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**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:18 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Capitals (56-18) at Penguins (48-26)

Date: May 10, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

(AP) - Sidney Crosby hovered in the left circle, waited for the pass from assistant coach Rick Tocchet before firing a laser into the far corner of the empty net.

Then the Penguins captain did it again. And again. And again, once rifling the puck with so much velocity it became lodged between the twine, a reminder that Crosby's shot - when fully unleashed - remains one of the NHL's best. The trick is finding the time, the room - and just as important, the initiative - to let it loose during a game.

It's not happening with any great regularity for Crosby during his team's hotly contested Eastern Conference semifinal against Washington. Through fifteen-plus periods and 133 shifts, Crosby has only 11 shots and none of them has found a way past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.

And while Pittsburgh's depth has helped carry the Penguins to a 3-2 lead over the Presidents' Trophy winners heading into Tuesday night's Game 6, Crosby is well aware it will take more than the two assists he's put up for the Penguins to advance to the East finals against Tampa Bay.

'You definitely want to score more,' Crosby said Monday. 'I think you always want more but I think we've generated some decent chances. We've still got to find a way to produce more, whether it's generate chances or execute when we do get them. I would say that's how we view it. I think we can get better.'

It's not that Crosby has been ineffective. His mere presence is enough to open up opportunities for teammates. Patric Hornqvist buried the overtime winner in Game 4 thanks in large part to Holtby being so focused on Crosby parked in front of the net the goaltender couldn't make it across the crease in time to stop the shot from the right circle.

Yet neither Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin - who has a goal and an assist in the series - has been able to match the dynamic play of Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, who set the tone early in Game 5 and scored a goal and an assist for the second time in three games as the Capitals fought off elimination.

Still, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan is quick to defend the tandem that generates relentless defensive attention from opponents.

'These guys have had an impact on the game,' Sullivan said. 'They may not have had the off production everybody grows accustomed to but they certainly have made an impact on the series.'

It's telling that perhaps the series' biggest subplot - the rapid maturation of 21-year-old Penguins goalie Matt Murray while filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury - has taken a backseat to Crosby and Malkin regaining their scoring touch. Sullivan, who has often remained coy about his personnel decisions, cut short any potential drama by naming Murray the starter for Game 6.

And he spent several minutes protecting his stars.

'They share a tremendous amount of responsibility for our group and they're doing everything within their power to help our team win,' Sullivan said. 'We know it, our players know it ... (but) this team isn't about any one or two players.'

Good thing, because the return of Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik following a three-game suspension for an illegal hit on Pittsburgh's Olli Maatta gives the Capitals another big body to steer Malkin and Crosby out of the way. It's a task Washington handled capably even with Orpik out of the lineup.

'I think we've just been keying in on him and trying to limit his space and his time,' Holtby said. 'He's still making some plays, but we're doing a pretty good job of coming back as a five-man unit so that there's not too many options open for him.'

Crosby becoming a little more selfish might help, too. From the day he arrived in December, Sullivan has preached the importance of getting the puck to the net rather than search for the perfect play, a trap both Crosby and Malkin have succumbed to at times during their careers in part because their talent and vision allow them to take risks others would not.

Sullivan calls it 'playing the right way,' a mantra that's been repeated so often over the last five months forward Eric Fehr joked 'it's something that's a part of our everyday life now, making sure that we're reminding ourselves that a shot is never a bad play.'

A creed Crosby insists is getting through even if the pucks - for now - are not.

'Over the course of the game there's always times you could look back and say, `I could have shot that maybe,'' he said. 'Our focus, our mentality has been to finish at the net and create chances there. A lot of the pucks at the net are from second, third chances. We have a feeling for that.'

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:18 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 5/10

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

Just one team entering Monday has reached the conference finals, and it's a club I didn't think would get there without two of its best players in center and captain Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

They closed out the New York Islanders in Game 5 on Sunday 4-0. The team's other top defenseman, Victor Hedman, had two goals and is now a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy. He probably would have won the award last season had the Lightning not lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 10 playoff games, Hedman, has four goals and five assists and is a plus-4. In 26 playoff games last year, he had one goal and 13 assists and was a plus-11. Hedman had eight points in the series against the Islanders and helped hold New York star center John Tavares without a point in the final four games - all Lightning wins - in which Tavares was minus-5.

Bolts goalie Ben Bishop had his fifth career playoff shutout Sunday, fourth in the deciding game of a series. That's tied with Martin Brodeur and Jacques Plante for second all-time behind Chris Osgood's five. Bishop also shut out Detroit 1-0 in Game 5 to end that first-round series and two Game 7s without allowing a goal last year. He has a 1.89 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in this postseason.

Tampa Bay is currently +500 to win the Cup and +210 to win the Eastern Conference. The Lightning don't yet know which team they will face. Washington is in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night in Game 6 of that series with the Penguins leading 3-2. The Pens are +300 favorites for the Cup and -120 in the East.

The Lightning could get both Stamkos and Stralman back for that series, although obviously they will be hoping it goes seven games to delay the start of it until this weekend. Stamkos has been sidelined since having surgery to remove a blood clot near his collarbone on April 4. At the time, doctors told him he would be out for between one and four months. He has been practicing. Stralman fractured his left leg on March 25, but he nearly played on Sunday. If those two can get back healthy, I'd favor the Lightning against the Penguins or Capitals even those oddsmakers wouldn't.

If you are wondering, Tampa Bay was 3-0 against Pittsburgh this season, each game high scoring (all at least six goals scored). The Lightning were 0-3 against Washington. The Lightning and Penguins have met once in the playoffs: Tampa Bay defeated Pittsburgh in seven games in the first round in 2011. Tampa Bay defeated Washington in each of their two postseason series (2003, 2011).

The Penguins are -130 favorites for Tuesday's game against Washington. The Caps will get defenseman Brooks Orpik back after he was suspended three games for a big hit on Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta in Game 2. Maatta has yet to return to the Penguins lineup.

There's talk that Penguins coach Mike Sullivan could turn to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 6 even though he hasn't played since suffering a concussion on March 31. Fleury has been Matt Murray's backup for the past three games. Murray wasn't sharp in Game 5, however, allowing three goals on 19 shots. Fleury finished the regular season with a 35-17-6 record, tying his career high with a .921 save percentage and setting a new career low with a 2.29 goals against average. I'd frankly be surprised if the Pens make a change, although not for a potential Game 7. Sullivan hasn't tipped his hand yet. Murray has played 21 games in his NHL career (he has never faced the Lightning). Fleury has appeared in more than 700.

In the Western Conference, St. Louis can close out its series in Game 6 at home vs. Dallas on Monday, while San Jose can do the same in Nashville. I predicted Blues-Sharks before the conference semifinals and will stick with that. St. Louis is the +130 favorite in the West and +350 for the Cup. And I'd take the Blues over either San Jose or Nashville. I believe the Blues finish things off Monday night but that the Predators force a Game 7, which would be Thursday (same as Penguins-Capitals Game 7).

Awards Update

We now know all the finalists for the major NHL awards. I'm unable to currently find any Hart Trophy odds for NHL MVP but those will be coming. And Chicago's Patrick Kane will be a favorite. The league's leading scorer is a finalist with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Dallas' Jamie Benn -- it was a minor upset that Washington's Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's top goalscorer, wasn't a finalist.

Kane, who had 106 points, is looking to become the first Blackhawks player to win the Hart Trophy since Stan Mikita won the second of back-to-back MVP honors in 1968. Crosby won it in 2013 and 2007. He finished with 85 points this season. Benn was second to Kane with 89 points. He is the first player in Stars franchise history to be named a finalist for the Hart Trophy.

For the Vezina Trophy as top goalie, the finalists are Washington's Braden Holtby, Tampa Bay's Bishop and the Kings' Jonathan Quick. Holtby is a -10000 favorite, with Bishop at +1700 and Quick at +3000. Holtby is going to win this as he tied Brodeur's single-season record of 48 wins.

All winners will be announced June 22 during the NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas, which is probably getting an NHL team in two years. That could be made official any day.

**TheGame** · 05-10-2016, 07:21 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 5/10

NHL

Tuesday's games

Pittsburgh-Washington (P 3-2)
Washington staved off elimination with its Game 5 win; they get D Orpik back here; he is their most physical defenseman, and a solid penalty killer. Home team is 4-1 in this series, with Caps losing 3-2 in both games here. Washington was outshot 31-19 in Game 5, but shut Pens out for the last 52:52 to stay alive. Penguins won four of last five home games, but are 1-16 on power play in series, Caps are 3-17. Pens won 11 of last 15 games; over is 7-4-3 in their last 14 games. Capitals lost five of last eight games- under is 7-2-3 in Washington's last 12 games.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 14-8, Over: 9-5-8

**Satch** · 05-10-2016, 11:31 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 5/10

Preview: Washington at Pittsburgh

When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Matchup Edge

WAS	Edge in:	PIT
	Offense
	Defense
	Power Play
	Penalty Kill
	Face Offs
	Discipline
	Goaltending

The visiting Washington Capitals look to continue to turn the tables on the Pittsburgh Penguins and extend their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday when the Metropolitan Division rivals play Game 6 at Consol Energy Center. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals, who staved off elimination on Saturday with a 3-1 victory, are hoping to avenge last season's playoff failure as they were unable to hold a 3-1 series lead against the New York Rangers.

"Now we're ... feeling pretty good about ourselves and maybe (the Penguins are) not feeling as good about themselves," Washington forward Jason Chimera told reporters Monday. "We have a better feeling going into the game now for sure." Pittsburgh is no stranger to seeing a 3-1 series advantage go by the boards, having lost the last three games of a set in both 2011 (versus Tampa Bay) and 2014 (against the Rangers). "You have to leave that behind you," Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist said of Saturday's disappointing showing. "It's a new day (Tuesday) and a new game, a new opportunity. We have to take that one."

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

ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik told reporters on Monday that he is ready to move forward after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Pittsburgh blue-liner Olli Maatta on April 30. "Nothing I can do about it," the former Penguin said. "Just watch. They were three games that could have gone either way. We're not in the position that we foresaw, but we have a good opportunity (Tuesday)." Captain Alex Ovechkin recorded a goal and an assist for the second time in three outings on Saturday, raising his series point total to five and playoff point tally to 10 (five goals, five assists).

ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in making a switch as rookie goaltender Matt Murray is expected to get the nod over franchise netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. Murray yielded three goals on 19 shots Saturday to drop to 6-2 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in eight consecutive starts in the playoffs. "The reality is, Marc is a terrific goalie. We know that," Sullivan told reporters of Fleury, who suffered a concussion on March 31. "Unfortunately he suffered an injury late in the season that kept him out for an extended period of time. That's a difficult circumstance. It's nobody's fault. It is what it is."

OVERTIME

1. Captain Sidney Crosby has collected an assist in each of the last two contests after being held off the scoresheet in each of the previous three.

2. Washington went 2-for-5 on the power play in Game 5 after going 1-for-22 in its previous seven contests.

3. Maatta (upper body) will be a game-time decision on Tuesday after sitting out the last three contests due to Orpik's hit.

PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Penguins 2

**Satch** · 05-10-2016, 11:32 AM

Re: NHL Betting Info. 5/10

W/L Trends

Washington

Capitals are 5-1 in their last 6 Tuesday games.
Capitals are 4-1 in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
Capitals are 39-17 in their last 56 vs. Eastern Conference.
Capitals are 25-12 in their last 37 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Capitals are 61-30 in their last 91 overall.
Capitals are 3-8 in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.
Capitals are 2-6 in their last 8 Conference Semifinals games.
Capitals are 0-4 in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.

Pittsburgh

Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 Tuesday games.
Penguins are 22-6 in their last 28 vs. Eastern Conference.
Penguins are 21-6 in their last 27 home games.
Penguins are 23-8 in their last 31 vs. Metropolitan.
Penguins are 19-7 in their last 26 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Penguins are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Penguins are 27-11 in their last 38 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Penguins are 36-16 in their last 52 overall.

OU Trends

Washington

Under is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 overall.
Under is 3-0-1 in Capitals last 4 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Under is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 road games.
Over is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 vs. Metropolitan.
Under is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
Under is 2-0-2 in Capitals last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.
Under is 7-2-1 in Capitals last 10 games following a win.
Under is 6-2-2 in Capitals last 10 games playing on 2 days rest.
Under is 9-3-2 in Capitals last 14 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Under is 12-4-6 in Capitals last 22 Conference Semifinals games.
Over is 5-2-1 in Capitals last 8 Tuesday games.

Pittsburgh

Under is 2-0-2 in Penguins last 4 overall.
Under is 2-0-2 in Penguins last 4 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Over is 3-0-4 in Penguins last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Under is 2-0-2 in Penguins last 4 vs. Metropolitan.
Under is 2-0-2 in Penguins last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
Under is 2-0-2 in Penguins last 4 Conference Semifinals games.
Under is 4-1 in Penguins last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.
Over is 18-5-6 in Penguins last 29 home games.
Over is 3-1-2 in Penguins last 6 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Over is 3-1-1 in Penguins last 5 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.

Head to Head

Over is 1-0-3 in the last 4 meetings in Pittsburgh.
Under is 2-0-2 in the last 4 meetings.
Home team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Capitals are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings.
Capitals are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings in Pittsburgh

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NHL Betting Info. 5/10

NHL Betting Info. 5/10

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