NHL Knowledge
NY Islanders-Florida
Islanders are now 3-6 in last nine games with Florida, losing three of last four visits here. Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games overall, 2-2 in this series. Panthers won seven of last ten games (over 6-4-1 in last 11)- they won four of last five home games, Islanders won three of last four on foreign ice. So far in series, NY is 4-13 on power play, Florida 2-11; Panthers scored at 9:25 of third period in Game 4 and hung on to tie series. Islanders haven't scored first period goal in last three games.
Philadelphia-Washington
Flyers have been outscored 13-4 in losing three of first four series games; they were outshot 13-4 in third period of Game 4 by Caps, but hung on to force Game 5 here- Flyers killed off both Washington power plays, after Caps scored five power play goals in total of 18:14 with man advantage in previous game. Philly is 1-15 on power play in series, Home side won five of last six series games- Flyers lost last three visits here, outscored 9-3. Under is 7-3-2 in the last dozen series games, 3-1-2 in last six played here.
Minnesota-Dallas
Minnesota lost seven of last nine games against Dallas- Wild lost three of last four visits to Metroplex. Minnesota also lost eight of last nine games overall, outscored 28-14- under is 5-2-4 in their last eleven games. Dallas won nine of last 11 games; under is 6-2-1 in their last nine. Stars were outshot 55-39 in two games at Minnesota- they were outshot 14-2 in third period of Game 4, holding on to its 3-2 lead. . Dallas is 3-14 on power play- they were 2-2 in Game 4 (Minnesota is 2-12).
San Jose-Los Angeles
Road team won three of first four series games. San Jose is 8-6 in last 14 series games; road team went 9-5 in those games- Sharks won their last four visits here. Over is 4-2-3 in last nine tilts in series. San Jose won eight of last 11 games; under is 5-2-1 in their last eight. Kings are 5-9 in last 14 games. Sharks are 5-18 on power play in series after going 3-4 in Game 4, Kings are 3-13. In last three games, LA has total of only one goal in periods 1-2- they scored twice in 3:05 span of third period last game, but San Jose held on for last 13:46 to take 3-1 series lead.
Playoffs tally: Home: 16-18, Over: 10-11-13
Armadillosports.com
NHL: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
Every team heading into the playoffs has some sort of weakness that can potentially be exposed by their opponents. The fact of the matter is that some warts are going to be exposed over the course of an 82-game NHL schedule, and the teams that are able to make a deep postseason run are those that can prevent other teams from picking at those flaws.
For the Dallas Stars, it’s fair to say that defense has the potential to be their Achilles heel. While Dallas were scoring their way to the best offensive record in the league, they also felt required to do so, just so that they could score enough to cover for the holes in defense.
The Stars came into this postseason as one of the favorites in the Western Conference, but the shadow of those defensive frailties continues to hang over them. So far, they have been doing fine, and have built up a 3-1 lead over the Minnesota Wild, which means an opportunity to close out the series on home ice on Friday night.
Why bet on the Minnesota Wild
The problem that Minnesota faced heading into this series was that they did not have the type of offense that might scare off the Stars. They certainly cannot win when going toe to toe in an offensive battle, which meant their only real hope was to play some stifling defense. It hasn’t really worked for them, and they only really saw some success when they decided to open things up a little more. That came in Game 3 when the series switched back to Minnesota, with the Wild managing to pick up a 5-3 win. They gave another good effort on home ice in Game 4, but came up a little short, going down 3-2. They need to win in Dallas to force a Game 5, and that is a tall order indeed.
Why bet on the Dallas Stars
The Stars may not have had the best defensive record in the league by a long way this season, but they have looked very solid in 3 of the 4 games in this series so far. This was particularly true on home ice, where the Stars gave up just 1 goal in the opening 2 games. With the series now heading back to Texas for Game 5 on Friday, you get the real sense that Dallas want to get this thing over and done with. They put in a gritty effort to steal a win in Minnesota, and that may well have been the game that prepped the Wild coffin for the final nail.
Pick and Final Score Prediction
Dallas were spectacular at home all season long, and their efforts in Game 1 and 2 show that they are likely to be the same way through the playoffs. I like the Stars to close out the series on Friday with a comfortable win.
Minnesota Wild 2 Dallas Stars 5
Friday's NHL Betting Preview
By Covers.com
There are elimination games all over the place Friday night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Minnesota Wild all have their backs against the wall as the opening round hits the pivotal Game 5.
Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals (A: +200, H: -240, O/U: 5)
The Washington Capitals look to squeeze a little more juice out of their potent power play in Game 5 on Friday as they attempt to advance to the second round with a victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Washington was a blistering 8-for-17 with the man advantage en route to winning the first three contests before failing on both opportunities as Philadelphia staved off elimination with Wednesday's 2-1 triumph.
"That was one of the reasons that we won the game," Flyers goaltender and former Capital Michal Neuvirth told NHL.com after making 31 saves in his first action of the series. "That was our goal. And we didn't take any stupid penalties. Just a great team effort for 60 minutes. That's the way we've got to play." Rookie Shayne Gostisbehere ended Philadelphia's 0-for-13 stretch on the power play and fellow defenseman Andrew MacDonald also scored versus Braden Holtby, who has yielded only four tallies on 118 shots for a .966 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. "Even with the loss, I think we still have a little momentum coming into the next game," said forward T.J. Oshie, who scored for the first time in the series on Wednesday and extended his playoff point streak to a career-high three games (one goal, three assists).
ABOUT THE FLYERS (42-30-14, 47-39 ATS, 33-32 O/U): After spending the bulk of the season preaching about the bigger picture, coach Dave Hakstol has narrowed the scope quite a bit with Philadelphia having zero margin for error. "We came here (Wednesday) to win a hockey game," Hakstol told reporters. "Now we've got to go on the road and to their building, we got to win a hockey game. It's pretty simple. We get one more and then we'll worry about the next one." Forward Wayne Simmonds and captain Claude Giroux have the opportunity to "worry about the next one" after the former notched two assists and the latter set up a tally on Wednesday for their first points of the series.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (59-19-8, 40-46 ATS, 34-35 O/U): Rugged Tom Wilson told the Washington Post that he expects to be in the lineup for Game 5 after being left a bit glassy-eyed in the late stages of Wednesday's contest following a solid hit from Philadelphia defenseman Brandon Manning. "It was a hard hit," Wilson told the newspaper on Thursday. "I feel good today, the usual. Nowadays, you've got to be extra careful, so (head athletic trainer Greg Smith) just said, 'Go back, and get checked out.' But I feel good and should be good to go." The status of Brooks Orpik (upper body) is unclear as coach Barry Trotz admitted that he doesn't know if the defenseman will participate in the morning skate prior to Game 5.
TRENDS:
* Flyers are 12-3 in their last 15 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Capitals are 4-1 in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 4-1-2 in Flyers last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Capitals last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Home team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
New York Islanders at Florida Panthers (A: +140, H: -160, O/U: 5)
After failing to push the Florida Panthers to the brink of elimination, the New York Islanders could find themselves in that very same predicament if they are unable to solve their Game 5 woes. The Islanders look to snap an 11-game skid in the fifth contest of a playoff series on Friday when the first-round set returns to the Sunshine State.
Captain John Tavares scored a power-play goal on Wednesday for his career-high seventh point of the series, but New York mustered little else against Roberto Luongo and dropped a 2-1 decision to deadlock the series at two victories apiece. "You are not going to win many games when you score one goal and the same guys score," coach Jack Capuano said of the first line (Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen), which has accounted for six of the team's 11 goals. "We didn't create much. We got one line creating all of our offense right now." Reilly Smith carried Florida in the first three contests with four goals and as many assists before being held off the scoresheet in Game 4.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (47-29-10, 36-50 ATS, 36-42 O/U): Ryan Pulock did not travel with the team to Florida, with Capuano telling Newsday that the rookie defenseman is likely out for the remainder of the series with an undisclosed injury. "It’s a big loss. He's a young guy who was playing real well, he had a couple points, a big goal (in Game 3)," Capuano said on Thursday. "It's a little more adversity we'll have to battle back from." Fellow rookie Adam Pelech or veterans Marek Zidlicky or Brian Strait are candidates to replace Pulock, who was involved in a collision with Panthers forward Garrett Wilson with 7:40 remaining in the third period.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (49-27-10, 43-43 ATS, 35-33 O/U): Veteran Jaromir Jagr wasn't too interested in becoming the fifth player in NHL history to reach the 200-point plateau in the playoffs. "To be honest with you: Do you remember who scored goals 10 years ago? I don't," the 44-year-old Jagr told reporters after he notched his first point of the series with an assist on Teddy Purcell's goal Wednesday. "It's everything about the Cup. Who cares who scored?" If you're keeping score, Jagr has just one goal in his last 37 playoffs games - albeit with 18 assists.
TRENDS:
* Islanders are 5-0 in their last 5 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Panthers are 5-1 in their last 6 Friday games.
* Over is 5-0 in Islanders last 5 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 7-0-1 in Panthers last 8 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Over is 14-4-4 in the last 22 meetings.
Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars (A: +170, H: -200, O/U: 5)
The Dallas Stars are in command of their Western Conference first-round series and can close out the visiting Minnesota Wild on Friday night when the teams square off in Game 5. The top-seeded Stars earned a split on the road with a hard-fought 3-2 victory in Game 4 to push the Wild to the brink of elimination.
Dallas won the first two games at American Airlines Center and is buoyed by the prospect of a series-clinching victory in front of the home fans. "It's going to be exciting for us as players to play in front of them," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "I'm sure it's going to be exciting for them, and hopefully we can close it out." Minnesota has shown the ability to play with Dallas since a 4-0 drubbing in the series opener, dropping a pair of one-goal decisions sandwiched around a 5-3 victory in Game 3. “Hey, I like the way we’re playing,” Wild coach John Torchetti said. “We just have to find a way to get back home. That’s the bottom line."
ABOUT THE WILD (39-36-11, 42-44 ATS, 30-37 O/U): Minnesota was among the league's worst penalty-killing units during the regular season, but has limited Dallas' No. 4-ranked power play to one goal in 13 chances through three games before the Stars converted on both opportunities in Game 4. “They feed a lot off their power play, and tonight was a good example of it,” Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "When you lose the special-teams battle, you’re usually not going to win the game. That’s what happened.” Pominville has scored three times in the past two games after going 13 contests without a tally.
ABOUT THE STARS (53-24-9, 42-44 ATS, 46-38 O/U): Dallas coach Lindy Ruff opted to go with Antti Niemi after Kari Lehtonen started the first three games and the veteran netminder, who backstopped Chicago to a Stanley Cup title in 2010, came through with 28 saves. "That's a luxury that we've had all year," said Stars forward Jason Spezza, who scored the game-winning goal after assisting on the tying tally in Game 4. "You're starting to see the benefits of having fresh goalies all the time." Defenseman Kris Russell had a pair of assists after sitting out Game 3 due to illness.
TRENDS:
* Wild are 1-8 in their last 9 overall.
* Stars are 7-1 in their last 8 vs. Central.
* Under is 3-0-2 in Wild last 5 Friday games.
* Under is 6-1 in Stars last 7 games following a win.
* Wild are 4-23 in the last 27 meetings in Dallas.
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (A: +115, H: -135, O/U: 5)
The San Jose Sharks look to continue their season-long success on the road and finish off the Los Angeles Kings when the Pacific Division rivals meet at Staples Center on Friday for Game 5 of their first-round series, which has featured nothing but one-goal decisions. San Jose posted a league-best 28-10-3 record away from home during the regular season, setting a franchise record for road wins, and carried its impressive play into the playoffs by posting a pair of victories in Los Angeles to take a 2-0 series lead.
After being kept off the scoresheet in a Game 3 overtime loss, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski tallied on Wednesday, giving him four goals and an assist in the matchup after he recorded 10 points (four tallies) in the five-game regular-season series. Los Angeles fell behind 3-0 in Game 4 and came up short in its comeback attempt but now is on the verge of elimination - a situation it faced in its last postseason meeting with San Jose in 2014. The Kings need to tighten up on the penalty kill in Game 5, as they surrendered three power-play goals on Wednesday after being a perfect 5-for-5 in the previous contest. "Our penalty kill wasn’t near good enough tonight, and special teams were obviously the huge difference," Los Angeles defenseman Luke Schenn told reporters. "They got three power-play goals, and we obviously didn’t get any. Special teams needs to improve, for sure, if we’re going to climb back into it."
ABOUT THE SHARKS (49-30-7, 40-46 ATS, 43-35 O/U): Joe Thornton notched an assist Wednesday for his 103rd career postseason point, tying him with Gilbert Perreault and John Bucyk for 84th place on the all-time list. The 33-year-old center also pulled even with Jacques Lemaire for 40th in NHL playoff history at 78 assists. San Jose will be motivated to end the series on Friday, as it will be the 19th consecutive postseason game in which Los Angeles is its opponent.
ABOUT THE KINGS (49-31-6, 30-56 ATS, 29-34 O/U): Schenn was a catalyst in Los Angeles' comeback attempt on Wednesday, assisting on Trevor Lewis' goal before scoring one of his own for his first career two-point performance in the playoffs. Marian Gaborik received the lowest amount of ice time (13 minutes, 48 seconds) in the three games since returning from his knee injury on Wednesday but helped set up Schenn's goal for his first point of the postseason. The Kings have won two of the 13 postseason series in which they've trailed 3-1 - rallying past the Sharks in 2014 after overcoming the deficit in 1989 against Edmonton.
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 12-3 in their last 15 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Kings are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.
* Under is 8-1-1 in Sharks last 10 road games.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Kings last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Sharks are 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Los Angeles.
PHILADELPHIA (42-30-0-14, 98 pts.) at WASHINGTON (59-19-0-8, 126 pts.) - 4/22/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 59-27 ATS (+91.5 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 24-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 46-24 ATS (+18.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 22-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 31-11 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 17-13 ATS (+34.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 26-19 ATS (+49.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 25-20 ATS (+49.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 9-8 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 9-8-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)
NY ISLANDERS (47-29-0-10, 104 pts.) at FLORIDA (49-27-0-10, 108 pts.) - 4/22/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 49-37 ATS (+89.2 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 16-9 ATS (+26.5 Units) in road games on Friday nights over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 15-6 ATS (+7.2 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
FLORIDA is 116-154 ATS (+288.7 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
FLORIDA is 191-212 ATS (-66.7 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 8-5 (+4.5 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 8-5-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.5 Units)
MINNESOTA (39-36-0-11, 89 pts.) at DALLAS (53-24-0-9, 115 pts.) - 4/22/2016, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 39-47 ATS (-20.5 Units) in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 19-31 ATS (-20.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 1-6 ATS (-6.5 Units) on Friday nights this season.
MINNESOTA is 12-20 ATS (-13.8 Units) after a division game this season.
MINNESOTA is 19-24 ATS (-10.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
DALLAS is 53-33 ATS (+87.5 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 22-11 ATS (+4.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 27-33 ATS (-8.1 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 10-8 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 10-8-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)
SAN JOSE (49-30-0-7, 105 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (49-31-0-6, 104 pts.) - 4/22/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 20-5 ATS (+14.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 55-41 ATS (+101.5 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 17-5 ATS (+11.0 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 14-4 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
LOS ANGELES is 89-79 ATS (-8.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 25-24 ATS (-11.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 13-13-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games at home
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
NY ISLANDERS vs. FLORIDA
NY Islanders are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Islanders last 11 games when playing on the road against Florida
Florida is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Florida's last 14 games when playing NY Islanders
MINNESOTA vs. DALLAS
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games at home
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
SAN JOSE vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Jose's last 10 games on the road
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games at home
Philadelphia at Washington
Philadelphia: 15-36 SU in road games when playing their 3rd game in 5 days
Washington: 24-9 SU after a division game
NY Islanders at Florida
New York: 16-9 SU in road games on Friday nights
Florida: 23-41 SU after having won 2 of their last 3
Minnesota at Dallas
Minnesota: 7-19 SU as an underdog
Dallas: 30-12 SU after having won 3 of their last 4
San Jose at Los Angeles
San Jose: 30-13 SU in road games
Los Angeles: 75-63 SU as a favorite