NHL Betting Info. 4/19

[TheGame]

Preview: Lightning (46-31) at Red Wings (41-30)


Date: April 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle skated toward the locker room at the end of Game 3 flapping his arms, indicating Justin Abdelkader was too chicken to fight him. Abdelkader said he gladly would've obliged, only that fighting with a taped hand calls for a game misconduct.


Detroit was, in fact, the aggressor while trimming its deficit to 2-1 in a contentious series that's seen the Lightning's grip become a bit looser. Now the Red Wings have a chance to even it with another victory at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night, a turn of events that seemed unlikely after the series' first two games.


What's changed? Detroit's goaltender, for one. Jimmy Howard was in net for Wednesday's 3-2 loss and Friday's 5-2 defeat before coach Jeff Blashill decided to give Petr Mrazek the nod in Game 3. Mrazek faced only 16 shots Sunday, but his contributions helped the Red Wings shut down Tampa's top line.


Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn combined for 15 points in the first two games but that line didn't even register a shot on net in a 2-0 loss. The newly formed trio of Abdelkader, Luke Glendening and Riley Sheahan had plenty to do with that.


"It's just one game and it's a big win for our team," Glendening said. "It's a step in the right direction, but it's one game and they're gonna come ready next game, so we have to as well."


And another physical battle likely awaits. Line brawls have broken out after the last two games that have featured plenty of action after the whistle, and the scrap between Boyle and Abdelkader took a humorous turn after Boyle's taunts. Blashill instructed Abdelkader not to throw a punch with his taped hand, and the Detroit forward laughed off Boyle's actions.


"It's kind of funny, but if he wants to do that, that's what he wants to show, whatever," Abdelkader said. "It doesn't affect me at all because I know what type of player I am. I stand up for myself when I'm healthy."


Maybe the Lightning's lack of health is catching up with them. Steven Stamkos had surgery that reportedly included removing a rib to address blood clots, and standout defenseman Anton Stralman still isn't recovered from a fractured left leg.


Coach Jon Cooper isn't panicking after just one defeat, but he wasn't happy with how the tides turned so drastically in Game 3. Tampa combined for 65 shots in the first two games, then had seven over the final two periods Sunday.


The Lightning also could be in a much different position had Detroit converted more with the man advantage. They killed all of the Red Wings' seven power plays in Game 3 and have kept Detroit scoreless on 16 of 17 in the series.


"You're just killing the whole night, and whether you debate the calls here or there, we didn't give ourselves a chance," Cooper said. "If you are going to sit in the penalty box all night it's hard to do anything."


Ben Bishop has been instrumental on the penalty kill and kept Tampa in Game 3 with 28 saves. He's stopped 92 of 98 shots in the series, and another solid effort - along with some adjustments from Cooper - could put the Lightning back in control ahead of Thursday's Game 5 at home.


"I'm not so sure myself, their coach or anyone in this room was picking this to be a sweep," Cooper said. "It went from us pinning them up against the wall to now it's a series."

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: Penguins (48-26) at Rangers (46-27)


Date: April 19, 2016 7:00 PM EDT


Henrik Lundqvist's return sparked the New York Rangers to level this first-round playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan McDonagh could provide the latest lift.


With the status of their injured captain unknown, the Rangers look to take the series lead as it shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Tuesday night.


New York was dealt a major blow in Game 1 when Lundqvist had to leave after the first period with an eye injury after Marc Staal's stick hit him through his mask. Backup Antti Raanta stopped 16 of 19 shots in the 5-2 loss Wednesday.


Lundqvist was back Saturday for Game 2 and made 29 saves in a vintage performance that included three in the final 35 seconds of the 4-2 win.


"I don't think going down two games to nothing would have been a good idea, so I think that sort of raised the level or urgency and emotion," coach Alain Vigneault said. "Our guys have to understand by now, we're playing against the best team in the league since Christmas and if (coach Mike Sullivan) would've been there sine Day One, they would've challenged Washington.


"There's no doubt that we need to be at our best."


That means having a healthy McDonagh, who has been out since injuring his hand at Columbus on April 4.


McDonagh practiced Monday for the first time since, but Vigneault wouldn't say if he's ready to go, only saying "stranger things have happened."


"It's a good thing that he is skating," Lundqvist said. "That's the best part. We know that he is close. We just don't know what game."


The same could be said of fellow defenseman Dan Girardi, who missed Game 2 and is day to day with an undisclosed injury.


The Rangers' 27-10-4 home record ranked only behind Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington and Dallas, the top seed in the Western Conference. However, New York has lost its last two against Pittsburgh at MSG after taking five of the previous six, including playoff series over the last two seasons - both won by the Rangers.


"Playoff hockey at home in New York is just a great feeling," said Lundqvist, who went 22-6-3 with a 2.31 goals-against average at MSG. "Every time you go out there it's goosebumps. You're excited and nervous and you just want to go out there and win."


The Penguins look to spoil the party and might have an unexpected guest in Matt Murray. The goaltender practiced Monday after hurting his head in a collision during the season finale at Philadelphia on April 9.


"I'm progressing the way I want and it's a day at a time process," Murray told the team's official website. "When I'm healthy and 100 percent then I'll be ready to play in games. Until that point I'm not really thinking too much about it."


With Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) still out and Murray's status uncertain, third-string Jeff Zatkoff is in line for a third straight start. He's stopped 59 of 65 shots in the series but surrendered three goals in a span of 4:14 of the second period Saturday.


"I think given the situation, my mindset is just that I'm preparing like I'm playing every single game," he said. "You don't know what's going to happen with it and you've just got to make sure you're ready."


Phil Kessel had two goals Saturday after getting one assist on Patric Hornqvist's Game 1 hat trick. The right wing has 12 points over his last 10 meetings with the Rangers, including five in the past three.


Sidney Crosby is looking to get back on the score sheet after failing to do so in Game 2. He had three points Wednesday as part of his 32 during a 23-game stretch.


Crosby has 37 points in 36 overall games at MSG, including four goals and two assists in the past four.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: Blues (49-24) at Blackhawks (47-26)


Date: April 19, 2016 9:30 PM EDT


A mistake from the league's points leader led to a rare late collapse from the Chicago Blackhawks, costing them home-ice advantage.


Now the St. Louis Blues can all but bury the reigning Stanley Cup champions on the road.


With the Blackhawks frustrated following another wild third period - this time not in their favor - the Blues will try to grab a commanding lead in Tuesday night's Game 4 of a Western Conference quarterfinal series that has been tight since the opening faceoff.


St. Louis gained a 2-1 series edge with Sunday's 3-2 win in Chicago, offsetting the Blackhawks' 3-2 victory Friday that briefly swapped home-ice advantage into their favor.


The Blues trailed 2-1 entering the third but rallied with goals from Patrik Berglund and Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz scored on a power play following a costly four-minute penalty from Patrick Kane after he was caught high-sticking defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.


Two days after a pair of coach's challenges went against St. Louis, it rallied to hand Chicago its first regulation loss when leading after two periods since Game 2 of the 2014 West finals against Los Angeles. The Blackhawks were 70-0-4 since the start of last season when leading at the start of the third.


'That was a tough loss,' coach Joel Quenneville said. 'Let's get back into it. But it was a pretty competitive game, kind of comparable to what we saw in the first two.'


The separation between these teams continues to be razor thin as each of the last five games have been decided by one goal, four of them St. Louis wins.


While Corey Crawford was sharp again for Chicago with 33 saves in Game 3, Brian Elliott was yet again the difference with a postseason career-high 44. Elliott has pushed aside 105 of 109 shots in this series and has a .956 save percentage in his last five starts against Chicago.


The Blackhawks fired 24 shots at Elliott in Sunday's second period - Artem Anisimov tallying the only one that reached the back of the net - but that total was sliced in half in the third.


'We've got home ice back again,' Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. 'To me, that's the whole thing. We've got to find a way to keep it now.'


The Blues will still hold it for Thursday's game in St. Louis, but their fifth win in six tries at the United Center would create a massive uphill climb for the Blackhawks. Two of the final three games are in St. Louis as the Blues will go for their first playoff series win since 2012.


St. Louis has won its last six road games and is riding a 14-3-0 stretch away from home. To regain momentum, Chicago will need to win for just the third time in its last nine games at the United Center.


The Blues won Game 1 on David Backes' overtime goal that caromed off Chicago defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk's skate, and they tied Sunday's contest when Berglund's shot bounced off defenseman Michal Rozsival's right leg and past Crawford.


Chicago forward Andrew Ladd hit both goal posts on a single shot Sunday.


"I think all three games could have gone each way ... that's how close it's been," Quenneville said. "The margin of error is very limited or very minimal. I just think we've got to keep persevering and find a way to get that momentum back here at home next game and turn it around."

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: Ducks (46-25) at Predators (41-27)


Date: April 19, 2016 9:30 PM EDT


The Anaheim Ducks surged to the Pacific Division title by winning 29 of their final 41 games, including 14 of 19 on home ice.


Suffice it to say that nobody expected them to be facing an 0-2 deficit when they boarded the plane for the trip to Music City.


Looking to avoid falling into a seemingly insurmountable hole, Anaheim needs to pick up a crucial win against the Nashville Predators as this Western Conference first-round series shifts to Bridgestone Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday night.


The Ducks were outstanding at home beginning midway through January, outscoring the opposition 62-31 while earning 30 of a possible 38 points, but that dominance seems like a distant memory after the first two of this series.


Nashville got timely scoring and excellent goaltending from Pekka Rinne in a pair of 3-2 victories that gave the club a 2-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time.


"I know this is cliche, but we can only worry about one game at a time," center Nate Thompson told Anaheim's official website. "No one thought we would be in this situation. We're dealt that hand, and we have to deal with it.


"We have to go into their barn and win the next one."


The Ducks had won four in a row at Bridgestone prior to this season before Nashville reversed the trend with a 5-1 victory Oct. 22 and a 3-2 win Nov. 17. Rinne was in net for both and stopped 65 of 68 shots, improving to 10-3-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average at home against Anaheim, including two wins in three playoff starts.


He had 27 saves in each of the first two games of this series, and one more strong performance can help put the Predators on the verge of winning a postseason series for the first time since ousting Detroit in the first round in 2012.


"We're playing one of the better teams in the West, and starting on the road," Rinne said. "So far, we've done a really good job. I know it's boring, but you just try to live in the moment and focus on the next one."


Nashville has responded defensively to Anaheim's aggressive approach and kept its big guns in check, limiting Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler to a goal apiece and Cory Perry to an assist. Those three combined for 178 points in the regular season.


Conversely, it's been the Predators' top two in points who have sparked a crisp and balanced offense. Filip Forsberg has a goal and two assists and Roman Josi has totaled three assists to help Nashville get its goals from six players.


"Everyone in this room believes that we're capable of doing this, and I think we showed we can beat any team," defenseman Mattias Ekholm told the team's official website after scoring in Game 2 on Sunday.


Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said prior to the series that he would stick with one goalie, favoring John Gibson after he played a bulk of the minutes down the stretch because of a concussion Frederik Andersen sustained March 30, but a change may be due. Gibson has allowed all six goals in the series on 60 shots.


Andersen stopped 40 shots in a 4-2 home win over the Ducks on Nov. 1, but he came on in relief of Anton Khudobin late in the second period Nov. 17 and gave up all three goals on seven shots.


"The one thing about this team is our resiliency," Boudreau said. "This team has been through some really tough times this year, so this is no different right now."

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews


In my opinion, the big winner of the first week of the Stanley Cup playoffs was the Western Conference top-seeded Dallas Stars. The big loser? The greater Los Angeles area. I didn't give the Stars a great chance of winning the West because while it's a fabulous offensive team, Dallas wasn't great on defense during the regular season. But with has happened to the two L.A. teams thus far, now I'm rethinking that.


The Stars took a 2-0 series lead against Minnesota into Monday's game in Minneapolis. Kari Lehtonen has been great in goal, although it's against a Wild team missing two of its best forwards due to injury and that's easily the worst club in the postseason. My only worry about Dallas now is the status of star forward Tyler Seguin. He missed the final 10 games of the regular season and first of these playoffs with an Achilles injury. He did play 15:40 in Game 2 but apparently tweaked that injury. NHL teams are notoriously vague about these types of things. Seguin was to miss Game 3 and all Coach Lindy Ruff would say is that what Seguin is dealing with is "not his injury, but it is kind of related."


I don't think the Stars can win the Cup without Seguin at 100 percent, so I'd just sit him the rest of the Wild series to heal up for the conference semifinals. I do think they can win the West without him because now it looks as if Dallas won't have to deal with either the Los Angeles Kings, the Western Conference betting favorites entering the playoffs, or Pacific Division champion Anaheim Ducks in the conference finals.


I'm absolutely shocked that Los Angeles entered Monday's Game 3 of their series at San Jose down 2-0. True, the Sharks led the NHL in road wins during the season and set a franchise record, but I never saw them winning both games in L.A. It was a bad week in L.A. hockey as the Ducks also dropped their first two at home against Nashville, each by the same 3-2 score. John Gibson was in net for both of those, but I think you will see Coach Bruce Boudreau go with Frederik Andersen, who has much more playoff experience, in Game 3 on Tuesday. The Ducks' big guns, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, have been held to three total points. Perry is minus-three for the series. The Ducks are also taking too many penalties. They have now lost four straight playoff games, three at home, since leading the Blackhawks 3-2 through five games of last season's Western Conference Finals.


Anaheim is a +100 underdog for Tuesday's game in Nashville, which has a 2-0 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history. The new odds to win the West are: Stars at +250, Blues (+450), Blackhawks (+500), Sharks (+500), Predators (+600), Ducks (+950), Kings (+1000) and the no-chance Wild at +4000.


Chicago faces a near must-win home game on Tuesday against St. Louis, with the Hawks as -155 favorites. They totally let one get away in Sunday's Game 2, leading 2-1 entering the third but falling 3-2. The Blackhawks had been 70-0-4 since the start of last season when they had the lead at the beginning of the third. The Blackhawks had trouble scoring in 5-on-5 play during the regular season, ranking in the bottom third of the NHL, and that has carried over with just one goal at even strength. The Blues finished second in 5-on-5 goals allowed this season and they have outpaced the Hawks in high-danger scoring chances during 5-on-5 play 35-19. I wouldn't bail on Chicago yet as the Hawks typically play inconsistently early in series and then flip the switch.


My original Western Conference picks to advance were Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Not looking great there at the moment.


In the Eastern Conference, Washington is now a huge -105 favorite to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals looked to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Flyers in Philly on Monday night. The Penguins are next at +500 to win the East, followed by the Lightning (+750), Rangers (+750), Islanders (+900), Panthers (+1100), Flyers (+3500) and Red Wings (+3500). I'm sticking with my first-round selections: Washington, the two New York teams and Detroit.


Easily the most interesting series in the East has been Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers, especially in net. Blueshirts star Henrik Lundqvist left Game 1 with an eye injury and New York lost. He was a game-time call for Game 2 on Saturday but was in net and led a 4-2 victory to even the series at one. The Penguins have played both games with third-stringer Jeff Zatkoff in net and he's expected to be in there against Tuesday with Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray still recovering from injuries. It was because of Zatkoff that I liked New York in this series. The Penguins did welcome back star forward Evgeni Malkin in Game 2; he had been out since March 11 and was supposed to be out at least six weeks. Malkin played nearly 20 minutes Saturday and had an assist. The Rangers are actually +101 underdogs for Tuesday. On the series line, the Pens are -165 and Rangers +145. Blueshirts captain Ryan McDonagh hasn't played yet in the series and is doubtful for Tuesday. He did practice Monday for the first time since being hurt two weeks ago.

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Stanley Cup Playoffs”
Tuesday’s NHL betting preview
Preview: Tampa Bay at Detroit
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
The Detroit Red Wings have shown they are not going away easily and can even the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit for Game 4 on Tuesday. The Red Wings limited Tampa Bay to 16 shots on net in Sunday’s 2-0 victory and goaltender Petr Mrazek notched his third shutout in eight playoff starts against the Lightning.
“I thought everyone really battled hard,” Detroit center Luke Glendening told reporters. “We got a ton of energy from our fans, which was awesome. … But it was just one game. Now we’ve got to go get the next one.” Glendening was instrumental – along with Justin Abdelkader and Riley Sheahan — in holding the red-hot line of Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov without a shot Sunday after the trio recorded 15 points in the first two games. “It’s frustrating that we just didn’t play our best,” Johnson told reporters. “We know we need to be better. The team needs to be better. It starts with us.” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said the Lightning needed more “will” to get pressure on Mrazek and told reporters, “it went from us pinning them against the wall, to now it’s a series.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS2, FSN Detroit, FSN Florida (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING:
Tampa Bay’s penalty-killing unit has been outstanding in the series (16-for-17), but the Lightning could not generate much offense Sunday while losing puck battles and being forced to blank Detroit on seven power-play tries. Goalie Ben Bishop has allowed two goals or fewer in 20-of-27 career playoff games and told reporters, “We expected them to be desperate. Now it’s our turn to turn the tables.” Erik Condra took the spot in the lineup vacated by fellow forward J.T. Brown (upper body), who is lost for the series, and was a minus-1 while playing only 7:28 on Sunday.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS:
Mrazek told reporters he is confident despite posting an .884 save percentage in March and taking over for Jimmy Howard, who played the first two games of the series. “I think it’s positive he’s had the opportunity to get away and just get back to work on his game.” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill told reporters of Mrazek. Blashill shuffled his lines, moving captain Henrik Zetterberg between Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin while Pavel Datsyuk centered Brad Richards and Darren Helm, and Andreas Athanasiou played with Joakim Andersson and Tomas Tatar in Game 3.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman and RW-LW Jonathan Drouin lead the team with nine shots apiece in the series.
2. Detroit D Brendan Smith (three hits, two blocks, plus-1 rating) was back in the lineup in place of D Kyle Quincey, who was minus-3 in the first two games.
3. The teams have combined to average more than 70 penalty minutes in the first three contests – way more than any other first-round series.
PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Red Wings 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: Pittsburgh at NY Rangers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Just as it appeared the sky was falling for the New York Rangers, star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist returned to the lineup from a potentially serious eye injury to restore order in Gotham. After salvaging a split on the road, Lundqvist and the Rangers look to make it two straight wins against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in Tuesday night’s Game 3 of the first-round series.
Lundqvist, who had to leave Game 1 after taking a stick in the eye from teammate Marc Staal, made 29 saves to level the series at a game apiece while beating Pittsburgh for the eighth time in his last 10 postseason matchups. His return also shifted the focus back to issues in net for the Penguins, who have been forced to start third-stringer Jeff Zatkoff in Games 1 and 2. Starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury remains day-to-day with a concussion sustained on March 31 while backup Matt Murray returned to practice Monday after suffering a concussion in the regular-season finale. New York received more good news on the injury front as captain Ryan McDonagh (hand) was back at practice Monday, although coach Alain Vigneault termed him “doubtful.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET; USA, Sportsnet, TVAS, ROOT (Pittsburgh), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS:
The goaltendending situation remains in flux for Pittsburgh, with Fleury acknowledging “it’s frustrating to not play and still be talking about it” and Murray telling reporters: “When I’m healthy, when I’m 100 percent, I’ll be ready to play in games.” The Penguins had won 14 of 16 prior to Saturday’s loss and one of the questions was whether the return of star center Evgeni Malkin after a five-week injury absence had a detrimental effect on the team’s chemistry. Despite the devastating potential of a line featuring Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, coach Mike Sullivan had Malkin centering rookie Conor Sheary and Eric Fehr during Monday’s practice.
ABOUT THE RANGERS:
Vigneault expressed surprise that McDonagh was a full participant in Monday’s practice and while the coach said it was unlikely that his captain will be back in the lineup Tuesday, he hedged that by adding: “Stranger things have happened.” J.T. Miller tied a franchise record with three assists — all coming in the second period — while Derick Brassard snapped out of his offensive funk by scoring once and setting up a pair of tallies to give him seven goals in his past 10 postseason games against the Penguins. With Dan Girardi ruled out for Game 3, New York recalled fellow defenseman Raphael Diaz from Hartford for the American Hockey League.
OVERTIME
1. Lundqvist earned his 55th playoff victory Saturday, moving past Terry Sawchuk into 15th place on the all-time list.
2. F Phil Kessel scored twice on the power play Saturday for Pittsburgh, which is 3-for-10 with the man advantage in the series.
3. Rangers D Keith Yandle ended an 18-game drought with his tally in Game 2.
PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Penguins 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: St. Louis at Chicago
When: 9:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Patrick Kane scored a career-high 46 goals this season and captain Jonathan Toews, Andrew Ladd and Marian Hossa are capable of giving goaltenders nightmares with their offensive play as well. Despite collectively unleashing 48 shots on net, the Chicago Blackhawks’ quartet still is in search of its first goal heading into Tuesday’s Game 4 of the first-round series versus the visiting St. Louis Blues.
“I don’t think frustration’s the word,” Kane (13 shots) told the Chicago Sun-Times. “(But) obviously, when it’s not going in, you’re not doing your job. That’s something we’ll have to step up here the rest of the series.” Brian Elliott certainly has been doing his job, stopping 105-of-109 shots – including a playoff career-high 44-save performance in a 3-2 win on Sunday to give St. Louis a 2-1 advantage in the series. The 31-year-old has recorded a stingy 1.28 goals-against average and scintillating .963 save percentage to keep the defending Stanley Cup champions on edge. “Yeah, he’s been OK,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said with a smile.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVAS, SN, FSN-Midwest (St. Louis), CSN Chicago
ABOUT THE BLUES:
Captain David Backes set up Jaden Schwartz’s power-play goal with 6:38 remaining in the third period on Sunday to extend his point streak to seven games (three goals, six assists). Fellow forward Steve Ott didn’t dent the scoresheet in his return from a four-plus-month absence due to a hamstring injury, but his abrasive style during his 13 shifts scored points with his teammates. “He was in everybody’s face. We need that from him,” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “That’s why I used to hate playing against him, but I like him now.”
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS:
Chicago isn’t about to get hang its head with its current deficit in the series – after all, it lost the first two games of its first-round series versus St. Louis in 2014 and won the next four contests. Taken a step further, the Blackhawks own a sizzling 43-14 mark in Games 4-7 of a postseason series under the watchful eye of coach Joel Quenneville. “You look back at what we’ve done and how we’ve been successful in the past, coming back in the series, I think it’s the character in the room from the coaching staff to all the players,” forward Andrew Shaw told the team website on Monday. “We feed off each other and we always stick together through thick and thin, and we always seem to come out on top.”
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis RW Vladimir Tarasenko had an assist on Schwartz’s goal on Sunday, giving him 13 points in 16 career playoff games.
2. The Blackhawks are 2-for-12 on the power play in the series and have just one tally during 5-on-5 play.
3. The Blues added depth on Monday by recalling F Ty Rattie from Chicago of the American Hockey League.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 2, Blues 1

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Preview: Anaheim at Nashville
When: 9:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
The Anaheim Ducks had to overcome a wretched start to the season to capture their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title and they will have to dig themselves out of another hole when they visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night in Game 3 of their first-round series. Anaheim heads to Tennessee staring at a 2-0 deficit after dropping a pair of 3-2 decisions at home.
“You never want to go down 2-0 in your own building. We got to go on the road and do something now,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. ” … We’ve been doing things the hard way all year so we’re looking forward to that challenge in Game 3.” Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau made no effort to hide his displeasure with his team’s play in Game 2, using the terms “stupid,” “selfish” and “dumb” in his postgame media conference. Nashville, which finished as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, is in possession of its first 2-0 series lead in franchise history and can push the Ducks to the brink of elimination Tuesday night. “It’s a seven-game series for a reason,” cautioned Predators captain Shea Weber. “They’re going to come out with an even better effort (Tuesday), so I don’t think we can sit back here and dwell on anything we’ve done so far. It’s just going to get harder.”
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, USA, TVAS 2, Sportsnet360, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE DUCKS:
Anaheim finished the season with the top-ranked power-play and penalty-killing units in the league, but giving Nashville five opportunities with the man advantage is what drew the ire of Boudreau, who lauded the effort of his team but bristled at the accompanying “foolishness.” Prior to Sunday’s game, Boudreau reaffirmed his faith in goaltender John Gibson, but he later described his play as “OK” amid speculation that the Ducks could turn to Frederik Andersen, who is 17-1-2 in his over 20 starts and blanked Washington in the regular-season finale. Forward Corey Perry, who scored a team-high 34 goals this season, failed to record a shot on goal in Game 2.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS:
Nashville’s defensemen scored a league-high 55 goals during the regular season and flexed their collective muscles again in Game 2, with Mattias Ekholm and Weber supplying one tally apiece and fellow blue-liner Roman Josi collecting a pair of assists. Goaltender Pekka Rinne posted the season-lowest save percentage (.908) of his career, but he was superb in Game 2, giving up the second goal late in the third on a deflection off Josi’s stick. “He’s a terrific goalie,” coach Peter Laviolette said of Rinne. “We always accept a little bit of responsibility back three or four months ago for not doing the right things in front of him, and now we’re playing better in front of him.”
OVERTIME
1. The two playoff wins boost Nashville’s record to 15-3-5 against the Pacific Division this season.
2. Andersen is 4-1-0 with a 2.87 goals-against average versus the Predators,
3. Nashville won both meetings at home this season versus the Ducks, ending Anaheim’s four-game winning streak at Bridgestone Arena.
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Predators 2

[Satch]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/19

Detroit-Tampa Bay (TB 2-1)
Home side won last eight Detroit-Tampa Bay games; under is 5-2-1 in those eight n games. Lightning is 2-3 in last fiver visits to Motor City, losing 3-1/2-1/2-0 in last three – over is 2-1-1 in last four series games. Over is 4-1-2 in last seven Tampa Bay games- Lightning won three of last five games, but lost four of last five on foreign ice. Detroit won its last four home games. Teams combined to go 2-30 on power play in Games 1-2, with Wings 1-17, Tampa 1-13. Lightning had scored a goal in all six periods before getting blanked in Game 3- they had only 16 shots on goal, seven in last two periods. .
NY Rangers-Pittsburgh (1-1)
Rangers snapped 4-game skid vs Pittsburgh in Game 2, tying series 1-1; road team won seven of last ten games in this rivalry. Penguins won three of last four visits here. Over is 3-0-1 in last four games in this rivalry. Rangers won four of last six games overall- over is 8-0-4 in their last 12 games. Pittsburgh won nine of its last 11 games, seven of its last nine games went over the total. Rangers are 1-8 on power play in series; Penguins are 3-10. Teams haven’t played since Saturday.
St Louis-Chicago (St 2-1)
Blues won four of last five games with Chicago, with three wins by one goal, three in OT/SO; under is 4-0-2 in last six series games. St Louis won four of its last five visits here. Chicago lost four of last five games overall, with three losses in OT; they outshot Blues 110-85 in first three games- they had 24 shots in second period alone Sunday. Over is 4-2-2 in last eight Chicago games. Blues won nine of their last 12 games, winning four in row on road. St Louis is 2-8 on power play in series; Chicago 2-12.
Nashville-Anaheim (N 2-0)
Ducks lost four of last five games with Nashville (over is 9-0-3 in last 12); Anaheim lost 5-1/3-2 in last two visits here- they’ve lost four of last six games overall, but won three of their last four road games; under is 4-1-2 in their last seven games overall. Nashville won four of last five games overall, but split last four at home; under is 3-1-2 in its last six games. In 17 years of existence, Nashville has only two playoff series, first round series in 2011, 2012; they’ve been over .500 11 of last 12 years- this is golden chance for them to pull an upset and advance to second round.