NHL Betting Info. 4/18

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Preview: Capitals (56-18) at Flyers (41-27)


Date: April 18, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


Jason Chimera likely won't score an easier non-empty net goal in his life. Steve Mason likely won't be more embarrassed after allowing it.


The 101-foot dump that five-holed Mason proved to be the Game 2 winner for the Washington Capitals and sent the Philadelphia Flyers home having to battle back against the Presidents' Trophy holders who apparently have luck on their side, too.


If Mason can help the Flyers overcome an 0-2 deficit beginning Monday night, he'll probably wind up laughing about the taunts he heard in D.C. For now, he's just trying to keep his mind right.


"Can say it over and over again, 'It's a bad goal,'" Mason said. "That wasn't good. My fault, obviously. Put the team in a tough position after that. Just a bad goal."


Chimera's wacky goal early in the second period Saturday put Washington ahead by two on its way to a 4-1 victory. John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play and Nicklas Backstrom added a goal in third two nights after Mason made 27 saves in a 2-0 loss in Game 1.


The Capitals killed a crucial 5-on-3 disadvantage and held on to take a two-game edge in a series they haven't exactly dominated.


"Not a pretty one, but we'll take it," said Ovechkin, who needs another point to match Dale Hunter's franchise playoff record. "It's done, we'll move forward and Game 3 ahead."


Braden Holtby sympathized with Mason and said he couldn't even watch the replay knowing how Mason must've felt. Holtby's 41 saves all were on much more difficult pucks to stop in another solid performance following Thursday's 19-save shutout.


Holtby made a key save during the two-man disadvantage and fended off the Flyers' push in the third. It's nothing surprising to his teammates, who watched Holtby match Martin Brodeur's regular-season record of 48 victories.


"He's making saves all over the place," said forward Marcus Johansson, who had two assists. "He wins games every week and he's done it all year. He was a huge part in this one."


Aside from Mason's gaffe, Philadelphia is heading home proud of how it has played despite the results. The Flyers' 42 shots marked their most in a non-overtime playoff game since 2009 and kept Holtby on his heels.


Unfortunately, only Jakub Voracek has broken through with his 4-on-4 tally in the second period Saturday.


"We keep playing the way we are right now, we're going to start being successful," center Claude Giroux said. "We can't look at it like we're down 2-0 and we're going to start changing things. Our identity, the way we want to play, our hard work I think is going to pay off, so we're going to stick with it."


It's not as if Washington is unbeatable in these situations, either. The Capitals blew a 2-0 lead to the New York Rangers in the first round in 2013 and surrendered a 3-1 edge to the Rangers in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.


They haven't advanced to the conference finals since losing to Detroit in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, but coach Barry Trotz isn't doubting his team one bit.


"We learned a lot from last year," Trotz said. "The adjustments we've made ... have been really, really smart."


Washington has lost 10 of its last 12 road games in the playoffs, but its 27 away victories this season were the second-most in the league. The Flyers closed the regular season 4-0-1 at home, including a shootout victory over the Capitals on March 30.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

Preview: Stars (50-23) at Wild (38-33)


Date: April 18, 2016 8:30 PM EDT


Minnesota has scratched and clawed for each of its seven goals during a losing streak that has lasted more than two weeks. To have the opposition accidentally kick the puck from behind the net and somehow have it go in seems like a cruel joke.


The Wild understandably aren't laughing after a seventh straight loss that has them heading home down 0-2 with two of their top forwards still nursing injuries.


As for Dallas? The Stars are feeling fortunate that the latest unusual twist during a postseason that has seen plenty of them across the league went their way, and winning Monday night would put them a victory away from advancing past the opening round for the first time in eight years.


Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk didn't mince words after allowing possibly the strangest goal of his career Saturday. Defenseman Marco Scandella's clearing attempt hit off Stars forward Ales Hemsky, ricocheted off Antoine Roussel's skate and onto Dubnyk's back.


Dubnyk backed into the crossbar attempting to pin the pick so it wouldn't trickle into the net, which came dislodged. The referee waved off the goal before it went to video review. After a long delay, Toronto's replay officials ruled it a goal.


The Stars went on to win 2-1.


'It's embarrassing. It's not even worth the fine to tell you guys what I think about it,' Dubnyk said. 'Watch the replay. The puck is kicked and somehow they have enough to overturn the ref's call thinking the puck is in the net there. ... It's mind-blowing that that's the outcome of that play in the playoffs.'


Possibly even more embarrassing is the Wild's offensive play recently. They've scored three times in their last five after backing into the playoffs and haven't been able to overcome the losses of Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek, who are dealing with upper-body injuries.


Scandella scored on the power play in the third period, Minnesota's only goal on 20 opportunities with the man advantage during its skid.


"We created chances, we battled hard, but that's just the way it is right now," center Mikael Granlund said. "They got the bounce and we didn't. Now it's 2-0 and we go back home and see what's going to happen there."


Dallas, which finished at the top of the Western Conference with 21 more points than the Wild, has won 11 of 13 and eked out a victory after a dominating 4-0 win in Game 1. This is the Stars' second playoff appearance since they advanced to the conference finals in 2008.


Tyler Seguin returned after missing the previous 11 with a small cut to his left Achilles suffered March 17. He didn't get on the score sheet, but coach Lindy Ruff said Seguin's presence was enough.


Jamie Benn's goal early in the third turned out to be the winner, and although the Stars recognize the luck it took to score their first goal Saturday, they're giving plenty of credit to Kari Lehtonen for having the edge in the series.


Lehtonen has a 1.41 goals-against average while winning his last five starts and has stopped 47 of 48 shots he's faced against in the playoffs.


"He's played some good hockey, making big saves at a key time," Benn said. "We're going to take this on the road now. ... It's just going to get harder. (The Wild's) compete and their will to win is just going to get higher. They're a good team. It's going to be hard to go into their building and get a win. We've got to bring our best up there."


Dallas won all three meetings in Minnesota during the regular season, though, and the Wild have scored three goals while losing their last three at home.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

Preview: Kings (48-28) at Sharks (46-30)


Date: April 18, 2016 10:30 PM EDT


Since a 3-0 series lead wasn't safe against the Los Angeles Kings two years ago, the San Jose Sharks know a two-game advantage means there's still a long way to go to oust their nemesis from the playoffs.


The Sharks look to begin proving the lesson has been learned Monday night when they try to beat the Kings again in this opening-round series.


San Jose led Los Angeles 3-0 in the first round in 2014, but the Kings stormed back to take the series, outscoring the Sharks 18-5 in Games 4 through 7. They went on to win their second Stanley Cup in three years.


The Sharks, on the other hand, were left licking their wounds after adding the worst chapter to their underachieving history in the postseason. It was also the second straight year they were eliminated by Los Angeles in seven games.


They're nearly in the same position after winning 4-3 in Los Angeles in Game 1 on Thursday and 2-1 in Game 2 two days later. Teams that have won the first two games on the road have an all-time series record of 65-18, but don't tell San Jose the odds.


"What's happened in the past, it's in the past," captain Joe Pavelski said. "You take those lessons. You try to become a better teammate from those, better player. We're still trying to win four games in this series and we got two. It's a good start for us, and we realize there's more work."


Moving the series to San Jose may be a problem since the Sharks went 18-20-3 at home during the regular season, the worst home record for any 2016 playoff team.


Pavelski, though, has been hot over the past four weeks, getting nine goals and seven assists in 14 games - including three and one in this series. He's got a four-game goal streak, totaling five after finding the net on San Jose's first shot Saturday.


The center also owns nine goals and eight assists in his last 11 overall meetings with the Kings.


While Pavelski's scoring isn't much of a surprise, Martin Jones' stellar play in net has been unexpected since he hadn't previously started a playoff game. He's stopped 47 of 51 shots, including 26 saves in Game 2.


"He comes from a good program. I mean, jeez, they got 98 points or whatever. He played most of the games for 'em, so I don't think anybody's surprised by him," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.


Sutter has also simplified the Kings' path to get back into the series.


"Just think, if you can cut it in half, it's two-one. It's not that hard to figure out," he said.


That's easier said than done unless Los Angeles gets some production from Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli, who have one point among them after getting at least 50 each during the regular season.


"We've got to stop playing with frustration and start using our emotion in the right way, because frustration is a waste of emotion," left wing Milan Lucic said. "We've got to go out there with determination and start playing our game."


Jonathan Quick is looking to be more of a force in net after making 21 saves in Game 2, two more than he managed in the series opener. However, he lost all three regular-season meetings with a 4.40 goals-against average, stopping 26 of 30 shots in a 5-2 defeat at San Jose on March 28.


These teams will meet in Game 4 on Wednesday in San Jose.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

NHL


Monday's games


Philadelphia-Washington (W 2-0)
Flyers scored total of one goal in losing both games at Washington; they outshot Caps 19-5 in the first period of Game 2, but didn't score- they outshot Washington 42-23 for game. Philly is 0-8 on power play in series, Washington is 3-8, scoring half its series goals with man advantage. Washington lost three of last four visits here- home side won last four series games. Under is 6-2-2 in the last ten series games, 3-1 in last four played here.


Minnesota-Dallas (D 2-0)
Minnesota Wild lost six of last seven games against Dallas- Stars won last three visits to Twin Cities. Minnesota lost last seven games overall, outscored 22-7; under is 5-1-3 in their last nine. Dallas won eight of last nine games; six of their last seven stayed under. Wild was outshot 28-9 in the first period of the two games by Dallas, which was 1-11 on power play (Minnesota was 1-7). Wild has yet to score even strength goal in series.


San Jose-Los Angeles (SJ 2-0)
Sharks scored GW goal 0:17 into third period of Game 1, then held Kings off in third period, when LA outshot them 13-7 (23-10 in third period shots for series). San Jose is 7-5 in last 12 series games; road team went 8-4 in those games- Kings won three of last four visits here. Over is 4-1-2 in last seven tilts in series. San Jose won seven of last nine games; four of last six stayed under. Kings are 4-8 in last 12 games. Sharks are 2-9 on power play in series, Kings 2-8.


Playoffs tally: Home: 11-8, Over; 6-6-7

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

“Stanley Cup Playoffs”
Monday’s NHL betting preview
Eliminations from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs are going to begin this week. Three teams hit the ice Monday night facing 2-0 series deficits but none are in a more dire situation than the Los Angeles Kings.
Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers (A: -150, H: +130, O/U: 5)
Capitals lead series 2-0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, April 18, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Washington Capitals have benefited from stellar special teams play and a 101-foot goal to win the initial two contests of their first-round series with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals look to push their Metropolitan Division rivals to the brink of elimination on Monday when the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3.
Defenseman John Carlson scored a power-play goal in each contest for the Capitals, who are 3-for-8 with the man advantage and thwarted all eight short-handed situations. Jason Chimera was credited with the game-winning tally in Saturday’s 4-1 victory, albeit with a tip-in from center ice that somehow saw the puck squeeze between the pads of Steve Mason. The humiliating gaffe was so unfathomable that Washington’s Braden Holtby admittedly felt for his fellow goaltender. “I couldn’t even watch the replay of it,” said Holtby, who has looked every bit the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy by stopping 60-of-61 shots in the series. “Even as an opposing team, you want to earn your goals and what-not (instead of) weird bounces like that. I feel for him.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, CSN-DC (Washington), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Captain Alex Ovechkin traditionally has tormented the Flyers with his scoring, but the 240-pound Russian has also lowered the boom with his physical play (11 hits). Ovechkin sidelined Sean Couturier for the rest of the series with a crushing hit in Game 1 and deposited Brayden Schenn over the boards and into the laps of his teammates on Saturday, signaling a shift in the momentum of Game 2. “Sometimes you just have to play physical,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post. “If you don’t have an opportunity to do something else, you play physical. You play simple and the other guys are going to follow you.”
ABOUT THE FLYERS: Although held without a point in the first two games, captain Claude Giroux was encouraged by Philadelphia’s 42-23 edge in shots Saturday and expressed optimism that the series shifts to the Wells Fargo Center. “We’ve been playing well at home this year,” Giroux told Philly.com of the Flyers, who posted a 23-10-8 mark in the City of Brotherly Love – including a 2-1 shootout victory over visiting Washington on March 30. Jakub Voracek has scored the lone goal for the Flyers, who were unable to grab their first lead of the series after failing to convert during 67 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play late in the opening period of Game 2.
TRENDS:
* Capitals are 11-0 in their last 11 Monday games.
* Home team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
* Under is 5-0-1 in Capitals last 6 games following a win.
* Under is 3-0-2 in Flyers last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
OVERTIME
1. A video tribute of Philadelphia chairman and founder Ed Snider is scheduled prior to the opening faceoff for Game 3. Snider died last Monday after a two-year battle with bladder cancer.
2. The Capitals have coughed up a 2-0 or 3-1 series lead on 10 occasions in franchise history while the Flyers have overcome an 0-2 deficit three times – with the last in 2010 versus Boston.
3. With Ovechkin throwing his weight around, Philadelphia recalled RW Colin McDonald (6-2, 214 pounds) from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Flyers 1

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild (A: -130, H: +110, O/U: 5)
Stars lead series 2-0
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, April 18, 2016
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
The Minnesota Wild already face an uphill climb against the Dallas Stars and it’s becoming even more of a struggle when the bounces are not going their way. The Wild will be hoping to reverse the momentum when the first-round series shifts to Minnesota on Monday night after the Stars won Games 1 and 2 in Dallas.
A stunning goal that ricocheted off the skates of two players and caromed off the back of the head of Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk provided the impetus for the Stars in Saturday’s 2-1 victory – the seven straight defeat overall for Minnesota and sixth in a row in the postseason. “The puck is kicked and somehow they have enough to overturn the ref’s call,” Dubnyk said of the opening goal by Antoine Roussel. “It’s mind-blowing that that’s the outcome of that play in the playoffs.” Minnesota scored its first goal of the series in the third period Saturday night and was buzzing for the equalizer in the waning moments, displaying an offensive spark that it hopes to carry over into Game 3. The Wild will need a huge effort against the top-seeded Stars, who have won 11 of 13 dating to the regular season and outscored Minnesota 6-1 in the first two games.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET; CNBC, Sportsnet, TVAS 2, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN North/Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE STARS: While Roussel’s bizarre tally was the main talking point of Game 2, Dallas captain Jamie Benn continued to torment Minnesota by providing the dagger with a third-period goal – his second of the series and ninth point in five meetings with the Wild this season. “Best scorer in the league,” Wild coach John Torchetti told the media after the game. “Can’t be letting him get a breakaway.” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said at Sunday’s practice that Mattias Janmark will return to the lineup Monday while taking a wait-and-see approach on fellow forward Tyler Seguin, who played Saturday after missing 11 games due to an Achilles tendon injury.
ABOUT THE WILD: Minnesota needs to find a way to manufacture more offense during the continued absence of leading goal scorer Zach Parise, who is no closer to returning from a back injury that has sidelined him since the next-to-last game of the regular season, as well as that of 18-goal scorer Thomas Vanek. Captain Mikko Koivu, who topped the team with 56 points during the regular season, is mired in a 10-game goal drought, while forward Mikael Granlund did register a game-high seven shots on goal Saturday after he was shifted from center to wing. “I’ve got to put the puck in the net with those chances,” Granlund said. “That’s the bottom line.”
TRENDS:
* Stars are 6-0 in their last 6 vs. Central.
* Wild are 0-7 in their last 7 overall.
* Under is 6-0 in Stars last 6 games following a win.
* Under is 4-0 in Wild last 4 vs. Western Conference.
* Stars are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.
OVERTIME
1. Stars G Kari Lehtonen, a winner of eight of his last nine outings, has turned aside 47-of-48 shots in the series.
2. The Wild on Sunday recalled D Mike Reilly from Iowa of the American Hockey League.
3. Dallas’ power play, ranked fourth during the regular season, has converted on only 1-of-11 chances against Minnesota.
PREDICTION: Wild 3, Stars 2 (OT)

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/18

Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (A: +100, H: -120, O/U: 5)
Sharks lead series 2-0
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, April 18, 2016
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
The Los Angeles Kings find themselves in an unenviable position in their first-round series against the San Jose Sharks, but it’s nothing they haven’t experienced before. The Kings look to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole versus San Jose for the second time in three years when they visit the Sharks in Game 3 on Monday.
Los Angeles was in that situation in 2014 and went on to become the fourth team in Stanley Cup playoff history to rally from the deficit and win the series, but the club knows how difficult the task was and does not want to be forced to repeat it. “It’s a completely different situation,” Kings center Anze Kopitar told reporters after Saturday’s 2-1 loss. “Our mind set’s got to be to go out there and win the next game and just build off that. That’s where we’re putting in our heads tonight, we’re going to prepare tomorrow and we’re going to go up there and be better.” The fact the Kings dropped the first two contests at home – both one-goal decisions – should come as no surprise as the Sharks recorded a franchise-record 28 victories on the road during the regular season for the second-most in NHL history. San Jose captain Joe Pavelski continues to be a thorn in Los Angeles’ side, recording three goals and an assist over the first two games after registering four tallies and 10 points in five regular-season meetings.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, CBC, TVA, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE KINGS: Marian Gaborik returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the team’s final 28 regular-season games with a sprained knee and had a solid game, recording four shots in 14 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time en route to being named the Third Star of the Game. “I thought after being off nine weeks, nine and a half weeks, I thought he played really well,” coach Darryl Sutter told reporters. “I thought Gabby was our best winger.” Defenseman Jamie McBain replaced the injured Alec Martinez in the lineup in Game 2 and blocked three shots in 16:14 of ice time in his first career playoff game.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Joe Thornton notched his first point of the series Saturday as he helped set up Pavelski’s game-opening goal. It was the veteran center’s 77th career postseason assist, tying him with Claude Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Bobby Clarke and Ken Linseman for 41st place on the all-time list. Martin Jones is 5-1-1 against his former team but credits his defensemen for his playoff success. “We’ve done a great job both games keeping them to the outside,” he told reporters. “They’re a team that likes to crash the net and take pucks to the net, and we’ve done a really good job. The other thing is just shot-blocking. Throughout the year, it’s been great.”
TRENDS:
* Kings are 1-5 in their last 6 road games.
* Sharks are 11-2 in their last 13 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 6-1-3 in Kings last 10 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 5-1 in Sharks last 6 home games.
* Road team is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.
OVERTIME
1. The Sharks are 2-for-9 on the power play after ranking third in the league at 22.5 percent during the regular season.
2. Los Angeles is 3-10 in best-of-seven series in which it lost the first two games.
3. Despite being the NHL’s best road team in the regular season, San Jose was a disappointing 18-20-3 at home.
PREDICTION: Kings 3, Sharks 1