it wasn't for this, I said, I'd probably be home and I'd use any kind of excuse not to come,'' aunt Jan Phegley said from the basement of brother Rob Ferrera's house. ''But my brother keeps calling me and he doesn't give me any excuse to stay away. And when I get here I'm OK. And (Patrick's brother) Justin goes: `Yeah, Aunt Jan, don't you think we would be home? But we're here.' It's just made such a big difference in everybody's life.''

No one more so than Anthony, the 10-year-old center of the family who perhaps like his father growing up doesn't realize how good of a hockey player he could be. Last July, Patrick was watching his son play at the same Oakville roller hockey rink he played in as a kid the night he had to decide where to sign.

His dad, Phil Maroon, wasn't so sure Patrick should take on the pressure of playing in St. Louis as the hometown kid and suggested he take the extra security from San Jose because he's now in his 30s and even flipped a coin: heads for the Blues, tails for the Sharks. It came up tails.

''He goes, `OK I'm going to sign with them,''' Phil said. ''About two hours later, he calls me up and says, `Dad I signed with the Blues.'''

What changed in those two hours? He was with Anthony and fiancee Francesca.

''It's always been Anthony,'' Phil said. ''That was the bottom line. That's what it came down to.''

New Jersey offered over $3 million because general manager Ray Shero told Maroon he deserved it. Shero has gotten to know the family well over the years from the world championships and then trading for Maroon at the 2018 deadline and understands perfectly why he left so much money on the table.

''He did it for all the right reasons,'' Shero said. ''You can't script this any better.''

It's a script that sounds too hokey for Hollywood. Maroon grew up in Oakville outside St. Louis, once carved out a penalty box in the wall of his parents' furnished basement for full-contact games with his friends and played minor and high school hockey there. Now there are signs all over Telegraph Road in his hometown of Oakville like the one at Dierbergs Market that reads, ''Congrats Oakville Big Rig Pat Maroon.''

''We had that in the back of our mind, `Wow, wouldn't that be neat if he was able to go all the way, and who knows what team he would be on?'' said Mick O'Halloran of the Oakville Hockey Club that Maroon played two seasons with as a high school freshman and sophomore. ''It was meant to be for him to skate here at this time.''

This isn't the first time hockey brought Maroon home. He played for now Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper with the North American Hockey League's Texarkana Bandits in 2005-06 and the team moved to St. Louis and became the Bandits the next season. Maroon had 95 points, was league MVP and led them to the national championship - and is now looking to do that again with another St. Louis team and his son watching.

''He always missed being away from his boy,'' Cooper said. ''He wanted to be close to him and just the way it's all worked out, it's been awesome.''

It wasn't always awesome. Phil said Patrick hit a low point in December when his game wasn't right and the Blues were in the aftermath of a coaching change and the losses piling up. New teammate Ryan O'Reilly saw what Maroon was going through and set him up with his dad and sports psychologist Brian O'Reilly for some sessions around the holidays that got him on track mentally.

''Everything seemed to turn around at that point,'' Phil said.

The Blues went from last in the NHL the morning of Jan. 3 to the playoffs. But the more important developments came with Anthony's team.

Patrick and Anthony got to play in the Merrimack Sharks' annual father/son game for the first time in March. That surreal experience reminded Patti of the skills competition in Edmonton when she saw her youngest son and her grandson standing on the blue line in matching Maroon Oilers jerseys, and she and Phil then got to watch them skate on the same ice with the same youth team Patrick also played for as a kid.

''It was just surreal,'' Patti said while wearing her son's jersey. ''His heart wanted to always sign with the Blues because of Anthony.''

Less than a month later came the moment that sister Jen Guetschow said shattered their family's world. Grandfather Ernest Ferrara died at age 94 from complications following leg surgery.

It was the day the Blues were leaving for Winnipeg to start the playoffs against the Jets. The team held the plane so Maroon could say goodbye to the grandfather he was incredibly tight with, something that might not have been possible if he signed anywhere else.

''We were all standing around crying,'' Patti recalled. ''He had to leave, so he's bending down and he's hugging and kissing my dead dad and he's going: `Grandpa, I love you. I love you. I'm gonna win the Stanley Cup for you.'''

Grandpa Ernie called that last summer after Maroon signed with the Blues. He'd always send video messages to Patrick asking for goals or congratulating him, and this one that ends with a puff from his cigar is still saved on Jen's phone.

''Welcome home Patrick and Francesca,'' Ernie said, stogie in hand. ''I'm so happy that you're gonna be playing next door here. I love you, and the Blues are waiting for ya. They're already predicting they're gonna win.''

Maroon assisted on Tyler Bozak's Game 1-winning goal against Winnipeg the day after. Uncle Rob Fererra texts Patrick the night before a game and usually tells him, ''Don't forget, dream of big assists, big goals, big hits, big plays.''

The night before Game 7 against Dallas, he told him, ''Now go dream of big goals'' and forget about assists. Wearing No. 7, Maroon scored to win Game 7 on May 7 directly in front of family members sitting in row 7 of section 107 and only minutes after Jen, husband Paul and Rob kissed the prayer card from Ernie's funeral.

Patti Maroon was battling Shingles at the time and didn't even see the goal because fans were standing in front of her. Son Philipp ran to tell her Patrick had scored, and it was bedlam in the best possible way.

''Everybody in my family was crying,'' Patti said. ''I just felt like they're really going to win the Stanley Cup. Like, this is for real now.''

Maroon looked around at Stanley Cup Final media day and it all hit him. The decision to take less money and term to play for the Blues, the tumultuous season and now the chance to lift the Cup that's replaced the old roller hockey trophy of his youth.

''Well, it's worth it now, right?'' Maroon said. ''Money doesn't solve problems in the world anymore. It doesn't really bring you happiness. Living out your dream and being home and being with family and being with a team in that locker room and have those guys fight, sweat and be where we're at right now, that means more to me.''

 

[Cnotes53]

G4 - Bruins at Blues
June 3, 2019
By Bookmaker
by Kyle Markus

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Preview
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues

The Boston Bruins didn?t look uncomfortable at all on the road in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, dominating the St. Louis Blues to retake the lead in the series. The Blues have to play better next time out in Game 4 or risk being put in a tough spot.

St. Louis is the slight favorite in this matchup and a win would send the Stanley Cup Finals back to Boston knotted at two games apiece. This is a humongous showdown and the Blues have to take advantage of the home ice in NHL wagering. Boston, meanwhile, would simply love for a redux of the previous showdown.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the Boston Bruins vs. the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, June 3rd, 2019. The Blues will host the matchup at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri and it will be nationally televised on NBC.

We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

Odds Analysis

The Blues are slight favorites to even this series at two games apiece, as they are the -120 favorites on the moneyline to win Game 4. The Bruins are listed at +100 to pull the minor upset. The goal total is set at 5.5 goals, with the ?under? the -135 favorite and the ?over? listed at +115. The Blues are the +241 underdogs to cover the -1.5-goalline, while the Bruins are listed at -295 to lose by one goal or win this contest.

The Bruins are the heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup at -350 while the Blues are listed at +281 odds to pull off the upset and hoist the trophy in NHL gambling.

Last Time Out

After losing Game 2, the Bruins made quick work of the Blues in this one. They scored three goals in the first period and then cruised to the 7-2 victory. Center Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, defenseman Torey Krug had a goal and three assists and left winger David Pastrnak added a goal for Boston.

The Bruins? winning streak of eight games was ended in Game 2, and some wondered how Boston would react as the series shifted to St. Louis. But the Bruins showed no ill effects by scoring the first four goals of the contest. St. Louis needs to tighten up its defense or else the Bruins are going to seize control of this series in Game 4.

Suspension Update

Blues center Oskar Sundqvist was suspended for Game 3 of the series after a hit on Boston?s Matt Grzelcyk in Game 2. Sundqvist will be back for Game 4 and is hoping to have a helpful impact for St. Louis.

Sundqvist had an assist in Game 2 and has a goal and two assists over his past five playoff games. He finished the regular season with 14 goals and 17 assists. Some on the Blues didn?t agree with the suspension but it is water under the bridge now and now St. Louis will welcome him back.

Free NHL ATS Picks

The Bruins are clearly the superior team, but playing on the road is not easy. Boston could win this game, but the best idea is riding with the Bruins to cover as 1.5-goal underdogs on the spread. Boston seems likely to lose by one goal if that happens, so this wager will cover bettors even if the Blues manage to tie the series at two after Game 4 in NHL gambling.

The ?over? is the better call on the goal total.

Best Bet: St. Louis Blues 4, Boston Bruins 3

 

[Cnotes53]

MONDAY, JUNE 3
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at STL 08:00 PM

BOS +103

O 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Blues beat Bruins 4-2 to knot Stanley Cup Final at 2-2
June 3, 2019
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ST. LOUIS (AP) Just when the St. Louis Blues had the Boston Bruins on their heels and chasing the game, they gave up a goal and the roar went right out of the building.

The Blues could have let the talented Bruins seize the moment, let things get away from them on home ice. Again.

They didn't. The team that was mired in last place in the NHL in January, that suffered from missed calls in the playoffs and slogged through some tough losses instead showed the resolve of a championship contender and is now two victories away from lifting the Stanley Cup.

Ryan O'Reilly scored the opening goal 43 seconds in and the winner with 9:22 left, and he and the Blues beat the Blues thrived in a chaotic Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night to beat the Bruins 4-2 and tie this bruising series at two games apiece.

''We knew what we had to do tonight to be a better team,'' coach Craig Berube said. ''We were relentless tonight. We didn't stop for 60 minutes.''

Game 5 is Thursday night in Boston.

This one was a back-and-forth thriller, with Boston's Tuukka Rask and St. Louis' Jordan Binnington each giving up tons of rebounds for frantic scoring chances and scrums.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 11th goal of the playoffs, and Binnington made 21 saves to improve to 7-2 in the postseason after a loss. Even more impressive was the rookie's bounce-back from being pulled in Game 3 for the first time in his NHL career. Rask allowed three goals on 37 shots and was on the receiving end of several Blues onslaughts.

''He spit some rebounds out,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of Rask. ''But I don't have an issue with his rebound control.''

Charlie Coyle scored for the third consecutive game, and Brandon Carlo had a short-handed goal for Boston, but their stars were quiet again and a big problem may be brewing: Boston captain Zdeno Chara was knocked out of the game by a puck to the mouth. Chara was allowed to sit on the bench, but it's uncertain if he'll be able to play in Game 5 when the Bruins could be without two of their top six defensemen.

O'Reilly ended an eight-game goal drought by cashing in two rebounds off Rask for his first multi-goal game since November. After losing 15 of his 23 faceoffs in a tough Game 3, O'Reilly was dominant all over the ice.

''He's been our best player all year and he got rewarded,'' winger Patrick Maroon said of O'Reilly.

Hockey Hall of Famer and Blues alum Brett Hull screamed at the top of his lungs into the microphone to pump up the crowd seconds before puck drop, ''Are you ready? Let's Go Blues!''

They were ready, all right, and it started with O'Reilly's goal that was the Blues' sixth in the opening two minutes. They have done that now in all four rounds and are 6-0 when jumping out to a 1-0 lead in a game's first 20 minutes.

But this victory was all about responding well to yet another momentum swing that came on special teams: The Blues killed off a Bruins power play and then hemmed Boston in its own end for more than three minutes. While St. Louis cycled the puck in the offensive zone and changed several forward lines and defensive pairings, Boston defenders were gassed and Connor Clifton took a penalty for an illegal check to the head of Tarasenko.

Twenty-six seconds into the Blues power play, however, the Bruins inexplicably got numbers on a rush and Carlo scored shorthanded to tie it again. It was the fourth shorthanded goal St. Louis has allowed in the playoffs to only 13 power-play goals - but St. Louis didn't fold.

''I've said it all playoffs: Things don't really seem to faze us,'' said captain Alex Pietrangelo, who assisted on O'Reilly's goals.

Another rebound off Rask paved the way for O'Reilly's go-ahead goal. With St. Louis leading, fans could happily sing John Denver's ''Country Roads'' at the under 6-minute timeout, and Brayden Schenn sealed it with an empty-net goal with 1:29 left.

''It's anyone's game now,'' Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist said.

When the final horn sounded, they played Laura Branigan's ''Gloria'' to celebrate the Blues' first-ever home victory in the Stanley Cup Final.

''Every year you keep hearing, let's go to finals, let's go win the Cup,'' Tarsaenko said. ''Even after last year, you hear it all summer. People start believing in us and we feel it.''

NOTES: Sundqvist returned from a one-game suspension for boarding Bruins D Matt Grzelcyk, who missed his second game in a row. Sanford remained in the lineup, and Robby Fabbri was a healthy scratch. ... Dunn replaced D Robert Bortuzzo in the St. Louis lineup.

UP NEXT

The Blues and Bruins start all over again with a three-game series for the Cup with Game 5 in Boston on Thursday night.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY JUNE 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins TD Garden

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:08 PM Boston Bruins St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center

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


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

06/03/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
06/01/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.75
05/29/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -13.85
05/27/2019 1-1-0 50.00% +0.00
05/21/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -10.50
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..............21-32-1 .....39.62% -86.70


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


BEST BETS:


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

06/03/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00...................1 - 0.................+5.00............+0.00
06/01/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................1 -0.................+5.00.............+5.00
05/29/2019..............0 - 0....................+0.00..................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-5.50
05/27/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................1 - 0................+5.00............+0.00
05/21/2019..............0 - 1....................-5.00....................0 - 1................-5.50.............-10.50
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 - 7.....................-2.30...................9- 17.................-48.50............-50.80

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday?s 6-pack

Some college football spreads for this fall:

Nov 2? Oregon (-1) @ USC

Nov 16? Georgia (-7.5) @ Auburn

Nov 23? UCLA @USC (-5)

Nov 23? Penn State @ Ohio State (-10.5)

Nov 29? Iowa @ Nebraska (even)

Nov 30? Alabama (-13) @ Auburn

Quotes of the Day
?I always mean what I say, but I don?t always say what I?m thinking.?
Dean Smith

Tuesday?s quiz
What was the last Western Conference team other than Golden State to play in the NBA Finals?

Monday?s quiz
Sacramento is the state capital of California.

Sunday?s quiz
Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at Pittsburgh?s Point State Park to form the Ohio River.

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

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

13) Angels played in Seattle Sunday afternoon, played a makeup game in Wrigley Field on Monday, and host the A?s in Anaheim tonight; that is 3,462 miles in three days, the 3rd-most miles any MLB team has travelled in a 3-day period.

12) As of Monday afternoon, there were 806 players in the college basketball transfer portal; with 353 D-I hoop teams, that works out to 2.28 players per team.. Thats a lot.

178 of the transfers are grad transfers, who are immediately eligible.

11) Michigan coach Juwan Howard did a very smart thing Monday and hired former St Joe?s assistant Phil Martelli as an assistant. Guys who are new head coaches need an experienced voice to help them avoid some of the pitfalls of their job.

10) When you watch and read about the baseball draft, keep in mind that Mike Trout was the 25th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. Scouting/drafting is an inexact science.

9) On May 1st, Minnesota Twins were 20-1 to win the World Series; 33 days later, they?re down to 13-2 to win the Series.

8) Sports betting legislation passed in Illinois this week; meanwhile here in New York, we have crickets??nothing happening. NFL training camps start next month.

7) Orioles took Oregon State C Adley Rutschman with the first pick of the MLB Draft, the first catcher taken first since Buster Posey in 2001.

Royals took SS Bobby Witt Jr with the #2 pick; his dad Bobby Witt pitched in the major leagues for 16 seasons.

6) Breakdown of DT Gerald McCoy?s deal with the Carolina Panthers:
? 1 year, $4M to sign.
? $3M base salary
? $500K camp roster bonus.
? $500K in 45-man per game bonus
? 6.5 sacks for $500k.
? 8 sacks gets him $1.5M.
? $250K for Pro Bowl.
? $250K for playoffs.
? $4M guaranteed.
Worth noting that Carolina/Tampa Bay (McCoy?s old team) are division rivals.

5) Friday, a bettor in Sparks, NV played a $5, 10-team parlay and hit it for $3,605; four of the ten wagers were underdogs. Pretty impressive.

4) Cubs 6, Angels 1? In his first game as a Cub, Carlos Gonzalez made a great diving catch in top of 7th inning to rob Jonathan Lucroy of a bases loaded double.

3) Milwaukee Brewers activated Travis Shaw from the IL and demoted rookie 2B Keston Huira, despite Huira hitting five home runs and having an .865 OPS in only 17 games. Milwaukee also DFA?d 1B Jesus Aguilar.

2) This was the first baseball draft ever where none of the first six picks were pitchers.

1) Excellent news: Mets broadcaster Ron Darling will be back in the booth tonight for the Mets-Giants game; Darling has been battling thyroid cancer the last few months but has been cleared to return to work. He is a friendly voice in the booth; great to have him back.

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday?s 6-pack

? Giants 9, Mets 3 (10)? If you bet the under, my condolences.

? It is June 5; the Phillies have already used 41 players this year.

? Dodgers 9, Arizona 0? Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed two ER in his last 44.2 IP.

? If you?re wondering, Tim Tebow is batting .159 at AAA Syracuse.

? RIP Alan Young, who passed away at 96; he played Wilbur Post on the classic TV show Mr Ed.

? Bruins? Zdeno Chara (broken jaw) hasn?t been ruled out of Game 5 in the Stanley Cup finals. Hockey players are tough.

Quotes of the Day
?No, I don?t regret it. And to be fair, I don?t think I owe anyone an explanation because it?s not a rule that I have to speak??.since I got traded over here it?s been some stories that shouldn?t have come out that have come out. And it?s difficult because the way I am perceived by people is not how I think I really am.?
Clint Frazier

Wednesday?s quiz
When was last time the NBA Finals ended in a 4-0 sweep?

Tuesday?s quiz
San Antonio Spurs were the last Western Conference team other than Golden State to play in the NBA Finals; they beat Miami in the 2014 Finals.

Monday?s quiz
Sacramento is the state capital of California.

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

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

13) There are 256 regular season games in the NFL every year; last year, 73 of them (28.5%) were decided by 3 or fewer points.

12) Las Vegas Bowl is one of the first beneficiaries of the new domed stadium in Las Vegas; the LV Bowl will now feature a matchup of a Pac-12 team vs either an SEC team or Big 14 team every year, starting in 2020. The bowl also moves into a post-Christmas slot; the #2 Pac-12 team will be heading to Las Vegas for this game.

11) Since 2011, there have been 12 Pac-12-SEC football games:
2011:
LSU +3 W40-27 vs Oregon
2012:
LSU -23 W41-3 Washington
Missouri -3 W24-20 Arizona State
2013:
Tennessee +28 L14-59 @ Oregon
Auburn -14 W31-24 Auburn
2015:
Tex A&M -3 W38-17 vs Arizona St.
2016:
Tex A&M -3 W31-24 OT UCLA
Alabama -11.5 W52-6 vs USC
Alabama -13.5 W24-7 vs Washington
2017:
Tex A&M +5.5 L44-45 @ UCLA
Ole Miss -7 L16-27 @ California
2018:
Auburn -2 W21-16 vs Washington

SEC teams are 9-3 SU in those games, 9-3 vs spread, 7-2 when favored.

10) Michigan landed former Alabama assistant Josh Gattis as its new offensive coordinator at least in part because Nick Saban doesn?t want a play caller who has never called plays before, so he wouldn?t name Gattis as the Crimson Tide?s OC.

As a player, Gattis starred at safety for Wake Forest and was the leader of the only Demon Deacons team that won the ACC title and went to the Orange Bowl.

9) North Carolina football coach Mack Brown has had his right knee replaced by a surgeon who once played for him, Dr. Michael Bolognesi, who played DB for Brown at UNC from 1989-93.

8) There were only three high school pitchers taken in the first round of the baseball draft, the lowest amount since 2008.

7) Baseball stuff:
? Phillies lost OF Andrew McCutchen (torn ACL) for the season.
? Tigers put 3B Jeimer Candelario (shoulder) on IL.
? Indians put P Jefry Rodriguez (shoulder) on IL.
? Royals put 3B Hunter Dozier (right side) on IL.

6) Northern Arizona basketball coach Jack Murphy is leaving the Lumberjacks to become the associate head coach at Arizona, his alma mater. Murphy went 78-149 in seven years at NAU and was going into the final year of his contract, which means he was probably getting fired next spring unless the Lumberjacks won the Big Sky, so he jumped ship before he got pushed.

5) Odds to win college basketball national title next April:
8-1? Michigan State
10-1? Kentucky, Duke
12-1? Kansas, Memphis
16-1? North Carolina, Villanova
20-1? Gonzaga, Louisville, Oregon, Virginia

4) Kawhi Leonard filed a lawsuit against Nike on Monday in California in an attempt to reclaim control over a logo Leonard says he created, when he was a Nike client. Leonard signed a deal with New Balance earlier this season.

3) UConn added grad transfer QB Micah Lemon from NC State, which prompted Huskies? QB Marvin Washington to announce he was leaving UConn. Huskies? WR Keyion Dixon also said he would be leaving the UConn program.

2) RJ Hampton was a highly sought after basketball recruit who instead chose to play pro ball in New Zealand this season, which is his business, but supposedly he signed the pro contract a full month before he told the college teams that he wouldn?t be playing for them.

Why would someone do this? Once he signed the contract, there was no going back. Lot of people, both coaches/other recruits, were waiting for his decision so the next domino in the process could fall.

Without knowing all the fact, it does seem very selfish.

1) St. Louis Blues have never won a Stanley Cup, but four of their former coaches have won 17 of them; their series with Boston now stands at 2-2. Blues have an interim coach (Craig Berube).

 

[Cnotes53]

Chara's status uncertain Game 5
June 4, 2019
By The Associated Press

BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) The Boston Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final despite a run of regular-season injuries that prevented anyone on the roster from playing all 82 games.

Now comes the real test.

The Bruins are preparing for Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues without captain and No. 1 defenseman Zdeno Chara, who did not return after he was hit in the face by a deflected puck on Monday night. The St. Louis Blues won 4-2 to even the series at two games apiece.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy offered no update on Chara's condition after arriving in Boston on Tuesday except to say the 2009 Norris Trophy winner was on his way to see a doctor. The fact that Chara returned for the third period wearing a full face shield - and never got back on the ice - suggests it is more than the lost tooth or busted lip that usually only keeps a hockey player out long enough to get it stitched up.

''Right now, I've got nothing,'' Cassidy said. ''But we don't play for two more days.''

Although the 42-year-old Chara is the team's elder statesman and emotional leader, Cassidy said he is less worried about Chara's leadership than his 6-foot-9 presence on the ice.

''Taking great players out of the lineup, that's the part that hurts the most,'' Cassidy said. ''I'm not worried about our mentality.''

The Bruins have made it through the playoffs without defenseman Kevan Miller and also lost Matt Grzelcyk when he took an elbow to the head in Game 2 and needed to be helped off the ice. John Moore filled in for him in the third game, which the Bruins won.

But they were down to five men on the blue line again Monday night when Chara took a deflected shot from Brayden Schenn off the right side of the face. He crumpled to the ice, face-first, and then skated off, with blood dripping from his mouth. He returned at the start of the third wearing the shield but never went back in the game.

''Very uncomfortable, was advised not to return to play,'' Cassidy said after the game. ''Had some stitches, probably some dental work in the near future. He wanted to come out on the bench and be with his teammates.''

His teammates knew how difficult it was for him to just sit there.

''He's our leader, and the biggest part of our leadership,'' forward David Pastrnak said. ''Anything that comes out of his mouth ... everybody is listening to him.''

Blues coach Craig Berube said he had a broken jaw when he was a player and was out six weeks. But if Chara has the same injury and misses the rest of the series, it won't change the Blues' approach.

''Nothing from our standpoint,'' he said.

A six-time All-Star and the perennial team leader in minutes played, Chara played a career-low (not counting lockout years) 62 games this season because of an unspecified injury that kept him out six weeks in November and December.

Although it's too early to rule him out for Game 5 - or perhaps longer - Cassidy said the most likely replacements would be Steven Kampfer or rookies Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon, and Jakub Zboril. Only Kampfer, with two games of playoff experience, has appeared in a postseason game.

''If both guys (Chara and Grzelcyk) are out, it's not an easy decision,'' Cassidy said. ''It's not one I want to make, but you have to do what you have to do.''

But don't rule them out just yet.

''Both of those players, they're warriors,'' defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. ''They'll do whatever it takes to play.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Doc is in: Emrick not slowing down in his dream job
June 4, 2019
By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues' morning skates are over and a handful of broadcasters have taken the ice to re-enact a play from this bruising Stanley Cup Final.

In the otherwise empty stands is a singular figure having a good chuckle at the retired players doing their best to go over the Xs and Os.

But Mike Emrick doesn't sit still for long. It's a rare moment of pause for a man seemingly always in motion. A car comes to take him back to his hotel seven hours before Game 2 so he can get a quick change of clothes for his on-air work. Then it's back to work.

The man known as ''Doc'' because he has a doctorate in broadcasting is working the 21st Stanley Cup Final of his illustrious career. He has been honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame and is the voice of the sport in America, a rapid-fire storyteller who is beloved from the Shark Tank to Madison Square Garden. Colleague Kenny Albert calls him the Vin Scully of hockey, and the admiration level in hockey circles is just as great.

At 72, still calling games on the NHL's biggest stage, Emrick is in his prime and showing no signs of slowing down or stepping away from broadcasting the fastest game on ice.

''I really wanted to do it from the time I saw my first game, but a lot of people really want to do something and they don't get to,'' Emrick said. ''When you have a job like that, you're never working the rest of your life. So it's been 46 years. I don't know when it'll end. God only knows.''

Emrick is so enthusiastic on the air during games that New York Rangers president John Davidson wonders when his former broadcast partner is going to come up for air. Not during the most important time of year for Emrick. This love affair goes back a ways, to when he was a kid sitting at Fort Wayne (Indiana) Komets games, practicing calls in the corner on Wednesday afternoons with his reel-to-reel, battery-operated tape recorder from the music store his dad owned.

Down time for Emrick comes mostly in the summer when he and Joyce, his wife of almost 41 years, go on camping trips to small towns, mostly in Michigan or visit his brother and stepmother who still live in his Indiana hometown. He does like to watch his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates. During the season, they like going to lunch and at night sit together in the living room with their two dogs Joybells and Liberty - he's watching hockey and she's watching veterinarian shows.

''That's a nice night for us,'' Emrick says. ''It's probably not a life many people would find really exciting, but we enjoy it.''

Joyce and dogs are the centerpieces of Emrick's universe that has plenty of room for the people who consider themselves lucky to call him a friend. That includes broadcast partners of various vintages - Eddie Olczyk, Glenn ''Chico'' Resch, Bill Clement and Davidson. He has helped many through difficult times by listening or simply lighting a candle in church for them.

''Just the support part of it from Doc is what is the most important thing,'' said Olczyk, who leaned on Emrick when he was battling cancer. ''He doesn't even have to say anything, but if you just get a text or a picture or whatever, you know he's thinking about you. Having been through it himself, that's what friends do. I look at Doc as a friend.''

Emrick is 28 years removed from prostate cancer. He got the call from Hershey Medical Center on a Friday night while he was on the road in Montreal doing play by play for the Philadelphia Flyers. He waited two days to tell Joyce in person - saying she was going to need to be a rock because he didn't know what to expect - but right away he told Clement, who considers Emrick as close as a brother.

Clement's admiration for Emrick as a broadcaster rivals only that for Doc the human being.

''When you listen to him on the air or see him on the air, he's a real person,'' Clement said. ''He's a real person with an unbelievable gift that he grew himself to describe and to use the English language.''

Ah yes, Emrick's style.

Hockey moves fast and all of its play-by-play announcers need to keep up. Doc loves his verbs - one fan famously counted 153 used in one game - and finding fun or interesting ways to describe the action. A pass isn't just a pass to Emrick - the puck was squibbed, rifled, wanded, even soccered and the puck isn't just stopped by a goaltender, it's waffleboarded, gloved or sticked away. Goals usually get a big ''And he scorrrrrrrrrrrres!'' from Emrick to match the moment and his deep knowledge of the game allows him to get just as excited by the little things that can turn a game - a puck ringing off a post, an a oh-so-close pass, a jaw-dropping save.

''Doc pushes himself to reinvent things and to be the best and to try new things and be different and yet not be a caricature,'' Clement said.

Never is he off the rails. No less an admirer than the late Frank DeFord described Emrick as ''a connoisseur'' whose eloquence is somehow the perfect balance for the frantic, scrambling nature of hockey.

Albert was a statistician for Emrick for games in the 1980s and used to write down quintessential Doc phrases he'd eventually take pieces of and he sat behind him during the call of Sidney Crosby's golden goal at the 2010 Olympics. Whenever Doc and Joyce Emrick decide he should call it a career, Albert may be the most likely person to succeed him as the top NBC Sports hockey play-by-play guy. That day does not seem imminent.

The Emricks don't have kids but have raised several dogs always referred to as their canine children. He skipped the 2002 Olympics because one of their 4-year-old dogs, Katie, was sick; the Emricks have named two of their dogs Liberty after the veterinary surgeon who tried to save Katie. Emrick's love for dogs , minor league hockey and the Pirates is far better known than his faith and involvement with hockey ministries, a huge part of his life.

''He doesn't come across as super religious or come off as judgmental,'' Resch said. ''But that's really what motivates him. He's got a calling on a lot of different levels. ... He doesn't want to let anyone down.''

Emrick doesn't know when he was ''destined'' to do this but his place in hockey broadcasting is clear.

''He's a guy that's found a way to become a major part of sports in the United States,'' Davidson said. ''He's worked for everything. He doesn't want to be treated like a superstar, but he is in his own field.''

Emrick certainly gets the superstar treatment around the rink or at the airport when people ask for a photo or an autograph. As long as it doesn't keep him from his work, Emrick has always obliged. Now going year to year on the decision of whether to call another season, Emrick has so far kept rolling.

''I always do,'' he said, ''because I'll miss it when it doesn't happen.''

 

[Cnotes53]

MORE LATER

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

College football spreads for games on Nov 29-30:

? Texas Tech @ Texas (-10)

? Washington State @ Washington (-9)

? Notre Dame (-5.5) @ Stanford

? Ohio State @ Michigan (-3.5)

? Florida State @ Florida (-14)

? Texas A&M @ LSU (-7.5)


**********

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

13) Starting today with something a little different; an unsolicited endorsement of a couple guys who own a financial advisement firm in this area; they?re very good at what they do.

I?ve known Chris/Dennis Fagan for a long time; they?re very smart people. In 2010, i gave them some money to invest for me, not a lot, but a decent amount for me.

Every month, I get a statement on how that money is doing, and right now, my account has more than double the amount that I gave them in 2010, so I?m going to post a link to their website here and if you need investment advice, they?re the guys to ask:

http://faganasset.com

12) Raptors 123, Warriors 109? Key for Toronto is how the other four starters (minus Leonard) score; they were 28-53 from floor in this game, which is great production for them. Toronto has a 2-1 series lead.

11) Miami Marlins got an RBI from all nine hitters in the fifth inning Tuesday night, the first time that all nine lineup positions got an RBI in one inning since the Brooklyn Dodgers? 15-run first inning on May 21, 1952.

10) Marlins are only major league team that has used only five starting pitchers so far this season.

9) Watching some college baseball Sunday night, and it dawned on me that the Creighton Bluejays have nicer jerseys than the Toronto Blue Jays, which shouldn?t be.

8) Colorado Rockies have couple of promising starting pitchers coming up thru their farm system, but here?s the thing: If you?re talking fantasy baseball, do you really want a pitcher on your team from the Rockies? History tells us that you do not.

7) Baseball stuff:
? Cubs are signing closer Craig Kimbrel, pending a physical.
? Mets DFA?d OF Aaron Altherr, third team to dump him this year.
? Indians put P Carlos Carrasco on IL (non-baseball illness).

6) Interesting how different teams draft ballplayers; only three of the 40 players the Oakland A?s picked were high school players- they also picked a guy from both Harvard and Yale.

Red Sox drafted seven HS kids, Marlins took eight, Astros took only four.

5) Bruce Bochy won his 1,000th game as Giants? manager Tuesday night; he also won 951 games managing San Diego, and is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

4) Comedian Tracy Morgan got very upset Tuesday when a woman hit his $2M Bugatti with her Honda in Manhattan, which raises a question for me.

There is a car that costs $2M? Seriously? I love my Nissan Rogue; it cost $23,000. Oy.

3) Carolina Panthers? owner David Tepper has promised to build a ?world class? NFL practice facility for the Panthers in Rock Hill, SC; the Panthers play home games in Charlotte, NC, but when a $115M tax break was thrown Tepper?s way, he chose the Palmetto State for the team?s new practice facility. Go figure.

2) Starting this coming season, the 3-point line in college basketball will be 22?1?? away from the basket, a change from the 20?9″ that has been in place since 2008.

In Divisions 2-3, the change will take place in 2020-21, to account for the costs associated with moving the line on the courts.

1) A large echo showing up on radar in Southern California last night was actually a cloud of ladybugs about 80 miles by 80 miles in size flying at between 5,000-9,000 feet.

 

[Cnotes53]

<a href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/commercial-photography/"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/xdjdhl2.png" alt="Commercial Photography"></a>

 

[Cnotes53]

9St Louis -10 Boston
BOSTON is 9-0 ATS (9.7 Units) against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.




NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, June 6

St. Louis @ Boston

Game 9-10
June 6, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
14.113
Boston
12,660
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+135); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, June 6

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

ST LOUIS (59-35-0-11, 129 pts.) at BOSTON (63-30-0-10, 136 pts.) - 6/6/2019, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 27-8 ATS (+14.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 25-8 ATS (+10.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 38-24 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 44-24 ATS (+11.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 127-104 ATS (+233.0 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 43-25 ATS (+11.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 38-25 ATS (+11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 26-13 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 297-248 ATS (-104.9 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 140-138 ATS (-91.0 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 5-5 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 5-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.6 Units)

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



NHL

Thursday, June 6

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

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games
St. Louis is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Boston
St. Louis is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Boston is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
Boston is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games at home
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games at home
Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Boston is 5-11-2 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against St. Louis

 

[Cnotes53]

Game 5 - Blues at Bruins
Kyle Markus

St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins

The St. Louis Blues clawed back into the Stanley Cup Finals with a Game 4 victory, and now can really put the pressure on by pulling off the upset in Game 5. The Boston Bruins are back at home for this one and have no intentions of allowing the Blues to control this one.

This is a pivotal matchup as the Stanley Cup Finals is reaching a fevered pitch. The Bruins are the favorites, and a victory would put them in great position to win the championship. However, St. Louis has done a nice job of hanging in and two more stellar outings would allow them to hoist the hardware.

All eyes will be in Boston for this Game 5 affair in NHL wagering.

Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals will feature the St. Louis Blues vs. the Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 6th, 2019. The Bruins will host the matchup at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts and it will be nationally televised on NBC.

We'll have NHL odds available for every game of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

Odds Analysis

The Bruins are listed as the -150 favorites to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 advantage in this series. The Bruins are listed as the 1.5-goal favorites but are the +176 underdogs to cover that spread. The Blues are the -210 favorites to cover. The goal total is listed at 5.5 goals, with the ?under? listed at -145 and the ?over? the +125 underdog.

The Bruins are the -153 favorites to win the series, with the Blues the +133 underdogs to hoist the Stanley Cup in NHL gambling.

Last Time Out

Ryan O?Reilly scored a pair of goals, including the go-ahead one midway through the third period, as the Blues knotted the series at 2 with a 4-2 win in Game 4. O?Reilly scored less than a minute into the game to give St. Louis an early lead, but the Bruins knotted things at two goals apiece heading into the third period.

The Blues were the better team down the stretch to send this back to Boston tied at 2. Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 11th goal of the playoffs for the Blues. St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington was pulled in Game 3 after Boston dominated on offense, but he bounced back in this one by holding Boston to only a pair of goals.

Injury Report

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara took a puck to the mouth, which kept him out of the game the rest of the way. Chara remained on the bench but his status for Game 5 is up in the air. He reportedly has a broken jaw, but there are reports that he could still try to play through the injury.

It would be a big loss for Boston if he cannot go as Chara has a goal and five assists in the playoffs and is one of the staples on the team. The Bruins will be short-handed on defense if he cannot play.

 

[Cnotes53]

THURSDAY, JUNE 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STL at BOS 08:00 PM

BOS -147

U 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

Binnington, Blues nip Bruins, go up 3-2
June 6, 2019
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BOSTON (AP) Jordan Binnington stopped 38 shots, and Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron scored for St. Louis on Thursday night to give the Blues a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Blues have won two straight since a 7-2 loss at home and return to St. Louis with a chance to clinch the first NHL championship in franchise history. Game 6 is Sunday night and the Blues are riding a red-hot goalie of late.

''Unbelievable. He won one for us,'' defenseman Colton Parayko said of Binnington.

Tuukka Rask stopped 19 shots and Jake DeBrusk scored for Boston. The Bruins were lifted by the return of captain Zdeno Chara, who left Game 4 dripping blood after taking a deflected puck off his face. He wore a full-face shield on his helmet, but was unable to provide more than an emotional boost.

Chara followed Rask onto the ice for the pregame skate, and he got a lengthy cheer for his introduction. The Bruins played a video of his highlights during an early whistle, and he went out of the way to deliver the game's first hit, just 15 seconds in, on Brayden Schenn.

When things went bad later, the crowd tried to spur the team on with chants of ''Chara!''

But the 42-year-old defenseman's toughness could only carry so far.

O'Reilly scored in the opening minute of the second period, backhanding in a rebound for his third goal in his last five periods. It was still 1-0 midway through the third when the referees disregarded a leg sweep by Tyler Bozak that knocked Noel Acciari out of the game.

Perron followed with a shot that banked off Rask's pad and into the net. The fans responded with a vulgar chant and a shower of rally towels; the public address announcer eventually asked them to stop.

Boston did seem inspired - or at least desperate - and cut the deficit to one goal on a delayed penalty with about 6 1/2 minutes left. Torey Krug took a high stick to the face at the blue line but he played on, straightened his helmet and dished the puck to DeBrusk for a one-timer past Binnington.

Boston pulled Rask with a little more than a minute left and earned several chances, but couldn't get the puck past Binnington.

Notes: Binnington's nine playoff road wins is the most by a rookie in NHL history. Ron Hextall won eight in 1987. ... Derek Sanderson and Bobby Orr, the connection that gave the Bruins the game-winning goal against the Blues in the 1970 clincher, were the pregame banner wavers. ... Actors Michael J. Fox, Woody Harrelson and John Krasinski were in the crowd. ... Blues D Vince Dunn was in the lineup after missing almost three weeks after taking a puck to the face. ... Boston D Matt Grzelcyk missed his third straight game. ... The Blues improved to 9-3 on the road in the playoffs.

UP NEXT

The series returns to St. Louis, where the teams split Games 3 and 4. The Blues are 6-6 at home so far in the postseason.

 

[Cnotes53]

Berube's Blues living dangerously, on verge of winning Cup
June 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) Craig Berube's bunch likes to live dangerously.

In Game 5 alone, Ivan Barbashev got away with a high hit on Marcus Johansson and Zach Sanford got his elbow up into Torey Krug's head and avoided a penalty. Alex Steen went straight to the penalty box when he lit up David Krejci in the neutral zone with blatant interference. But Tyler Bozak wasn't penalized for tripping up Boston's Noel Acciari seconds before the game-winning goal.

It all left Bruins fans and coach Bruce Cassidy livid. It left the Blues one win from their first Stanley Cup.

These are Berube's Blues all the way.

''We play a hard game,'' Berube said after the 2-1 win Thursday night that resembled so many of his from a 1,000-game playing career with over 3,000 penalty minutes. ''We're a physical team. We forecheck hard.''

Even though the Blues were the least-penalized team in the playoffs, in the final they've taken on the image their hard-nosed coach had as a player. St. Louis is playing with fire with so many borderline hits - some that put Boston on the power play - but it can afford to live dangerously because toeing the line while occasionally stepping over it makes the team so hard to stop.

''That's become our identity,'' Sanford said. ''We've done a pretty good job of finding that fine line. If we can play on that line and stay disciplined too, that's what's made us so successful.''

In what Berube called a ''gutsy win,'' his blue-collar Blues didn't miss a single opportunity to hammer Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, playing with a significant facial injury, or anyone in Boston black and gold. The Blues have done this throughout the playoffs.

Their rough-and-tumble play put the spotlight on the officials to police Game 5 like this was the Broad Street Bullies looking for blood and bruises on every shift.

Cassidy ripped the referees for no call on Bozak midway through the second period, a borderline play at best and at worst another missed call in a postseason full of them.

''It's blatant,'' Cassidy said of Bozak play followed almost immediately by David Perron's goal that put St. Louis up 2-0. ''It had a big effect on the game. This has happened. I'm a fan of the game. It's the National Hockey League's getting a black-eye with their officiating in these playoffs, and there's another one that's going to be talked about.''

Berube talked plenty about the officiating between Games 3 and 4 but was in no mood to do so this time. Cassidy thought ''the narrative change'' after Berube's complaints earlier in the series, and it's even more different now after fans littered the ice with debris

The NHL was not throwing referees Steve Kozari and Kelly Sutherland under the bus after what it considers a judgment call.

''There are hundreds of judgment calls in every game,'' director of officiating Stephen Walkom told a pool reporter. ''The official on the play, he viewed it and he didn't view it as a penalty at the time.''

That plays right into the Blues' hands. Like Berube as a player, they're never afraid to finish a check even if it could be a penalty.

''After a while, you don't want to be hit anymore,'' Blues grinder Oskar Sundqvist said. ''That's just how we've been playing all season long, and that's what we're good at.''

The St. Louis style takes a toll on an opponent throughout the course of a game and a playoff series, and it's doing that to Boston. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk missed his third consecutive game after suffering a concussion on a boarding violation by Sundqvist. The Blues lost Sundqvist to a one-game suspension, but even that worked out because Sanford re-entered the lineup and has been one of the best players on the ice.

Sundqvist is not flashy but does all the little things to cycle the puck and make life difficult on opposing players. He's part of a team effort that way that has St. Louis closer to the Cup than Berube ever was as a player.

''Simple hockey - that's what we are. We're a simple team,'' forward Brayden Schenn said. ''He obviously played as hard as anyone when he played. He fought and battled for his teammates and he wants no different in our locker room. Our guys are doing that right now.''