Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack
-- NFL awarded Super Bowls to Atlanta-Miami-LA; two of those three cities are getting new stadiums, which is not a coincidence.
-- Nationals 7, Mets 4-- Matt Harvey wouldn't asnwer questions after game. Uh-oh.
-- Bengals' TE Tyler Eifert hurt his ankle in the Pro Bowl, had it operated on this week, may miss Cincinnati's season opener. What took so long?
-- BYU's football team has a tough September: Arizona, @ Utah, then UCLA, West Virginia at home. They also visit Michigan State, Boise State, Cincinnati later on.
-- 28 college football teams changed head coaches this year, 22% of all I-A teams.
-- Oklahoma City 118, Golden State 94-- Thunder go up 3-1; defending champs are in real trouble- they gave up 70+ points in first half of this game.
**********
Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings.......
13) Under Armour, UCLA signed a 15-year, $280M apparel/shoe deal this week, which will make entitled athletes in football/basketball complain that they're not going to get a piece of that pie. They are getting a free college education, so there's that.
12) In a probably-related development, Pac-12 football teams will play fewer 10:30 kickoff games, in part so Under Armour brand can get more eastern exposure on TV.
11) Monday night in Miami, Logan Morrison took a marginal pitch for a strike and before the TV people could mute their field mikes, Morrison unleashed a string of obscenities against plate umpire Lance Barksdale. Good stuff.
10) Former NBA vet Kerry Kittles signed on as an assistant coach at Princeton.
9) ACC-Big 14 basketball challenge is a mere six months away; Michigan State-Duke is the premere matchup. UNC-Indiana, Ohio State-Virginia, Purdue-Louisville are some of the other featured games.
8) Devin Watson, who scored 20.3 ppg as a soph at San Francisco LY, transferred to San Diego State, where he will sit out this year, then play two more years. More good news for Steve Fisher; Malik Pope dropped out of the NBA Draft, will go back to school for another year. Decisions like that will mean a lot next winter.
7) Delaware Blue Hens finally hired a basketball coach, Notre Dame assistant coach Martin Inglesby, who has ties to the Philadelphia area. Plus Mike Brey used to be the Delaware coach, so that helps. Delaware has very few players; hiring a coach on May 24 is not the ideal way to run an athletic program.
6) Looking thru all-time college records today, noticed that Rams' QB Case Keenum holds I-A records for most career passing yards (19,217) and pssing TDs (217). it didn't prevent the Rams from spending a king's ransom on acquiring Jared Goff to take Keenum's job, but those records are still impressive.
5) Are there any phone booths left in this country? Was watching a movie the other night and someone ran to a phone booth to make a call, which automatically makes it a fairly old movie, I guess.
4) Was doing NFL research today; Carolina beat the Buccaneers twice LY, 37-23 and 38-10. Panthers scored nine TDs in the two games: two by the defense, with five of the seven TDs scored by the offense coming on drives of less than 50 yards.
3) NHL's Florida Panthers had 103 points this year, most they've ever had in their 23-year history, but they just fired their scouting dorector who had been with the team for 14 years, thru seven head coaches and five GMs. There is a battle there between the analytics people and the old school people, and analytics people are winning.
2) Long time ago, November 1993, I'm an assistant high school basketball coach, in my first year at this school, whose program was a mess. Our head coach is a great guy but he was in over his head at this job. After the second game of the year (we had won the first game), there were some attitude problems in the group.
Coach said something after that game that I've never forgotten: "So we lose a game and the rats start jumping off the ship", one of the all-time best quotes I've heard.
That is where the Warriors are now; their bandwagon is emptying quickly; nitwit media people have declared this series over, even though nine NBA teams have rallied from 3-1 deficits to win their series. Steve Kerr will probably rally his troops with an "us against the world" speech, since no one thinks Golden State can rally now.
We'll see.
1) White Sox TV voice Jason Benetti has an inspirational story; he was born with cerebral palsy, but never let that stop him. He went to college at Syracuse, then got his law degree from Wake Forest. He later joined ESPN and now has a job broadcasting ball in the major leagues, and he is very good at it. Good for him.
-- NFL awarded Super Bowls to Atlanta-Miami-LA; two of those three cities are getting new stadiums, which is not a coincidence.
-- Nationals 7, Mets 4-- Matt Harvey wouldn't asnwer questions after game. Uh-oh.
-- Bengals' TE Tyler Eifert hurt his ankle in the Pro Bowl, had it operated on this week, may miss Cincinnati's season opener. What took so long?
-- BYU's football team has a tough September: Arizona, @ Utah, then UCLA, West Virginia at home. They also visit Michigan State, Boise State, Cincinnati later on.
-- 28 college football teams changed head coaches this year, 22% of all I-A teams.
-- Oklahoma City 118, Golden State 94-- Thunder go up 3-1; defending champs are in real trouble- they gave up 70+ points in first half of this game.
**********
Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings.......
13) Under Armour, UCLA signed a 15-year, $280M apparel/shoe deal this week, which will make entitled athletes in football/basketball complain that they're not going to get a piece of that pie. They are getting a free college education, so there's that.
12) In a probably-related development, Pac-12 football teams will play fewer 10:30 kickoff games, in part so Under Armour brand can get more eastern exposure on TV.
11) Monday night in Miami, Logan Morrison took a marginal pitch for a strike and before the TV people could mute their field mikes, Morrison unleashed a string of obscenities against plate umpire Lance Barksdale. Good stuff.
10) Former NBA vet Kerry Kittles signed on as an assistant coach at Princeton.
9) ACC-Big 14 basketball challenge is a mere six months away; Michigan State-Duke is the premere matchup. UNC-Indiana, Ohio State-Virginia, Purdue-Louisville are some of the other featured games.
8) Devin Watson, who scored 20.3 ppg as a soph at San Francisco LY, transferred to San Diego State, where he will sit out this year, then play two more years. More good news for Steve Fisher; Malik Pope dropped out of the NBA Draft, will go back to school for another year. Decisions like that will mean a lot next winter.
7) Delaware Blue Hens finally hired a basketball coach, Notre Dame assistant coach Martin Inglesby, who has ties to the Philadelphia area. Plus Mike Brey used to be the Delaware coach, so that helps. Delaware has very few players; hiring a coach on May 24 is not the ideal way to run an athletic program.
6) Looking thru all-time college records today, noticed that Rams' QB Case Keenum holds I-A records for most career passing yards (19,217) and pssing TDs (217). it didn't prevent the Rams from spending a king's ransom on acquiring Jared Goff to take Keenum's job, but those records are still impressive.
5) Are there any phone booths left in this country? Was watching a movie the other night and someone ran to a phone booth to make a call, which automatically makes it a fairly old movie, I guess.
4) Was doing NFL research today; Carolina beat the Buccaneers twice LY, 37-23 and 38-10. Panthers scored nine TDs in the two games: two by the defense, with five of the seven TDs scored by the offense coming on drives of less than 50 yards.
3) NHL's Florida Panthers had 103 points this year, most they've ever had in their 23-year history, but they just fired their scouting dorector who had been with the team for 14 years, thru seven head coaches and five GMs. There is a battle there between the analytics people and the old school people, and analytics people are winning.
2) Long time ago, November 1993, I'm an assistant high school basketball coach, in my first year at this school, whose program was a mess. Our head coach is a great guy but he was in over his head at this job. After the second game of the year (we had won the first game), there were some attitude problems in the group.
Coach said something after that game that I've never forgotten: "So we lose a game and the rats start jumping off the ship", one of the all-time best quotes I've heard.
That is where the Warriors are now; their bandwagon is emptying quickly; nitwit media people have declared this series over, even though nine NBA teams have rallied from 3-1 deficits to win their series. Steve Kerr will probably rally his troops with an "us against the world" speech, since no one thinks Golden State can rally now.
We'll see.
1) White Sox TV voice Jason Benetti has an inspirational story; he was born with cerebral palsy, but never let that stop him. He went to college at Syracuse, then got his law degree from Wake Forest. He later joined ESPN and now has a job broadcasting ball in the major leagues, and he is very good at it. Good for him.
NHL
Wednesday, May 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday's NHL Conference Finals betting preview: Blues at Sharks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hitchcock made a bold move prior to Game 4 and replaced Brian Elliott with Jake Allen - and he's hoping for a similar result in Wednesday's Game 6 by turning back to Elliott.
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (A: +140, H: -160, O/U: 5)
Sharks lead series 3-2
The San Jose Sharks are one win away from the first trip to the Stanley Cup final in franchise history and can punch their ticket with a victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues in Wednesday's Game 6. The Sharks pushed the Blues to the brink of elimination with a 6-3 win in St. Louis on Monday to seize a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
San Jose relied on a familiar formula to edge closer to advancing beyond the Western Conference final for the first time in four attempts -- a staunch power play and its No. 1 line anchored by captain Joe Pavelski. "You don't get this chance every day on home ice," Sharks forward Chris Tierney said of the possibility of wrapping up the series at the SAP Center. "Sometimes you might not get this chance in your career, or maybe once. I think guys know that and they really want to take advantage of it." The Blues fell to 4-6 at home with Monday's loss, but they won Games 5 and 7 in Dallas in the second round and had their best performance of their series with a 6-3 victory in Game 4 at San Jose. "The realization is we win or we go home," St. Louis captain David Backes said. "That's how much onus we need to put on playing our best game of the series."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Blues - Brian Elliott (W/L: 9-8, GAA: 2.34, SAVE %: .928)
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 11-6, GAA: 2.13, SAVE %: .918)
ABOUT THE BLUES (59-31-11, 40-45 O/U): Coach Ken Hitchcock made a bold move prior to Game 4 and replaced goaltender Brian Elliott with Jake Allen - and he's hoping for a similar result in Wednesday's win-or-go-home Game 6 by turning back to Elliott, who was pulled in Game 3 after starting the first 17 games of the postseason. "We got the jolt we needed from Jake," Hitchcock said in explaining why he's going back to Elliott. "These are Brian's playoffs. We'd like to see him finish the job." What St. Louis really needs is some production from leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, who has failed to register a point in the series and has one goal -- an empty-netter -- in the last eight contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (57-33-9, 50-38 O/U): Pavelski is showing why he wears the "C" for San Jose, not only scoring a playoff-leading 12 goals but making them count -- he tied Game 5 by scoring late in the second period before putting the Sharks ahead to stay 16 seconds into the third with a highlight-reel deflection. "You think back to some of the best scorers ever," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "His ability to get his stick on pucks in the offensive zone, in front of the net, different angles, is as good as anybody I've ever seen. But it's a great lesson. He works at it every day." Joe Thornton set up three goals Monday to tie teammate Logan Couture with a playoff-best 14 assists.
TRENDS:
* Blues are 4-0 in their last 4 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Sharks are 6-1 in their last 7 home games.
* Over is 16-3-7 in Blues last 26 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 4-0-1 in Sharks last 5 Wednesday games.
* Blues are 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in San Jose.
CONSENSUS: The home team San Jose Sharks are getting 61 percent of the public wagers for Wednesday's Game 6. The Consensus picks on the total are favoring the Over at a rate of 65 percent.
Wednesday, May 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday's NHL Conference Finals betting preview: Blues at Sharks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hitchcock made a bold move prior to Game 4 and replaced Brian Elliott with Jake Allen - and he's hoping for a similar result in Wednesday's Game 6 by turning back to Elliott.
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (A: +140, H: -160, O/U: 5)
Sharks lead series 3-2
The San Jose Sharks are one win away from the first trip to the Stanley Cup final in franchise history and can punch their ticket with a victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues in Wednesday's Game 6. The Sharks pushed the Blues to the brink of elimination with a 6-3 win in St. Louis on Monday to seize a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
San Jose relied on a familiar formula to edge closer to advancing beyond the Western Conference final for the first time in four attempts -- a staunch power play and its No. 1 line anchored by captain Joe Pavelski. "You don't get this chance every day on home ice," Sharks forward Chris Tierney said of the possibility of wrapping up the series at the SAP Center. "Sometimes you might not get this chance in your career, or maybe once. I think guys know that and they really want to take advantage of it." The Blues fell to 4-6 at home with Monday's loss, but they won Games 5 and 7 in Dallas in the second round and had their best performance of their series with a 6-3 victory in Game 4 at San Jose. "The realization is we win or we go home," St. Louis captain David Backes said. "That's how much onus we need to put on playing our best game of the series."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Blues - Brian Elliott (W/L: 9-8, GAA: 2.34, SAVE %: .928)
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 11-6, GAA: 2.13, SAVE %: .918)
ABOUT THE BLUES (59-31-11, 40-45 O/U): Coach Ken Hitchcock made a bold move prior to Game 4 and replaced goaltender Brian Elliott with Jake Allen - and he's hoping for a similar result in Wednesday's win-or-go-home Game 6 by turning back to Elliott, who was pulled in Game 3 after starting the first 17 games of the postseason. "We got the jolt we needed from Jake," Hitchcock said in explaining why he's going back to Elliott. "These are Brian's playoffs. We'd like to see him finish the job." What St. Louis really needs is some production from leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, who has failed to register a point in the series and has one goal -- an empty-netter -- in the last eight contests.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (57-33-9, 50-38 O/U): Pavelski is showing why he wears the "C" for San Jose, not only scoring a playoff-leading 12 goals but making them count -- he tied Game 5 by scoring late in the second period before putting the Sharks ahead to stay 16 seconds into the third with a highlight-reel deflection. "You think back to some of the best scorers ever," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "His ability to get his stick on pucks in the offensive zone, in front of the net, different angles, is as good as anybody I've ever seen. But it's a great lesson. He works at it every day." Joe Thornton set up three goals Monday to tie teammate Logan Couture with a playoff-best 14 assists.
TRENDS:
* Blues are 4-0 in their last 4 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Sharks are 6-1 in their last 7 home games.
* Over is 16-3-7 in Blues last 26 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 4-0-1 in Sharks last 5 Wednesday games.
* Blues are 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in San Jose.
CONSENSUS: The home team San Jose Sharks are getting 61 percent of the public wagers for Wednesday's Game 6. The Consensus picks on the total are favoring the Over at a rate of 65 percent.
NHL
Dunkel
Wednesday, May 25
St. Louis @ San Jose
Game 23-24
May 25, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
13.174
San Jose
12.160
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+140); Under
NHL
Short Sheet
Wednesday, May 25
St Louis at San Jose, 9:05 PM ET
St Louis: 31-19 SU in road games
San Jose: 9-12 SU in home games after a win by 2 goals or more
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Wednesday, May 25
San Jose-St Louis (SJ 3-2)
Road team won seven of last ten St Louis-San Jose games- under is 3-2 in this series, but last couple of games went over. San Jose won three of last four games here, St Louis won three of last four road tilts. San Jose is 4-18 on power play in series, Blues are 3-15. St Louis is 6-3 on road so far in playoffs- they gave up three goals on only nine shots in third period of Game 5, after Sharks tied game with 1:27 left in second period. St Louis lost four of last five games when they scored less than four goals. San Jose held five of last six opponents under four goals.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 4-7, Over 6-4-1
NHL
Wednesday, May 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. SAN JOSE
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
NHL
Long Sheet
Wednesday, May 25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST LOUIS (59-32-0-10, 128 pts.) at SAN JOSE (57-34-0-8, 122 pts.) - 5/25/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 26-12 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 21-6 ATS (+14.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 59-42 ATS (+5.4 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 29-16 ATS (+12.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 21-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-24 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-15 ATS (+6.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 13-17 ATS (-10.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 28-29 ATS (-23.3 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-12 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-5 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 9-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.0 Units)
Dunkel
Wednesday, May 25
St. Louis @ San Jose
Game 23-24
May 25, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
13.174
San Jose
12.160
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+140); Under
NHL
Short Sheet
Wednesday, May 25
St Louis at San Jose, 9:05 PM ET
St Louis: 31-19 SU in road games
San Jose: 9-12 SU in home games after a win by 2 goals or more
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Wednesday, May 25
San Jose-St Louis (SJ 3-2)
Road team won seven of last ten St Louis-San Jose games- under is 3-2 in this series, but last couple of games went over. San Jose won three of last four games here, St Louis won three of last four road tilts. San Jose is 4-18 on power play in series, Blues are 3-15. St Louis is 6-3 on road so far in playoffs- they gave up three goals on only nine shots in third period of Game 5, after Sharks tied game with 1:27 left in second period. St Louis lost four of last five games when they scored less than four goals. San Jose held five of last six opponents under four goals.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 4-7, Over 6-4-1
NHL
Wednesday, May 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. SAN JOSE
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
NHL
Long Sheet
Wednesday, May 25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST LOUIS (59-32-0-10, 128 pts.) at SAN JOSE (57-34-0-8, 122 pts.) - 5/25/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 26-12 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 21-6 ATS (+14.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 59-42 ATS (+5.4 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 29-16 ATS (+12.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 21-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 34-24 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-15 ATS (+6.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 13-17 ATS (-10.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 28-29 ATS (-23.3 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-12 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-5 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 9-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.0 Units)
Preview: Blues (49-24) at Sharks (46-30)
Date: May 25, 2016 9:00 PM EDT
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Patrick Marleau has played more than 1,500 games with the San Jose Sharks since joining the NHL as an 18-year-old draft pick but never one quite like the next one.
All those past playoff disappointments that have seemed to define the career of players like Marleau and Joe Thornton could be put to the side temporarily with one more San Jose win.
For the first time in 25 seasons as an NHL franchise, the Sharks are just one win away from making the Stanley Cup final. San Jose takes a 3-2 lead over St. Louis in the Western Conference final into Game 6 on Wednesday night in what should be a frenzied Shark Tank.
'It's nice,' Marleau said Tuesday. 'It's not our final goal but it's as far as we've been so it's good that way. There's still a lot to go.'
For more than a decade, the Sharks have been known as much for their postseason failures as their regular-season success. San Jose has the second-most wins and has played in the second-most playoff series since the start of the 2003-04 season but has fallen short every spring.
The Sharks won just three total games in their first three trips to the conference final, lost an opening series as the top seed in 2009 and most memorably became the fourth NHL team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games against Los Angeles in 2014.
The Sharks then hit what they called rock bottom last year when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003 but rebounded this season under first-year coach Peter DeBoer and a core anchored by players like Thornton, Marleau, captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic that have spent years trying to bring a title to San Jose.
'It would be huge,' Marleau said. 'It's something I've always wanted to do here for the fans and the Bay Area. They have been supporting us over the years and they deserve it.'
After winning Game 5 in St. Louis 6-3 on Monday night, they returned home to the excitement of a possible clincher. While the Blues are making another goalie switch, putting Brian Elliott back in net after going with Jake Allen the past two games, and figuring out how to get top goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko back on his game after being shut down for five games, the focus for the Sharks is simpler.
They just want to stick to their game and not let thoughts of the prize ahead distract them.
'You just try to stay in the moment and not think too much about it,' Marleau said. 'Just control what you can control. That's the biggest thing and knowing that you're in it with 20 other guys trying to do the same thing. That gives you a little extra boost.'
The Blues hope the move back to Elliott gives them a boost. Elliott started the first 17 games of the playoffs before coach Ken Hitchcock went to Allen in Game 4 in San Jose.
St. Louis won that game 6-3 to tie the series at two games apiece but Allen gave up four goals on 25 shots Monday night. That led to Hitchcock changing again to Elliott, who stopped 62 of 65 shots in St. Louis' Game 7 wins over Chicago and Dallas earlier in the playoffs.
'We needed a jolt to get back in the series and we got it,' Hitchcock said. 'Unfortunately we didn't get the win yesterday, but this has been Brian's playoffs and we'd like him to finish the job.'
More importantly, the Blues would like to get Tarasenko going. He scored 40 goals in the regular season and had 13 points in 14 games the first two rounds but has been completely shut down by Vlasic and San Jose's defense in the conference final.
Tarasenko has a -4 rating for the series and has managed only four shots on goal the past three games.
'What happens with goal-scorers when they get frustrated is they look to hit home runs,' Hitchcock said. 'We need him just to act like a worker. I know that's a funny thing to say, but he's looking for the home run.'
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Sharks at Blues
Sun, May 15 Final 1 to 2
Recaps
GAME 2
Sharks at Blues
Tue, May 17 Final 4 to 0
Recaps
GAME 3
Blues at Sharks
Thu, May 19 Final 0 to 3
Recaps
GAME 4
Blues at Sharks
Sat, May 21 Final 6 to 3
Recaps
GAME 5
Sharks at Blues
Mon, May 23 Final 6 to 3
Recaps
GAME 6
Blues at Sharks
Wed, May 25 - 9:00PM EDT
GAME 7
Sharks at Blues
Fri, May 27 - 8:00PM EDT
Date: May 25, 2016 9:00 PM EDT
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Patrick Marleau has played more than 1,500 games with the San Jose Sharks since joining the NHL as an 18-year-old draft pick but never one quite like the next one.
All those past playoff disappointments that have seemed to define the career of players like Marleau and Joe Thornton could be put to the side temporarily with one more San Jose win.
For the first time in 25 seasons as an NHL franchise, the Sharks are just one win away from making the Stanley Cup final. San Jose takes a 3-2 lead over St. Louis in the Western Conference final into Game 6 on Wednesday night in what should be a frenzied Shark Tank.
'It's nice,' Marleau said Tuesday. 'It's not our final goal but it's as far as we've been so it's good that way. There's still a lot to go.'
For more than a decade, the Sharks have been known as much for their postseason failures as their regular-season success. San Jose has the second-most wins and has played in the second-most playoff series since the start of the 2003-04 season but has fallen short every spring.
The Sharks won just three total games in their first three trips to the conference final, lost an opening series as the top seed in 2009 and most memorably became the fourth NHL team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games against Los Angeles in 2014.
The Sharks then hit what they called rock bottom last year when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003 but rebounded this season under first-year coach Peter DeBoer and a core anchored by players like Thornton, Marleau, captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic that have spent years trying to bring a title to San Jose.
'It would be huge,' Marleau said. 'It's something I've always wanted to do here for the fans and the Bay Area. They have been supporting us over the years and they deserve it.'
After winning Game 5 in St. Louis 6-3 on Monday night, they returned home to the excitement of a possible clincher. While the Blues are making another goalie switch, putting Brian Elliott back in net after going with Jake Allen the past two games, and figuring out how to get top goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko back on his game after being shut down for five games, the focus for the Sharks is simpler.
They just want to stick to their game and not let thoughts of the prize ahead distract them.
'You just try to stay in the moment and not think too much about it,' Marleau said. 'Just control what you can control. That's the biggest thing and knowing that you're in it with 20 other guys trying to do the same thing. That gives you a little extra boost.'
The Blues hope the move back to Elliott gives them a boost. Elliott started the first 17 games of the playoffs before coach Ken Hitchcock went to Allen in Game 4 in San Jose.
St. Louis won that game 6-3 to tie the series at two games apiece but Allen gave up four goals on 25 shots Monday night. That led to Hitchcock changing again to Elliott, who stopped 62 of 65 shots in St. Louis' Game 7 wins over Chicago and Dallas earlier in the playoffs.
'We needed a jolt to get back in the series and we got it,' Hitchcock said. 'Unfortunately we didn't get the win yesterday, but this has been Brian's playoffs and we'd like him to finish the job.'
More importantly, the Blues would like to get Tarasenko going. He scored 40 goals in the regular season and had 13 points in 14 games the first two rounds but has been completely shut down by Vlasic and San Jose's defense in the conference final.
Tarasenko has a -4 rating for the series and has managed only four shots on goal the past three games.
'What happens with goal-scorers when they get frustrated is they look to hit home runs,' Hitchcock said. 'We need him just to act like a worker. I know that's a funny thing to say, but he's looking for the home run.'
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Sharks at Blues
Sun, May 15 Final 1 to 2
Recaps
GAME 2
Sharks at Blues
Tue, May 17 Final 4 to 0
Recaps
GAME 3
Blues at Sharks
Thu, May 19 Final 0 to 3
Recaps
GAME 4
Blues at Sharks
Sat, May 21 Final 6 to 3
Recaps
GAME 5
Sharks at Blues
Mon, May 23 Final 6 to 3
Recaps
GAME 6
Blues at Sharks
Wed, May 25 - 9:00PM EDT
GAME 7
Sharks at Blues
Fri, May 27 - 8:00PM EDT
Sharks one win from first Cup final
May 24, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Patrick Marleau has played more than 1,500 games with the San Jose Sharks since joining the NHL as an 18-year-old draft pick but never one quite like the next one.
All those past playoff disappointments that have seemed to define the career of players like Marleau and Joe Thornton could be put to the side temporarily with one more San Jose win.
For the first time in 25 seasons as an NHL franchise, the Sharks are just one win away from making the Stanley Cup final. San Jose takes a 3-2 lead over St. Louis in the Western Conference final into Game 6 on Wednesday night in what should be a frenzied Shark Tank.
''It's nice,'' Marleau said Tuesday. ''It's not our final goal but it's as far as we've been so it's good that way. There's still a lot to go.''
For more than a decade, the Sharks have been known as much for their postseason failures as their regular-season success. San Jose has the second-most wins and has played in the second-most playoff series since the start of the 2003-04 season but has fallen short every spring.
The Sharks won just three total games in their first three trips to the conference final, lost an opening series as the top seed in 2009 and most memorably became the fourth NHL team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games against Los Angeles in 2014.
The Sharks then hit what they called rock bottom last year when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003 but rebounded this season under first-year coach Peter DeBoer and a core anchored by players like Thornton, Marleau, captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic that have spent years trying to bring a title to San Jose.
''It would be huge,'' Marleau said. ''It's something I've always wanted to do here for the fans and the Bay Area. They have been supporting us over the years and they deserve it.''
After winning Game 5 in St. Louis 6-3 on Monday night, they returned home to the excitement of a possible clincher. While the Blues are making another goalie switch, putting Brian Elliott back in net after going with Jake Allen the past two games, and figuring out how to get top goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko back on his game after being shut down for five games, the focus for the Sharks is simpler.
They just want to stick to their game and not let thoughts of the prize ahead distract them.
''You just try to stay in the moment and not think too much about it,'' Marleau said. ''Just control what you can control. That's the biggest thing and knowing that you're in it with 20 other guys trying to do the same thing. That gives you a little extra boost.''
The Blues hope the move back to Elliott gives them a boost. Elliott started the first 17 games of the playoffs before coach Ken Hitchcock went to Allen in Game 4 in San Jose.
St. Louis won that game 6-3 to tie the series at two games apiece but Allen gave up four goals on 25 shots Monday night. That led to Hitchcock changing again to Elliott, who stopped 62 of 65 shots in St. Louis' Game 7 wins over Chicago and Dallas earlier in the playoffs.
''We needed a jolt to get back in the series and we got it,'' Hitchcock said. ''Unfortunately we didn't get the win yesterday, but this has been Brian's playoffs and we'd like him to finish the job.''
More importantly, the Blues would like to get Tarasenko going. He scored 40 goals in the regular season and had 13 points in 14 games the first two rounds but has been completely shut down by Vlasic and San Jose's defense in the conference final.
Tarasenko has a -4 rating for the series and has managed only four shots on goal the past three games.
''What happens with goal-scorers when they get frustrated is they look to hit home runs,'' Hitchcock said. ''We need him just to act like a worker. I know that's a funny thing to say, but he's looking for the home run.''
May 24, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Patrick Marleau has played more than 1,500 games with the San Jose Sharks since joining the NHL as an 18-year-old draft pick but never one quite like the next one.
All those past playoff disappointments that have seemed to define the career of players like Marleau and Joe Thornton could be put to the side temporarily with one more San Jose win.
For the first time in 25 seasons as an NHL franchise, the Sharks are just one win away from making the Stanley Cup final. San Jose takes a 3-2 lead over St. Louis in the Western Conference final into Game 6 on Wednesday night in what should be a frenzied Shark Tank.
''It's nice,'' Marleau said Tuesday. ''It's not our final goal but it's as far as we've been so it's good that way. There's still a lot to go.''
For more than a decade, the Sharks have been known as much for their postseason failures as their regular-season success. San Jose has the second-most wins and has played in the second-most playoff series since the start of the 2003-04 season but has fallen short every spring.
The Sharks won just three total games in their first three trips to the conference final, lost an opening series as the top seed in 2009 and most memorably became the fourth NHL team ever to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games against Los Angeles in 2014.
The Sharks then hit what they called rock bottom last year when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003 but rebounded this season under first-year coach Peter DeBoer and a core anchored by players like Thornton, Marleau, captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic that have spent years trying to bring a title to San Jose.
''It would be huge,'' Marleau said. ''It's something I've always wanted to do here for the fans and the Bay Area. They have been supporting us over the years and they deserve it.''
After winning Game 5 in St. Louis 6-3 on Monday night, they returned home to the excitement of a possible clincher. While the Blues are making another goalie switch, putting Brian Elliott back in net after going with Jake Allen the past two games, and figuring out how to get top goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko back on his game after being shut down for five games, the focus for the Sharks is simpler.
They just want to stick to their game and not let thoughts of the prize ahead distract them.
''You just try to stay in the moment and not think too much about it,'' Marleau said. ''Just control what you can control. That's the biggest thing and knowing that you're in it with 20 other guys trying to do the same thing. That gives you a little extra boost.''
The Blues hope the move back to Elliott gives them a boost. Elliott started the first 17 games of the playoffs before coach Ken Hitchcock went to Allen in Game 4 in San Jose.
St. Louis won that game 6-3 to tie the series at two games apiece but Allen gave up four goals on 25 shots Monday night. That led to Hitchcock changing again to Elliott, who stopped 62 of 65 shots in St. Louis' Game 7 wins over Chicago and Dallas earlier in the playoffs.
''We needed a jolt to get back in the series and we got it,'' Hitchcock said. ''Unfortunately we didn't get the win yesterday, but this has been Brian's playoffs and we'd like him to finish the job.''
More importantly, the Blues would like to get Tarasenko going. He scored 40 goals in the regular season and had 13 points in 14 games the first two rounds but has been completely shut down by Vlasic and San Jose's defense in the conference final.
Tarasenko has a -4 rating for the series and has managed only four shots on goal the past three games.
''What happens with goal-scorers when they get frustrated is they look to hit home runs,'' Hitchcock said. ''We need him just to act like a worker. I know that's a funny thing to say, but he's looking for the home run.''
Blues go back to G Elliott for Game 6
May 24, 2016
ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues are going back to goaltender Brian Elliott for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Jake Allen has started the last two games and made 21 saves in a 6-3 Game 5 loss that included two empty-net goals.
The Sharks have a 3-2 series lead and are seeking their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The Blues are in the conference finals for the first time since 2001.
Elliott started every game of the playoffs before Hitchcock switched to Allen for Game 4. The two split duties during the season.
May 24, 2016
ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues are going back to goaltender Brian Elliott for Game 6 of the Western Conference finals against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Jake Allen has started the last two games and made 21 saves in a 6-3 Game 5 loss that included two empty-net goals.
The Sharks have a 3-2 series lead and are seeking their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The Blues are in the conference finals for the first time since 2001.
Elliott started every game of the playoffs before Hitchcock switched to Allen for Game 4. The two split duties during the season.
NHL MONEYLINE
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)
--------------
NHL PUCKLINE
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)
-----------------
5/24 - YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 1 - 0 + 1.00
OVERALL : + 12.55 ( 6 STRAIGHT WINS )
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
STL at SJ 09:00 PM
SJ -138
O 5.0
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)
--------------
NHL PUCKLINE
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 13 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+10.65 units)
NHL > (23) ST LOUIS@ (24) SAN JOSE | 2016-05-25 21:05:00 - 2016-05-25 21:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 21 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+14.25 units)
-----------------
5/24 - YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 1 - 0 + 1.00
OVERALL : + 12.55 ( 6 STRAIGHT WINS )
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS
STL at SJ 09:00 PM
SJ -138
O 5.0
NHL
Dunkel
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh
Game 25-26
May 26, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
13.527
Pittsburgh
12.404
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-200
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+170); Over
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh (3-3)
Lightning won four of last five road games; four of those five went overtime. Home teams are 96-69 all-time in NHL Game 7's, 2-2 this year. Under is 7-2 in last nine Game 7's. Road teams are 4-2 in this series. Lightning won seven of last 11 games with Penguins, winning three of its last four visits here, but lost home game Tuesday to clinch series. Over is 11-1-1 in last 13 series games. Pittsburgh is 4-4 in its last 11 games, losing two of last three at home.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 5-7, Over 7-4-1
NHL
Thursday, May 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
Tampa Bay is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Tampa Bay's last 21 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Pittsburgh's last 21 games when playing Tampa Bay
NHL
Long Sheet
Thursday, May 26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY (57-35-0-6, 120 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (59-30-0-10, 128 pts.) - 5/26/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 59-40 ATS (+14.1 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 41-21 ATS (+6.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 39-21 ATS (+10.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 34-14 ATS (+14.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 31-13 ATS (+14.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 203-212 ATS (+452.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 30-33 ATS (-18.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 7-8 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-7-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
12 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+10.1 Units)
NHL
Short Sheet
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 8:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 10-0 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more
Pittsburgh: 27-35 SU after playing a game where 7 or more total goals were scored
Dunkel
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh
Game 25-26
May 26, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
13.527
Pittsburgh
12.404
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-200
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+170); Over
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay-Pittsburgh (3-3)
Lightning won four of last five road games; four of those five went overtime. Home teams are 96-69 all-time in NHL Game 7's, 2-2 this year. Under is 7-2 in last nine Game 7's. Road teams are 4-2 in this series. Lightning won seven of last 11 games with Penguins, winning three of its last four visits here, but lost home game Tuesday to clinch series. Over is 11-1-1 in last 13 series games. Pittsburgh is 4-4 in its last 11 games, losing two of last three at home.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 5-7, Over 7-4-1
NHL
Thursday, May 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
Tampa Bay is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Tampa Bay's last 21 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Pittsburgh's last 21 games when playing Tampa Bay
NHL
Long Sheet
Thursday, May 26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY (57-35-0-6, 120 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (59-30-0-10, 128 pts.) - 5/26/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 59-40 ATS (+14.1 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 41-21 ATS (+6.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 39-21 ATS (+10.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 34-14 ATS (+14.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 31-13 ATS (+14.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 203-212 ATS (+452.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 30-33 ATS (-18.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 7-8 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-7-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
12 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+10.1 Units)
NHL
Short Sheet
Thursday, May 26
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 8:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 10-0 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more
Pittsburgh: 27-35 SU after playing a game where 7 or more total goals were scored
NHL
Thursday, May 26
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Thursday's NHL Conference Finals Game 7 betting preview: Lightning at Penguins
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +170, H: -200, O/U: 5.5)
Series tied 3-3
The Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to take the same route they encountered last year on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for a deciding Game 7 on Thursday. The Lightning lost at home to the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2015 before winning on the road three days later as the franchise improved to 5-1 in Game 7s.
Brian Boyle said Tampa Bay must regroup and fellow forward Ryan Callahan reiterated the team’s confidence while Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters after Tuesday’s 5-2 loss: “They volleyed the ball into our court. Now it’s time for us to smash it back.” Tampa Bay, which is 5-2 on the road in the postseason and 2-1 at Pittsburgh in this series, was credited with 17 giveaways in Game 6 as the Penguins fed off their pressure and received a goal and an assist each from captain Sidney Crosby and Nick Bonino. Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way. “You go through different experiences, and realize how hard it is to get these kinds of opportunities,” Crosby said. “As a group, we’ve been through a lot, and we want to make the most of it.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Lightning - Andrei Vasilevskiy (W/L: 3-3, GAA: 2.88, SAVE %: .913)
Penguins - Matthew Murray (W/L: 10-4, GAA: 2.30, SAVE %: .926)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (57-35-6, 41-11 O/U): Defenseman Victor Hedman, along with forwards Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, had a combined minus-11 rating in Game 6 as three of Tampa Bay’s top players typified an uncharacteristic defensive effort. “We had some breakdowns,” Cooper told reporters. “If we’re going to advance, playing defense is going to have to be our mandate.” Kucherov leads the team with 11 goals and 19 points while the 6-foot-7 Boyle, who scored twice Tuesday to give him a career-high five tallies in the playoffs, is slated to play his 100th postseason game on Thursday.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (59-30-10, 45-36 O/U): Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan went back to Matt Murray in net Tuesday and the rookie rewarded him with 28 saves for his 10th victory of the playoffs. “He has a demeanor back there, a calming effect on the group in front of him,” Sullivan told reporters of Murray, who turned 22 on Wednesday. “I think his performance speaks for itself. He’s been thrown into a tough situation, and he’s handled it extremely well.” Phil Kessel notched his sixth goal in seven games Tuesday and leads the team with 18 points in the postseason – three better than Crosby and Bonino.
TRENDS:
* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 road games.
* Penguins are 10-2 in their last 12 Thursday games.
* Under is 6-0-1 in Lightning last 7 following a home loss of 3 or more goals.
* Over is 6-0 in Penguins last 6 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Over is 21-4-3 in the last 28 meetings.
CONSENSUS: At the time of publication the Penguins are picking up 71 percent of the moneyline wagers for Game 7. When you look at the total picks, Over 5.5 is grabbing 59 percent of the action.
Thursday, May 26
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday's NHL Conference Finals Game 7 betting preview: Lightning at Penguins
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +170, H: -200, O/U: 5.5)
Series tied 3-3
The Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to take the same route they encountered last year on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for a deciding Game 7 on Thursday. The Lightning lost at home to the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2015 before winning on the road three days later as the franchise improved to 5-1 in Game 7s.
Brian Boyle said Tampa Bay must regroup and fellow forward Ryan Callahan reiterated the team’s confidence while Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters after Tuesday’s 5-2 loss: “They volleyed the ball into our court. Now it’s time for us to smash it back.” Tampa Bay, which is 5-2 on the road in the postseason and 2-1 at Pittsburgh in this series, was credited with 17 giveaways in Game 6 as the Penguins fed off their pressure and received a goal and an assist each from captain Sidney Crosby and Nick Bonino. Pittsburgh will try to reach the finals for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, when it won two Game 7s along the way. “You go through different experiences, and realize how hard it is to get these kinds of opportunities,” Crosby said. “As a group, we’ve been through a lot, and we want to make the most of it.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Lightning - Andrei Vasilevskiy (W/L: 3-3, GAA: 2.88, SAVE %: .913)
Penguins - Matthew Murray (W/L: 10-4, GAA: 2.30, SAVE %: .926)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (57-35-6, 41-11 O/U): Defenseman Victor Hedman, along with forwards Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, had a combined minus-11 rating in Game 6 as three of Tampa Bay’s top players typified an uncharacteristic defensive effort. “We had some breakdowns,” Cooper told reporters. “If we’re going to advance, playing defense is going to have to be our mandate.” Kucherov leads the team with 11 goals and 19 points while the 6-foot-7 Boyle, who scored twice Tuesday to give him a career-high five tallies in the playoffs, is slated to play his 100th postseason game on Thursday.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (59-30-10, 45-36 O/U): Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan went back to Matt Murray in net Tuesday and the rookie rewarded him with 28 saves for his 10th victory of the playoffs. “He has a demeanor back there, a calming effect on the group in front of him,” Sullivan told reporters of Murray, who turned 22 on Wednesday. “I think his performance speaks for itself. He’s been thrown into a tough situation, and he’s handled it extremely well.” Phil Kessel notched his sixth goal in seven games Tuesday and leads the team with 18 points in the postseason – three better than Crosby and Bonino.
TRENDS:
* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 road games.
* Penguins are 10-2 in their last 12 Thursday games.
* Under is 6-0-1 in Lightning last 7 following a home loss of 3 or more goals.
* Over is 6-0 in Penguins last 6 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Over is 21-4-3 in the last 28 meetings.
CONSENSUS: At the time of publication the Penguins are picking up 71 percent of the moneyline wagers for Game 7. When you look at the total picks, Over 5.5 is grabbing 59 percent of the action.
Spot in Cup final awaits Pens, Lightning
May 25, 2016
PITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby is in no mood to get caught up in his own personal narrative, the one eager to attach whatever happens to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday against Tampa Bay to the superstar's legacy.
Forget that Crosby has the game-winning goal in each of Pittsburgh's victories in its entertaining back-and-forth with the resilient Lightning. Forget that he hasn't been on the winning side of a post-series handshake line this deep into the playoffs since his glorious night in Detroit seven years ago, which ended with him hoisting the Penguins' third Stanley Cup.
Yes, he's playing well. Yes, his dazzling, imminently GIF-able sprint through the Tampa Bay zone late in the second period of Game 6 added another signature moment to a career full of them. Yet lifting Pittsburgh back to the Cup final for the first time since 2009 does not rely solely on him so much as the collective effort of all 20 guys in his team's retro black and Vegas gold uniforms.
Depth has carried the Penguins this far. Crosby insists Game 7 will be about the team, not him.
''You give yourself the best chance of winning by keeping it simple and not putting too much emphasis on kind of the story line around it,'' Crosby said.
Even if it's easy to get lost in those story lines. The Lightning are on the verge of a second straight berth in the final despite playing the entire postseason without captain Steven Stamkos and losing Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in the first period of the conference finals when he twisted his left leg awkwardly while scrambling to get into position.
Yet Tampa Bay has stuck around, ceding the ice to the Penguins for significant stretches but using their speed to counterattack brilliantly while relying on 21-year-old goaltender Andrei Vasilevski. The Lightning are hardly intimidated by having to go on the road in a series decider. They did it a year ago in the Eastern final against New York, beating the Rangers 2-0 in Madison Square Garden.
''You've got to go back to a tough environment, just like the Garden was last year,'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ''And you've got to have your A-game.''
The Lightning hoped to avoid revisiting this spot. They could have closed out Pittsburgh at home but fell behind by three goals and didn't recover, fitting for a series that appears to be a coin flip as a whole but not so much night to night. The team that's scored first is 5-1 and there's only been a single lead change in 18-plus periods spread out over nearly two weeks: Tyler Johnson's deflection in overtime that gave Tampa Bay Game 5.
''You always want to play with the lead, and always the first goal is big,'' said Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, who is 7-0 in Game 7s. ''But, again, we were down 2-0 in Game 5 and came back from that. So it's not cut in stone, the outcome of the game, no matter if you're down a goal or two.''
Maybe, but it'd be cutting it pretty close. Tampa Bay's rally in Game 5 was Pittsburgh's first loss when leading after two periods all year. The Penguins responded by going back to rookie goaltender Matt Murray - who turned 22 on Wednesday - and putting together perhaps their finest hockey of the postseason. Their stars played like stars while Murray performed like a guy a decade older with his name already etched on the Cup a few times.
The Penguins will need to rely on Murray's precocious maturity if it wants to buck a curious trend that started well before Murray was born. Pittsburgh hasn't won a Game 7 on home ice since Mario Lemieux and company beat New Jersey in the opening round of the 1991 playoffs to escape from a 3-2 series deficit and propel the Penguins to their first championship. The Penguins have dropped five straight winner-take-all matchups since then, including a loss to Tampa Bay in the first round in 2011, a series Pittsburgh played without either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with injuries.
They're healthy now and showing extended flashes of the form that seemed to have the Penguins on the brink of a dynasty when they toppled Detroit. And the Lightning, who are 5-1 in Game 7s, are hardly comfortable but hardly intimidated as they play on the road.
''I think it's a roller coaster,'' Cooper said. ''But Game 7 is Game 7. There's no two better words than that.''
May 25, 2016
PITTSBURGH (AP) Sidney Crosby is in no mood to get caught up in his own personal narrative, the one eager to attach whatever happens to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday against Tampa Bay to the superstar's legacy.
Forget that Crosby has the game-winning goal in each of Pittsburgh's victories in its entertaining back-and-forth with the resilient Lightning. Forget that he hasn't been on the winning side of a post-series handshake line this deep into the playoffs since his glorious night in Detroit seven years ago, which ended with him hoisting the Penguins' third Stanley Cup.
Yes, he's playing well. Yes, his dazzling, imminently GIF-able sprint through the Tampa Bay zone late in the second period of Game 6 added another signature moment to a career full of them. Yet lifting Pittsburgh back to the Cup final for the first time since 2009 does not rely solely on him so much as the collective effort of all 20 guys in his team's retro black and Vegas gold uniforms.
Depth has carried the Penguins this far. Crosby insists Game 7 will be about the team, not him.
''You give yourself the best chance of winning by keeping it simple and not putting too much emphasis on kind of the story line around it,'' Crosby said.
Even if it's easy to get lost in those story lines. The Lightning are on the verge of a second straight berth in the final despite playing the entire postseason without captain Steven Stamkos and losing Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in the first period of the conference finals when he twisted his left leg awkwardly while scrambling to get into position.
Yet Tampa Bay has stuck around, ceding the ice to the Penguins for significant stretches but using their speed to counterattack brilliantly while relying on 21-year-old goaltender Andrei Vasilevski. The Lightning are hardly intimidated by having to go on the road in a series decider. They did it a year ago in the Eastern final against New York, beating the Rangers 2-0 in Madison Square Garden.
''You've got to go back to a tough environment, just like the Garden was last year,'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ''And you've got to have your A-game.''
The Lightning hoped to avoid revisiting this spot. They could have closed out Pittsburgh at home but fell behind by three goals and didn't recover, fitting for a series that appears to be a coin flip as a whole but not so much night to night. The team that's scored first is 5-1 and there's only been a single lead change in 18-plus periods spread out over nearly two weeks: Tyler Johnson's deflection in overtime that gave Tampa Bay Game 5.
''You always want to play with the lead, and always the first goal is big,'' said Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, who is 7-0 in Game 7s. ''But, again, we were down 2-0 in Game 5 and came back from that. So it's not cut in stone, the outcome of the game, no matter if you're down a goal or two.''
Maybe, but it'd be cutting it pretty close. Tampa Bay's rally in Game 5 was Pittsburgh's first loss when leading after two periods all year. The Penguins responded by going back to rookie goaltender Matt Murray - who turned 22 on Wednesday - and putting together perhaps their finest hockey of the postseason. Their stars played like stars while Murray performed like a guy a decade older with his name already etched on the Cup a few times.
The Penguins will need to rely on Murray's precocious maturity if it wants to buck a curious trend that started well before Murray was born. Pittsburgh hasn't won a Game 7 on home ice since Mario Lemieux and company beat New Jersey in the opening round of the 1991 playoffs to escape from a 3-2 series deficit and propel the Penguins to their first championship. The Penguins have dropped five straight winner-take-all matchups since then, including a loss to Tampa Bay in the first round in 2011, a series Pittsburgh played without either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with injuries.
They're healthy now and showing extended flashes of the form that seemed to have the Penguins on the brink of a dynasty when they toppled Detroit. And the Lightning, who are 5-1 in Game 7s, are hardly comfortable but hardly intimidated as they play on the road.
''I think it's a roller coaster,'' Cooper said. ''But Game 7 is Game 7. There's no two better words than that.''
NHL
Dunkel
Saturday, June 4
Pittsburgh @ San Jose
Game 55-56
June 4, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.897
San Jose
13.392
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-145); Over
NHL
Short Sheet
Saturday, June 4
Pittsburgh at San Jose, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 18-7 SU after having won 4 of their last 5
San Jose: 10-17 SU after playing 2 consecutive road games
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Saturday, June 4
San Jose-Pittsburgh (P 2-0)
Penguins' Sheary scored GW goal 2:35 into OT, after San Jose tied game with 4:05 left to play- Pitt has a 71-48 edge in shots in first two games. San Jose lost four of last five games with Pittsburgh, but won seven of nine home games in playoffs. Six of last 12 Shark-Penguin games went OT, four to shootout- five of last six stayed under. Six teams have gone up 2-0 in playoff series this spring; all six won that series- last year those teams were 5-0. Pittsburgh is 5-3 on road in playoffs. San Jose was 1-3 on power play in Games 1-2; Penguins 0-5. Sharks are in Stanley Cup finals for first time; Penguins are in for first time since winning Cup in '09, its third Stanley Cup title.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 6-7, Over 7-5-1
Home: 2-0 Over: 0-2
NHL
Saturday, June 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. SAN JOSE
Pittsburgh is 1-11-1 SU in its last 13 games ,when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
San Jose is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Pittsburgh
NHL
Long Sheet
Saturday, June 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH (62-30-0-10, 134 pts.) at SAN JOSE (58-35-0-9, 125 pts.) - 6/4/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-3 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-3-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)
Dunkel
Saturday, June 4
Pittsburgh @ San Jose
Game 55-56
June 4, 2016 @ 8:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.897
San Jose
13.392
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-145
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-145); Over
NHL
Short Sheet
Saturday, June 4
Pittsburgh at San Jose, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 18-7 SU after having won 4 of their last 5
San Jose: 10-17 SU after playing 2 consecutive road games
NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Saturday, June 4
San Jose-Pittsburgh (P 2-0)
Penguins' Sheary scored GW goal 2:35 into OT, after San Jose tied game with 4:05 left to play- Pitt has a 71-48 edge in shots in first two games. San Jose lost four of last five games with Pittsburgh, but won seven of nine home games in playoffs. Six of last 12 Shark-Penguin games went OT, four to shootout- five of last six stayed under. Six teams have gone up 2-0 in playoff series this spring; all six won that series- last year those teams were 5-0. Pittsburgh is 5-3 on road in playoffs. San Jose was 1-3 on power play in Games 1-2; Penguins 0-5. Sharks are in Stanley Cup finals for first time; Penguins are in for first time since winning Cup in '09, its third Stanley Cup title.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 6-7, Over 7-5-1
Home: 2-0 Over: 0-2
NHL
Saturday, June 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. SAN JOSE
Pittsburgh is 1-11-1 SU in its last 13 games ,when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
San Jose is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Pittsburgh
NHL
Long Sheet
Saturday, June 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH (62-30-0-10, 134 pts.) at SAN JOSE (58-35-0-9, 125 pts.) - 6/4/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-3 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-3-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)
Couture: 'Everyone cheats on faceoffs'
June 3, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose center Logan Couture says Sidney Crosby isn't the only player cheating in faceoffs in the Stanley Cup Final.
Couture said that he, teammate Joe Thornton and just about every other player who gets in the faceoff circle tries for any sort of edge they can get, legal or otherwise.
''Everyone cheats on faceoffs,'' Couture said Friday. ''I cheat, Jumbo cheats. That's how you try to win draws. He's one of the best at it. He wins a lot of faceoffs.''
Couture caused a bit of a storm after Game 2 when he accused Crosby of cheating on faceoffs. It was a faceoff win by Crosby in overtime that set up Pittsburgh's game-winning goal by Conor Sheary that gave the Penguins a 2-0 series lead.
Crosby said he was surprised when he heard the accusation and said he doesn't do anything other players don't do.
''I think we are all doing the same thing in the faceoff circle,'' Crosby said.
Crosby and Couture both said they don't think this dispute will have any bearing on Game 3. Crosby said it won't add any fuel for him and Couture said he wasn't trying to lobby linesmen to kick Crosby out of the circle in future games.
''Not at all,'' he said. ''These guys are the best in the world at what they do. I have no complaints of the officials throughout these playoffs. They've been very, very good.''
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan didn't even want to respond to Couture's allegations on Thursday but does agree with the Sharks center on one aspect: Everyone is cheating to an extent.
''That's all part of being a center iceman, trying to figure out a way to get an edge and be successful,'' Sullivan said. ''Sid isn't doing anything their guys aren't doing.''
Crosby won 26 of 40 faceoffs the first two games, none more important than the clean win in the offensive zone against Joel Ward in overtime in Game 2 that set up Sheary's goal.
Couture wasn't in the faceoff circle for that draw and Ward took the blame on himself for the play.
''I just have to be better is the bottom line,'' he said.
Couture is one of the few Sharks to hold his own against Crosby in the faceoff circle this series, winning four of seven draws. But San Jose has struggled as a team on draws this postseason. After winning 50.7 percent of faceoffs in the regular season for the 10th best mark in the league, the Sharks are last of all 16 playoff teams at 46.7 percent in the postseason.
''You find better centermen out there,'' Couture said. ''It's tough. It's a little part of the game we want to improve at and be better at but there are bigger aspects of our game we want to get better at.''
June 3, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose center Logan Couture says Sidney Crosby isn't the only player cheating in faceoffs in the Stanley Cup Final.
Couture said that he, teammate Joe Thornton and just about every other player who gets in the faceoff circle tries for any sort of edge they can get, legal or otherwise.
''Everyone cheats on faceoffs,'' Couture said Friday. ''I cheat, Jumbo cheats. That's how you try to win draws. He's one of the best at it. He wins a lot of faceoffs.''
Couture caused a bit of a storm after Game 2 when he accused Crosby of cheating on faceoffs. It was a faceoff win by Crosby in overtime that set up Pittsburgh's game-winning goal by Conor Sheary that gave the Penguins a 2-0 series lead.
Crosby said he was surprised when he heard the accusation and said he doesn't do anything other players don't do.
''I think we are all doing the same thing in the faceoff circle,'' Crosby said.
Crosby and Couture both said they don't think this dispute will have any bearing on Game 3. Crosby said it won't add any fuel for him and Couture said he wasn't trying to lobby linesmen to kick Crosby out of the circle in future games.
''Not at all,'' he said. ''These guys are the best in the world at what they do. I have no complaints of the officials throughout these playoffs. They've been very, very good.''
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan didn't even want to respond to Couture's allegations on Thursday but does agree with the Sharks center on one aspect: Everyone is cheating to an extent.
''That's all part of being a center iceman, trying to figure out a way to get an edge and be successful,'' Sullivan said. ''Sid isn't doing anything their guys aren't doing.''
Crosby won 26 of 40 faceoffs the first two games, none more important than the clean win in the offensive zone against Joel Ward in overtime in Game 2 that set up Sheary's goal.
Couture wasn't in the faceoff circle for that draw and Ward took the blame on himself for the play.
''I just have to be better is the bottom line,'' he said.
Couture is one of the few Sharks to hold his own against Crosby in the faceoff circle this series, winning four of seven draws. But San Jose has struggled as a team on draws this postseason. After winning 50.7 percent of faceoffs in the regular season for the 10th best mark in the league, the Sharks are last of all 16 playoff teams at 46.7 percent in the postseason.
''You find better centermen out there,'' Couture said. ''It's tough. It's a little part of the game we want to improve at and be better at but there are bigger aspects of our game we want to get better at.''
NHL MONEYLINE
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)
NHL PUCKLINE
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)
NHL TOTALS
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 13 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+10.15 units)
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)
NHL PUCKLINE
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play ON SAN JOSE in All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season
The record is 22 Wins and 8 Losses for the this season (+13.25 units)
NHL TOTALS
NHL > (55) PITTSBURGH@ (56) SAN JOSE | 2016-06-04 20:05:00 - 2016-06-04 20:05:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games revenging a loss versus opponent
The record is 13 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+10.15 units)
Sharks hope return home turns tide in final vs. Penguins
June 4, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks can take at least one positive out of losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh.
Despite being severely outplayed for almost the entire two games, the Sharks still managed to lose by only one goal with the game-winner coming in the final three minutes of Game 1 and in overtime in Game 2.
If the Sharks can somehow neutralize Pittsburgh's decided edge in speed and get back to playing the style of play that got them this far for the first time ever they might be able to get back into the series when it shifts to San Jose for Game 3 on Saturday night.
''In the playoffs, things are magnified so much,'' Sharks defenseman Paul Martin said Friday. ''You lose a game and it's a close game you think about a big opportunity that you let slide away. But when you go over the film and watch the games, it's right there for us. We got better from Game 1. Game 2 was a lot better. We haven't played our best hockey yet.''
The odds facing the Sharks are daunting. Of the 49 teams that have taken a 2-0 lead since the final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, 44 have won the Cup. Teams winning the first two games at home have won 33 of 36 series.
But the Penguins know better than to start planning any parades. Two of those three teams to rally after losing the first two games on the road have done it in the past seven years, including Pittsburgh itself in 2009 against Detroit. Boston also overcame a 2-0 deficit to Vancouver in 2011.
''We've talked about it,'' said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who played on that 2009 team. ''You expect a really desperate hockey team. They're only focused on winning one game. All their energy and everything is toward just tomorrow night. We've all been in situations where you put all that energy and all that focus toward one game and you know they will be at their best.''
Outside of a strong second period in the opener and a good push late in regulation in Game 2 when San Jose tied the game and nearly scored the go-ahead goal, the Penguins have been the better team.
They have a 71-48 edge in shots on goal, considerably more dangerous scoring chances and have forced the Sharks defense into the kinds of mistakes they didn't make the first three rounds.
''They've done a good job keeping the puck in their zone, using their forecheck and making it tough on us,'' defenseman Justin Braun said. ''We've had a little trouble sustaining pressure. We've been one and out. They've had a couple of chances. That's been a big difference.''
With Pittsburgh also doing a good job staying out of the penalty box, San Jose's potent power play has had only three chances through two games and delivered one of the team's three goals.
The Sharks say those lack of chances have been more about their play then the calls by officials.
''We're not giving ourselves that opportunity,'' center Logan Couture said. ''We're not playing with the puck enough. We're not forcing them to play in their zone tired. That's when penalties usually happen, at the end of long shifts. It's up to us as players to force them to play in their zone.''
The Sharks did generate more chances when coach Peter DeBoer shuffled his lines in the third period of Game 2, dropping Patrick Marleau from second-line wing to third-line center and moving Joel Ward up to the second line.
He switched them back for practice but did not say how he would utilize his lines in Game 3. Top-line winger Tomas Hertl also missed practice on Friday for what DeBoer described as ''maintenance'' but he didn't commit to Hertl playing Saturday.
One change that will happen is the shift in venues. Pittsburgh last played out of the Eastern Time Zone on Jan. 18 in St. Louis and hasn't been to the West Coast since Dec. 6 in Anaheim before Mike Sullivan took over as coach.
The Sharks will have last change and a loud crowd behind them for the first Stanley Cup Final game ever in San Jose.
''We expect a really hard start and a good team,'' Penguins forward Nick Bonino said. ''These last two games have been decided very late, each one. They're a great team. They're going to come out really hard and we'll have to match that.''
June 4, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The San Jose Sharks can take at least one positive out of losing the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh.
Despite being severely outplayed for almost the entire two games, the Sharks still managed to lose by only one goal with the game-winner coming in the final three minutes of Game 1 and in overtime in Game 2.
If the Sharks can somehow neutralize Pittsburgh's decided edge in speed and get back to playing the style of play that got them this far for the first time ever they might be able to get back into the series when it shifts to San Jose for Game 3 on Saturday night.
''In the playoffs, things are magnified so much,'' Sharks defenseman Paul Martin said Friday. ''You lose a game and it's a close game you think about a big opportunity that you let slide away. But when you go over the film and watch the games, it's right there for us. We got better from Game 1. Game 2 was a lot better. We haven't played our best hockey yet.''
The odds facing the Sharks are daunting. Of the 49 teams that have taken a 2-0 lead since the final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, 44 have won the Cup. Teams winning the first two games at home have won 33 of 36 series.
But the Penguins know better than to start planning any parades. Two of those three teams to rally after losing the first two games on the road have done it in the past seven years, including Pittsburgh itself in 2009 against Detroit. Boston also overcame a 2-0 deficit to Vancouver in 2011.
''We've talked about it,'' said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who played on that 2009 team. ''You expect a really desperate hockey team. They're only focused on winning one game. All their energy and everything is toward just tomorrow night. We've all been in situations where you put all that energy and all that focus toward one game and you know they will be at their best.''
Outside of a strong second period in the opener and a good push late in regulation in Game 2 when San Jose tied the game and nearly scored the go-ahead goal, the Penguins have been the better team.
They have a 71-48 edge in shots on goal, considerably more dangerous scoring chances and have forced the Sharks defense into the kinds of mistakes they didn't make the first three rounds.
''They've done a good job keeping the puck in their zone, using their forecheck and making it tough on us,'' defenseman Justin Braun said. ''We've had a little trouble sustaining pressure. We've been one and out. They've had a couple of chances. That's been a big difference.''
With Pittsburgh also doing a good job staying out of the penalty box, San Jose's potent power play has had only three chances through two games and delivered one of the team's three goals.
The Sharks say those lack of chances have been more about their play then the calls by officials.
''We're not giving ourselves that opportunity,'' center Logan Couture said. ''We're not playing with the puck enough. We're not forcing them to play in their zone tired. That's when penalties usually happen, at the end of long shifts. It's up to us as players to force them to play in their zone.''
The Sharks did generate more chances when coach Peter DeBoer shuffled his lines in the third period of Game 2, dropping Patrick Marleau from second-line wing to third-line center and moving Joel Ward up to the second line.
He switched them back for practice but did not say how he would utilize his lines in Game 3. Top-line winger Tomas Hertl also missed practice on Friday for what DeBoer described as ''maintenance'' but he didn't commit to Hertl playing Saturday.
One change that will happen is the shift in venues. Pittsburgh last played out of the Eastern Time Zone on Jan. 18 in St. Louis and hasn't been to the West Coast since Dec. 6 in Anaheim before Mike Sullivan took over as coach.
The Sharks will have last change and a loud crowd behind them for the first Stanley Cup Final game ever in San Jose.
''We expect a really hard start and a good team,'' Penguins forward Nick Bonino said. ''These last two games have been decided very late, each one. They're a great team. They're going to come out really hard and we'll have to match that.''
Armadillo: Monday's six-pack
Odds to win the US Open golf tournament next week at Oakmont
15-2-- Jason Day
17-2-- Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth
20-1-- Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
22-1-- Adam Scott
28-1-- Bubba Watson
30-1-- Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett
**********
Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......
13) Golden State 110, Cleveland 77-- Went out to eat, hoping to have some pasta while watching the basketball game. Was 30-22 Cavaliers when I sat down, but by time the linguini came, Warriors were up nine. Game. Set, Match.
NBA has to give serious thought to re-seeding the playoffs without East/West, so that the two best teams (or close to it) make the Finals. When a second round series is the second-best series of the playoffs (Spurs-Thunder), that not good.
12) Jockey Kent Desormeaux won the Preakness, will ride in the Belmont five days from now, but in between he is spending some time in a rehab center as he battles alcohol abuse. I have no idea how this is allowed, but apparently it is.
11) It was 108 degrees in Las Vegas Sunday, tied for hottest June 5 in Las Vegas history. Should be nice and cool when I get there next month.
10) Golfer William McGirt won his first PGA tournament in 165 tries Sunday, which gets him into the Masters, US Open and PGA. in 12 years on Tour, McGirt has only played in one major, so this a career-maker for him.
9) Last pitcher to no-hit the Red Sox in Fenway Park? Detroit's Jim Bunning.
In 1958.
8) I'd be curious to know, over the course of a typical year, how much $$$ Budweiser spends on advertising at ballgames and on televised games.
7) Last November 2, Detroit Tigers' GM Al Avila granted his starting catcher free agency, as Detroit moved in another direction behind the plate.
That catcher he let walk was Alex Avila, his son.
They said on TV Sunday that Al Avila's mom, Alex's grandma, didn't talk to her son for a week after that transaction. Must've been an awkward Christmas.
6) San Francisco Giants are 13-3 on road if game stays under the total or pushes the total; they're 5-10 on road if game went over the total.
5) Oakland's starting pitcher lasted 5+ innings in only eight of its last 20 road games; you cannot win that way, it puts too much strain on the team's bullpen.
4) Milwaukee SS Jonathan Villar is having a big year, but the Brewers' #1 prospect is Orlando Arcia, who is hitting .309 at AAA Colorado Springs. Brewers could easily trade Villar at the trading deadline next month.
3) Cincinnati Reds went 5-2 last week, even after a 10-9 loss to Washington, when Reds blew an early 5-0 lead. Cincy has bad pitching, but they should at least score lot of runs; they have some good veteran position players.
2) Down in Miami, Giancarlo Stanton is a mess; he looks terrible at the plate, like he is afraid of being hit by the ball. New hitting coach Barry Bonds hasn't helped. My guess is, behind the scenes, things aren't too pleasant in Miami.
1) Last seven Super Bowl losers made the playoffs the next year; none of the seven got back to the Super Bowl that year.
Odds to win the US Open golf tournament next week at Oakmont
15-2-- Jason Day
17-2-- Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth
20-1-- Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
22-1-- Adam Scott
28-1-- Bubba Watson
30-1-- Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett
**********
Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......
13) Golden State 110, Cleveland 77-- Went out to eat, hoping to have some pasta while watching the basketball game. Was 30-22 Cavaliers when I sat down, but by time the linguini came, Warriors were up nine. Game. Set, Match.
NBA has to give serious thought to re-seeding the playoffs without East/West, so that the two best teams (or close to it) make the Finals. When a second round series is the second-best series of the playoffs (Spurs-Thunder), that not good.
12) Jockey Kent Desormeaux won the Preakness, will ride in the Belmont five days from now, but in between he is spending some time in a rehab center as he battles alcohol abuse. I have no idea how this is allowed, but apparently it is.
11) It was 108 degrees in Las Vegas Sunday, tied for hottest June 5 in Las Vegas history. Should be nice and cool when I get there next month.
10) Golfer William McGirt won his first PGA tournament in 165 tries Sunday, which gets him into the Masters, US Open and PGA. in 12 years on Tour, McGirt has only played in one major, so this a career-maker for him.
9) Last pitcher to no-hit the Red Sox in Fenway Park? Detroit's Jim Bunning.
In 1958.
8) I'd be curious to know, over the course of a typical year, how much $$$ Budweiser spends on advertising at ballgames and on televised games.
7) Last November 2, Detroit Tigers' GM Al Avila granted his starting catcher free agency, as Detroit moved in another direction behind the plate.
That catcher he let walk was Alex Avila, his son.
They said on TV Sunday that Al Avila's mom, Alex's grandma, didn't talk to her son for a week after that transaction. Must've been an awkward Christmas.
6) San Francisco Giants are 13-3 on road if game stays under the total or pushes the total; they're 5-10 on road if game went over the total.
5) Oakland's starting pitcher lasted 5+ innings in only eight of its last 20 road games; you cannot win that way, it puts too much strain on the team's bullpen.
4) Milwaukee SS Jonathan Villar is having a big year, but the Brewers' #1 prospect is Orlando Arcia, who is hitting .309 at AAA Colorado Springs. Brewers could easily trade Villar at the trading deadline next month.
3) Cincinnati Reds went 5-2 last week, even after a 10-9 loss to Washington, when Reds blew an early 5-0 lead. Cincy has bad pitching, but they should at least score lot of runs; they have some good veteran position players.
2) Down in Miami, Giancarlo Stanton is a mess; he looks terrible at the plate, like he is afraid of being hit by the ball. New hitting coach Barry Bonds hasn't helped. My guess is, behind the scenes, things aren't too pleasant in Miami.
1) Last seven Super Bowl losers made the playoffs the next year; none of the seven got back to the Super Bowl that year.
NHL
Monday, June 6
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Monday's NHL Stanley Cup finals Game 4 betting preview: Penguins at Sharks
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Rookie Joonas Donskoi thrilled the home crowd with the overtime winner in Game 3 to cut the Sharks' series deficit to 2-1.
Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks (A: +125, H: -135, O/U: 5.5)
Penguins lead series 2-1
The San Jose Sharks look to ride the momentum of their first Stanley Cup final win in their 25-year history into Monday's Game 4 versus the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Home ice has served them well as the Sharks attempt to win their ninth such contest in 10 outings and even the Stanley Cup final at two victories apiece on Monday.
Martin Jones has given the SAP Center faithful a show in the playoffs, yielding just 17 tallies en route to posting an 8-2 mark with two shutouts, a 1.74 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. "Everyone knows what's at stake," Jones told CSNBayArea.com after his 40-save performance - in addition to rookie Joonas Donskoi's overtime goal - keyed the Sharks to a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday. "We played well. That was our best game of the series. We can still be better. It was a good step forward for us." Pittsburgh rookie Matt Murray took a step back by permitting a pair of questionable goals, including Joel Ward's tying tally in the third period. The 22-year-old goaltender has rebounded well following a defeat in the playoffs, posting a 4-0 mark while stopping 106-of-114 shots.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Penguins - Matt Murray (W/L: 13-5, GAA: 2.15, SAVE %: .926)
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 13-8, GAA: 2.13, SAVE %: .919)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (62-30-11, 45-40 O/U): Defenseman Ben Lovejoy didn't mince words when he talked about his teammates' readiness to put their bodies on the line. "We're ready to block shots at any time," the 32-year-old Lovejoy told reporters after Pittsburgh thwarted 38 shots on goal in Game 3 after averaging 17.5 in the first two contests - and 16.4 over the first three rounds. "I'm ready to take a Brent Burns slapshot to my face." Shot-happy Burns saw 12 of his attempts bounce off a Pittsburgh player on Saturday, with blue-liner Olli Maatta recording a career-high six blocks in the contest.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (59-34-10, 51-41 O/U): Joe Pavelski has been held off the scoresheet in the first three contests of this series after collecting 22 points (team-high 13 goals, nine assists) in the first three rounds. While Pavelski suddenly is struggling, fellow forward Ward scored his first goal of the series and fifth in his last five contests. Veteran Joe Thornton, who saw Melker Karlsson and Logan Couture platoon on his line with Pavelski for the absent Tomas Hertl (undisclosed), notched a pair of assists in Game 3 after recording 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 18 games during the first three rounds.
TRENDS:
* Penguins are 21-5 in their last 26 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Sharks are 8-1 in their last 9 home games.
* Under is 6-0 in Penguins last 6 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Sharks last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Under is 6-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Penguins are 1-12-1 in the last 14 meetings in San Jose.
CONSENSUS: San Jose is picking up a sizeable percentage of the Consensus action - currently sitting at 64 percent. The total is set at 5.5 and the public is pouncing on the Under at a rate of 62 percent.
Monday, June 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday's NHL Stanley Cup finals Game 4 betting preview: Penguins at Sharks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rookie Joonas Donskoi thrilled the home crowd with the overtime winner in Game 3 to cut the Sharks' series deficit to 2-1.
Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks (A: +125, H: -135, O/U: 5.5)
Penguins lead series 2-1
The San Jose Sharks look to ride the momentum of their first Stanley Cup final win in their 25-year history into Monday's Game 4 versus the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Home ice has served them well as the Sharks attempt to win their ninth such contest in 10 outings and even the Stanley Cup final at two victories apiece on Monday.
Martin Jones has given the SAP Center faithful a show in the playoffs, yielding just 17 tallies en route to posting an 8-2 mark with two shutouts, a 1.74 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. "Everyone knows what's at stake," Jones told CSNBayArea.com after his 40-save performance - in addition to rookie Joonas Donskoi's overtime goal - keyed the Sharks to a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday. "We played well. That was our best game of the series. We can still be better. It was a good step forward for us." Pittsburgh rookie Matt Murray took a step back by permitting a pair of questionable goals, including Joel Ward's tying tally in the third period. The 22-year-old goaltender has rebounded well following a defeat in the playoffs, posting a 4-0 mark while stopping 106-of-114 shots.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Penguins - Matt Murray (W/L: 13-5, GAA: 2.15, SAVE %: .926)
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 13-8, GAA: 2.13, SAVE %: .919)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (62-30-11, 45-40 O/U): Defenseman Ben Lovejoy didn't mince words when he talked about his teammates' readiness to put their bodies on the line. "We're ready to block shots at any time," the 32-year-old Lovejoy told reporters after Pittsburgh thwarted 38 shots on goal in Game 3 after averaging 17.5 in the first two contests - and 16.4 over the first three rounds. "I'm ready to take a Brent Burns slapshot to my face." Shot-happy Burns saw 12 of his attempts bounce off a Pittsburgh player on Saturday, with blue-liner Olli Maatta recording a career-high six blocks in the contest.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (59-34-10, 51-41 O/U): Joe Pavelski has been held off the scoresheet in the first three contests of this series after collecting 22 points (team-high 13 goals, nine assists) in the first three rounds. While Pavelski suddenly is struggling, fellow forward Ward scored his first goal of the series and fifth in his last five contests. Veteran Joe Thornton, who saw Melker Karlsson and Logan Couture platoon on his line with Pavelski for the absent Tomas Hertl (undisclosed), notched a pair of assists in Game 3 after recording 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 18 games during the first three rounds.
TRENDS:
* Penguins are 21-5 in their last 26 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Sharks are 8-1 in their last 9 home games.
* Under is 6-0 in Penguins last 6 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Under is 4-0-1 in Sharks last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
* Under is 6-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Penguins are 1-12-1 in the last 14 meetings in San Jose.
CONSENSUS: San Jose is picking up a sizeable percentage of the Consensus action - currently sitting at 64 percent. The total is set at 5.5 and the public is pouncing on the Under at a rate of 62 percent.
