Cnotes53 2017 NHL Best Bets-News-Trends-Thru The Stanley Cup ! !

[Cnotes53]

Knights down Jets to even series at 1-1
May 14, 2018

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and said the expansion Vegas Golden Knights sent a message, bouncing back with a 3-1 series-evening win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference final.

''Every time we need a big game as a group, we show up,'' Marchessault said. ''We showed the hockey world we earned the right to be here.''

Tomas Tatar scored 6:37 into the game for the Golden Knights and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 30 saves.

Kyle Connor scored midway through the third period to pull Winnipeg within a goal. Marchessault restored the two-goal lead 1:28 later.

Connor Hellebuyck had 25 saves for the Jets.

After losing the series opener, Marchessault told reporters the team faced a must-win game.

''If you're going to talk out there in the media that you have to be better, I think you need to lead by example,'' he said. ''I tried to do that.''

Game 3 is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

''I don't think anybody is panicking,'' Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba said. ''We like our road game. We like where it was in the Nashville series.''

Winnipeg won three times on the top-seeded Predators' home ice, including Game 7 last week.

The expansion Golden Knights appeared to be rusty in the series opener and the Jets scored three goals early in a 4-2 win about 48 hours after advancing out of the second round.

It looked like they were going to pick up where they left off.

''They came out flying again with a lot of speed,'' Fleury said.

Fleury, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cups, made key stops early and got help from teammate and a post in the opening minutes to keep the puck out of his net.

''Fleury had to make three or four really good saves in the first seven minutes,'' Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ''We rebounded after that. We got that 2-0 lead and it was a different game for us. When teams are chasing the lead, it's tough for teams to battle back.''

Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele, who has postseason-high 12 goals , got the puck past Fleury in the opening moments of the game and Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt cleared it from the crease .

Vegas generated offense by making plays without the puck, forcing turnovers to set up goals.

''We were on them,'' Golden Knights forward Erik Haula said. ''That's our game. We're a fast team. I think we showed that.''

Indeed.

After the Jets failed to control the puck out of a corner in their end, Tatar ended up stuffing the puck in the net after hitting the side of the net with a shot.

Connor was pressured into turning over the puck near center ice late in the opening period and Reilly Smith set up Marchessault, his former Florida Panthers teammate, at the blue line and he scored on a breakaway backhander.

''There was about 57 minutes of that game that was pretty good for us,'' Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. ''Three minutes of it got away from us.

The Jets closed the scoreless second period and started the third on the power play and still couldn't get the puck past Fleury.

Yet.

Winnipeg kept up the pressure on by relentlessly forechecking and drew another penalty early in the third. Connor took advantage, squeezing a shot between Fleury and the post from the bottom of the left circle 7:17 into the third.

That whipped the white-clad fans into a frenzy - triggering jeers of ''Fleu-ry! Fleu-ry!'' - and were quickly quieted by another Marchessault backhander that beat Hellebuyck.

The Jets pulled their goaltender to add another skater over the last couple minutes of the game, but Fleury didn't let the puck get past him again.

NOTES: Vegas put Tatar and Tomas Nosek in place of David Perron and Oscar Lindberg. Gallant said Perron was not a healthy scratch. ''He wasn't feeling well,'' Gallant said. ''I think he'll be fine.'' ... The Jets have not lost consecutive games this postseason. ... Vegas acquired Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for a first-round pick and he played in just his fifth game of this postseason and scored his first goal. ''What a luxury to be able to put Tomas Tatar into a game in the playoffs,'' Schmidt said. ''The guy has been an incredible player in this league and proved it for many years.''

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 15, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 17, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 18, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 19, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:15 PM Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Vegas Golden Knights Winnipeg Jets

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 21, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena


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


May NHL Record:

05/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -12.75
05/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -4.00
05/03/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -0.25
05/02/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -10.50
05/01/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -12.75

Totals...............5-11-0........31.25%.....-40.25



May Best Bets:

DATE................................ATS........... UNITS..................O/U..........UNITS..............TOTAL

05/14/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00..................0 - 1..........-5.50.............-5.50
05/13/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00.................1 - 0...........+5.00............+5.00
05/03/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.75................0 - 2...........-11.00.............-5.25
05/02/2018.....................1 - 1............+0.50.................0 - 2..........-11.00.............-10.50
05/01/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.00.................1 - 1...........-0.50..............-5.50

Totals.............................2- 2.............+1.40..................2 - 6...........-23.00............-21.75

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Lightning (54-23) at Capitals (49-26)
Date: May 15, 2018 8:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- For a group making their first trip to the Eastern Conference Final, the Washington Capitals look right at home.

Even when they are on the road.

The Capitals come home to Capital One Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday night sporting a 2-0 lead over a Tampa Bay Lightning team that won the most games in the NHL during the regular season.

"I can't wait to go home and play the game," Alex Ovechkin told the Washington Post after Game 2. "The fans are going to be all over the place and we've waited for this moment for a long time. It's going to be pretty cool and pretty special."

The Capitals improved to 7-1 on the road in these playoffs with Sunday's 6-2 win and the Lightning now must win one of two in Washington to send the series back to Tampa Bay.

Road teams that have taken a 2-0 series lead in the NHL conference finals have an 18-1 series record. The Capitals are 3-3 at home this postseason.

"We're here for a reason. We believe in ourselves and in this group," Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman told the team's website. "We've got to go out there and win games on the road, and we've done that in the playoffs and we've got to do it again."

Washington has outscored the Lightning 10-4 despite playing without center Nicklas Backstrom (right hand injury). Lars Eller moved up to the second line and scored a goal for the second straight game. He has four points in two games.

"I like the playoffs," Eller, who has 11 points (five goals, six assists) this postseason, told NHL.com. "I embrace when there's more on the line and the stakes are higher. I always like that, and I think that it brings out in the best in me, and now with Nick out I've just been playing more minutes."

Washington's defensive play has limited the Lightning to one even-strength goal in the first two games, and the Capitals have succeeded in generating odd-man rushes when they have the puck.

Eller and Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and two assists in Game 2, and Ovechkin and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist. Braden Holtby made 33 saves for Washington and has stopped 52 of 56 shots in two games, winning the goaltending battle with Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Capitals scored twice late in the second period to take a 4-2 lead, including a power-play goal by Kuznetsov with three seconds left, and cruised home.

Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos scored Game 2 goals -- Vasilevskiy made 31 saves -- for Tampa Bay, which lost two games in a row for the first time this postseason.

"If there is one thing I can sit here and say about these two games, it's we just played tentative and a little bit slow," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told NHL.com. "We didn't get 113 points by playing that way. We didn't win the first two rounds by playing that way. These first two games, that's the way we've played."

One bright note for the Lightning, the last time they lost two straight home playoff games, in the 2015 conference final against the New York Rangers (Games 4 and 6), they won the series in seven games.

"Sometimes, adversity is gut-check time and let's see who we really are," Stamkos told NHL.com. "We haven't had to really deal with that so far in the playoffs. Now we are, so we'll see what type of team we are."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Capitals at Lightning
Fri, May 11 Final 4 to 2

GAME 2
Capitals at Lightning
Sun, May 13 Final 6 to 2

GAME 3
Lightning at Capitals
Tue, May 15 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Lightning at Capitals
Thu, May 17 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Capitals at Lightning
Sat, May 19 - 7:15PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

Lightning desperate to fix problems
May 14, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) Jon Cooper walked into the locker room and didn't get the sense Lightning players were down in the dumps about losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference final.

''It was more kind of like an anger of like we want to get back - like let's get Game 3 going here,'' Tampa Bay's coach said.

Game 3 on Tuesday night in Washington can't come soon enough for the Lightning, who are in a historically difficult spot after losing twice at home to open the series.

Of the 41 previous times a team lost the first two games in the conference finals, 39 went on to lose the series - including every team that lost its first two at home.

''For us, it's all about resetting everything,'' defenseman Victor Hedman said Monday. ''There's no panic. We're obviously not happy with losing two games on home ice, but that is not something that goes into our locker room.

''We've got the experience. We've got the guys that are in the playoffs for the first time, guys have been through this, and we're capable of handling that.''

The Lightning under Cooper haven't lost the first two games of a series since 2014, when they were swept in the first round by Montreal. That was a learning experience players could point to when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, but right now it's just an ugly deficit.

It is the same deficit the Lightning erased against the Capitals in 2003.

''If you just look where you stand in the series, I feel like it's a big mountain to climb,'' said former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis, who was on that team. ''They got to focus on just winning the next game. And I truly believe if they do that, it's going to be a long series.''

After not allowing Boston to score an even-strength goal in the final three games during the second round, Tampa Bay has been outscored 7-1 by Washington at even strength and 10-4 overall.

Asked what the Lightning needed to do better, three-time Cup-winning defenseman Ken Daneyko responded, ''Where do we begin?''

''They were so responsible defensively, making good puck decisions and through the first two rounds they didn't give up a whole lot,'' said Daneyko, now an NHL Network analyst.

''Just mental breakdowns, mental mistakes by Tampa Bay. You never know why it turns so drastically like that when they were so sound against the Bruins. That can't happen.''

Mistakes are happening in abundance, most notably passing up shots that lead to opportunities the other way. And ill-timed penalties late in periods have led directly to Capitals power-play goals, which definitely can't continue happening if the Lightning want to make this a series.

''We need to do a better job of not getting in that situation, not letting two games in a row, 7, 8 seconds left on the power play and they get one,'' defenseman Dan Girardi said. ''That's something we can definitely control ourselves.''

As clinically as Tampa Bay eliminated New Jersey and Boston in five games apiece, Washington is rolling behind the scoring of Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov and the goaltending of Braden Holtby, who has stopped 52 of 56 shots through two games.

The Capitals are feeling confident right now, but after falling behind 0-2 on home ice in the first round and roaring back to beat Columbus, they understand how fast things can swing.

''We're off to a heck of a start, but we've got to take care of business at home,'' defenseman Matt Niskanen said. ''If they win one or two here, boy, the momentum switches big time.''

For the Lightning to win one or two games, they'll need to get better production out of captain Steven Stamkos and winger Nikita Kucherov and better play out of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who hasn't been at his best.

''He's going to have to be great,'' said Keith Jones, a former NHL forward and current NBC Sports analyst. ''He's being challenged to look through traffic and stay up. ... Vasilevskiy's going to have to play unbelievably well unless the Capitals take a step back.''

If the Lightning can't figure out how to fix many of their problems from the net out, it'll be a short series. Cooper sounded confident of a turnaround.

''There's a really good group of guys there,'' Cooper said. ''They've got a ton of experience and when their backs have been against the wall, they've shown a propensity to fight back. This is a tough one. We lost two at home and it's definitely not an ideal situation. But we're not done. It's not over.''

NOTES: Capitals coach Barry Trotz said C Nicklas Backstrom, who has missed three consecutive games with a right hand injury, remains day-to-day. ... Washington D Michal Kempny was fined $2,419 - the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement - for cross-checking Lightning F Cedric Paquette during Game 2.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL Eastern Conference final Game 3 betting preview and odds: Lightning at Capitals

Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals (-120, 6)

Capitals lead series 2-0.

The suddenly struggling Tampa Bay Lightning look to begin digging out of a deep hole in the Eastern Conference final series when they visit the red-hot Washington Capitals for Game 3 on Tuesday night. The Lightning dropped the first two games of the series at home by a combined score of 10-4 and a team has not rebounded from down 2-0 to win a conference final since Pittsburgh beat Boston in 1991.

?I?m confident in our group,? Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters Monday. ?They?ve got 113 points (in the regular season) for a reason. ? They?ve got a ton of experience, and when their backs have been against the wall, they?ve shown the propensity to fight back. This is a tough one. We lost two at home and it?s definitely not an ideal situation. But we?re not done. It?s not over.? Washington lost the first two games at home in the first-round series against Columbus, but won four in a row to move on and are 10-2 in the last 12 games after scoring the final five goals of Sunday?s 6-2 triumph. The Capitals have scored seven of their 10 goals at even strength and Tampa Bay, which dominated Boston while playing 5-on-5 in the semifinal series, has scored three of its four on the power play in the opening two contests. ?It?s huge, but it?s not over yet,? Washington captain Alex Ovechkin, who scored in each of the first two games, told reporters. ?We?re going to (have to) come back home and do our thing and take another one. It?s going to be hard. They have tremendous players over there and we just have to play the same way and don?t give them anything.?

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA

SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):

LINE HISTORY: The Capitals opened as -120 home favorites for Game 3 and that number has yet to move as of Monday evening. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has been steady. Check out the complete line history here.

CONSENSUS: 51 percent of moneyline wagers are coming in on the home favorite Capitals. The Over is seeing the edge in the total action with 61 percent of the bets.

GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Andrei Vasilevskiy 44 17 3 2.62 .920 8
Braden Holtby 34 16 4 2.99 .907 0

INJURY REPORT:

Lightning - LW Adam Erne (Questionable, Lower Body).

Capitals - C Nicklas Backstrom (Questionable, Hand).

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (62-27-3-2, 55-35 O/U): The team has plenty of confidence in Vezina finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has allowed 10 goals in five periods of hockey during this series with little help from his defense after posting a .927 save percentage in the first two rounds. ?We all have tremendous belief in him, and he?s a rock for our team,? Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman told reporters. ?He?s going to be back and be his best. We?re not making his job easier by executing our game plan defensively and offensively. The scoring chances are way up compared to the previous series and that?s on us, not him.? Captain Steven Stamkos has scored in four of his last five games while compiling seven points in that stretch.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (59-28-8-1, 53-40 O/U): Lars Eller is prospering after moving up to the second-line center role with Nicklas Backstrom (hand) missing the last three games, recording two goals and two assists in the first two contests of this series. ?He?s got all the qualities of a playoff-type player,? Washington coach Barry Trotz told reporters of Eller. ?He?s big. He?s strong. He?s got some experience. He?s very competitive. He?s got a good skill level. He?s playing to his ability right now. ? He?s one of the guys that?s stepped up in a major way for us.? Ovechkin, who shares the team lead with Kuznetsov at 19 points in the playoffs, is the second Washington player to reach 10 goals in a postseason run by joining John Druce (14 in 1990).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Lightning are 0-4 in their last 4 Conference Finals games.
* Capitals are 6-1 in their last 7 Conference Finals games.
* Over is 12-4-2 in Lightning last 18 road games.
* Over is 6-2 in Capitals last 8 home games.
* Home team is 20-9 in the last 29 meetings.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL

Tuesday, May 15

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

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Tampa Bay's last 25 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Washington
Tampa Bay is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 22 games when playing Washington
Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Tampa Bay is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Washington is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games at home
Washington is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Washington's last 22 games when playing Tampa Bay
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Washington is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay


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


NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 15

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

TAMPA BAY (62-27-0-5, 129 pts.) at WASHINGTON (59-28-0-9, 127 pts.) - 5/15/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 60-37 ATS (+3.4 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 36-21 ATS (+4.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 15-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 36-19 ATS (+9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-11 ATS (+9.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 63-32 ATS (+8.6 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 23-11 ATS (+11.6 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 13-3 ATS (+9.1 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TAMPA BAY is 232-236 ATS (+497.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 8-3 (+6.5 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 8-3-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)

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




NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, May 15


Tampa Bay @ Washington

Game 1-2
May 15, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
11.409
Washington
14.757
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-115
6
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-115); Under

 

[Cnotes53]

TUESDAY, MAY 15
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at WAS 08:00 PM

WAS -120

O 6.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Tampa tops Caps 4-2, cuts deficit to 2-1
May 15, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) Victor Hedman scored his first goal of the playoffs and added two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final Tuesday night and cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Hedman had the primary assist on power-play goals by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov and was a key part of three big penalty kills that gave Tampa Bay some much-needed momentum. Determined to create the kind of shift he thought could turn the East final around after back-to-back home losses, the Norris Trophy finalist as the NHL's top defenseman was one of the most dominant players on the ice and extended his point streak to eight games

Criticized for his play in the first two games against Washington, Vasilevskiy was on top of his game as the Capitals put 38 shots on net. Vasilevskiy made seven saves on the penalty kill alone to save a beleaguered unit that came in ranked 13th out of 16 playoff teams.

The Lightning would still like to cut down on the quality chances Vasilevskiy has to stop in Game 4 on Thursday and beyond, like the one Brett Connolly scored on after a turnover by Ondrej Palat. They also surrendered a 6-on-5 goal to Evgeny Kuznetsov with 3:02 left that made things interesting in the final minutes.

But the offensive depth that helped them get through the first two rounds in five games apiece returned with Hedman and Brayden Point scoring just Tampa Bay's second and third even-strength goals in the series. Hedman now has a goal and 10 assists during his point streak.

Tampa Bay got two injury scares in the third period when Stamkos hobbled off after taking a slap shot from teammate Braydon Coburn in the right knee and Tyler Johnson was cross-checked by Michal Kempny. Stamkos and Johnson each returned minutes later to a game that included nastiness after whistles throughout.

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby allowed four goals on 23 shots, though power-play one-timers by Stamkos and Kucherov were almost impossible to stop. The Lightning extended their streak of consecutive games with a power-play goal to seven and have 11 total in that time.

NOTES: C Lars Eller took three of Washington's six penalties. ... With his 10th career power-play goal, Stamkos tied Martin St. Louis for Tampa Bay's playoff record. ... Injured C Nicklas Backstrom (right hand) took part in the Capitals' morning skate but missed his fourth consecutive game. Coach Barry Trotz continues to call Backstrom day-to-day. ... Alex Ovechkin and Kuznetsov combined for 21 shots on goal. ... Trotz set a franchise record by coaching his 54th playoff game with Washington.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 17, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 18, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 19, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:15 PM Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Vegas Golden Knights Winnipeg Jets

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 21, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 22, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena


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


May NHL Record:

05/15/2018 0-1-1 0.00% -6.00
05/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -12.75
05/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -4.00
05/03/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -0.25
05/02/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -10.50
05/01/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -12.75

Totals...............5-12-1........29.41%.....-46.25


May Best Bets:

DATE................................ATS........... UNITS..................O/U..........UNITS..............TOTAL

05/15/2018.....................0 - 1.............-6.00..................0 - 0 - 1.....-0.00..............-6.00
05/14/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00..................0 - 1..........-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00.................1 - 0...........+5.00............+5.00
05/03/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.75................0 - 2...........-11.00.............-5.25
05/02/2018.....................1 - 1............+0.50.................0 - 2..........-11.00.............-10.50
05/01/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.00.................1 - 1...........-0.50..............-5.50

Totals.............................2- 3.............-4.60..................2 - 6 - 1...........-23.00............-27.75

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Odds on some longshots to win the college basketball national title next April:

200-1? St Mary?s Gaels

300-1? UConn Huskies

500-1? Colorado Buffaloes

1,000-1? Richmond Spiders

2,000-1? Montana Grizzlies

5,000-1? Cal State-Fullerton Titans


**********

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

13) I usually have a great time sitting in the sportsbook here at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas; usually find lot of interesting people to talk to. Comfortable chairs, big screens to watch the games on. Had great fun watching games Monday, but last night??..

I?m sitting there last night, and this guy sits in the chair next to me, on my right; within 90 seconds, he starts in by criticizing every team he has bet on. For the next two hours, I heard in loud and obscene terms:

? Washington Caps pass too much in the offensive zone.
? Mike Matheny doesn?t know how to make a lineup.
? Matt Carpenter shouldn?t bat 2nd.
? The Flaherty kid pitching for St Louis should be in AAA.
? Matt Chapman sucks as a third baseman.
? Matt Carpenter shouldn?t be playing.
? Daniel Mengden can?t field his position. And on and on???..

12) Now two of those guys play for the Oakland A?s, and if you know me, you know I?ve been an A?s fan since 1965, when Phil Roof was the A?s catcher and Jose Tartabull played the outfield. I love the freakin? A?s. I?m biting my tongue so hard with this guy it hurts.

He bet the Cardinals and A?s in the first five innings; both bets win, but he doesn?t say one positive word about either team. He loses his NHL wager. I am considering whether he has Tourette?s syndrome or is just a degenerative gambler without any filter at all.

11) He blurts out ?Winner, winner, chicken dinner? as the 5th inning ends in the A?s game, and goes to cash his ticket. I say to him ?Mengden won the game for you? and he protests with a profanity (?He can?t field his (bleep)ing position?) as he storms off, never to be seen again.

Should?ve said something about an hour earlier??.

10) Robinson Cano gets an 80-game suspension for failing a drug test; weird timing, since he broke his hand Sunday, and the suspension/injury will be served at same time. Cano will be eligible again in late August, but if Seattle makes the playoffs, he is ineligible to play in them.

Cano loses roughly $11.85M with the suspension; Mariners can use that money to try and replace him, or fortify their team somewhere else. Seattle is 24-17 with roughly 25% off the season gone; they?re half-game out of the 2nd Wild Card spot.

9) David Tepper, a billionaire hedge-fund manager who owned a small part of the Steelers, will buy the Carolina Panthers for $2.2B or so and keep the team in Charlotte. Mr Tepper is said to be paying cash to buy the team. 2.2 billion dollars. In cash.

I can barely afford a team in my fantasy league. Good for him.

8) Supreme Court has opened the door for states other than Nevada to start taking bets on sports; New Jersey is already rumored to be starting on Memorial Day.

7) New York-Washington baseball game was suspended in the middle of the 6th inning last night, with game 3-3; it?ll be resumed at 5:05 ET today, and then the regularly-scheduled game will be played.

Orioles-Phillies got rained out last night; that game will be made up July 12.

6) Guy named Tom Haberstroh is a better man than I am; he counted how many times each team dribbled in the Rockets-Warriors game Monday. Houston 1,105, Warriors 812.

Point being that part of Golden State?s greatness is that they get great spacing and they find open men quickly with passes, the way basketball should be played. Plus the open men they find can all shoot, otherwise it would be pointless to get them the ball.

5) Phoenix Suns won the NBA Lottery, so they get the first pick in the draft; seeing as they already hired a foreign-born coach who was once coached international prospect Luka Doncic on a national team, you?d think he?ll be the choice, yes?

But Deandre Ayton played one season for the Arizona Wildcats; most people seem to think he is the best player in the draft. We?ll see what the Suns do.

Sacramento/Atlanta pulled upsets and moved up to the 2nd and 3rd spots in the draft.

4) Arizona Diamondbacks lost star CF AJ Pollock (broken wrist) for 4-6 weeks.

3) You can wager on what color hat the Queen of England will be wearing at the royal wedding this weekend. Green is the current favorite, bet down to even money.

2) So you bet the Astros-Angels game last night; maybe you bet the game because Fielden Culbreth was the home plate ump, but Culbreth got drilled in the mask by a foul ball in the 3rd inning and was replaced by CB Bucknor, who is more of a pitcher?s umpire.

Sometimes stuff happens during a game and it either helps you or hurts you from a gambling perspective; when you?re hot, things fall your way. When you?re cold, you lose replay challenges and guys drop fly balls on you. Part of what makes gambling so challenging.

1) I made a wager on the Dodgers-Marlins game last night, forgetting that they can?t show Dodger games here in Las Vegas unless they?re on national TV. Las Vegas for some stupid reason, is considered part of the LA market, so their games get blacked out.

Think I realized all this about 30 seconds before the talkative gambler sat next to me and brightened up my world. Today will be a better day!!!!

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL Western Conference final Game 3 betting preview and odds: Jets at Golden Knights

Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights (-135, 5.5)

Series tied 1-1.

Playing on the road has not fazed the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they need to continue that strong play away from home as the Western Conference finals shift to Las Vegas for Game 3 Wednesday against the Golden Knights. Vegas snatched home ice with a gritty 3-1 victory Monday in Game 2 at Winnipeg, and now the Jets - who have lost in regulation just once in six road games during the postseason - look to respond as the Golden Knights did Monday.

But nobody in the Jets locker room is panicking after losing one home contest, and as defenseman Jacob Trouba offered to reporters after Monday?s game: ?We like our road game. We like where it was in the Nashville series, and we?re going to try and bring the same effort.? The Golden Knights, who did not face the type of firepower Winnipeg possesses in the opening two rounds, nonetheless shook off a Game 1 loss by surviving an early onslaught against goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, building a 2-0 lead and making life uncomfortable in the neutral zone for the Jets. Forward Jonathan Marchessault, who labeled Game 2 a ?must win,? backed it up with two goals to lead a spirited effort that has the expansion Golden Knights poised to take the series lead on home ice. ?Every time we need a big game out of our group, we show up,? Marchessault told the media after the game. ?I think we showed the hockey world that we earned the right to be here, and we are able to play against a great team.?

TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA

SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):

LINE HISTORY: The host Vegas Golden Knights opened as -145 moneyline favorites but action on the visiting Jets has pushed that number down to -135 as of Tuesday night. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move.

CONSENSUS: There could be some sharp action on the Jets as the line has moved in their favor despite seeing just 29 percent of wagers according to the public. The Over is seeing the slight edge in totals action with 70 percent of the bets.

GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Connor Hellebuyck 44 11 9 2.36 .924 6
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 13 4 2.24 .927 4

INJURY REPORT:

Jets - D Dmitry Kulikov (Out Indefinitely, Back).

Golden Knights - LW David Perron (Probable, Illness), LW William Carrier (Questionable, Upper Body), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).

ABOUT THE JETS (61-24-9-2, 46-47 O/U): Winnipeg did not play poorly in Game 2, but were nowhere near as sharp as they were in the series opener and were victimized several times by turnovers and sloppy puck handling. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves, but gave up Marchessault?s second goal 88 seconds after forward Kyle Connor?s power-play marker pulled the Jets within one in the third period. Connor?s linemates - forward Blake Wheeler and center Mark Scheifele - have combined for 15 goals and 36 points in the postseason but were held off the scoresheet in Game 2.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (60-26-5-3, 46-44 O/U): Marchessault leads Vegas in playoff goals (six) and points (15), and the 5-9 forward finished plus-2 Monday while sparking his line of center William Karlsson and forward Reilly Smith to a combined plus-6 finish. Fleury, who gave up three goals in the opening 7:35 of Game 1, fended off several good scoring chances in the opening minutes Monday en route to a 30-save performance. Vegas was much better in several areas in Game 2, blocking 21 shots and winning 51 percent of faceoff attempts.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Jets are 21-7 in their last 28 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 14-2 in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 6-2 in Jets' last 8 road games.
* Under is 12-5-2 in Golden Knights' last 19 games following a win.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 16


Winnipeg @ Vegas

Game 3-4
May 16, 2018 @ 9:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
12.842
Vegas
14.604
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-140); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 16

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

WINNIPEG (61-25-0-10, 132 pts.) at VEGAS (60-27-0-7, 127 pts.) - 5/16/2018, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 61-34 ATS (+16.6 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 34-18 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VEGAS is 20-12 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 61-36 ATS (+12.9 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 30-25 ATS (+60.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 38-19 ATS (+9.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 32-13 ATS (+14.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WINNIPEG is 13-5 ATS (+7.2 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
WINNIPEG is 34-22 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WINNIPEG is 24-12 ATS (+8.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 3-2 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 3-2-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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




NHL

Wednesday, May 16

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

Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
Winnipeg is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
Winnipeg is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games on the road
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Vegas is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Vegas is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Vegas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

 

[Cnotes53]

Preview: Jets (52-20) at Golden Knights (51-24)
Date: May 16, 2018 9:00 PM EDT

LAS VEGAS - After knotting its NHL Western Conference final series at 1-1 with a 3-1 victory at Winnipeg on Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights now hold home-ice advantage for the best-of-seven series. But considering how the Jets have played on the road lately, that might not be a good thing.

Winnipeg, which was an NHL-best 32-7-2 at home during the regular season, has actually played better on the road during the playoffs, winning four of its last five away from Bell MTS Place, including a 5-1 rout of Nashville in Game 7 in the conference semifinals. The only road loss during that span was 5-4 in overtime in Game 2 against the Predators.

"We'll be ready to bounce back," Winnipeg center Paul Statsny said of heading into Wednesday night's Game 3 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "That's playoff hockey, right? You win one and all of a sudden they get one and we lose one. You think you have momentum. We view this as a fresh start."

"It's a series," added Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba. "I don't think anybody is panicking. We've been here before."

The Jets have outscored their opponents 21-9 in their last five playoff road games, which started with a 2-0 blanking of the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of the quarterfinals. They outscored Nashville 11-3 in their final two games at Bridgestone Arena where the Preds were 28-9-4 during the regular season.

"We like our road game, we like where it was in the Nashville series and we're going to try and bring the same effort," Trouba said.

Vegas was 29-10-2 at home during the regular season at T-Mobile Arena and is 4-1 there in the playoffs.

"I think you feed off the crowd for sure," Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland said. "But the visiting team is coming in and trying to quiet the crowd down as much as they can. They're going to come out flying and we've got to be ready to go."

A bigger key than playing on home ice for both teams in the playoffs has been the ability to score first. Winnipeg is 8-1 when it scores the first goal while Vegas is 7-1.

Vegas center Jonathan Marchessault, who scored two goals in Monday night's victory, was asked whether he would rather have home ice or the first goal of the game if he had his choice.

"I think playing with the lead," Marchessault said. "Playing with the lead is huge. When you are able to play with the lead, I think that makes a huge difference."

Still, Marchessault says he's looking forward to playing the next two games on his home ice. Vegas, behind two goals by William Karlsson, defeated the Jets 5-2 on Nov. 10 in the only regular-season meeting between the two teams at T-Mobile Arena.

"We're definitely going to have a fun atmosphere," Marchessault said. "We'll get a lot of energy off of that."

Vegas played without third leading scorer David Perron, who had 16 goals and 50 assists in the regular season and has seven assists in the playoffs, on Monday night. Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant wasn't sure whether Perron would be ready to go on Wednesday night.

"He's day-to-day," Gallant said before his team's optional skate on Tuesday afternoon. "He's not feeling well."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Golden Knights at Jets
Sat, May 12 Final 2 to 4

GAME 2
Golden Knights at Jets
Mon, May 14 Final 3 to 1

GAME 3
Jets at Golden Knights
Wed, May 16 - 9:00PM EDT

GAME 4
Jets at Golden Knights
Fri, May 18 - 8:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Golden Knights at Jets
Sun, May 20 - 3:00PM EDT

 

[Cnotes53]

Powering the Flower: Vegas' Prior teaches Fleury new tricks
May 16, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) The Vegas Golden Knights figured they might get something special by crossing a respected goaltending coach with an accomplished goaltender.

Dave Prior and Marc-Andre Fleury are making quite the pair for the historically successful expansion team.

Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion goalie, brought a wealth of experience when he was selected during last year's expansion draft. He's aiming for a fourth Cup as Vegas returns home from Winnipeg tied 1-1 in the Western Conference final - Game 3 is Wednesday night.

He has hit it off with Prior, Vegas' goaltending coach who has helped the 13-year veteran pick up some new tricks.

''He's a great man,'' Fleury said. ''I think it shows, he's been around for a long time. So much experience, he's seen a lot of goalies, guys I grew up watching and liking, and he's coached them. I think he's somebody that wants me to trust in my ability to do things.''

Prior has an old-school approach compared with many current goalie coaches. He thought Fleury would fit with his preferred style and insisted general manager George McPhee target the goalie when Pittsburgh left him unprotected for last year's draft.

''He obviously studies goaltenders all around the league and looks at the way that they're playing the game,'' McPhee said. ''He was excited, and he really advocated for him in our meetings and thought that he could make him even better than he's been.''

Said Prior: ''When you have somebody who's as gifted as Marc is, it's trying to keep him playing to his potential all the time. He's not a backup goaltender. He's not past his `best before' date. He still has the capability of playing great.''

Prior, of course, was right. Fleury finished this regular season with a 2.24 goals-against average and .927 save percentage - both career bests - as Vegas had by far the best expansion season in league history. The veteran also boasts career-best postseason numbers in both categories, with a 1.68 GAA and .945 save percentage through 12 games.

Prior and Fleury have been cryptic about whatever adjustments they've made to Fleury's game. What Prior will divulge is that he believes once a goalie buys into his way of training, his confidence level increases and he begins to feel more productive in the net.

''I encourage a very strategic goal game that we're trying to make it very hard for the shooters, not just trying to have all the answers for the shooter's shot,'' Prior said. ''Marc is a bit secretive about it, but you have to have a lot of talent to play ... it's a difficult way to play the way I ask our goaltenders to play. I didn't know how Marc would respond because he's an older goaltender, and they usually are sort of set in their ways and harder for them to make adjustments. But he's been great and engaging in embracing this strategy.''

Fleury said Prior has him spending less time worrying about giving up goals in practice and spending less time on the ice before games. Prior doesn't need Fleury working as hard as possible if he's working correctly.

''Goaltending plays games with your mind,'' Prior said. ''When you feel like you can't stop a puck in practice, you're worried that's what's gonna be showing up in the game. It plays on your mind. Guys always felt `I gotta work, I've gotta do everything to make sure I'm gonna be good.'

''Focus on the execution, not worry about `How hard I have to work to give me the best chance to be good,''' Prior added. ''I (prefer) you work less but are correct. It pays dividends when you play the game.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Knights merchandise flying off shelves
May 15, 2018

Vegas Golden Knights merchandise is flying off the shelves, with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's jersey leading the way.

Specific numbers weren't immediately available Tuesday, but the NHL says the team's overall North American sales have been very strong.

''The Vegas Golden Knights are in the top five in merch sales all season,'' Nirva Milord, the NHL's senior director of corporate communications, wrote in an email to The Canadian Press. ''Marc-Andre Fleury is tops among players in playoffs merch sales.''

Last month, the NHL reported that Fleury was fourth in jersey sales behind Toronto's Auston Matthews, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Edmonton's Connor McDavid.

Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion in Pittsburgh, was not protected by the Penguins in last year's expansion draft. He has helped anchor the Golden Knights and gave them immediate star power.

This random mix of journeymen, up-and-comers and castoffs will host the Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference final Wednesday after teams split the first two games in Winnipeg.

Cash registers have been ringing with sales of hats, hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts and jerseys adorned with the knight helmet symbol and the team's steel grey, black, gold and red colors.

Marvin Ryder, a marketing professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, points to a couple of reasons for strong sales: a lack of competition from other top sports leagues in Las Vegas; the readiness of hockey fans and youngsters to flock to new gear.

But where the franchise really delivered, Ryder said, was with its powerful logo coupled with an attractive color scheme.

''Whatever graphic identity team they hired, they knocked it right out of the park,'' Ryder told The Canadian Press.

It helps to have a winning team, too.

''Ultimately it's how the fans embrace it,'' Ryder said. ''In this case, I'm going to say it's more about lucky. You had all the pieces, but they got them right the very first day. That's the unusual part of the story.

''Normally it takes longer for the teams to find that combination of performance and the right-looking logo that people are proud to wear. They got it right from Day One.''

 

[Cnotes53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WIN at VEG 09:00 PM

VEG -115

U 5.5

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 17, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY MAY 18, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 19, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:15 PM Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MAY 20, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Vegas Golden Knights Winnipeg Jets

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 21, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Capital One Arena

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY MAY 22, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:00 PM Winnipeg Jets Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena


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


May NHL Record:

05/16/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/15/2018 0-1-1 0.00% -6.00
05/14/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -12.75
05/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -4.00
05/03/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -0.25
05/02/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -10.50
05/01/2018 1-3-0 25.00% -12.75

Totals...............6-13-1........29.41%.....-46.75


May Best Bets:

DATE................................ATS........... UNITS..................O/U..........UNITS..............TOTAL

05/16/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.00.................0 - 1..........-5.50..............-0.50
05/15/2018.....................0 - 1.............-6.00..................0 - 0 - 1.....-0.00..............-6.00
05/14/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00..................0 - 1..........-5.50..............-5.50
05/13/2018.....................0 - 0.............-0.00.................1 - 0...........+5.00............+5.00
05/03/2018.....................1 - 0............+5.75................0 - 2...........-11.00.............-5.25
05/02/2018.....................1 - 1............+0.50.................0 - 2..........-11.00.............-10.50
05/01/2018.....................0 - 1.............-5.00.................1 - 1...........-0.50..............-5.50

Totals.............................3- 3.............+0.40.............2 - 7 - 1...........-28.00............-28.25

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

? Rockets 127, Warriors 105? Houston evens Western final at one game apiece.

? Golden Knights 4, Jets 2? Las Vegas grabs a 2-1 series lead.

? Yoenis Cespedes, Carlos Gomez, Luke Gregerson all went on the DL Wednesday.

? Cleveland Indians are 3-11 in games where GW run scores after the 6th inning.

? Milwaukee Bucks will hire Mike Budenholzer as its new coach.

? Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley, a 25-year-old who graduated from North Mesquite HS in Texas, was recently arrested and booked into Dallas County Jail after police realized he had enrolled at Hillcrest HS in North Dallas as a 17-year-old, so he could play high school basketball.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: NFC trends for 2018??

Arizona? Cardinals won four of their last five post-bye games.

Atlanta? Falcons are 12-2 vs spread in last 14 home openers; under is 10-3 in their last 13 road openers.

Carolina? Panthers open at home for only 2nd time in last seven years; they?re 0-5 last five times they started season at home. Carolina?s last Week 1 home win was in 2003.

Chicago? Bears open on road for only 2nd time in last nine years; they?re 2-5 in last seven road openers. Under is 12-2 in their last 14 road openers.

Dallas? Cowboys played Giants in Week 1 five of last six years; they host Big Blue in Week 2 this year. Dallas covered nine of last 11 road openers. Under is 5-2 in their last seven home openers.

Detroit? Lions won five of their last seven home openers; over is 6-2 in their last eight. Detroit started season 1-0 six of last seven years.

Green Bay? Packers won 10 of their last 11 home openers. Over is 10-2 in their last 12 road openers. Green Bay is 0-5 vs spread in last five pre-bye games.

LA Rams? Rams won five of their last six home openers; they?re 2-14 in last 16 road openers, 3-15 vs spread in last 18. LA is 8-2-1 vs spread in last 11 post-bye games.

Minnesota? Vikings won eight of their last nine pre-bye games (9-0 vs spread); they?re 2-7 vs spread in last nine post-bye road games. Minnesota won/covered its last three home openers. Under is 10-4 in their last 14 road openers.

NJ Giants? Giants lost five of their last six home openers (0-6 vs spread); five of those six games stayed under. This will be first time in six years Big Blue opens the season at home; they open against Tom Coughlin?s Jaguars.

New Orleans? Saints lost their last three home openers, six of last seven road openers- they started last four seasons 0-1. Saints are 7-1-1 vs spread in last nine post-bye games.

Philadelphia? Eagles won eight of their last nine road openers, three of last four home openers. Under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 home openers. Philly is 7-3 vs spread in its last 10 pre-bye games.

San Francisco? 49ers won six of last nine home openers (7-2 vs spread), last four of which stayed under. Niners are 0-5-1 SU, 0-6 vs spread in last six post-bye games; they won/covered six of last eight pre-bye games.

Seattle? Seahawks open on road for 6th time in last eight years; they lost their first road game 10 of last 11 years; they?re 1-12 vs spread in last 13 road openers. Seahawks won last nine home openers (7-2 vs spread). Seattle won its last seven pre-bye games (6-1 vs spread).

Tampa Bay? Bucs lost four of last five home openers; they didn?t play in Week 1 LY because of a hurricane. Over is 7-3 in their last ten home openers. Tampa Bay is 8-4 vs spread in last dozen post-bye games.

Washington? Redskins lost five of their last six home openers; they?re 2-6 vs spread last eight times they were favored in a home opener. Redskins are 3-6-1 vs spread in last 10 pre-bye games, 2-7 vs spread in last nine post-bye games.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL Eastern Conference final Game 4 betting preview and odds: Lightning at Capitals

Tampa Bay Lightning at Washington Capitals (-110, 6)

Capitals lead series 2-1.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fought their way back in the series with a vastly improved performance and the reward is a chance to even the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night when they visit the Washington Capitals for Game 4. All-Stars Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov combined for seven points as the Lightning recorded a 4-2 victory Tuesday in Washington after dropping the first two games of the series at home.

?We believed all along,? Stamkos, who has scored a goal in five of the last six games, told reporters. ?We knew we weren?t good enough, and credit to them, they played really good hockey the first two games. We needed to make adjustments. We did that. We worked on it. The players went out there and did what we needed to do.? Tampa Bay was much tighter defensively despite allowing 38 shots overall, and scored twice on the power play to improve to 5-for-12 with the man advantage in the series and extend their streak to eight games with at least one. Evgeny Kuznetsov finished with 12 shots on net and a goal for the Capitals in Game 3 while linemate Alex Ovechkin did not have a point despite accumulating nine shots, but coach Barry Trotz told the media his team was ?off a little bit? and will be better Thursday. ?We believe in each other,? Ovechkin told reporters. ?We know exactly what we have to do. Nobody said it was going to be easy. They?re not going to give us two wins in a row in our house. We just have to play more desperate and play smarter.?

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA

SERIES PRICE (PER PINNACLE):

LINE HISTORY: Game 4 opened as a Pick 'Em and as of Wednesday night that number has not moved. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has been steady at the opening figure.

CONSENSUS: 59 percent of moneyline wagers are coming in on the home favorite Capitals. The Over is seeing the edge in the total action with 52 percent of the bets.

GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Andrei Vasilevskiy 44 17 3 2.62 .920 8
Braden Holtby 34 16 4 2.99 .907 0

INJURY REPORT:

Lightning - C Tyler Johnson (Questionable, Arm), LW Adam Erne (Questionable, Lower Body).

Capitals - C Nicklas Backstrom (Questionable, Hand).

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (63-27-3-2, 55-35 O/U): Coach Jon Cooper shuffled his top three forward lines for Game 3, putting Ondrej Palat with Kucherov and Stamkos, flipping J.T. Miller to a unit with Anthony Cirelli and Alex KIllorn while moving Yanni Gourde in with Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson. ?We needed to put guys in positions to succeed,? Cooper told reporters. ?We probably needed to spring a little life into our group.? Point has four goals in his last five games and four of his 14 playoff points in the past two contests while Hedman owns a franchise-record eight-game point streak after scoring once and assisting on two Tuesday.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (59-29-8-1, 53-40 O/U): Center Nicklas Backstrom (13 points, 11 playoff games) skated again Wednesday and could possibly return to the lineup Thursday after missing the last four contests with a hand injury. Kuznetsov boasts four goals and seven assists during a six-game point streak and owns 20 points overall - six in the series - while Ovechkin scored twice and set up two others in the first two contests against Tampa Bay. Goalie Braden Holtby owns an .899 save percentage in the series, but has stopped 57 of the 60 shots he has faced at even strength (.950) and leads the league with 10 playoffs wins entering Wednesday.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Lightning are 4-0 in their last 4 road games.
* Capitals are 22-8 in their last 30 overall.
* Over is 17-6-3 in Lightning's last 26 road games.
* Over is 4-0-3 in Capitals' last 7 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Over is 20-7-3 in the last 30 meetings.

 

[Cnotes53]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 17

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

TAMPA BAY (63-27-0-5, 131 pts.) at WASHINGTON (59-29-0-9, 127 pts.) - 5/17/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 60-38 ATS (+2.5 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 36-22 ATS (+3.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 27-11 ATS (+13.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 18-4 ATS (+11.5 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 36-20 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 21-12 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 64-32 ATS (+9.9 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 24-11 ATS (+12.7 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 233-236 ATS (+498.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 8-14 ATS (-10.2 Units) in home games when leading in a playoff series since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 8-4 (+5.3 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 8-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)

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NHL

Thursday, May 17

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Trend Report
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Washington
Tampa Bay is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 23 games when playing Washington
Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Tampa Bay is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games at home
Washington is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay
Washington is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Washington's last 23 games when playing Tampa Bay
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Washington is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay