Cnotes53 2017 NHL Best Bets-News-Trends-Thru The Stanley Cup ! !
- Thread starter Cnotes53
- Start date
B's score four in 3rd, top Leafs in Game 7
April 25, 2018
BOSTON (AP) Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal of the game to break a third-period tie, and the Boston Bruins came from behind to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 - again - winning 7-4 on Wednesday night to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Kasperi Kapanen put Toronto ahead 4-3 with a short-handed goal in the second, but Boston scored four times in the third period to pull away. Torey Krug tied it, DeBrusk gave Boston the lead with 14:35 to play, David Pastrnak added a goal with 8:21 left to help clinch it, and Brad Marchand lofted one into the empty net with 51 seconds left to set off a celebration in the stands.
Tuukka Rask stopped just 20 of 24 shots for Boston, which will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round starting Saturday.
Frederik Andersen had 29 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have not won a playoff series since 2004. They came close in the first round in 2013, when they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Boston and took a 4-1 in Game 7, but the Bruins rallied to win it in overtime.
Danton Heinen scored his first NHL postseason goal, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Krejci had three assists for the Bruins.
Patrick Marleau scored twice for the Maple Leafs, who won again won back-to-back games after falling behind 3-1 in the series. Game 6 came in Toronto on the night that a man drove a van onto a crowded sidewalk in the city, killing 10 people and injuring more than a dozen others.
The teams combined for five goals in the first period before Toronto scored twice in the second, taking a 4-3 lead when Kapanen beat Marchand to a loose puck and then held him off, skidding to a stop in front of Rask before poking the around his left skate.
In the third, the Bruins scored two 4-on-4 goals after matching penalties opened up the ice. Krug made it 4-4 on a slapper from the point just 1:10 in, and then DeBrusk scored the go-ahead goal when he outmuscled Jake Gardiner in the slot and put it between Andersen's legs.
The Bruins forward slid into the boards behind the goal and didn't even have a chance to get off his knees before he was mobbed by his teammates.
Notes: Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, in his first full season on the Boston bench, was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. ... Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn was the honorary fan banner captain, getting the crowd riled up before the game.
April 25, 2018
BOSTON (AP) Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal of the game to break a third-period tie, and the Boston Bruins came from behind to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 - again - winning 7-4 on Wednesday night to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Kasperi Kapanen put Toronto ahead 4-3 with a short-handed goal in the second, but Boston scored four times in the third period to pull away. Torey Krug tied it, DeBrusk gave Boston the lead with 14:35 to play, David Pastrnak added a goal with 8:21 left to help clinch it, and Brad Marchand lofted one into the empty net with 51 seconds left to set off a celebration in the stands.
Tuukka Rask stopped just 20 of 24 shots for Boston, which will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round starting Saturday.
Frederik Andersen had 29 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have not won a playoff series since 2004. They came close in the first round in 2013, when they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Boston and took a 4-1 in Game 7, but the Bruins rallied to win it in overtime.
Danton Heinen scored his first NHL postseason goal, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Krejci had three assists for the Bruins.
Patrick Marleau scored twice for the Maple Leafs, who won again won back-to-back games after falling behind 3-1 in the series. Game 6 came in Toronto on the night that a man drove a van onto a crowded sidewalk in the city, killing 10 people and injuring more than a dozen others.
The teams combined for five goals in the first period before Toronto scored twice in the second, taking a 4-3 lead when Kapanen beat Marchand to a loose puck and then held him off, skidding to a stop in front of Rask before poking the around his left skate.
In the third, the Bruins scored two 4-on-4 goals after matching penalties opened up the ice. Krug made it 4-4 on a slapper from the point just 1:10 in, and then DeBrusk scored the go-ahead goal when he outmuscled Jake Gardiner in the slot and put it between Andersen's legs.
The Bruins forward slid into the boards behind the goal and didn't even have a chance to get off his knees before he was mobbed by his teammates.
Notes: Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, in his first full season on the Boston bench, was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. ... Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn was the honorary fan banner captain, getting the crowd riled up before the game.
SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY APRIL 26, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
10:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
7:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
**********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........43-41-5.......51.19%.....-54.50
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
10:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Capital One Arena
7:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
**********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........43-41-5.......51.19%.....-54.50
Same series, different year: Pens-Caps
April 25, 2018
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Like tourists flocking to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Pittsburgh Penguins making a trip to Washington in the playoffs has become a rite of spring.
The Penguins and Capitals will face off in the second round for the third consecutive year with the core groups changed only slightly from past battles. Back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh still has playoff MVPs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Washington still has stars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom trying to make the Eastern Conference final for the first time.
''We faced each other for a lot of games, and we should know each other right now inside out,'' Backstrom said. ''That's just how it is. It's usually tight series and one-goal games. We're excited about this one.''
It's hard not to get the ''Groundhog Day'' feeling about these teams meeting for the fourth time in the past 10 years. The Penguins won the previous three series despite not having home-ice advantage, twice winning Game 7 in Washington on the way to capturing the Stanley Cup.
But this year is different in many ways, most notably on the Pittsburgh injury front. Malkin and winger Carl Hagelin will miss Game 1 on Thursday night in Washington. Coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin will travel, making him a possibility to play in Game 2 this weekend after missing the end of the Philadelphia series with an apparent lower-body injury.
''I think guys have to step up in different roles maybe,'' Crosby said. ''I don't think anybody has to put too much pressure on themselves. Collectively we can find ways and those are guys who aren't easy to replace, but that's what we're faced with.''
A year after the last series between these two division rivals, gone from the Penguins are forwards Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen, defensemen Trevor Daley, Ian Cole and Ron Hainsey and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Gone from the Capitals are forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik and defensemen Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk.
''They have different personnel, we have different personnel,'' said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who's back after missing the 2017 playoffs because of neck surgery. ''The series is going to play out differently. The game is going to be won differently. You don't know how it is going to go.''
Pittsburgh, trying for a rare championship threepeat, has won nine of 10 all-time series against Washington, many of which predate current players and coaches. But Capitals coach Barry Trotz said it's ''fitting'' his team must again go through its nemesis to advance.
Asked why this year the outcome will be different, Ovechkin said: ''I don't know. One day, it have to happen. If we want to get success, we have to beat Pittsburgh and move forward.''
SID VS. OVI
Crosby has won 44 of the 70 previous games against Ovechkin in the NHL regular season and playoffs, world junior championships, world championships, World Cup and Olympics. There may not be another dueling hat tricks game like the one in the 2009 playoffs, but Crosby and Ovechkin are red hot going into their latest showdown. Crosby is tied at 13 points with linemate Jake Guentzel for the scoring lead in the playoffs, and Ovechkin's five power-play goals helped Washington beat Columbus in six.
''This year I think he's playing his best, but it's good to see,'' Backstrom said of Ovechkin. ''Hopefully everyone can raise our level here in the second round.''
POWER PLAYERS
The Penguins relied heavily on their top-ranked power play unit to land a 12th straight playoff berth - the longest active streak in the NHL - but their title bid will rely heavily on a penalty kill that's been uneven at best. Pittsburgh was a middling 17th during the regular season (80 percent) but killed 90.5 percent of Philadelphia's power plays in the opening round. Washington scored just once with the man advantage in four regular season meetings with the Penguins, who kept Ovechkin in check.
''You have to reduce his time,'' Letang said. ''You don't want him to have all kinds of time to really use that puck.''
MURRAY'S METTLE
Penguins goaltender Matt Murray won the Cup twice as a ''rookie'' by NHL standards after backstopping the Penguins to titles in 2016 and 2017. He missed all of Pittsburgh's playoff series against Washington, however, while recovering from a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has been up and down against Washington in his brief career and is coming off a Philadelphia series in which he flip-flopped between great (two shutouts) and not-so great (allowing four-or-more goals twice). Still, Murray has never lost a playoff series he's played in, and even after giving up four quick goals in the first 21 minutes of Game 6 against Philadelphia, he limited the Flyers to just one the rest of the way to give his teammates time to rally.
HOLTBY DIALED IN
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby allowed six goals on 35 shots through the first two games of the Penguins series last year before getting his game back together. He has only allowed 10 on 137 shots in four-plus games since replacing Philipp Grubauer this time around and looks like a goalie who can match Murray save for save.
April 25, 2018
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Like tourists flocking to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Pittsburgh Penguins making a trip to Washington in the playoffs has become a rite of spring.
The Penguins and Capitals will face off in the second round for the third consecutive year with the core groups changed only slightly from past battles. Back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh still has playoff MVPs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Washington still has stars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom trying to make the Eastern Conference final for the first time.
''We faced each other for a lot of games, and we should know each other right now inside out,'' Backstrom said. ''That's just how it is. It's usually tight series and one-goal games. We're excited about this one.''
It's hard not to get the ''Groundhog Day'' feeling about these teams meeting for the fourth time in the past 10 years. The Penguins won the previous three series despite not having home-ice advantage, twice winning Game 7 in Washington on the way to capturing the Stanley Cup.
But this year is different in many ways, most notably on the Pittsburgh injury front. Malkin and winger Carl Hagelin will miss Game 1 on Thursday night in Washington. Coach Mike Sullivan said Malkin will travel, making him a possibility to play in Game 2 this weekend after missing the end of the Philadelphia series with an apparent lower-body injury.
''I think guys have to step up in different roles maybe,'' Crosby said. ''I don't think anybody has to put too much pressure on themselves. Collectively we can find ways and those are guys who aren't easy to replace, but that's what we're faced with.''
A year after the last series between these two division rivals, gone from the Penguins are forwards Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen, defensemen Trevor Daley, Ian Cole and Ron Hainsey and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Gone from the Capitals are forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik and defensemen Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk.
''They have different personnel, we have different personnel,'' said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who's back after missing the 2017 playoffs because of neck surgery. ''The series is going to play out differently. The game is going to be won differently. You don't know how it is going to go.''
Pittsburgh, trying for a rare championship threepeat, has won nine of 10 all-time series against Washington, many of which predate current players and coaches. But Capitals coach Barry Trotz said it's ''fitting'' his team must again go through its nemesis to advance.
Asked why this year the outcome will be different, Ovechkin said: ''I don't know. One day, it have to happen. If we want to get success, we have to beat Pittsburgh and move forward.''
SID VS. OVI
Crosby has won 44 of the 70 previous games against Ovechkin in the NHL regular season and playoffs, world junior championships, world championships, World Cup and Olympics. There may not be another dueling hat tricks game like the one in the 2009 playoffs, but Crosby and Ovechkin are red hot going into their latest showdown. Crosby is tied at 13 points with linemate Jake Guentzel for the scoring lead in the playoffs, and Ovechkin's five power-play goals helped Washington beat Columbus in six.
''This year I think he's playing his best, but it's good to see,'' Backstrom said of Ovechkin. ''Hopefully everyone can raise our level here in the second round.''
POWER PLAYERS
The Penguins relied heavily on their top-ranked power play unit to land a 12th straight playoff berth - the longest active streak in the NHL - but their title bid will rely heavily on a penalty kill that's been uneven at best. Pittsburgh was a middling 17th during the regular season (80 percent) but killed 90.5 percent of Philadelphia's power plays in the opening round. Washington scored just once with the man advantage in four regular season meetings with the Penguins, who kept Ovechkin in check.
''You have to reduce his time,'' Letang said. ''You don't want him to have all kinds of time to really use that puck.''
MURRAY'S METTLE
Penguins goaltender Matt Murray won the Cup twice as a ''rookie'' by NHL standards after backstopping the Penguins to titles in 2016 and 2017. He missed all of Pittsburgh's playoff series against Washington, however, while recovering from a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has been up and down against Washington in his brief career and is coming off a Philadelphia series in which he flip-flopped between great (two shutouts) and not-so great (allowing four-or-more goals twice). Still, Murray has never lost a playoff series he's played in, and even after giving up four quick goals in the first 21 minutes of Game 6 against Philadelphia, he limited the Flyers to just one the rest of the way to give his teammates time to rally.
HOLTBY DIALED IN
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby allowed six goals on 35 shots through the first two games of the Penguins series last year before getting his game back together. He has only allowed 10 on 137 shots in four-plus games since replacing Philipp Grubauer this time around and looks like a goalie who can match Murray save for save.
Pens without Malkin, Hagelin in Game 1
April 25, 2018
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Evgeni Malkin and forward Carl Hagelin when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night in Washington.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that Malkin and Hagelin will be scratched from the lineup because of injuries.
Malkin, who led the Penguins in goals (46) and points (98) during the regular season, missed Game 6 of Pittsburgh's opening-round win over Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. The Russian star was injured when he got tangled with Flyers forward Jori Lehtera in Game 5. Sullivan says Malkin will travel with the team, which leaves open the possibility he could be available for Game 2.
Hagelin, who scored twice in the first round, is dealing with an upper-body injury after colliding with Philadelphia's Claude Giroux in Game 6. He won't travel with the team.
Riley Sheahan filled in for Malkin on Pittsburgh's second line in Game 6. Dominik Simon took Hagelin's spot on a line with Sheahan and Phil Kessel in practice on Wednesday.
April 25, 2018
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Evgeni Malkin and forward Carl Hagelin when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night in Washington.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that Malkin and Hagelin will be scratched from the lineup because of injuries.
Malkin, who led the Penguins in goals (46) and points (98) during the regular season, missed Game 6 of Pittsburgh's opening-round win over Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. The Russian star was injured when he got tangled with Flyers forward Jori Lehtera in Game 5. Sullivan says Malkin will travel with the team, which leaves open the possibility he could be available for Game 2.
Hagelin, who scored twice in the first round, is dealing with an upper-body injury after colliding with Philadelphia's Claude Giroux in Game 6. He won't travel with the team.
Riley Sheahan filled in for Malkin on Pittsburgh's second line in Game 6. Dominik Simon took Hagelin's spot on a line with Sheahan and Phil Kessel in practice on Wednesday.
East Semifinal Cheat Sheet
April 25, 2018
Key:
A ? Atlantic
M ? Metropolitan
1A Tampa Bay vs. 2A Boston
Lightning: 54-23-5, 113 points
Bruins: 50-20-12, 112 points
Season series: The Lightning had their issues with the Bruins this season by dropping three of four matchups. These two Atlantic division rivals met only once in the first five months of the season, a 3-2 victory by the Bruins at TD Garden on November 29.
The next three meetings came in a three-week span late in the season as the Lightning were blanked by the Bruins at home, 3-0 as -150 favorites on March 17. Tuukka Rask made 23 saves in the victory for Boston, as the B?s were wrapping up a four-game road trip. Boston downed Tampa Bay once again on March 29 at TD Garden, 4-2 to send the Lightning to its third straight loss. Tampa Bay finally broke through on April 3 with a 4-0 home shutout behind Andrei Vasilevskiy?s 33 saves.
Previous playoff series: The Lightning cruised past the Devils in five games of the first round as all four victories came by two goals or more. Following a pair of high-scoring contests in the first two games at home (five goals by the Lightning each), the Bolts beat the Devils, 3-1 in each of the last two games of this series to advance.
The Bruins held off the Maple Leafs in seven games after squandering a 3-1 series advantage. Boston is facing Tampa Bay in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 conference finals as the Bruins took out the Lightning in seven games.
1M Washington vs. 2M Pittsburgh
Capitals: 49-26-7, 105 points
Penguins: 47-29-6, 100 points
Season series: The Capitals and Penguins are no strangers to meeting up in the playoffs, but it?s been all Pittsburgh when these Metro division rivals hook up. In each of the past two seasons, the Penguins have eliminated the Capitals in the conference semifinals, only to eventually hoist the Stanley Cup. Amazingly, in all five runs to Stanley Cup titles in Penguins? franchise history, Pittsburgh has knocked out Washington sometime in that postseason.
Washington and Pittsburgh split four regular season meetings this season with each team winning once at home and once on the road. The Penguins grabbed the first matchup at Capital One Arena on October 11 by a 3-2 score as +115 underdogs. Washington bounced back with a 4-1 blowout of Pittsburgh as slight home ?dogs on November 10, as the Capitals scored three unanswered goals for the win.
The next two matchups took place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh as the Pens routed the Capitals, 7-4 as -150 favorites on February 2. Washington goalie Braden Holtby allowed six goals in the loss, while Phil Kessel netted a pair of goals in the win for Pittsburgh. The Capitals picked up the split on April 1 with a 3-1 victory behind 36 saves from Phillip Grubauer.
In four games, Penguins? star Sidney Crosby did not register a single goal against the Capitals, while not scoring a goal in the last nine matchups with Washington.
Previous playoff series: Pittsburgh eliminated state rival Philadelphia in six games, including posting a perfect 3-0 road record in the series. The Pens scored at least five goals in all four victories, while finishing off the Flyers with eight goals in the Game 6 clincher. Pittsburgh has won nine straight playoff series since the start of the 2016 postseason, as the Pens needed seven games to rid of the Capitals last season.
Washington fell behind Columbus, 2-0 in the opening round thanks to a pair of home overtime losses. The Capitals stormed back by winning the next four games of the series, including two OT victories of their own in Games 3 and 5. Washington hit the OVER in all three home contests, while scoring 14 goals in the final three wins.
April 25, 2018
Key:
A ? Atlantic
M ? Metropolitan
1A Tampa Bay vs. 2A Boston
Lightning: 54-23-5, 113 points
Bruins: 50-20-12, 112 points
Season series: The Lightning had their issues with the Bruins this season by dropping three of four matchups. These two Atlantic division rivals met only once in the first five months of the season, a 3-2 victory by the Bruins at TD Garden on November 29.
The next three meetings came in a three-week span late in the season as the Lightning were blanked by the Bruins at home, 3-0 as -150 favorites on March 17. Tuukka Rask made 23 saves in the victory for Boston, as the B?s were wrapping up a four-game road trip. Boston downed Tampa Bay once again on March 29 at TD Garden, 4-2 to send the Lightning to its third straight loss. Tampa Bay finally broke through on April 3 with a 4-0 home shutout behind Andrei Vasilevskiy?s 33 saves.
Previous playoff series: The Lightning cruised past the Devils in five games of the first round as all four victories came by two goals or more. Following a pair of high-scoring contests in the first two games at home (five goals by the Lightning each), the Bolts beat the Devils, 3-1 in each of the last two games of this series to advance.
The Bruins held off the Maple Leafs in seven games after squandering a 3-1 series advantage. Boston is facing Tampa Bay in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 conference finals as the Bruins took out the Lightning in seven games.
1M Washington vs. 2M Pittsburgh
Capitals: 49-26-7, 105 points
Penguins: 47-29-6, 100 points
Season series: The Capitals and Penguins are no strangers to meeting up in the playoffs, but it?s been all Pittsburgh when these Metro division rivals hook up. In each of the past two seasons, the Penguins have eliminated the Capitals in the conference semifinals, only to eventually hoist the Stanley Cup. Amazingly, in all five runs to Stanley Cup titles in Penguins? franchise history, Pittsburgh has knocked out Washington sometime in that postseason.
Washington and Pittsburgh split four regular season meetings this season with each team winning once at home and once on the road. The Penguins grabbed the first matchup at Capital One Arena on October 11 by a 3-2 score as +115 underdogs. Washington bounced back with a 4-1 blowout of Pittsburgh as slight home ?dogs on November 10, as the Capitals scored three unanswered goals for the win.
The next two matchups took place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh as the Pens routed the Capitals, 7-4 as -150 favorites on February 2. Washington goalie Braden Holtby allowed six goals in the loss, while Phil Kessel netted a pair of goals in the win for Pittsburgh. The Capitals picked up the split on April 1 with a 3-1 victory behind 36 saves from Phillip Grubauer.
In four games, Penguins? star Sidney Crosby did not register a single goal against the Capitals, while not scoring a goal in the last nine matchups with Washington.
Previous playoff series: Pittsburgh eliminated state rival Philadelphia in six games, including posting a perfect 3-0 road record in the series. The Pens scored at least five goals in all four victories, while finishing off the Flyers with eight goals in the Game 6 clincher. Pittsburgh has won nine straight playoff series since the start of the 2016 postseason, as the Pens needed seven games to rid of the Capitals last season.
Washington fell behind Columbus, 2-0 in the opening round thanks to a pair of home overtime losses. The Capitals stormed back by winning the next four games of the series, including two OT victories of their own in Games 3 and 5. Washington hit the OVER in all three home contests, while scoring 14 goals in the final three wins.
West Semifinal Cheat Sheet
April 23, 2018
Key:
C ? Central
P ? Pacific
1C Nashville vs. 2C Winnipeg
Predators: 53-18-11, 117 points
Jets: 52-20-10, 114 points
Season series: The Predators posted a 3-1-1 record against the Jets this season, including a 2-1 mark at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville outlasted Winnipeg, 6-5 in the first road meeting at Bell MTS Place on February 27 as the Predators overcame a pair of two-goal deficits. The Jets edged the Predators in the shootout one month later, 5-4, but Winnipeg erased an early 2-0 hole to pick up the win as a home favorite.
Nashville beat Winnipeg by two goals in two home wins by scores of 5-3 and 3-1. The only Jets? victory in regulation over the Predators came on December 19 at Bridgestone Arena, 6-4 as +130 underdogs. In that contest, Nashville returned home from a perfect 3-0 western Canada road swing, but Winnipeg scored two goals in the final two minutes for the win.
Previous playoff series: The Predators eliminated the Avalanche in six games, finishing Colorado off on Sunday in a 5-0 shutout as -175 road favorites. Nashville scored five goals in three of the victories, while netting at least three goals in five of the games against Colorado.
The Jets also pulled off a 5-0 shutout in eliminating the Wild in five games, including a perfect 3-0 home record. For the exception of a Game 3 blowout loss at Minnesota, the Jets outscored the Wild, 14-3 in the four victories, while finishing UNDER the total in four of five games in the series.
1P Vegas vs. 3P San Jose
Golden Knights: 51-24-7, 109 points
Sharks: 45-27-10, 100 points
Season series: The Golden Knights owned the Sharks this season by putting together a 3-0-1 record. In the first meeting between the franchises on November 24 at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas edged San Jose in overtime, 5-4. The Sharks overcame a 4-1 deficit to force OT, but Jonathan Marchessault?s goal lifted the Golden Knights to victory as short underdogs.
The only matchup decided by more than one goal was Vegas? 5-3 triumph at SAP Center in early February as the Golden Knights scored a trio of third period goals for the win. The Sharks broke through with a 2-1 home overtime triumph on March 22 as San Jose outshot Vegas, 44-25. The Knights got past the Sharks in the final meeting, 3-2 on March 31 back in Sin City as William Karlsson?s short-handed goal in the third period vaulted Vegas to victory.
Previous playoff series:The Golden Knights entered their first season in the NHL not predicted to be a factor in the postseason, or at least qualify for the playoffs. Vegas not only captured the Pacific division title, but swept through the first round by knocking out Los Angeles in four games. The Golden Knights posted only seven goals in the entire series, but also allowed just three goals, including two shutouts in Games 1 and 4 from Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Sharks were first-round victims to the upstart Oilers last season in six games, but San Jose began this postseason with a bang by eliminating state rival Anaheim in a four-game sweep. Two of the victories came by one goal each, while routing the Ducks in Game 3 by an 8-1 count. San Jose limited Anaheim to four goals in the series, as the Sharks picked up their first playoff sweep since downing Vancouver in the 2013 opening round.
April 23, 2018
Key:
C ? Central
P ? Pacific
1C Nashville vs. 2C Winnipeg
Predators: 53-18-11, 117 points
Jets: 52-20-10, 114 points
Season series: The Predators posted a 3-1-1 record against the Jets this season, including a 2-1 mark at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville outlasted Winnipeg, 6-5 in the first road meeting at Bell MTS Place on February 27 as the Predators overcame a pair of two-goal deficits. The Jets edged the Predators in the shootout one month later, 5-4, but Winnipeg erased an early 2-0 hole to pick up the win as a home favorite.
Nashville beat Winnipeg by two goals in two home wins by scores of 5-3 and 3-1. The only Jets? victory in regulation over the Predators came on December 19 at Bridgestone Arena, 6-4 as +130 underdogs. In that contest, Nashville returned home from a perfect 3-0 western Canada road swing, but Winnipeg scored two goals in the final two minutes for the win.
Previous playoff series: The Predators eliminated the Avalanche in six games, finishing Colorado off on Sunday in a 5-0 shutout as -175 road favorites. Nashville scored five goals in three of the victories, while netting at least three goals in five of the games against Colorado.
The Jets also pulled off a 5-0 shutout in eliminating the Wild in five games, including a perfect 3-0 home record. For the exception of a Game 3 blowout loss at Minnesota, the Jets outscored the Wild, 14-3 in the four victories, while finishing UNDER the total in four of five games in the series.
1P Vegas vs. 3P San Jose
Golden Knights: 51-24-7, 109 points
Sharks: 45-27-10, 100 points
Season series: The Golden Knights owned the Sharks this season by putting together a 3-0-1 record. In the first meeting between the franchises on November 24 at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas edged San Jose in overtime, 5-4. The Sharks overcame a 4-1 deficit to force OT, but Jonathan Marchessault?s goal lifted the Golden Knights to victory as short underdogs.
The only matchup decided by more than one goal was Vegas? 5-3 triumph at SAP Center in early February as the Golden Knights scored a trio of third period goals for the win. The Sharks broke through with a 2-1 home overtime triumph on March 22 as San Jose outshot Vegas, 44-25. The Knights got past the Sharks in the final meeting, 3-2 on March 31 back in Sin City as William Karlsson?s short-handed goal in the third period vaulted Vegas to victory.
Previous playoff series:The Golden Knights entered their first season in the NHL not predicted to be a factor in the postseason, or at least qualify for the playoffs. Vegas not only captured the Pacific division title, but swept through the first round by knocking out Los Angeles in four games. The Golden Knights posted only seven goals in the entire series, but also allowed just three goals, including two shutouts in Games 1 and 4 from Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Sharks were first-round victims to the upstart Oilers last season in six games, but San Jose began this postseason with a bang by eliminating state rival Anaheim in a four-game sweep. Two of the victories came by one goal each, while routing the Ducks in Game 3 by an 8-1 count. San Jose limited Anaheim to four goals in the series, as the Sharks picked up their first playoff sweep since downing Vancouver in the 2013 opening round.
Thursday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
The second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway Thursday night with the Washington Capitals hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights entertaining the San Jose Sharks.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-125, 6)
Series tied 0-0.
The term "three-peat" is in play for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, as the former hopes to travel a path to a third consecutive Stanley Cup while the latter is bidding to prevent being a speed bump on the route for the third straight year. The Penguins make what has become a familiar march to Washington on Thursday to play the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series versus the Capitals.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (51-31-4-2, 49-34 O/U): Pittsburgh eliminated Washington in six games in the 2016 conference semifinals and seven in the same round in 2017 to improved to 9-1 in postseason series between the Metropolitan Division rivals. Sidney Crosby collected 13 points (six goals, seven assists) as the Penguins began their 12th straight postseason berth by dispatching Keystone State rival Philadelphia in six games. Forwards Evgeni Malkin (lower body) and Carl Hagelin (upper body) have been ruled out of the series opener despite skating with the team on Wednesday following injuries sustained in Games 5 and 6, respectively versus the Flyers. Riley Sheahan and Dominik Simon replaced those two forwards and skated with Phil Kessel during Wednesday's practice while Jake Guentzel filled in for Malkin on the team's top power-play unit.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (53-26-8-1, 50-36 O/U): Alex Ovechkin, who recorded five points (three goals, two assists) to help Washington split a four-game regular-season series versus Pittsburgh, made good on a guarantee as the Capitals set up another meeting with the Penguins after winning four straight to eliminate Columbus in six games. Braden Holtby started Game 3 of the first-round series against the Blue Jackets and returned to his Vezina Trophy-winning form by winning four straight games for the first time in his playoff career. The 28-year-old Saskatchewan native turned aside 137 of 147 shots in the series to set up a date versus Pittsburgh, against which he struggled this season (1-2-0, 3.60 goals-against average, .897 save percentage).
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE):
LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a Pick 'Em but the moneyline was bet up to -125 in the Capitals' direction with injury news announced by the Penguins Tuesday. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Penguins - LW Carl Hagelin (Out, Face), C Evgeni Malkin (Out, Leg).
Capitals - LW Andre Burakovsky (Out Indefinitely, Upper Body).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Penguins are 5-0 in their last 5 road games.
* Capitals are 16-5 in their last 21 overall.
* Over is 13-3-1 in Penguins last 17 road games.
* Over is 5-0 in Capitals last 5 home games.
* Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (-145, 5)
Series tied 0-0.
Only two teams swept their first-round postseason series, but one of those streaks will end Thursday night when the expansion Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal. Vegas allowed three goals to Los Angeles in its half of the Pacific Division derby while San Jose manhandled Anaheim, outscoring the Ducks 16-4.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE SHARKS (49-27-7-3, 38-45 O/U): The Sharks were the most impressive team in the first round of the playoffs, opening with two wins in Anaheim before rolling up eight goals in Game 3, and expect to handle the atmosphere at T-Mobile better than they did in the regular season. San Jose will be able to counter Vegas' four lines thanks to the trade-deadline acquisition of forward Evander Kane, who had nine goals in 17 regular-season games with the Sharks before scoring three times in the first round on the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. Goaltender Martin Jones was outstanding against Anaheim but posted a 1-2-0 mark with a 3.32 goals-against average and .899 save percentage versus Vegas.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (55-24-4-3, 42-41 O/U): The Golden Knights rely on a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena and were dominant against Pacific opponents, finishing 20-6-3 in division play and winning three of four matchups (3-0-1) against the Sharks that included three one-goal decisions. Marc-Andre Fleury had plenty of playoff experience as part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was unflappable against the Kings with four one-goal victories, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts and a 2-1 overtime win. Vegas managed only seven goals against Los Angeles but featured four players with at least 25 goals during the regular season, led by William Karlsson, who pumped in a team-high 43 tallies and scored four times to go with an assist in the four matchups against San Jose.
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE):
LINE HISTORY: The Knights opened as -145 moneyline favorites for Game 1 and as of Wednesday night that number has not moved. The total hit betting boards at 5 and has also been steady.
INJURY REPORT:
Sharks - D Brent Burns (Probable, Undisclosed), RW Barclay Goodrow (Questionable, Upper Body), C Joe Thornton (Out, Knee).
Golden Knights - D Luca Sbisa (Questionable, Hand), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 21-5 in their last 26 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 12-1 in their last 13 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 4-0-3 in Sharks last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 7-1 in Golden Knights last 8 home games.
The second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs gets underway Thursday night with the Washington Capitals hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights entertaining the San Jose Sharks.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-125, 6)
Series tied 0-0.
The term "three-peat" is in play for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, as the former hopes to travel a path to a third consecutive Stanley Cup while the latter is bidding to prevent being a speed bump on the route for the third straight year. The Penguins make what has become a familiar march to Washington on Thursday to play the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series versus the Capitals.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (51-31-4-2, 49-34 O/U): Pittsburgh eliminated Washington in six games in the 2016 conference semifinals and seven in the same round in 2017 to improved to 9-1 in postseason series between the Metropolitan Division rivals. Sidney Crosby collected 13 points (six goals, seven assists) as the Penguins began their 12th straight postseason berth by dispatching Keystone State rival Philadelphia in six games. Forwards Evgeni Malkin (lower body) and Carl Hagelin (upper body) have been ruled out of the series opener despite skating with the team on Wednesday following injuries sustained in Games 5 and 6, respectively versus the Flyers. Riley Sheahan and Dominik Simon replaced those two forwards and skated with Phil Kessel during Wednesday's practice while Jake Guentzel filled in for Malkin on the team's top power-play unit.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (53-26-8-1, 50-36 O/U): Alex Ovechkin, who recorded five points (three goals, two assists) to help Washington split a four-game regular-season series versus Pittsburgh, made good on a guarantee as the Capitals set up another meeting with the Penguins after winning four straight to eliminate Columbus in six games. Braden Holtby started Game 3 of the first-round series against the Blue Jackets and returned to his Vezina Trophy-winning form by winning four straight games for the first time in his playoff career. The 28-year-old Saskatchewan native turned aside 137 of 147 shots in the series to set up a date versus Pittsburgh, against which he struggled this season (1-2-0, 3.60 goals-against average, .897 save percentage).
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE):
LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a Pick 'Em but the moneyline was bet up to -125 in the Capitals' direction with injury news announced by the Penguins Tuesday. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Penguins - LW Carl Hagelin (Out, Face), C Evgeni Malkin (Out, Leg).
Capitals - LW Andre Burakovsky (Out Indefinitely, Upper Body).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Penguins are 5-0 in their last 5 road games.
* Capitals are 16-5 in their last 21 overall.
* Over is 13-3-1 in Penguins last 17 road games.
* Over is 5-0 in Capitals last 5 home games.
* Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (-145, 5)
Series tied 0-0.
Only two teams swept their first-round postseason series, but one of those streaks will end Thursday night when the expansion Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal. Vegas allowed three goals to Los Angeles in its half of the Pacific Division derby while San Jose manhandled Anaheim, outscoring the Ducks 16-4.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE SHARKS (49-27-7-3, 38-45 O/U): The Sharks were the most impressive team in the first round of the playoffs, opening with two wins in Anaheim before rolling up eight goals in Game 3, and expect to handle the atmosphere at T-Mobile better than they did in the regular season. San Jose will be able to counter Vegas' four lines thanks to the trade-deadline acquisition of forward Evander Kane, who had nine goals in 17 regular-season games with the Sharks before scoring three times in the first round on the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. Goaltender Martin Jones was outstanding against Anaheim but posted a 1-2-0 mark with a 3.32 goals-against average and .899 save percentage versus Vegas.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (55-24-4-3, 42-41 O/U): The Golden Knights rely on a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena and were dominant against Pacific opponents, finishing 20-6-3 in division play and winning three of four matchups (3-0-1) against the Sharks that included three one-goal decisions. Marc-Andre Fleury had plenty of playoff experience as part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was unflappable against the Kings with four one-goal victories, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts and a 2-1 overtime win. Vegas managed only seven goals against Los Angeles but featured four players with at least 25 goals during the regular season, led by William Karlsson, who pumped in a team-high 43 tallies and scored four times to go with an assist in the four matchups against San Jose.
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE):
LINE HISTORY: The Knights opened as -145 moneyline favorites for Game 1 and as of Wednesday night that number has not moved. The total hit betting boards at 5 and has also been steady.
INJURY REPORT:
Sharks - D Brent Burns (Probable, Undisclosed), RW Barclay Goodrow (Questionable, Upper Body), C Joe Thornton (Out, Knee).
Golden Knights - D Luca Sbisa (Questionable, Hand), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 21-5 in their last 26 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 12-1 in their last 13 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 4-0-3 in Sharks last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 7-1 in Golden Knights last 8 home games.
NHL
Long Sheet
Thursday, April 26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE (49-27-0-10, 108 pts.) at VEGAS (55-24-0-7, 117 pts.) - 4/26/2018, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 18-27 ATS (-13.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 56-31 ATS (+19.9 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 24-9 ATS (+14.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
VEGAS is 29-15 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 42-24 ATS (+16.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-2 ATS (+11.2 Units) in road games in April games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 25-8 ATS (+13.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
SAN JOSE is 22-10 ATS (+8.1 Units) after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 216-227 ATS (+483.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 3-1 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 3-1-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH (51-31-0-6, 108 pts.) at WASHINGTON (53-26-0-9, 115 pts.) - 4/26/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 15-17 ATS (-11.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 54-35 ATS (+4.3 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 71-38 ATS (+12.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 33-11 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 30-17 ATS (+4.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 24-9 ATS (+11.6 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 119-68 ATS (+17.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 23-7 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 50-26 ATS (+13.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-9 ATS (+12.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
PITTSBURGH is 68-42 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 8-12 ATS (-13.9 Units) in home games in April games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 15-11 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 15-11-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-1.8 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL
Dunkel
Thursday, April 26
Pittsburgh @ Washington
Game 87-88
April 26, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.256
Washington
13.562
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-120
6
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-120); Over
San Jose @ Vegas
Game 81-82
April 26, 2018 @ 10:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.808
Vegas
12.790
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-150); Under
NHL
Thursday, April 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games
Washington is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Washington is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Jose's last 18 games
San Jose is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Vegas's last 22 games
Vegas is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Vegas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Vegas's last 8 games at home
Long Sheet
Thursday, April 26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE (49-27-0-10, 108 pts.) at VEGAS (55-24-0-7, 117 pts.) - 4/26/2018, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 18-27 ATS (-13.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 56-31 ATS (+19.9 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 24-9 ATS (+14.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
VEGAS is 29-15 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 42-24 ATS (+16.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-2 ATS (+11.2 Units) in road games in April games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 25-8 ATS (+13.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
SAN JOSE is 22-10 ATS (+8.1 Units) after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 216-227 ATS (+483.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 3-1 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 3-1-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH (51-31-0-6, 108 pts.) at WASHINGTON (53-26-0-9, 115 pts.) - 4/26/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 15-17 ATS (-11.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
WASHINGTON is 54-35 ATS (+4.3 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 71-38 ATS (+12.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 33-11 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 30-17 ATS (+4.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 24-9 ATS (+11.6 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 119-68 ATS (+17.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 23-7 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 50-26 ATS (+13.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-9 ATS (+12.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
PITTSBURGH is 68-42 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 8-12 ATS (-13.9 Units) in home games in April games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 15-11 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 15-11-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-1.8 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL
Dunkel
Thursday, April 26
Pittsburgh @ Washington
Game 87-88
April 26, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
12.256
Washington
13.562
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-120
6
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-120); Over
San Jose @ Vegas
Game 81-82
April 26, 2018 @ 10:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.808
Vegas
12.790
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-150); Under
NHL
Thursday, April 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games
Washington is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Washington is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Jose's last 18 games
San Jose is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Vegas's last 22 games
Vegas is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Vegas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Vegas's last 8 games at home
Expansion Golden Knights face Sharks
April 25, 2018
It took one trip to Las Vegas early in the season for the San Jose Sharks to realize that the fast start to the season for the expansion Golden Knights was no fluke.
So it should come as little surprise to the Sharks that they have to get past Vegas in the second round of the playoffs starting Thursday night to reach the Western Conference final for the fourth time in the past nine seasons.
''I remember playing them in November and walking in and going, `This isn't a mirage. These guys are for real,''' Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. ''Their game was real, the way they came at you, the tenacity they played with, the depth they have. That opinion for me hasn't changed in any of the games we played them, and it went back as far as November when we played them early. Great test for us.''
The Golden Knights brought relentless speed to a Pacific Division that had been known in recent years for heavy teams that thrived on wearing down opponents with physical play.
The group of castoffs raced past the rest of the division for 109 points in the regular season and then swept a Los Angeles Kings team that always seemed to be a step behind in the first round of the playoffs.
''We played them a couple of times early and you figured out this team is for real and will be tough for years to come,'' Sharks defenseman Justin Braun said. ''They have great speed and the coach has them going hard. We're going to have to match that every shift.''
The Sharks have embraced the league's transition to a faster game in recent years, making it a priority following a loss in the Stanley Cup Final to Pittsburgh two years ago.
The transformation really took hold this season after top-line center Joe Thornton went out with a knee injury in January and the Sharks acquired Evander Kane and Eric Fehr the following month, adding both speed and depth to the forward group that should test the unproven Golden Knights.
''I would assume it'll be a bit more fast-paced a bit, maybe a little more open hockey,'' Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ''I think LA was a team that played well defensively, but they don't create as much offensively. With these guys we're going to have to do a little more up and down.''
Here are some other things to watch in this series:
GOALIE SHOWDOWN
The series features a matchup of two of the NHL's hottest goalies. Fleury allowed just three goals in a first-round sweep, leading the league with a .977 save percentage and 0.65 goals against average. San Jose's Martin Jones was nearly as stingy, allowing four goals against Anaheim for a .970 save percentage and 1.0 GAA. Jones' career .931 save percentage is third best ever among goalies with at least 20 playoff games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the few things Vegas didn't do well in the first round was capitalize on power plays, scoring on just 1 of 12 chances after converting on 21.4 percent in the regular season. The Sharks were among the best penalty killers all season, ranking second at 84.8 percent. San Jose's power play has been a bit of a roller coaster this season, struggling early and late but thriving for a stretch in the middle of the year. The Sharks were 6 for 20 in the opening round.
''It does become more important as the playoffs go on that you win the special teams battle,'' DeBoer said. ''Both teams take a lot of pride in those areas so it should be a good test.''
BIG BURNS
The Sharks rely heavily on defenseman Brent Burns' big shot to generate offense. He had nine shots and a goal in Game 1 of the last round before the Ducks seemed to put extra emphasis on shutting him down. Vegas figures to do the same.
''When he's on the ice, you got to pay special attention to him,'' coach Gerard Gallant said. ''The wingers can't fall asleep up high and let him go down the backdoor and give him a lot of shots to the net. That's what they do, they focus on getting pucks to the net.''
LONG BREAK
Both teams figure to be well-rested for this series after sweeping the first round. San Jose will have seven full days since beating Anaheim, while Vegas has had eight days off since finishing off Los Angeles. This marks just the second time in the past 22 years that teams will meet in the playoffs after sweeping the previous round.
JUMBO JOE
The Sharks will once again start the series without star center Thornton, who has been out since Jan. 23 with a knee injury. DeBoer ruled Thornton out for at least Game 1 and there is no timeline for when he will be ready to return.
April 25, 2018
It took one trip to Las Vegas early in the season for the San Jose Sharks to realize that the fast start to the season for the expansion Golden Knights was no fluke.
So it should come as little surprise to the Sharks that they have to get past Vegas in the second round of the playoffs starting Thursday night to reach the Western Conference final for the fourth time in the past nine seasons.
''I remember playing them in November and walking in and going, `This isn't a mirage. These guys are for real,''' Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. ''Their game was real, the way they came at you, the tenacity they played with, the depth they have. That opinion for me hasn't changed in any of the games we played them, and it went back as far as November when we played them early. Great test for us.''
The Golden Knights brought relentless speed to a Pacific Division that had been known in recent years for heavy teams that thrived on wearing down opponents with physical play.
The group of castoffs raced past the rest of the division for 109 points in the regular season and then swept a Los Angeles Kings team that always seemed to be a step behind in the first round of the playoffs.
''We played them a couple of times early and you figured out this team is for real and will be tough for years to come,'' Sharks defenseman Justin Braun said. ''They have great speed and the coach has them going hard. We're going to have to match that every shift.''
The Sharks have embraced the league's transition to a faster game in recent years, making it a priority following a loss in the Stanley Cup Final to Pittsburgh two years ago.
The transformation really took hold this season after top-line center Joe Thornton went out with a knee injury in January and the Sharks acquired Evander Kane and Eric Fehr the following month, adding both speed and depth to the forward group that should test the unproven Golden Knights.
''I would assume it'll be a bit more fast-paced a bit, maybe a little more open hockey,'' Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ''I think LA was a team that played well defensively, but they don't create as much offensively. With these guys we're going to have to do a little more up and down.''
Here are some other things to watch in this series:
GOALIE SHOWDOWN
The series features a matchup of two of the NHL's hottest goalies. Fleury allowed just three goals in a first-round sweep, leading the league with a .977 save percentage and 0.65 goals against average. San Jose's Martin Jones was nearly as stingy, allowing four goals against Anaheim for a .970 save percentage and 1.0 GAA. Jones' career .931 save percentage is third best ever among goalies with at least 20 playoff games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the few things Vegas didn't do well in the first round was capitalize on power plays, scoring on just 1 of 12 chances after converting on 21.4 percent in the regular season. The Sharks were among the best penalty killers all season, ranking second at 84.8 percent. San Jose's power play has been a bit of a roller coaster this season, struggling early and late but thriving for a stretch in the middle of the year. The Sharks were 6 for 20 in the opening round.
''It does become more important as the playoffs go on that you win the special teams battle,'' DeBoer said. ''Both teams take a lot of pride in those areas so it should be a good test.''
BIG BURNS
The Sharks rely heavily on defenseman Brent Burns' big shot to generate offense. He had nine shots and a goal in Game 1 of the last round before the Ducks seemed to put extra emphasis on shutting him down. Vegas figures to do the same.
''When he's on the ice, you got to pay special attention to him,'' coach Gerard Gallant said. ''The wingers can't fall asleep up high and let him go down the backdoor and give him a lot of shots to the net. That's what they do, they focus on getting pucks to the net.''
LONG BREAK
Both teams figure to be well-rested for this series after sweeping the first round. San Jose will have seven full days since beating Anaheim, while Vegas has had eight days off since finishing off Los Angeles. This marks just the second time in the past 22 years that teams will meet in the playoffs after sweeping the previous round.
JUMBO JOE
The Sharks will once again start the series without star center Thornton, who has been out since Jan. 23 with a knee injury. DeBoer ruled Thornton out for at least Game 1 and there is no timeline for when he will be ready to return.
THURSDAY, APRIL 26
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
PIT at WAS 07:00 PM
WAS -120
O 6.0
SJ at VEG 10:00 PM
SJ +125
U 5.0
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
PIT at WAS 07:00 PM
WAS -120
O 6.0
SJ at VEG 10:00 PM
SJ +125
U 5.0
Penguins erase 2-goal deficit, beat Capitals 3-2 in Game 1
April 26, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.
Down 2-0 early in the third period and playing without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh turned it around with all three of its top-line forwards chipping in a goal. Crosby scored the tying goal when the puck bounced to him off Alex Ovechkin's stick, and assisted on Guentzel's go-ahead goal.
Matt Murray stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced to put the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions ahead in yet another series with Game 2 on Sunday in Washington. The Penguins have won nine in a row under coach Mike Sullivan dating to 2016, including the past two meetings against Washington.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 17 seconds in and Ovechkin beat Murray 28 seconds into the third period for the Capitals, who lost a game started by Braden Holtby for the first time in these playoffs. Holtby was one of the best players on the ice in the first two periods before he and his teammates blew another two-goal lead.
Holtby allowed three goals on 25 shots, including at least one he'd like to have back during the Penguins' comeback. It was his worst game since replacing Philipp Grubauer in net during the first round against Columbus.
It also was another stellar showing by Murray, who made his best save with 2:30 left when he got his stick on a shot by Brett Connolly. Murray earlier kept the puck out against a net-crashing Devante Smith-Pelly and made a save on a point-blank chance by Michal Kempny.
Murray took a shot off the mask from Ovechkin in the third but made save after save down the stretch with the Capitals pressing.
NOTES: Kuznetsov's goal was the second-fastest in Capitals playoff history after Mike Gartner scored 15 seconds in against the Islanders in 1987. ... The Capitals have killed 18 consecutive penalties dating to Game 2 against Columbus. .., Malkin skated Thursday morning with teammates, while Hagelin did not make the trip. Malkin could be an option for Game 2 if his apparent leg injury has healed enough. ... Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan opted to maintain balance in his lineup, putting Riley Sheahan with Simon and Phil Kessel and keeping Derick Brassard with Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust.
April 26, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.
Down 2-0 early in the third period and playing without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh turned it around with all three of its top-line forwards chipping in a goal. Crosby scored the tying goal when the puck bounced to him off Alex Ovechkin's stick, and assisted on Guentzel's go-ahead goal.
Matt Murray stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced to put the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions ahead in yet another series with Game 2 on Sunday in Washington. The Penguins have won nine in a row under coach Mike Sullivan dating to 2016, including the past two meetings against Washington.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 17 seconds in and Ovechkin beat Murray 28 seconds into the third period for the Capitals, who lost a game started by Braden Holtby for the first time in these playoffs. Holtby was one of the best players on the ice in the first two periods before he and his teammates blew another two-goal lead.
Holtby allowed three goals on 25 shots, including at least one he'd like to have back during the Penguins' comeback. It was his worst game since replacing Philipp Grubauer in net during the first round against Columbus.
It also was another stellar showing by Murray, who made his best save with 2:30 left when he got his stick on a shot by Brett Connolly. Murray earlier kept the puck out against a net-crashing Devante Smith-Pelly and made a save on a point-blank chance by Michal Kempny.
Murray took a shot off the mask from Ovechkin in the third but made save after save down the stretch with the Capitals pressing.
NOTES: Kuznetsov's goal was the second-fastest in Capitals playoff history after Mike Gartner scored 15 seconds in against the Islanders in 1987. ... The Capitals have killed 18 consecutive penalties dating to Game 2 against Columbus. .., Malkin skated Thursday morning with teammates, while Hagelin did not make the trip. Malkin could be an option for Game 2 if his apparent leg injury has healed enough. ... Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan opted to maintain balance in his lineup, putting Riley Sheahan with Simon and Phil Kessel and keeping Derick Brassard with Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 7 SHARKS 0
***********************
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
*********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/26/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........43-45-5.......48.86%.....-76.50
***********************
SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY APRIL 27, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
*********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/26/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........43-45-5.......48.86%.....-76.50
Armadillo: Friday's six-pack
? Steelers traded WR Martavis Bryant to Oakland for the 79th pick (3rd round).
? Three of the top 22 players taken were defensive guys from Alabama.
? Braves 7, Reds 4? Ronald Acuna hit his first major league homer.
? Atlanta Hawks parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer after five years.
? Last time there were no WR?s taken in first round of the draft was 2008.
? Amazon signed a deal to stream NFL games for two years, roughly $130 million.
**********
Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Running diary of first two hours of NFL Draft
8:16: Cleveland Browns take Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield with the #1 pick in the draft; time will tell on all these picks, but my quick analysis is this? when we last watched actual college football games, no one had Mayfield in the top 10 picks. No one.
Now all of a sudden, he is the #1 pick. The team that took Johnny Manziel took a guy who has a lot of similarities to Manziel.
Cleveland is 2-41 in its last 43 games; they traded for Buffalo?s QB Tyrod Taylor this winter. How long before Mayfield gets to play for the Browns?
8:21: Giants take Sequon Barkley and my godson, a huge Giants fan, isn?t happy? he wanted Big Blue to take Sam Darnold or trade out of the pick.
Have to think the Giants could?ve gotten a boatload of picks from Buffalo to move out of this spot, but they didn?t.
Is it possible that Eli Manning is the real GM of the Giants? They fired Ben McAdoo LY when he benched Eli for a game, after Eli had gotten Tom Coughlin fired the year before. Manning is a 37-year old QB who needs a better offensive line than he currently has.
8:29: Jets and Giants didn?t use up much time; Jets grab QB Sam Darnold from USC.
NFL Network has Deion Sanders doing player interviews; I can?t stand him, so it is off to ESPN, where they just had a package about how Darnold?s parents, grandfather and sister all played college sports. I?m sure the Jets drafted Darnold because his sister played volleyball at Rhode Island.
Cleveland has had 28 different starting QB?s since 1999; that not good.
8:36: With the second pick of the night, Cleveland takes Denzel Ward, a DB from Ohio State which means that QB?s Allen/Rosen are now sliding down the draft board, since Denver and the Colts don?t need a quarterback, and they have the next two picks.
8:43: Broncos have to be happier than hell to get Bradley Chubb, the DE from NC State. No way did they think he would be available with the 5th pick.
8:47: Colts take offensive lineman Quentin Nelson from Notre Dame; Andrew Luck will be a happy guy, but not often a guard is the #6 player in the draft.
8:53: Finally, the Bills make a trade- they move up to the #7 pick. They take Josh Allen; he might be only kid in country where playing for Buffalo is a weather upgrade.
Tampa Bay got two second round picks to drop down to #12; good haul for them.
NFL Network?s Mike Mayock thinks Allen is a project; right now, AJ McCarron is the Buffalo QB, so the project will hit the field sooner than later.
Allen and Carson Wentz had the same college coach; Craig Bohl, who won multiple I-AA national titles at North Dakota State. That had to help Allen here.
9:01: Chicago Bears take Roquan Smith, a LB from Georgia; Bears? defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got a hole-in-one playing golf Thursday, so that plus drafting Smith makes it a big day for Fangio.
49ers, Raiders are next on the clock and don?t need a QB; Josh Rosen can?t be having fun right now.
9:04: 49ers take Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey; Fighting Irish had two offensive linemen taken in top nine picks- their OL coach has bolted and now works for the Bears, who didn?t take an offensive lineman.
9:09: Arizona trades with Oakland to move up to #10; Carson Palmer retired and Sam Bradford is always hurt, so this has to be a quarterback, doesn?t it?
Josh Rosen is an Arizona Cardinal, taken 10th; he is the 4th QB taken in the draft. Last time five QB?s were taken in the first round was 1999. It is good to play QB in a dome; eight home games indoors, plus at least two road games in California every year.
Of course, the term ?chip on his shoulder? got tossed around, since Rosen slipped out of the top five.
9:18: Dolphins take S Minkah Fitzpatrick, as Nick Saban contributes a player to the team he used to coach.
This is the 10th year in a row Alabama had a player taken in the first round of the draft.
9:24: Tampa Bay takes Vita Vea, a defensive tackle from Washington. Bucs traded for Jason Pierre-Paul and drafted this guy, so they?re intent on improving their defense.
Couple of guys on TV said Via has to work to control his weight so he?ll be more durable and have better stamina.
9:31: Washington Redskins aren?t popular in Dallas, but they took Da?Ron Payne, a DT from Alabama. Having two of the top 13 players selected has to help your recruiting, right?
Imagine how different college football would?ve been for the last decade if Nick Saban had won while coaching the Dolphins and stayed there?
9:40: Saints traded next year?s #1 pick to move up from #27 to #14; they took DE Marcus Davenport from UTSA, after guys from NFL Network went on for five minutes about how great Lamar Jackson would be playing for the Saints. Whoops.
They must really love Davenport, to trade a #1 pick to the Packers to move up. Saints DL coach Ryan Nielsen and UTSA coach Frank Wilson worked together at Ole Miss, so he must know.
Green Bay now has two #1 picks next season.
9:45: Oakland takes T Colton Miller, then Bills traded up to #16 to take Tremaine Edmunds a LB from Virginia Tech.
9:56: Chargers get a steal with S Derwin James from Florida State; he was hurt a couple years ago when Showtime did their reality show on FSU football. Good kid; he?ll help them.
? Steelers traded WR Martavis Bryant to Oakland for the 79th pick (3rd round).
? Three of the top 22 players taken were defensive guys from Alabama.
? Braves 7, Reds 4? Ronald Acuna hit his first major league homer.
? Atlanta Hawks parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer after five years.
? Last time there were no WR?s taken in first round of the draft was 2008.
? Amazon signed a deal to stream NFL games for two years, roughly $130 million.
**********
Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Running diary of first two hours of NFL Draft
8:16: Cleveland Browns take Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield with the #1 pick in the draft; time will tell on all these picks, but my quick analysis is this? when we last watched actual college football games, no one had Mayfield in the top 10 picks. No one.
Now all of a sudden, he is the #1 pick. The team that took Johnny Manziel took a guy who has a lot of similarities to Manziel.
Cleveland is 2-41 in its last 43 games; they traded for Buffalo?s QB Tyrod Taylor this winter. How long before Mayfield gets to play for the Browns?
8:21: Giants take Sequon Barkley and my godson, a huge Giants fan, isn?t happy? he wanted Big Blue to take Sam Darnold or trade out of the pick.
Have to think the Giants could?ve gotten a boatload of picks from Buffalo to move out of this spot, but they didn?t.
Is it possible that Eli Manning is the real GM of the Giants? They fired Ben McAdoo LY when he benched Eli for a game, after Eli had gotten Tom Coughlin fired the year before. Manning is a 37-year old QB who needs a better offensive line than he currently has.
8:29: Jets and Giants didn?t use up much time; Jets grab QB Sam Darnold from USC.
NFL Network has Deion Sanders doing player interviews; I can?t stand him, so it is off to ESPN, where they just had a package about how Darnold?s parents, grandfather and sister all played college sports. I?m sure the Jets drafted Darnold because his sister played volleyball at Rhode Island.
Cleveland has had 28 different starting QB?s since 1999; that not good.
8:36: With the second pick of the night, Cleveland takes Denzel Ward, a DB from Ohio State which means that QB?s Allen/Rosen are now sliding down the draft board, since Denver and the Colts don?t need a quarterback, and they have the next two picks.
8:43: Broncos have to be happier than hell to get Bradley Chubb, the DE from NC State. No way did they think he would be available with the 5th pick.
8:47: Colts take offensive lineman Quentin Nelson from Notre Dame; Andrew Luck will be a happy guy, but not often a guard is the #6 player in the draft.
8:53: Finally, the Bills make a trade- they move up to the #7 pick. They take Josh Allen; he might be only kid in country where playing for Buffalo is a weather upgrade.
Tampa Bay got two second round picks to drop down to #12; good haul for them.
NFL Network?s Mike Mayock thinks Allen is a project; right now, AJ McCarron is the Buffalo QB, so the project will hit the field sooner than later.
Allen and Carson Wentz had the same college coach; Craig Bohl, who won multiple I-AA national titles at North Dakota State. That had to help Allen here.
9:01: Chicago Bears take Roquan Smith, a LB from Georgia; Bears? defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got a hole-in-one playing golf Thursday, so that plus drafting Smith makes it a big day for Fangio.
49ers, Raiders are next on the clock and don?t need a QB; Josh Rosen can?t be having fun right now.
9:04: 49ers take Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey; Fighting Irish had two offensive linemen taken in top nine picks- their OL coach has bolted and now works for the Bears, who didn?t take an offensive lineman.
9:09: Arizona trades with Oakland to move up to #10; Carson Palmer retired and Sam Bradford is always hurt, so this has to be a quarterback, doesn?t it?
Josh Rosen is an Arizona Cardinal, taken 10th; he is the 4th QB taken in the draft. Last time five QB?s were taken in the first round was 1999. It is good to play QB in a dome; eight home games indoors, plus at least two road games in California every year.
Of course, the term ?chip on his shoulder? got tossed around, since Rosen slipped out of the top five.
9:18: Dolphins take S Minkah Fitzpatrick, as Nick Saban contributes a player to the team he used to coach.
This is the 10th year in a row Alabama had a player taken in the first round of the draft.
9:24: Tampa Bay takes Vita Vea, a defensive tackle from Washington. Bucs traded for Jason Pierre-Paul and drafted this guy, so they?re intent on improving their defense.
Couple of guys on TV said Via has to work to control his weight so he?ll be more durable and have better stamina.
9:31: Washington Redskins aren?t popular in Dallas, but they took Da?Ron Payne, a DT from Alabama. Having two of the top 13 players selected has to help your recruiting, right?
Imagine how different college football would?ve been for the last decade if Nick Saban had won while coaching the Dolphins and stayed there?
9:40: Saints traded next year?s #1 pick to move up from #27 to #14; they took DE Marcus Davenport from UTSA, after guys from NFL Network went on for five minutes about how great Lamar Jackson would be playing for the Saints. Whoops.
They must really love Davenport, to trade a #1 pick to the Packers to move up. Saints DL coach Ryan Nielsen and UTSA coach Frank Wilson worked together at Ole Miss, so he must know.
Green Bay now has two #1 picks next season.
9:45: Oakland takes T Colton Miller, then Bills traded up to #16 to take Tremaine Edmunds a LB from Virginia Tech.
9:56: Chargers get a steal with S Derwin James from Florida State; he was hurt a couple years ago when Showtime did their reality show on FSU football. Good kid; he?ll help them.
Friday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds: Jets at Predators
Winnipeg Jets at Nashville Predators (-150, 5.5)
Series tied 0-0.
They combined for 231 points during fantastic regular seasons in which they finished with the two best records in the NHL, and Friday begins what promises to be an entertaining Western Conference semifinal when the Nashville Predators host the Winnipeg Jets in the series opener. The Predators finished with 117 points to win the Presidents? Trophy, one season after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, while the Jets set a franchise record with 114 points.
Nashville finished 3-1-1 against the Jets in the regular season, but each team owns one victory on road ice and the two squads combined for 41 goals in those five games - a testament to the offensive firepower on both rosters considering both teams have Vezina Trophy finalists in Pekka Rinne of the Predators and Winnipeg?s Connor Hellebuyck. ?Both teams have great goal scorers, great offensive guys,? Nashville forward Kevin Fiala told reporters. ?It doesn?t matter if you?re first line or fourth, everybody can score. It?s going to be a really good series, I think.? The Predators finished the regular season with eight players recording 40 or more points, including a pair of defensemen (Roman Josi and P.K. Subban), while the Jets had four players finish with 60-plus points - including the NHL co-leader in assists (Blake Wheeler) and the second-highest goal scorer in the league (Patrik Laine). ?Neither team is passive in how they play,? Jets coach Paul Maurice told the media. ?Neither team sits back and tries to slow the game down in terms of what they do with the puck. There?s lots of action in these games.?
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVA, Sportsnet 360
BETTING STATS:
LINE HISTORY: The Predators opened as -150 moneyline favorites and as of Thursday evening that number has not moved - this is despite 67 percent of the consensus wagers coming in on the home team. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move.
GOALIE MATCHUP:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Connor Hellebuyck 44 11 9 2.36 .924 6
Pekka Rinne 42 13 4 2.31 .927 8
ABOUT THE JETS (56-21-8-2, 42-43 O/U): As has been the case all season Winnipeg smothered Minnesota in the opening round with waves of offense, getting three points or more from seven players in the five games - led by four goals and an assist from center Mark Scheifele and a pair of goals from Laine along with defenseman Tyler Myers. Hellebuyck did not face tremendous pressure for large stretches of the series, but even though he was pulled from Game 3 he still finished with a .924 save percentage and a 1.93 goals against average. Defenseman Josh Morrissey is back after serving a one-game suspension in the clinching Game 5, and Winnipeg hopes defenseman Toby Enstrom (lower-body) will be available after he missed the opening round.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (57-20-4-7, 44-43 O/U): One aspect Nashville hopes to improve on from its first-round victory over Colorado is its second line, as Fiala, center Kyle Turris and forward Craig Smith combined for just five points. Forward Austin Watson and center Colton Sissons were fantastic in the first round, combining for seven goals and 14 points, while Rinne shook off a rough performance in Game 3 to stop 140-of-154 shots on goal. Forward Ryan Hartman, a trade-deadline acquisition who scored the game-winning goal against the Jets in his Nashville debut Feb. 27, was a healthy scratch in the Game 6 clincher against Colorado after missing Game 5 with a suspension.
MATCHUP CHART:
INJURY REPORT:
Jets - G Connor Hellebuyck (Probable, Shoulder), RW Patrik Laine (Probable, Undisclosed), D Toby Enstrom (Probable, Lower Body), LW Nikolaj Ehlers (Probable, Upper Body), C Mathieu Perreault (Questionable, Shoulder), RW Joel Armia (Questionable, Upper Body), G Steve Mason (Questionable, Lower Body), D Dmitry Kulikov (Out Indefinitely, Back).
Predators - D Yannick Weber (Questionable, Upper Body).
TRENDS:
* Jets are 4-1 in their last 5 road games.
* Predators are 10-2 in their last 12 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 6-1 in Jets last 7 overall.
* Over is 5-1 in Predators last 6 home games.
* Jets are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Nashville.
Winnipeg Jets at Nashville Predators (-150, 5.5)
Series tied 0-0.
They combined for 231 points during fantastic regular seasons in which they finished with the two best records in the NHL, and Friday begins what promises to be an entertaining Western Conference semifinal when the Nashville Predators host the Winnipeg Jets in the series opener. The Predators finished with 117 points to win the Presidents? Trophy, one season after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, while the Jets set a franchise record with 114 points.
Nashville finished 3-1-1 against the Jets in the regular season, but each team owns one victory on road ice and the two squads combined for 41 goals in those five games - a testament to the offensive firepower on both rosters considering both teams have Vezina Trophy finalists in Pekka Rinne of the Predators and Winnipeg?s Connor Hellebuyck. ?Both teams have great goal scorers, great offensive guys,? Nashville forward Kevin Fiala told reporters. ?It doesn?t matter if you?re first line or fourth, everybody can score. It?s going to be a really good series, I think.? The Predators finished the regular season with eight players recording 40 or more points, including a pair of defensemen (Roman Josi and P.K. Subban), while the Jets had four players finish with 60-plus points - including the NHL co-leader in assists (Blake Wheeler) and the second-highest goal scorer in the league (Patrik Laine). ?Neither team is passive in how they play,? Jets coach Paul Maurice told the media. ?Neither team sits back and tries to slow the game down in terms of what they do with the puck. There?s lots of action in these games.?
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVA, Sportsnet 360
BETTING STATS:
LINE HISTORY: The Predators opened as -150 moneyline favorites and as of Thursday evening that number has not moved - this is despite 67 percent of the consensus wagers coming in on the home team. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move.
GOALIE MATCHUP:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Connor Hellebuyck 44 11 9 2.36 .924 6
Pekka Rinne 42 13 4 2.31 .927 8
ABOUT THE JETS (56-21-8-2, 42-43 O/U): As has been the case all season Winnipeg smothered Minnesota in the opening round with waves of offense, getting three points or more from seven players in the five games - led by four goals and an assist from center Mark Scheifele and a pair of goals from Laine along with defenseman Tyler Myers. Hellebuyck did not face tremendous pressure for large stretches of the series, but even though he was pulled from Game 3 he still finished with a .924 save percentage and a 1.93 goals against average. Defenseman Josh Morrissey is back after serving a one-game suspension in the clinching Game 5, and Winnipeg hopes defenseman Toby Enstrom (lower-body) will be available after he missed the opening round.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (57-20-4-7, 44-43 O/U): One aspect Nashville hopes to improve on from its first-round victory over Colorado is its second line, as Fiala, center Kyle Turris and forward Craig Smith combined for just five points. Forward Austin Watson and center Colton Sissons were fantastic in the first round, combining for seven goals and 14 points, while Rinne shook off a rough performance in Game 3 to stop 140-of-154 shots on goal. Forward Ryan Hartman, a trade-deadline acquisition who scored the game-winning goal against the Jets in his Nashville debut Feb. 27, was a healthy scratch in the Game 6 clincher against Colorado after missing Game 5 with a suspension.
MATCHUP CHART:
INJURY REPORT:
Jets - G Connor Hellebuyck (Probable, Shoulder), RW Patrik Laine (Probable, Undisclosed), D Toby Enstrom (Probable, Lower Body), LW Nikolaj Ehlers (Probable, Upper Body), C Mathieu Perreault (Questionable, Shoulder), RW Joel Armia (Questionable, Upper Body), G Steve Mason (Questionable, Lower Body), D Dmitry Kulikov (Out Indefinitely, Back).
Predators - D Yannick Weber (Questionable, Upper Body).
TRENDS:
* Jets are 4-1 in their last 5 road games.
* Predators are 10-2 in their last 12 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 6-1 in Jets last 7 overall.
* Over is 5-1 in Predators last 6 home games.
* Jets are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Nashville.
NHL
Dunkel
Friday, April 27
Winnipeg @ Nashville
Game 83-84
April 27, 2018 @ 8:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
12.721
Nashville
14.232
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-155); Under
NHL
Long Sheet
Friday, April 27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WINNIPEG (56-21-0-10, 122 pts.) at NASHVILLE (57-20-0-11, 125 pts.) - 4/27/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 57-32 ATS (+12.8 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 46-25 ATS (+16.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 23-11 ATS (+23.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NASHVILLE is 35-16 ATS (+10.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 48-25 ATS (+18.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 56-32 ATS (+12.4 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 12-1 ATS (+10.8 Units) in April games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 33-15 ATS (+9.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 38-22 ATS (+15.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 29-18 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WINNIPEG is 19-8 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 8-6 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 8-6-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL
Friday, April 27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
Winnipeg is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
Winnipeg is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Winnipeg's last 12 games on the road
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Nashville
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville Predators
Nashville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Nashville is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Nashville is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 6 games at home
Nashville is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Dunkel
Friday, April 27
Winnipeg @ Nashville
Game 83-84
April 27, 2018 @ 8:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
12.721
Nashville
14.232
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-155
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-155); Under
NHL
Long Sheet
Friday, April 27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WINNIPEG (56-21-0-10, 122 pts.) at NASHVILLE (57-20-0-11, 125 pts.) - 4/27/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 57-32 ATS (+12.8 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 46-25 ATS (+16.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 23-11 ATS (+23.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NASHVILLE is 35-16 ATS (+10.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 48-25 ATS (+18.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 56-32 ATS (+12.4 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 12-1 ATS (+10.8 Units) in April games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 33-15 ATS (+9.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 38-22 ATS (+15.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 29-18 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WINNIPEG is 19-8 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 8-6 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 8-6-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL
Friday, April 27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
Winnipeg is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
Winnipeg is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Winnipeg's last 12 games on the road
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Nashville
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville Predators
Nashville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Nashville is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Nashville is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 6 games at home
Nashville is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Knights the hottest show on Vegas Strip
April 27, 2018
LAS VEGAS (AP) The bookies in this gambling city have to be getting a bit nervous.
Hockey fans, though, are nothing short of ecstatic.
They screamed, danced and cheered as the goals came one right after another in a first period blitz Thursday night as the Vegas Golden Knights remained undefeated in the playoffs by dominating the San Jose Sharks 7-0 in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.
The hottest show on the Las Vegas Strip got even hotter as the Knights - who were 200-1 at many sports books to win the Stanley Cup before the season began - opened their second playoff series with a rout of the Sharks that was over before the Zambonis hit the ice.
This had nothing to do with the so-called Vegas Flu that has overcome some visiting teams who might have not resisted some of the pleasures on the Las Vegas Strip. This was a simple beat down, by a group of players who had never been together on the ice before the season began.
''It's not going to be like this every night,'' Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ''We're going to enjoy this and move on.''
Once again, the Knights played like no expansion team ever before. Once again, they showed that perhaps the fantasy of bringing the Stanley Cup to the Las Vegas Strip may not be such a fantasy after all.
And once again, 18,444 fans sang ''Viva Las Vegas'' and went home happy - but not before watching Fleury join them in doing the wave in the closing minutes.
''It's a great home crowd,'' Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''We like them a lot.''
There's a lot to like about a team that a year ago was nothing more than an expansion project with an uncertain future. Now the Knights are tearing through the playoffs like a hot dice thrower at the craps table.
That might be a problem at the sports books, which are on the hook for possibly millions if the Knights should win it all. But it's playing out nicely around the rest of Las Vegas, which is awash in Knights merchandise as the city that has never had a major sports team eagerly embraces one that is its very own.
If getting to the playoffs was seen as almost impossible before the season began, the Knights are 5-1 in sports books on the Strip to win it all, just behind Nashville and Tampa Bay as favorites.
With good reason. The Knights are the only remaining unbeaten team in the playoffs, and have the hottest goalie around. Fleury, picked up from Pittsburgh in the expansion draft, got his third shutout of the playoffs and has allowed only three goals in five games.
He didn't allow any against the Sharks, stopping 33 shots to record the shutout.
''I don't go looking at my stats,'' Fleury said. ''A win is a win and I'll try my best to get my team a win. That's what it's all about.''
The team that proudly declares itself Vegas Born thrilled a raucous crowd at the T-Mobile arena, scoring three goals within a span of 1:31 in the first period to pretty much put the game away early.
Against a team that - like the Knights - swept their opening series, they turned the game into a rout early. Seven players scored goals, though with Fleury in net there was no way seven would be needed.
''You don't get extra points for winning by a touchdown like they did,'' San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. ''We just have to be better.''
Earlier, Knights general manager George McPhee talked about how good the team he put together might be. But even he had to be surprised at the ease the Knights, coming off a nine-day layoff after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings, won their second-round opener.
''We think we're a pretty good club but we'll keep trying to do what we do and see where it takes us,'' McPhee said. ''We haven't really looked at the season in its totality before it started, or the playoffs in its totality.''
The formula for the Knights has been as simple as it has been effective. With some top talent there for the taking in the expansion draft the Knights combined a fast, swarming attack with stellar work of Fleury to win their division.
Nothing changed in the opening game against the Sharks except the goals came early and often.
''We play fast, we play quick, we play direct hockey,'' Gallant said. ''So far it's worked for us.''
The Knights have done all of that, and more to move into the serious conversation about what teams can win the Stanley Cup.
If any more proof was needed, even the bookies are believers now.
April 27, 2018
LAS VEGAS (AP) The bookies in this gambling city have to be getting a bit nervous.
Hockey fans, though, are nothing short of ecstatic.
They screamed, danced and cheered as the goals came one right after another in a first period blitz Thursday night as the Vegas Golden Knights remained undefeated in the playoffs by dominating the San Jose Sharks 7-0 in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals.
The hottest show on the Las Vegas Strip got even hotter as the Knights - who were 200-1 at many sports books to win the Stanley Cup before the season began - opened their second playoff series with a rout of the Sharks that was over before the Zambonis hit the ice.
This had nothing to do with the so-called Vegas Flu that has overcome some visiting teams who might have not resisted some of the pleasures on the Las Vegas Strip. This was a simple beat down, by a group of players who had never been together on the ice before the season began.
''It's not going to be like this every night,'' Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. ''We're going to enjoy this and move on.''
Once again, the Knights played like no expansion team ever before. Once again, they showed that perhaps the fantasy of bringing the Stanley Cup to the Las Vegas Strip may not be such a fantasy after all.
And once again, 18,444 fans sang ''Viva Las Vegas'' and went home happy - but not before watching Fleury join them in doing the wave in the closing minutes.
''It's a great home crowd,'' Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''We like them a lot.''
There's a lot to like about a team that a year ago was nothing more than an expansion project with an uncertain future. Now the Knights are tearing through the playoffs like a hot dice thrower at the craps table.
That might be a problem at the sports books, which are on the hook for possibly millions if the Knights should win it all. But it's playing out nicely around the rest of Las Vegas, which is awash in Knights merchandise as the city that has never had a major sports team eagerly embraces one that is its very own.
If getting to the playoffs was seen as almost impossible before the season began, the Knights are 5-1 in sports books on the Strip to win it all, just behind Nashville and Tampa Bay as favorites.
With good reason. The Knights are the only remaining unbeaten team in the playoffs, and have the hottest goalie around. Fleury, picked up from Pittsburgh in the expansion draft, got his third shutout of the playoffs and has allowed only three goals in five games.
He didn't allow any against the Sharks, stopping 33 shots to record the shutout.
''I don't go looking at my stats,'' Fleury said. ''A win is a win and I'll try my best to get my team a win. That's what it's all about.''
The team that proudly declares itself Vegas Born thrilled a raucous crowd at the T-Mobile arena, scoring three goals within a span of 1:31 in the first period to pretty much put the game away early.
Against a team that - like the Knights - swept their opening series, they turned the game into a rout early. Seven players scored goals, though with Fleury in net there was no way seven would be needed.
''You don't get extra points for winning by a touchdown like they did,'' San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. ''We just have to be better.''
Earlier, Knights general manager George McPhee talked about how good the team he put together might be. But even he had to be surprised at the ease the Knights, coming off a nine-day layoff after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings, won their second-round opener.
''We think we're a pretty good club but we'll keep trying to do what we do and see where it takes us,'' McPhee said. ''We haven't really looked at the season in its totality before it started, or the playoffs in its totality.''
The formula for the Knights has been as simple as it has been effective. With some top talent there for the taking in the expansion draft the Knights combined a fast, swarming attack with stellar work of Fleury to win their division.
Nothing changed in the opening game against the Sharks except the goals came early and often.
''We play fast, we play quick, we play direct hockey,'' Gallant said. ''So far it's worked for us.''
The Knights have done all of that, and more to move into the serious conversation about what teams can win the Stanley Cup.
If any more proof was needed, even the bookies are believers now.
Hellebuyck smothers Preds as Jets grab 1-0 lead with 4-1 win
April 27, 2018
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Connor Hellebuyck loves what he's seeing in his first NHL postseason, and the 24-year-old goalie is doing his best to make sure the Winnipeg Jets do much more than just stick around.
Hellebuyck made 47 saves and the Jets beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal between the NHL's top teams in the regular season.
''I love the intensity, I love the game in front of me,'' Hellebuyck said about the playoffs. ''It's awesome and a little different. Intense is the right way to put it.''
Not only did the teams top the standings, this series is the first between clubs with the most combined points ever before a conference finals after Nashville (117) edged Winnipeg (114) for the Presidents' Trophy.
Both the Jets and Predators brought a Vezina finalist into this series. Hellebuyck outdueled veteran Pekka Rinne, who was pulled after the second period after giving up three goals on 16 shots. Hellebuyck, who finished off Minnesota with back-to-back shutouts, picked up where he left off a week ago.
Hellebuyck stretched his shutout streak to 163 minutes before Nashville finally scored. Coach Paul Maurice said the Jets weren't at their best and can play better.
''But we pay our goaltender, too,'' Maurice said.
Mark Scheifele scored two goals, including an empty-netter as the Jets were outshot 48-19. Brandon Tanev and Paul Stastny also scored to help the Jets - the NHL's best home team in the regular season - steal home-ice advantage.
Kevin Fiala scored for the Predators, which had won 11 of their last 14 playoff games in Nashville. Several Predators said they thought this was perhaps their best game of the season, talk coach Peter Laviolette didn't share.
''You give me two choices on where to be, our game or their win, I'd take the win,'' Laviolette said. ''It's about winning hockey games right now.''
The Predators had the sparkling pregame show with the retractable screen dropping from the ceiling and country star Dierks Bentley singing the U.S. anthem, and a couple catfish hit the ice before the puck drop to boot. Then they pelted Hellebuyck with 15 of the first 19 shots.
Then the Jets scored the game's first goal for a sixth straight playoff game. Tanev's wrister beat Rinne's outstretched right skate at 14:51 of the first.
Nashville finished the period with 20 shots, a franchise postseason record for a period, with Hellebuyck continuing his shutout streak started with consecutive shutouts to finish off Minnesota in the first round.
''He was awesome,'' Jets forward Blake Wheeler said about Hellebuyck. ''They were throwing everything at the net. What we were trying to do in front of him was just get bodies, get sticks, let him see things. You could tell early on if he was seeing the puck he was going to make the stops.''
The Predators kept shooting away with Hellebuyck making every save, and the Jets proved very opportunistic. Stastny scored off a rebound of Patrik Laine's shot at 9:01 of the second on Winnipeg's ninth shot for a 2-0 lead.
Filip Forsberg, Nashville's postseason scoring leader, hit the post on the power play with 3:31 left. The Jets killed off the penalty, and Scheifele beat Rinne with a long shot with 2:09 left in the second for a 3-0 lead that silenced the sold-out crowd.
Fiala at least helped Nashville avoid being shut out with his wrister 1:23 into the third . Not even pulling backup goalie Juuse Saros with more than 2 minutes left helped.
''For us right now, there's a few things we have to clean up, a couple of mistakes cost us, but bounces are going to happen in a hockey game, that's just the way it is,'' Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''We'll be ready to go on Sunday. Let's do that for the rest of the series, we're going to be a happy bunch at the end of it.
NOTES: Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis went to the locker room after being clipped on the cheek by the skate of Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot early in the third. ... Austin Watson, who had seven points in the first round for Nashville, did not return after playing 4:09 of the first period. Laviolette said an update on Watson is expected Saturday.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Sunday night in Nashville.
April 27, 2018
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Connor Hellebuyck loves what he's seeing in his first NHL postseason, and the 24-year-old goalie is doing his best to make sure the Winnipeg Jets do much more than just stick around.
Hellebuyck made 47 saves and the Jets beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal between the NHL's top teams in the regular season.
''I love the intensity, I love the game in front of me,'' Hellebuyck said about the playoffs. ''It's awesome and a little different. Intense is the right way to put it.''
Not only did the teams top the standings, this series is the first between clubs with the most combined points ever before a conference finals after Nashville (117) edged Winnipeg (114) for the Presidents' Trophy.
Both the Jets and Predators brought a Vezina finalist into this series. Hellebuyck outdueled veteran Pekka Rinne, who was pulled after the second period after giving up three goals on 16 shots. Hellebuyck, who finished off Minnesota with back-to-back shutouts, picked up where he left off a week ago.
Hellebuyck stretched his shutout streak to 163 minutes before Nashville finally scored. Coach Paul Maurice said the Jets weren't at their best and can play better.
''But we pay our goaltender, too,'' Maurice said.
Mark Scheifele scored two goals, including an empty-netter as the Jets were outshot 48-19. Brandon Tanev and Paul Stastny also scored to help the Jets - the NHL's best home team in the regular season - steal home-ice advantage.
Kevin Fiala scored for the Predators, which had won 11 of their last 14 playoff games in Nashville. Several Predators said they thought this was perhaps their best game of the season, talk coach Peter Laviolette didn't share.
''You give me two choices on where to be, our game or their win, I'd take the win,'' Laviolette said. ''It's about winning hockey games right now.''
The Predators had the sparkling pregame show with the retractable screen dropping from the ceiling and country star Dierks Bentley singing the U.S. anthem, and a couple catfish hit the ice before the puck drop to boot. Then they pelted Hellebuyck with 15 of the first 19 shots.
Then the Jets scored the game's first goal for a sixth straight playoff game. Tanev's wrister beat Rinne's outstretched right skate at 14:51 of the first.
Nashville finished the period with 20 shots, a franchise postseason record for a period, with Hellebuyck continuing his shutout streak started with consecutive shutouts to finish off Minnesota in the first round.
''He was awesome,'' Jets forward Blake Wheeler said about Hellebuyck. ''They were throwing everything at the net. What we were trying to do in front of him was just get bodies, get sticks, let him see things. You could tell early on if he was seeing the puck he was going to make the stops.''
The Predators kept shooting away with Hellebuyck making every save, and the Jets proved very opportunistic. Stastny scored off a rebound of Patrik Laine's shot at 9:01 of the second on Winnipeg's ninth shot for a 2-0 lead.
Filip Forsberg, Nashville's postseason scoring leader, hit the post on the power play with 3:31 left. The Jets killed off the penalty, and Scheifele beat Rinne with a long shot with 2:09 left in the second for a 3-0 lead that silenced the sold-out crowd.
Fiala at least helped Nashville avoid being shut out with his wrister 1:23 into the third . Not even pulling backup goalie Juuse Saros with more than 2 minutes left helped.
''For us right now, there's a few things we have to clean up, a couple of mistakes cost us, but bounces are going to happen in a hockey game, that's just the way it is,'' Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''We'll be ready to go on Sunday. Let's do that for the rest of the series, we're going to be a happy bunch at the end of it.
NOTES: Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis went to the locker room after being clipped on the cheek by the skate of Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot early in the third. ... Austin Watson, who had seven points in the first round for Nashville, did not return after playing 4:09 of the first period. Laviolette said an update on Watson is expected Saturday.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Sunday night in Nashville.
SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY APRIL 28, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
*********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/27/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -2.00
04/26/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........44-46-5.......48.88%.....-78.50
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
8:00 PM San Jose Sharks Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
*********************
NHL PLAYOFF RECORD:
DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD
04/27/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -2.00
04/26/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/25/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
04/23/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.75
04/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% +0
04/21/2018 2-4-0 33.33% -15.25
04/20/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -26.00
04/19/2018 0-4-0 0.00% -22.00
04/18/2018 4-4-0 50.00% -1.00
04/17/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.75
04/16/2018 5-3-0 62.50% +4.25
04/15/2018 5-1-2 83.33% +21.25
04/14/2018 1-6-1 14.29% -27.75
04/13/2018 2-3-1 40.00% -11.50
04/12/2018 4-5-1 44.44% -4.00
04/11/2018 4-2-0 66.67% +9.50
TOTALS..........44-46-5.......48.88%.....-78.50
