Cnotes 2017 Stanley Cup Championship Trends-Stats-Picks-News !

[CNOTES]

Penguins lose special teams battle, game to Nashville
June 4, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins are still leading the Stanley Cup Final, no thanks to their scuffling power play.


The Penguins went 0-3 with the man advantage in losing Game 3 in Nashville, 5-1. The Predators scored on two of their three power play opportunities.


Coming up empty in six minutes of power play time was tough, but the Penguins only recorded one shot on Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne during that time.


''The power play didn't get enough zone time,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''To give them the opportunity on the power play, my feeling or at least my observation coaching these guys, is when they have success on the power play, it helps their overall game, their 5-on-5 game as well. I think it gives them confidence. They feel the puck and we haven't had the success that we would like here in this early part of the series. We've certainly got to figure this out as a group and I believe we will.''


Pittsburgh is a woeful 1 for 13 on the power play in the series, with just four total shots on goal. Nashville is 4 of 10 and the Predators used the power play to climb within 2-1 in the Final ahead of Game 4 on Monday night.


''They pressure really hard and we tried to make plays through them,'' the Penguins' Patric Hornqvist said. ''We have to spread it out a little bit longer. We have to wait for opportunity. We can't force any plays and that's what we did there on all our power plays.''


Forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led Pittsburgh forwards in power play time in Game 3 with 4 minutes and 3:46, respectively. Neither player generated a shot on goal on the power play - or at any other time in the game either.


''Those are important guys for us,'' Sullivan said. ''We want them to get pucks on the net because they have the ability to score.''


After taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, Pittsburgh fell behind 2-1 after Roman Josi and Frederick Gaudreau beat Matt Murray 42 seconds apart early in the second. Josi's goal came on the power play.


''They got some momentum when they got that power-play goal,'' Crosby said. ''You don't want to give up two quick goals like that. They get one on the power play, but to follow it up with another one and then you don't want to give one up late in the period. Kind of a couple of plays there that really gave them momentum and our own power play needs to be better too. We had opportunities to kind of build on that lead and we didn't.''


Mattias Ekholm concluded the scoring at 13:10 of the third with Nashville's second power-play goal of the game.


The Penguins allowed just two power-play shots on Murray in 4:05 during the game - and both ended up in the back of the net.

 

[CNOTES]

Sunday’s six-pack


Over/under win totals for college football teams this fall:


— Purdue 2.5, over -$125


— Notre Dame 7.5, under -$120


— Oregon 7.5, over -$125


— Penn State, 10


— Rice 3.5, over -$120


— Ohio State 10.5, over -$120


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


Sunday’s List of 13: Random thoughts on a spring Sunday……


13) Edinson Volquez was in a nasty-looking collision while covering first base in the first inning Saturday- it was the first batter of the game. Who knew he would go on to no-hit Arizona, in a very gutty performance- he walked only two batters in a 3-0 Miami win. Impressive.


Volquez threw 98 pitches, the first no-hitter with less than 100 pitches since Philip Humber’s perfect game five years ago.


12) Scalpers in Nashville were charging very high prices for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, the first NHL finals game in Predators’ history; as of 2pm Saturday, cheapest seat in the sold-out house was being scalped for $1,200.


11) Phil Mickelson is skipping the US Open to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. His daughter is giving the commencement address at her graduation— she is going to college at Brown University in the fall, which is a long way from her San Diego home.


10) Wish they’d put the World Series of Poker back on ESPN; the events have started out in Las Vegas already— watching poker was lot better than most of the drivel ESPN has on now during late night and daytime hours.


9) There is actually a movie called I Spit on Your Grave, which must’ve done well at the box office, since they’ve made two sequels. Think I’ll pass on all three of them.


8) Aaron Rodgers’ last 18 games against the Vikings: (12-6 W-L record); he’s thrown 40 TD’s with only six INT’s.


7) Good news for people who watch baseball on the dish; Hawk Harrelson is retiring— he will work White Sox games on Sunday next year, but otherwise, Jason Benetti will be the voice of the White Sox, which is great news, because Benetti is really good and Harrelson isn’t— he is the old guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn.


I liked The Hawk when he worked Red Sox games on WSBK in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but now he crabs about the umpires and yearns for the good ol’ days way too much.


6) Last year in the NFL, Bucs’ WR Mike Evans was targeted 39 times on passes of 20+ yards, most in the league. Next-highest were TY Hilton (33) and Terrell Pryor (32).


5) If you pinch-run in a game, it doesn’t count as a game played, unless you stay in the game. So if Cal Ripken had just pinch-run in a game during his great streak, it would’ve ended the streak. If you pinch-hit, the streak is extended, but not if you pinch-run.


4) Albert Pujols made his 600th home run a big one– he hit a grand slam in the 4th inning Saturday night, giving the Angels a 7-1 lead.


Pujols is just the 9th big leaguer to hit 600 home runs.


A 30-ish fan in LF bleachers caught Pujols’ grand slam; they put him on TV for half an inning, but the guy seemed like he was hyperventilating he was so excited- he didn’t have a lot to say. Wonder if he was thinking about what he was going to ask Pujols for, in exchange for the 600th home run baseball.


Two innings later, Angels unveiled the Pujols 600th home run bobblehead they’re giving away on July 1st. I’d ask for one of those, for a start.


3) Garrett Cole is the Pirates’ best pitcher; they’re 6-6 in his starts this year, but a closer look shows that if you bet the Pirates in a “first 5 innings” bet in his starts, you’d be 1-9-2- they’ve led only one of his 12 starts after five innings. Was very surprised to see that.


2) Red Sox entered Saturday hitting .213 as a team when they have two strikes on them; that is the best two-strike batting average of any major league team. Important for pitchers to get ahead in the count.


1) Friday afternoon, former big leaguer Luis Gonzalez helped pull a woman from a car that was in an accident and was next to another car that was in flames. Good for him.


Gonzalez got the game-winning hit in the clinching game of the 2001 World Series for the Diamondbacks.

 

[CNOTES]

Date W-L-T % Units Record


06/03/2017................... 1 - 0 - 0................... 100.00%................ +5.00


05/31/2017................... 1 - 1 - 0 ....................50.00%..................... +0


05/29/2017................... 0 - 2 - 0..................... 0.00%................. -10.50


Totals............................2 - 3 - 0....................40.00%...................- 5.50

 

[CNOTES]

Monday’s six-pack


Some more season win total over/unders for college football teams:


— Maryland 3, over -$120


— Memphis 8.5, under -$120


— Middle Tennessee 7.5, under -$120


— Ole Miss 5.5


— Navy 7, under -$125


— Nebraska 7, under -$120


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

Monday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend…….


13) Rockies-Padres game Sunday afternoon; FOX/San Diego had hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut in the booth for a half-inning with Don Orsillo/Mark Grant, which was an invitation for high comedy. They asked the hot dog champ about wolfing down buns soaked in water, they asked about his cholesterol and his general health. It was actually interesting.


12) Speaking of the Padres, they’ve scored at least one run in the first inning in 7 of their last 14 road games, but haven’t scored a first inning run in their last 18 home games.


11) You watch these college baseball national tournament games, and you see pitchers throw too many pitches and you wonder how closely big league teams monitor all this when it comes to who they do or do not draft on June 12. Some teams prefer drafting high school pitchers because it simply takes that out of the equation— it also generally takes high school kids longer to get to the big leagues than college kids, because obviously, they’re younger.


10) University of Houston hosted a regional this weekend; their pitchers’ mound is jet black, very distinctive in appearance. Almost looks like blacktop on a playground.


9) By the way, in college baseball they throw the four pitches for an intentional walk. Far as I know, in high school ball where I live here in upstate NY, they haven’t had to throw the four pitches on an intentional walk for a long time.


8) Cincinnati Reds homered in their last 15 games, their longest such streak since May, 2010.


7) Nevada sportsbooks made a $10.5M profit booking baseball games in April, their 2nd-best baseball month ever— none of it was mine!!!


6) Miami Marlins have never had a player hit for the cycle; San Diego Padres have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter, but back in the day, Padres had a pitcher named Clay Kirby who had a no-hitter thru eight innings, but he had given up a run and with San Diego trailing 1-0, they hit for Kirby in the bottom of the 8th inning. The reliever gave up a hit in the ninth inning.


5) Speaking of the Marlins, Edinson Volquez’ no-hitter Saturday was the first complete game for Miami in 480 games, dating back to June 3, 2014.


4) Justin Verlander left Sunday’s start in the third inning with a tight groin muscle. Detroit won the game on a Justin Upton walk-off homer.


3) Mets lost the series finale in their last nine home series.


2) Warriors 132, Cavaliers 113— Golden State is 14-0 in playoffs; the NBA has a problem on its hands, because these games are unwatchable. Washington Generals give the Globetrotters better competition. Cleveland was +11 in turnovers in this game and still lost by 19.


1) QB Malik Zaire transfers from Notre Dame to Florida; as a grad transfer, he is eligible to play immediately, but having missed spring practice, doubtful he would start right away.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL playoffs
Game 4


Home team won first three Finals games; Penguins are 10-3 in last 13 games with Nashville- five of last six series games went over. Predators won five of its last six home games; under is 7-4-2 in their last 13 games, 3-2-1 in last six at home. Pittsburgh is 2-4 in its last six road games, scoring total of 10 goals. Under is 4-4-2 in their last ten games. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final.


Stanley Cup final


Nashville-Pittsburgh


Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5


Pitt 4-1, -$140, U5.5


Nash 5-1, -$150, O5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Penguins (50-21) at Predators (41-29)
Date: June 05, 2017 8:00 PM EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan maintained a calm veneer as he answered the question, but there was an edge inside his words Saturday night when asked about being outplayed for most of the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals by the Nashville Predators.


"We've been outplayed in stretches, you know," he said. "But I don't think anyone should discount the goals we've scored, the counterattack game that we have."


That counterattack game wasn't quite as effective Saturday night, though, as Nashville fed off its raucous crowd in Bridgestone Arena for a 5-1 win that cut its series deficit to 2-1. Five different Predators scored goals and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves in his first win over Pittsburgh.


Worse yet from a Penguins perspective, they got no shots on goal from either of their star centers -- Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. It's believed to be the first playoff game during the duo's careers that neither one got a shot to net.


If Pittsburgh is to become the first road team to win in the Cup Finals in Game 4 on Monday night, it can't have another zero-shot game from its cornerstone players.


"I thought they had some looks," Sullivan said. "They had some attempts. They didn't hit the net, obviously. Those are important guys for us. We want them to get pucks on the net because they obviously have the ability to score."


Sullivan said one way to get Crosby and Malkin going is to start doing more with the power play. It was powerless in Game 3, failing in three chances. At times, it appeared Nashville had more zone time and chances while short-handed.


The Predators were certainly the better team in even-strength play, as has been the case for most of the series. When they finally stayed out of the penalty box during most of the last two periods of Game 3 and buried their chances, they scored three times in the second period and twice more in the third.


Nashville also got the benefit of puck luck that worked for the Penguins in the first two games. Roman Josi's tying goal in the second period hit Carter Rowney's stick before beating Matt Murray. James Neal's goal late in the second period caromed off Murray's left ankle from a bad angle.


"I don't want to blame the first two losses on puck luck," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said, "but it didn't bounce our way all the time. Today it bounced our way a little more. We found looks we liked. Just a good game offensively."


One of those looks was Frederick Gaudreau's second goal of the Finals, 42 seconds after Josi's equalizer. Gaudreau, who landed a spot in the lineup after Ryan Johansen (thigh) was declared out of the playoffs during the Western Conference Finals, didn't score in nine regular-season games.


But Gaudreau has displayed the scoring touch of his namesake in Calgary, Johnny, during the Finals. His one-timer in the third period tied Game 1 and his wrister to Murray's glove side unlocked a tie for good Saturday night.


"We saw that he had great skill," Neal said. "I think he's surprising everybody how good he is. He's calm and collected."


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



SERIES AT A GLANCE


GAME 1
Predators at Penguins
Mon, May 29 Final 3 to 5
Recaps


GAME 2
Predators at Penguins
Wed, May 31 Final 1 to 4
Recaps


GAME 3
Penguins at Predators
Sat, Jun 3 Final 1 to 5
Recaps


GAME 4
Penguins at Predators
Mon, Jun 5 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 5
Predators at Penguins
Thu, Jun 8 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 6
Penguins at Predators
Sun, Jun 11 - 8:00PM EDT


GAME 7
Predators at Penguins
Wed, Jun 14 - 8:00PM EDT

 

[CNOTES]

Monday's NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Betting Preview: Penguins at Predators


Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators (-155, 5.5)


Pens lead series 2-1


Music City has provided quite the festive backdrop throughout the NHL's postseason, with the Nashville Predators giving their enthusiastic fans even more reason to party with an impressive 8-1 home record. Fueled by a resounding victory in the first Stanley Cup Final game played in The Volunteer State, the Predators look to even the series with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday when the teams reconvene for Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena.


"You know what, best atmosphere I've ever played in," defenseman P.K. Subban said after his team made good on his vow for a Game 3 victory with five unanswered goals in a 5-1 triumph on Saturday. "It was pretty spectacular. Anybody who paid the price of admission to watch the game, I'm sure it was money well spent for them." Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel continues to pay dividends with a league-best 13 goals in the playoffs and four in the series, with the first statistic putting him within one of tying a single-year NHL rookie record (Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli in 1981) while the latter has him one shy of the rookie mark for the Stanley Cup Final (Boston's Roy Conacher in 1939, Brad Marchand in 2011). Former Hart Trophy winners Evgeni Malkin (NHL-best 26 points) and captain Sidney Crosby (23 points) weren't as fortunate as they were each were held without a shot for the first time in their 143 playoff games together.


TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS


LINE HISTORY: The Predators opened as -145 home favorites and following the impressive performance on the ice (and by their fans) on Saturday night, bettors pushed the moneyline up to -155. The total hit the betting board at 5.5.


GOALIE MATCHUP: Matt Murray (PIT) vs. Pekka Rinne (NAS)


Murray - GP: 8, W/L: 5-2, 1.96 GAA, .930 SAVE %, 1 SO
Rinne - GP: 19, W/L: 13-6, 1.93 GAA, .931 SAVE %, 2 SO


INJURY REPORT:


Penguins - C N. Bonino (Questionable, lower body), RW T. Kuhnhackl (Questionable, lower body), D C. Ruhwedel (Questionable, concussion), D K. Letang (Out for season, neck).


Predators - LW C. Wilson (Questionable, lower body), C R. Johansen (Out For Season, thigh), LW K. Fiala (Out For Season, leg).


ABOUT THE PENGUINS (64-27-8-5, 57-40 O/U): For all of his success, Crosby has failed to score a goal in 12 consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances and has just one tally in his last 19 Final games. The 29-year-old, at least, contributed 15 of 26 faceoff wins in Game 3, while Malkin lost seven of nine in the circle. "I thought they had some looks," coach Mike Sullivan said of the superstar duo's difficult night. "They had some attempts. They didn't hit the net, obviously. Those are important guys for us. We want them to get pucks on the net because they obviously have the ability to score."

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (54-34-9-4, 46-43 O/U): While Subban mouthed the words for a guarantee, fellow defenseman Roman Josi went the extra mile to make sure it paid out as he scored a goal and set up two others in the second period. "Well, I think it's part of our system (which) allows us defensemen to jump up in the play," said Josi, whose six goals lead all blue-liners while his 14 points are second-best at the position (Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, 18) and just above fellow Nashville defensemen Ryan Ellis (12), Subban (11) and Mattias Ekholm (10). "Yeah, (coach Peter Laviolette) wants us to jump up and make something happen in the offensive zone, too."

TRENDS:


* Penguins are 8-3 in their last 11 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Predators are 1-5 in their last 6 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Over is 8-2 in Penguins last 10 Monday games.
* Over is 3-0-2 in Predators last 5 games following a win.
* Home team is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.


CONSENSUS: 61 percent of users are siding with the home favorite Predators and 52 percent of the totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel


Monday, June 5



Pittsburgh @ Nashville


Game 7-8
June 5, 2017 @ 8:00 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.668
Nashville
13.121
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-150); Over








NHL
Long Sheet


Monday, June 5


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


PITTSBURGH (64-27-0-13, 141 pts.) at NASHVILLE (54-34-0-13, 121 pts.) - 6/5/2017, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-3 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 6-3-0 straight up against NASHVILLE 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
Armadillo's Write-Up


Monday, June 5


Home team won first three Finals games; Penguins are 10-3 in last 13 games with Nashville- five of last six series games went over. Predators won five of its last six home games; under is 7-4-2 in their last 13 games, 3-2-1 in last six at home. Pittsburgh is 2-4 in its last six road games, scoring total of 10 goals. Under is 4-4-2 in their last ten games. Penguins won Cup LY and in 2009; they’re 4-1 overall in Stanley Cup final series. Nashville is in its first Stanley Cup final.


Stanley Cup final
Nashville-Pittsburgh
Pitt 5-3, -$160, O5.5
Pitt 4-1, -$140, U5.5
Nash 5-1, -$150, O5.5








NHL


Monday, June 5


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


8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Nashville
Pittsburgh is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Nashville is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games

 

[CNOTES]

MONDAY, JUNE 5


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


PIT at NAS 08:00 PM

PIT +125


O 5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Monday's Best Bet
June 5, 2017


NHL Stanley Cup Finals Best Bet
Pittsburgh vs. Nashville – Game 4


Sportsbook.ag Odds: Pittsburgh (+130), Nashville (-150); Total set at 5.5


The Nashville Predators continued their dominant ways in Game 3, but this time they were finally rewarded for all that great play with a 5-1 win. The victory put Nashville right back in this series, but the work is far from done.


The Preds still have to take care of business at home again tonight to get this Stanley Cup Finals back on level ground, and you know the atmosphere in “Smashville” will be off the charts again tonight. But will the dominant play continue for Nashville, or will Pittsburgh finally step up and try to take full control of this series?


Odds per - Sportsbook.ag


Best Bet: Pittsburgh Penguins ML (-+130)


Although it was another ominous start by the Predators in Game 3, they were unrelenting with their push and aggressiveness and came out on top as expected. That win with my best bet selection made it a perfect 3-0 with these free selections for the Stanley Cup Final and hopefully that run continues tonight with this flip-flop play on Pittsburgh.


I'm not a big believer in the well-known flip-flop theory that many bettors like to employ during the playoffs, but tonight's Game 4 is a solid situation for the Penguins to bounce back and finally play a good game in this series.


For one, we've got decent value on the Penguins at +130 as the defending champs have to show their true colors soon. Having a better idea of just how loud and hostile playing in Nashville can be should have the Penguins more prepared for what to expect tonight, and if that's the case we aren't likely to see Pittsburgh fall victim to an ambush like the two goals Nashville scored in under a minute in Game 3 to tie and take the lead.


Crosby and Malkin aren't going to be held without a shot again this evening, and the avalanche of pressure Nashville threw at them in the second and third periods isn't going to be nearly as severe. Getting the defending champs who have been here before – they were up 2-0 and then 2-1 last year vs. San Jose before winning Game 4 – at +130 is arguably too good to pass up.


Retractors of that line of thought will continually point to the fact that Nashville has dominated the bulk of play for the majority of this series, and now that the Predators finally broke through the floodgates are open. However, I wouldn't be so sure about that thought as it's going to be nearly impossible for the Predators to match the level of energy and play they brought to Pittsburgh in Game 3.


The extreme feeling of desperation from the Preds as dissolved a bit now that it's only a 2-1 series lead, and G Pekka Rinne has still just had one good game in this series. It's funny how so many mainstream stories about Rinne are quick to write off his Game 1 and 2 performances as the abnormalities after Game 3, when in reality his strong play this entire playoffs has been the abnormality when you look at Rinne's career as a whole.


Soft goals, bad goals, and inconsistent play have plagued the big netminder throughout his time with Nashville, and while he should be good tonight being at home, being quick to forget about those struggles against Pittsburgh in this series won't do you any favors.


So with a solid underdog price on Pittsburgh in a game and situation they'll be better prepared for, expect the Penguins to put up a much better fight for the full 60 minutes tonight and come away with the win. Given how they've been outplayed so far in this series, even with home ice advantage they don't want to have to rely on winning four games at home in this series.


A victory tonight alleviates those pressures as the Penguins push the Predators to the brink of elimination this evening.

 

[CNOTES]

Pens C Nick Bonino tests injured foot
June 4, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) P.K. Subban says ask the Pittsburgh Penguins if he's getting under their skin. The All-Star defenseman only knows he apparently needs to work on his breath on the ice and loves the challenge of helping shut down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.


And he loves gamesmanship.


Crosby isn't in the mood to play if it doesn't involve his stick and a puck. No, the Pittsburgh captain insists he did not complain about Subban's breath in Game 3, saying Subban made that up.


''He likes the attention and things like that so I mean if he wants to make stuff up, ... what can I do?'' Crosby said Sunday.


The Stanley Cup Final has some bad blood brewing, and the best-of-seven series for the NHL championship has the makings of becoming a battle royale. The defending champs a chance for a sweep Saturday night when the Predators scored five straight goals in a 5-1 rout of the Pens, winning the first Cup Final game in the state of Tennessee.


Now the Predators want to tie it in Game 4 on Monday night. They are 8-1 at home this postseason, and Subban made it clear he expects Nashville fans to find a way to crank the volume up even higher Monday night.


''I know there'll be a lot more energy if you can imagine that ... which will be pretty awesome,'' Subban said.


The Penguins have bigger issues than talk of bad breath, and their frustration bubbled over late Saturday night as they racked up 10 penalties for 44 minutes night. That included Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist and Matt Cullen each getting a 10-minute misconduct all in the final five minutes of the loss.


Crosby has yet to score a goal in this series, and both he and Evgeni Malkin were held without a shot Saturday night in the same game for the first time in their star-studded careers.


It's the fifth time Crosby, with 160 career playoff points and 23 points this postseason, had been held without a shot and third this spring. It was the eighth time Malkin, with his NHL-best 26 points this postseason, was held without a shot. Malkin hasn't gone two games without a shot in the same postseason since his rookie year, while Washington did it to Crosby April 29 and May 1.


''We had chances,'' Crosby said. ''We just got to hit the net. They blocked some. I think it's just a matter of winning those battles too and finding ways to get to the net. You got to hit the net, so let's start there.''


Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby and Malkin simply command a lot of attention, and he doesn't want to interfere with their instincts on when to pass or shoot. Sullivan did see chances for both to throw the puck at the net.


''Their numbers speak for themselves,'' Sullivan said. ''They've produced consistently for this team all year long and throughout the course of these playoffs. There's no doubt that we believe they will continue that.''


The Predators have outshot the Penguins in each game so far with Pittsburgh taking a 2-0 series lead with quick scoring bursts.


They've also smothered the NHL's best scoring team even when the Pens have the man advantage, allowing just four shots in 13 penalties killed. Pittsburgh has just one power-play goal and was 0 of 3 with the man advantage in Game 4, and Malkin said he has not had room to work.


''I have puck like one second, they jump to me,'' Malkin said.


The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Penguins, but they are 13-2 in the playoffs coming off a loss under Sullivan. Goalie Matt Murray, who allowed five goals in the span of 15 shots, also has never lost when starting a game either after a Pittsburgh loss (9-0) or a playoff loss of his own (7-0).


They also might get center Nick Bonino back. He tested his injured left foot and ankle by skating Sunday but said he remains day to day.


Subban relishes playing against the man he calls the world's best player in Crosby, and he also has plenty of help from fellow defensemen Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm.


''It's our defense that's going to win us games,'' Subban said. ''We know that, and we're going to have to continue to be strong defensively to have success against this hockey club.''

 

[CNOTES]

Crosby scores, Malkin shoots yet Penguins lose 4-1 to Preds
June 5, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins needed more from their stars. They got more, just not nearly enough against Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators.


Sidney Crosby scored his first goal in this Stanley Cup Final, but the Predators beat Pittsburgh 4-1 on Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.


Both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held without a shot in Game 3 - the first time that's happened to the duo in the same playoff game and for just just the fifth time in Crosby's postseason career. He got the Penguins on the scoreboard late in the first, converting on a breakaway to even the score at 1 after banking the puck off of the right post and by Rinne.


The goal was Crosby's first goal in the Final since June 4, 2009, a span of 12 goalless games for the Pittsburgh captain. It was one of four shots on goal for Crosby in the game.


Rinne denied chance after chance after Crosby's goal, many of them saves that the 6-foot-5 Finn struggled to make in Games 1 and 2 in Pittsburgh.


''You've got trust what gets you here,'' Crosby said. ''You've got to trust all those habits, all those things that you preach all year, come through when you need them most. We've shown that's how we are going to score goals - getting pucks and people there. We did a good job of that tonight. On the other side of things, we've got to make sure that we limit their chances, don't give up breakaways or chances where they can make us pay the other way.''


The seven-game series is now a best of three. Game 5 is Thursday night in Pittsburgh.


''Obviously, it's hard to win when you score one goal, but having said that, I thought tonight of all the games we played, we generated the most chances and the highest quality,'' Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. ''It didn't go in the net for us. We had a number of grade-A opportunities, a couple of breakaways, flurries around the net, so there were a lot of things from a process standpoint that we really liked.''


Rinne's most timely save may have been his stop on Chris Kunitz's breakaway at 3:29 of the second. The score was tied at 1 at the time, and Nashville rookie Frederick Gaudreau scored Nashville's second of the game 16 seconds later on a wraparound that was not initially called a goal on the ice.


As play continued after Matt Murray appeared to make a stick save on Gaudreau, the arena horn sounded alerting on-ice officials to stop play. A quick video review confirmed that the puck did cross the line.


Murray, who entered the game 9-0 in the postseason following a Pittsburgh loss, also allowed a first period rebound goal by Calle Jarnkrok and a breakaway goal to Viktor Arvidsson in the third.


Malkin finished with two shots as the Penguins ended up being outscored 9-2 in Nashville.


Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh's leading postseason goal scorer with 13, had three shots on Rinne.


''He's a great goaltender, so he can make those kinds of saves,'' Guentzel said. ''But I've got to do a better job finding the back of the net.''


Crosby said the next game is key.


''It's simple. We've got to go home and win a game,'' Crosby said. ''We can feed off the energy of our crowd and get a boost from that, but when you're getting into the later stages of the series this time of year, desperation level, motivation level, all of that will be there.''

 

[CNOTES]

Charles Barkley takes up Bettman's invitation to Cup Final
June 5, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Charles Barkley has not been shy sharing that he is far more excited about the Stanley Cup playoffs than the NBA playoffs.


Thanks to a night off in the NBA Finals , Barkley took up NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on his invitation to come watch the pucks in person.


''There's nothing more nerve-wracking than Stanley Cup overtime hockey,'' Barkley said. ''It's the craziest thing you're ever going to see, so that's one reason I just love the sport.''


Barkley didn't get overtime on Monday night, but he did get to see the Predators win 4-1 at home in front of their raucous fans to even the series against Pittsburgh at 2-2.


A few hours earlier, Barkley interrupted Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey talking about the 1984-85 Oilers being voted by NHL fans as the greatest team in league history. With Bettman watching from the side, Barkley broke in by asking Gretzky who his favorite black athlete of all-time was. Gretzky immediately answered Grant Fuhr, his goalie with the Oilers.


The former NBA star said he's been following hockey since watching the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls in Alabama. When he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, Ron Hextall became Barkley's favorite NHL player. Barkley also became friends with Eric Lindros of the Flyers, too.


Barkley says Mike Wilbon has been taking him to the Stanley Cup Final with Chicago the past few years. But Jeremy Roenick, his neighbor in Arizona, has been urging Barkley to come to Nashville for a game and called the Music City scene ''the craziest thing'' he'd ever seen.


With the NBA Finals switching from Golden State to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday night, Barkley had a free day. The Naismith Hall of Famer said he was looking forward to a little time in ''Smashville.''


''They say it's crazy, and the playoffs have been amazing,'' Barkley said. ''I'm not breaking earth-shattering news. The NBA playoffs have not been very good.''


Barkley noted that while at work he's in a room with 20 TVs, so he has watched almost every hockey game this spring.


''I think we showed a stat we've only had four basketball games in the playoffs that were less than double digits,'' Barkley said. ''So it's not been a lot of fun broadcasting games this year.''

 

[CNOTES]

The Latest: Subban trolls Crosby, bringing bag of mouthwash
June 5, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Latest on Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final (all times local):


10:05 p.m.


Pekka Rinne was spectacular, Frederick Gaudreau scored a tiebreaking goal early in the second period and the Nashville Predators handed Pittsburgh a 4-1 loss Monday night to even the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece.


The defending champion Penguins will host Game 5 on Thursday night, hoping home ice is an advantage after being outscored 9-2 in losing the two games in Nashville after averaging 4.5 goals in winning the first two.


Nashville's Calle Jarnkrok was the first to get the puck past Matt Murray, scoring 5:09 into the first period. Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby scored on a breakaway about a minute later. It was his first goal in the Final since 2009, but it wasn't nearly enough.


Gaudreau's goal came on a wraparound, but the horn sounded a little later because of video review. The puck just crossed the goal line under Murray's outstretched stick before he shoved it out of the net.


Viktor Arvidsson gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at the 13:08 mark of the second and they were able to hold onto the cushion against Crosby and Co. With 3:23 left, Nashville sealed the victory with Filip Forsberg's empty-net goal.


---


9:45 p.m.


The Nashville Predators are a hanging on to a two-goal lead against Pittsburgh late in in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, a few minutes away from evening the series at 2-2.


All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban briefly left the ice after Evgeni Malkin's shot hit his left leg with 7:08 remaining. In obvious pain, Subban left the ice, but he returned.


---


9:05 p.m.


Viktor Arvidsson have given Nashville a two-goal lead over Pittsburgh after two periods in Game 4.


He streaked in on a breakaway and beat Matt Murray on his glove side with a laser-like wrist shot.


Arvidsson's third goal of the playoffs gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at the 13:08 mark, moving them a step closer toward evening the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece.


Arvidsson had not scored a goal since an empty netter in Game 4 against Chicago that finished a sweep of the Blackhawks. He got an assist from Mike Fisher, who pushed the puck ahead as he fell to the ice for his fourth point in the series and first on his 37th birthday.


Nashville is outshooting Pittsburgh 15-14 so far. The Penguins are 0-6 when trailing after two periods this postseason


---


8:35 p.m.


Frederick Gaudreau has scored on a wraparound, giving the Nashville Predators a 2-1 lead early in the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.


Gaudreau's goal didn't light the lamp right away and play resumed, but the horn sounded a little later because of video review. The puck just crossed the goal line under the outstretched sick of Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray before he shoved it away.


The 24-year-old undrafted rookie, who didn't score in nine games during the regular season, has three goals in six playoff games.


Moments later, Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne stopped Sidney Crosby's backhander on a breakaway, then slid back to his right to stop Guentzel in a frantic scramble.


---


8:25 p.m.


Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin heard all the questions about not getting a shot on goal in Game 3.


They've taken care of that in the first period of Game 4.


Crosby and Malkin have a shot apiece, and Crosby tied it up at 1-1 with his first goal this series at 15:57. His goal came 66 seconds after Calle Jarnkrok gave Nashville a 1-0 lead.


It was Crosby's first goal in the Final since June 4, 2009, in Game 4 against Detroit - a span of 12 straight games. Pittsburgh leads Nashville 7-6 in total shots in what was a tight first period.


Crosby has now passed Mike Bossy, Gordie Howe, Al MacInnis and Bobby Smith for 20th in all-time playoff points. He has 57 goals and 104 assists, for a total of 161 points.


---


8:05 p.m.


Calle Jarnkrok scored with 5:09 left in the first period, putting the Nashville Predators ahead 1-0 against Pittsburgh.


The lead didn't last long.


The Penguins pulled into a tie a little more than a minute later when Sidney Crosby scored on a breakaway, making it 1-all late in the opening period.


Jarnkrok's goal stood after the Penguins challenged that goaltender interference should have negated the score.


No one challenged Crosby's goal, which came on a backhander after faking a slap shot. It was Crosby's first goal of the series.


---


7:40 p.m.


A fan in Nashville added some flair to the tradition of throwing catfish on the ice, sending one over the glass with a bedazzled top hat and a toy penguin in its mouth Monday night.


A second catfish also hit the ice before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Predators.


Apparently, the fans didn't get the message from coach Peter Laviolette. He asked them before the game not to throw anything onto the ice.


---


6:50 p.m.


Nick Bonino sure tried to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. His injured left foot is keeping him out of a second straight game.


The Pittsburgh Penguins' center skated briefly with his teammates before Game 4 in warm-ups. But he banged the boards in apparent frustration and limped toward the locker room He was announced as a scratch from the lineup.


Bonino's left foot took the brunt force of a slap shot from Nashville's P.K. Subban during Game 2 in Pittsburgh and didn't play in Game 3.


His absence leaves the Penguins without a veteran penalty killer. Nashville was 2 of 3 on the power play in Game 3.


---


6:40 p.m.


The Great One would've picked a different one.


In a poll of fans, the 1984-85 Edmonton were chosen as the NHL's greatest team of all time.


''I would've voted for our '87 team,'' Wayne Gretzky said.


The NHL says 3.6-plus million votes over a six-week stretch led to the choice of the Gretzky-led, Stanley Cup winning team that won its second straight title in 1985.


The other teams in the top 10 were the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins, 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, 1987-88 Oilers, 1986-87 Oilers, 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings, 1982-83 New York Islanders, 1977-78 Canadiens, 1983-84 Oilers and 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings.


---


5:50 p.m.


Charles Barkley has taken advantage of a day off in the NBA Finals and accepted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's invitation to come watch the Stanley Cup Final in person.


Barkley interrupted Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey talking about NHL fans voting for the best team of all-time.


The former NBA star and now TV analyst says he had nothing to do and is really looking forward to the game. Barkley says the NHL playoffs have been amazing while noting the NBA playoffs have not been very good this spring.


Barkley says he's been watching hockey for years dating back to a team in Birmingham, Alabama, and Ron Hextall is his favorite NHL player of all-time after watching him in Philadelphia. Today, he roots for Columbus defenseman Seth Jones because his father, Popeye, once played in the NBA.


And he calls Stanley Cup overtime hockey the craziest thing anyone will ever see, just one reason why he loves the sport.


---


5:22 p.m.


P.K. Subban seems as if he's still trying to get under Sidney Crosby's skin.


Nashville's All-Star defenseman was seen walked toward his locker room Monday with a bag that appeared to be filled with bottles of mouthwash .


Pittsburgh's superstar has insisted he did not complain about Subban's breath in Game 3 as Subban said he did.


Game on.


---


Laviolette had a message for Nashville fans attending Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final: Don't throw anything onto the ice.


Five catfish, several towels, a stuffed penguin and a cowboy hat hit the ice Saturday night in the Predators' 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, which pulled Nashville within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.


The team shared Laviolette's video plea Monday on Twitter hours before Game 4. The coach asks fans to avoid both putting players and officials in danger and penalties.


Police estimated more than 50,000 turned out for the first Stanley Cup Final game in Tennessee on Saturday night. That prompted changes to handle the crowds with only 200 fans with wristbands allowed on the plaza with a downtown amphitheater opened for a watch party.

 

[CNOTES]

Tuesday’s six-pack


— Predators 4, Penguins 1— Home team has won all four Stanley Cup final games.


— Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie that Barry Levinson is writing for HBO.


— Over/under for no-hitters this year at William Hill sportsbooks in Las Vegas is 3.5.


— There were seven grand slams hit Saturday, the most ever in one day. Mike Zunino knocked in seven runs, but probably didn’t even get on SportsCenter.


— 7 of Ryan Zimmerman’s 16 homers have come in the 8th inning or later.


— Apparently, the Cardinals wear navy hats on the road if they’re playing a team that wears red hats, like Cincinnati.


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


Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but…….


13) We live in a very, very impatient society. Thad Matta went 337-123 in 13 years as basketball coach at Ohio State, but went 38-29 the last two years (18-18 in Big 14 games). Monday, he was told to take a hike by the Buckeyes- he’ll get paid for the last three years of his contract.


Matta’s recruiting had slipped, in part because of health concerns related to a botched back surgery, and his current team isn’t expected to be a contender next winter. Ohio State AD Gene Smith will conduct a national search; he’ll get turned down a lot and finally he will find a coach who, chances are, isn’t as good a coach as Matta.


Ohio State has a dreamer’s Wish List of potential replacements: Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, Chris Mack, Chris Holtmann. When you fire a guy with a record like Matta’s, it makes hiring his replacement a lot harder, especially when you’re known as a football school.


If I was an Ohio State advisor, I’d tell them to give Eric Musselman a call; it would be a coup for the Buckeyes, because Musselmann is very good, and he has Ohio ties in his background. Nevada only pays him $300K.


12) Speaking of Big 14 basketball, their teams are 14-4 vs SEC teams the last two years, including 2-1 vs Kentucky.


11) 76ers announced that Joel Embiid/Ben Simmons won’t be playing summer league ball next month, meaning that even if Simmons is healthy for Opening Night this fall, it’ll be 18 months since he’s played in a real basketball game. He’s cashed a lot of checks but hasn’t played in the NBA yet. I’m very, very curious to see how he does.


10) 18-year old kid named Casey Mittelstadt, who is a top prospect for the NHL Draft, couldn’t do any pull-ups and did one rep on the bench press at the NHL Combine.


He should take solace in knowing that Kevin Durant had roughly the same experience when he went to the NBA Combine ten years ago. His career has turned out pretty well.


9) College baseball coaches are bunt-crazy; Central Connecticut lost 6-5 to Dallas Baptist in the NCAA tournament Sunday- they had four sacrifice bunts in the game, which means that four of their 27 outs were made on purpose. No bueno.


8) Minor leaguers in the Kansas City Royals’ system are not allowed to wear sunglasses on their hat, unless they wear them on the back of their head- they’re not allowed to cover up the logo on the front of the cap, in respect for the organization. I’m not making this up; they were talking about it on Sunday. Royals’ color commentator Rex Hudler didn’t even know that rule existed.


7) Saw a movie Oliver Stone made a movie about George W Bush; Richard Dreyfuss played VP Dick Cheney— he looked so much like Cheney I almost didn’t recognize him. Dreyfuss starred in two of my favorite movies: Let It Ride and Moon over Parador— it was weird seeing him in a serious role.


6) Jason Dufner shot 65-65-77-68 in winning The Memorial in Ohio; he is the first golfer since Nick Faldo at the ’89 Masters to win a tournament after shooting 77 or worse in the third round.


5) I had no idea the E in Chuck E. Cheese stands for “Entertainment”, as if eating pizza with a person in a mouse costume wasn’t enough.


4) Yadier Molina will be 35 in July; he’s started 48 of the Cardinals’ first 54 games behind the plate, the most of any big league catcher. St Louis is 26-29, only four games out of first place in the NL Central, 6.5 games out of the second Wild Card slot- they can’t afford to rest him.


3) A guy in Tennessee found a stash of unopened baseball cards from the 50’s/60’s in his aunt’s attic; the cards are expected to reap a six-figure bonanza when he sells them. My earliest baseball cards are from 1965- may have to go look thru them.


2) Seahawks signed QB Austin Davis to back up Russell Wilson, meaning Colin Kaepernick is likely to start the summer unemployed. Davis was with the Rams for a couple years; I actually liked him, thought he had potential.


1) Still amazes me that Steph Curry went to Davidson and Klay Thompson went to Washington State, even though both their dads played in the NBA. Dell Curry played at Virginia Tech; they couldn’t have offered Steph a scholarship? Or his brother Seth, who went to Liberty before Duke poached him? Makes you wonder…….

 

[CNOTES]

Date W-L-T % Units Record


06/05/2017....................0 - 2 - 0......................0.00%..................-10.50


06/03/2017................... 1 - 0 - 0................... 100.00%................ +5.00


05/31/2017................... 1 - 1 - 0 ....................50.00%..................... +0


05/29/2017................... 0 - 2 - 0..................... 0.00%................. -10.50


Totals............................2 - 4 - 0....................33.33%..................- 16.00

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday’s six-pack


— Reds 13, Cardinals 1— Scooter Gennett, a free agent in our fantasy league, hit four HR’s in this game. He had 17 total bases, two short of the all-time record (Shawn Green).


— Boston 5, New York 4- Drew Pomeranz threw 123 pitches in his five innings of work, but he got the win.


— Arizona Cardinals moved their OTA’s inside Tuesday; it was 105 in Phoenix.


— This spring, 27 of 85 NHL playoff games have gone to OT; 62% of NBA playoff games have been decided by double digit margins.


— Hope you didn’t bet the over in the Jets’ win total for this year: David Harris was first vet to go, now Eric Decker could be next. They’re trying very hard to get a lot younger.


— Headed to DL: Bartolo Colon (Braves), Yasmany Tomas (Arizona), Devon Travis (Jays), Jared Cosart (SD), Mike Napoli (Tex).


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

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings…….


13) Chicago Cubs use an odd defense against sacrifice bunts, with Anthony Rizzo playing in between the mound and 1st base, and the 2B holding the runner on first.


For fantasy baseball purposes, this has made Rizzo technically a second baseman and he is now eligible as a 2B in many leagues. It is an advantage if you have Rizzo on your fantasy team, lets you have an extra 1B in your lineup.


12) Denver Broncos have a brutal 3-week stretch in mid-season; in Week 7 they go to Carson, CA to play the Chargers, then have a Monday night game in Kansas City in Week 8, before a Week 9 game in Philly six days later. NFL teams historically have done poorly in their third consecutive road game- this one is on short rest.


11) Baseball is difficult: two weeks ago, Jose Abreu was AL Player of the Week. Last week, he was 2-23. Even the best hitters go thru slumps.


10) From Chris Fallica on Twitter: Six of the last nine Belmont Stakes favorites ran completely out of the money. American Pharaoh is the only favorite in the last 11 years to win.


9) Clippers/Rockets will play two preseason games in Hawai’i in October; doesn’t sound like training camp will be too grueling for those two teams.


8) Nashville’s Frederick Gaudreau is the first NHL player since 1944 whose first three career goals came in the Stanley Cup Finals.


7) Speaking of the Stanley Cup Finals, other than Nashville/Pittsburgh, the finals are getting their best TV ratings in this country in Buffalo.


6) Arkansas sophomore pitcher Kacey Murphy threw 74 pitches in an NCAA tournament game on Sunday; he started Monday’s game.


5) College baseball has an interesting dynamic; with the national tournament going on at the same time as the major league draft next week— the older players keep one eye on who their next team will be, and one eye on trying to win with their college team.


4) A guy on American Pickers on the History Channel had a collection of license plates on his wall; every style of license plate ever issued in Pennsylvania. Pretty cool. Some of the stuff people collect is fascinating.


3) Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson wants to transfer from Pitt to North Carolina, but the Panthers want to block him from going to another ACC team.


This could get dicey; when he was at Vanderbilt, Kevin Stallings blocked Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pitt— Jones went to a JC for a year before winding up at Pitt, and then two years later, Stallings showed up as the Panthers’ head coach- awkward.


2) Interesting debate: Who is the best quarterback in Packers’ history? Bart Starr? Brett Favre? Aaron Rodgers? You can make a case for all three.


1) Forbes Magazine now says the Golden State Warriors are worth $2.6B, 3rd-most in NBA behind the Lakers/Knicks. In 2011, the Warriors’ worth was below the NBA average- they’ve got a new arena in San Francisco on the way, and all this winning sure helps, too.

 

[CNOTES]

Blue mutt named Stanley set tone for Preds' attacking style
June 6, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The instant one of the Pittsburgh Penguins passes the puck to a teammate, one of the Nashville Predators closes in, taking away any time or space to operate.


The junkyard dog approach to hockey for the Stanley Cup Final debutants has a history: It is the Predators' on-ice version of Stanley, the blue mutt with a bone clenched between his teeth. He's the team mascot whose picture is stuck on the Predators' locker-room door, now with two bandages commemorating playoff-ending injuries first to forward Kevin Fiala, then center Ryan Johansen. The dog, its name tag hanging from a spiked collar, bares his teeth in photos on three walls inside, too.


Stanley is the symbol of how coach Peter Laviolette wanted his Predators to play this season. They responded with an attacking, never-stop approach that has helped Nashville go from the last team into the NHL playoffs to one that is two wins from a championship. The Predators are tied 2-2 with the Penguins with Game 5 coming up Thursday night in Pittsburgh.


''We definitely know what our identity is,'' defenseman P.K. Subban said. ''It's kind of the dog-on-a-bone mentality. And we want to dictate the pace of the game, and we want to attack you in all three zones as a five-man unit and be tough to play against. And I think everybody on our team can skate, move the puck and make plays.''


Stanley is more than just a cartoon dog. The Predators also award the best player in each game a heavy chain as a reward, a hockey version of a game ball. The Predators in past years have given out a construction worker's hard hat to recognize the best player in a game.


Defenseman Matt Irwin says Stanley shows exactly how the Predators want to play.


''If you think of Stanley and you look at him, his knees are bent, he's in an athletic stance, his mouth's drooling,'' Irwin said. ''It's the intensity he brings, and that's the kind of intensity we want to bring to our game every night.''


That's exactly what Laviolette wanted when the Stanley concept was introduced months ago. Irwin said winning the big chain is a very cool honor, even though he's won it only once this season.


''Obviously when you win the chain, it's recognition from your teammates you contributed and you had a solid night,'' Irwin said.


Photos of a menacing dog and a chain can only go so far, though. The Predators finished the regular season 16th in the NHL with 94 points. They knew they would be starting on the road in every series, and the Predators responded by winning the opener of their first three series.


Now they head to Pittsburgh needing to find a way to win in the home ice of the defending champions after dropping Games 1 and 2.


The Predators are 5-5 away from Nashville this postseason. They are getting production from everyone who hits the ice, with 19 different players scoring at least one goal - two shy of the NHL record of 21 held by the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers. They also have killed 24 of 25 penalties in the Stanley Cup Final.


In Game 1, Nashville became the first team to hold an opponent without a shot on goal in a period of a Final game since the NHL started tracking that statistic in 1957, and that drought lasted 37 minutes even though Pittsburgh pulled out a 5-3 win. In Game 3, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held without a shot on goal in the same playoff game for the first time in their careers.


Mattias Ekholm said everything is designed to make opponents work hard and fellow defenseman Ryan Ellis noted that the hard work is required of the Predators, too.


''As much as it is about skill and speed and all that, it's the work ethic, it's the little things, and I think that's kind of the idea behind that is doing the right thing and working as hard as we can,'' Ellis said. ''I mean working hard in a game trumps all no matter skill level or this or that.''


---

 

[CNOTES]

Penguins head home upbeat despite 0-fer in Nashville
June 6, 2017


PITTSBURGH (AP) The goals that came so easily to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final - the ones that arrived in bunches and seemed to signal an emphatic end to Pekka Rinne's spectacular playoff run - have disappeared.


Across six periods in Nashville, the NHL's highest-scoring team managed to beat Rinne just twice as the Predators rallied to tie the series. Yet Penguins coach Mike Sullivan hardly seems frustrated heading into Game 5 on Thursday night back home in Pittsburgh.


Sullivan is 7-0 in series with the Penguins, and the way he sees it, his team's inability to solve Rinne in Games 3 and 4 had little to do with lack of effort or opportunities. It had everything to do with a remarkable performance by the 34-year-old goaltender.


Where do you want to start? With Rinne's no-look left pad stop on Jake Guentzel early in the second period of a tie game on Monday night? Maybe the one about a minute later when Rinne denied Chris Kunitz on a breakaway? Or maybe the diving blocker stop on Guentzel just before the midway point, the one that preserved Nashville's lead on the way to a 4-1 victory?


Sullivan understands it's easy to look at the result and be discouraged. That's not his job. The coach who has made "play the right way" part of the franchise's lexicon is more focused on the process. The Penguins didn't produce much in Games 1 and 2 and somehow won going away. They "got to their game" (another of Sullivan's favorite mantras) repeatedly in Game 4 only to lose.


It's hockey. It happens.


"We believe that we have some guys that are due to score some goals here," Sullivan said Tuesday. "They've had some high-quality chances, and the puck hasn't gone in the net for the last couple of games. We believe if we continue to try to do the right things out there, we'll score."


Game 4 marked the sixth time in their last 11 games the Penguins have scored just one goal, compared to just twice in 24 playoff games last spring.


Pittsburgh has survived anyway thanks in part to a resilience that has been their hallmark under Sullivan. When limited to one goal during the 2016 postseason, they won the following game. When the Penguins had just three goals during the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa last month, they scored 10 over the next two to take control.


"It just comes down to burying your chances," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who picked up his first goal of the series in Game 4.


Something the Penguins did more than anybody during the regular season when it led the NHL in scoring. Pittsburgh is averaging 3.0 goals per game in the playoffs, the same as the Predators. It's not a coincidence they're the last two teams standing, both two wins away from a championship.


What the Penguins are saying now sounds an awful lot like what the Predators were saying after coming up empty in Pittsburgh to start the final. Nashville was every bit the defending champ's equal in the opening two games only to be undone by a pair of dominant bursts by the Penguins. The Predators weren't shaken then, much like the Penguins aren't shaken now.


"I know it's a nasty hole to be in," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said Tuesday. "But we really liked the way we played in Game 1. We thought we played a real competitive game in Game 2. Could have had results in both those games."


While Pittsburgh center Matt Cullen said there are no moral victories during the postseason, the way the Penguins were able to generate odd-man rushes and stretch the ice were encouraging. They got the puck everywhere it needed to go, just not in the net. Though that style also generated opportunities for the Predators at the other end, don't expect Pittsburgh to try and rein it in. That's now how they got to the cusp off back-to-back titles.


"If anything we just need to press a little more," Cullen said.


Well, everything except the panic button. Though Sullivan experimented liberally with his line combinations - something he frequently does when trying to break the Penguins out of a funk - there appear to be no plans to make a change in net.


Asked twice Tuesday if he planned on reevaluating his goaltending situation after Matt Murray allowed eight goals in Nashville, Sullivan stressed "we haven't lost games because of our goaltending."


The issues have been at the other end of the ice, where Rinne suddenly has his groove back. For now anyway. If the first four games of an unpredictable series have dictated anything, it's that momentum is just one shot away.


"We found a different level (in Game 4)," Crosby said. "If we continue to get those chances, they'll go in for us."

 

[CNOTES]

Thursday’s six-pack


— Bob Stoops resigned after 18 years as Oklahoma’s football coach; 33-year old Lincoln Riley will be the Sooners’ coach this fall.


— Jake Lamb was the first big leaguer to 50 RBI this season.


— Masahiro Tanaka’s last five starts: 0-5, 10.72. Have to wonder if he is hurt.


— Dallas Keuchel (illness) was scratched from start with the Astros last night.


— Orioles 9, Pirates 6 (11)— Trey Mancini didn’t play until the 9th inning, but he knocked in five runs with two homers in two at-bats and Baltimore got a walk-off win here.


— Found re-runs of Green Acres on late night TV this week— tremendous!!!


Golden State 118, Cleveland 113– Warriors outscored Cleveland 11-0 over the last 3:10 of the game.


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


Thursday’s List of 13: Some early college football knowledge…….


I went grocery shopping the other day; first thing I bought was a college football magazine. Here are some of the things I learned from that magazine……


13) There were 21 head coaching changes this offseason, including Texas-Oregon-Baylor.


12) Michigan State went from +14 in turnovers in 2015 to -5 last year, and the Spartans slipped to 3-9; the bounce of the ball can be fickle.


11) Michigan has a +9.1 yard advantage in field position, best in the country; they forced 3/outs on 34% of opponents’ drives last year.


10) Kansas has lost 41 straight road games; their last win on foreign soil was at Texas-El Paso in 2009. At least they’re not paying Charlie Weis anymore.


9) LSU scored an average of 37.9 pts/game in its eight wins, 9.3 in its four losses. Still think that firing Les Miles was a bad move for them.


8) Louisville averaged 7.2 yards per play last year, but has only four starters back on offense. Luckily for them, one of the four is QB Lamar Jackson. Oklahoma (7.5) was the only team in the country to average more yards per play.


7) Arkansas allowed 7.9 yards per play in SEC games, the worst of any team in the country in their conference games.


6) Difference between college football and college basketball; Athlon has 27 guys on its 1st team All-American football team (offense/defense/specialists)— three sophomores, 12 juniors, 12 seniors.


In basketball, the top two teams of consensus All-Americans: two freshmen, two sophomore, four juniors, only two seniors.


5) Average yards per play in college football last year was 5.8. Last time Wake Forest averaged more than 5.2 yards per play was 2009.


4) Tulsa ran the ball for 10+ yards on 103 plays LY, compared to 60 the year before, a big part of why scored 5.3 pts/game more than in 2015 ad increased their win total from six to 10.


3) West Virginia has only three starters back on defense; 59% of their tackles last year were by seniors. Mountaineers going to have to score a lot more points to compete this season.


2) By way of comparison, freshmen/sophomores made 52% of Oregon’s tackles, part of why they forced only 12 turnovers, but they should improve this season with those players returning and hopefully improving under a new coaching staff.


1) Washington Huskies covered their games last year by an average of 8.9 points per game, best in the country. Arizona failed to cover its games by an average of 10 points per game.