NHL betting trends, odds and predictions for Sunday, April 16th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NHL Knowledge
St Louis won both games in Minnesota by 2-1 score, despite being outshot 76-48, outhit 73-39; they’ve won seven of last nine games overall with Minnesota. Over is 3-4-1 in last eight series games. Blues won eight of last ten games overall, six of last eight at home. Minnesota had won four in a row before this series; Wild lost five of its last seven road games- their last three games stayed under. Blues are in playoffs for 6th straight year; they lost first round series three of last four years. Minnesota is in playoffs for 5th year in row; they’re 4-3 overall in first round series.
Penguins won first two games of series at home; they were +10 in blocked shots both games, killed all four Columbus power plays, but were outshot 72-61. Pittsburgh has now won six of its last eight games, with five of last seven staying under total. Blue Jackets have now lost eight of last nine games- they scored total of 21 goals in their last 12 games. Last three Columbus games stayed under the total. Home side won eight of last nine Columbus-Pittsburgh games; under is 7-3 in last ten series games.
Canadiens got blanked at home by New York in Game 1, then won game 2 in OT, after twin game (and averting disaster) with 0:18 left in regulation; Montreal won six of last nine games with the Rangers; road team won six of those nine games. Over is 4-2-1 in last seven series games. Rangers are 4-5 in last nine games overall- four of their last five games stayed under. Canadiens won seven of last ten games; under is 8-3-1 in their last 12. Rangers won their last four first round series; Montreal missed playoffs LY- they split last six first round series, over last eight years.
Edmonton won four of its last six road games, nine of last 11 overall- over is 3-2-1 in its last six games. Over is 3-1-2 in their last six games. San Jose won three of its last four home games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games overall. Desperate Oilers outhit Sharks 41-21 in game 2- they outshot San Jose 36-16, after being outshot 44-19 in Game 1 loss. Oilers are in playoffs for first time since 2006, when they lost Cup final; they’ve lost four of last five first round series. San Jose lost Stanley Cup final LY; they’re 9-3 in last 12 first round series. Oilers won four of last five games with San Jose.
Armadillosports.com
Sunday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview
Covers.com
Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues (-110, 5)
ABOUT THE BLUES: Schwartz, who recorded 11 points in the last 11 games of the regular season, also had an assist in Game 1 and linemate Vladimir Tarasenko has been held to one assist, but shares the team lead with seven shots. Nine players have a least a point in the first two games and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is one of them while posting seven shots and a plus-2 rating. Zach Sanford is expected to play in place of fellow forward Jori Lehtera for the second straight game Sunday and veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo returned after missing five games with an upper-body injury Friday as rookie Jordan Schmaltz sat out.
ABOUT THE WILD: Leading scorer Mikael Granlund has been held to one assist in the first two games and captain Mikko Koivu has produced the same while the linemates have combined for 10 shots. Minnesota will need to get some offense from forwards Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker, who have registered 17 shots between them but no points. Defenseman Jonas Brodin struggled in the first two games - posting a minus-3 rating and no shots on goal - in front of goalie Devan Dubnyk, has stopped 44 of the 48 shots he has faced after winning a career-high 40 games in the regular season.
LINE HISTORY: The Blues hit the board as slight -115 home favorites for Game 2 and have been bet down a bit to the current number of -110. Oddsmakers set the total at 5.
INJURY REPORT:
Wild - D V. Bartley (Questionable Sunday, tricep), C E. Haula (Questionable Sunday, lower body).
Blues - C P. Stastny (Questionable Sunday, foot), D R. Bortuzzo (Out indefinitely, upper body).
TRENDS:
* Wild are 0-6 in their last six road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Blues are 4-1 in their last five games playing on one days rest.
* Under is 4-0-2 in the Blues last six vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets (-120, 5.5)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: The "HBK Line" was all the rage last spring as Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel catapulted Pittsburgh on its way to its fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history. This time, it's the tentatively titled line of "Sid and the Kids" consisting of Sidney Crosby, rookie Jake Guentzel and second-year forward Conor Sheary that has captured the hearts of the Steel City following a six-point performance (two goals, four assists) and 10 shots on goal Friday. Crosby has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in his last 17 games overall, Guentzel has 18 (eight goals, 10 assists) in his last 13 after scoring and setting up a goal on Friday and Sheary added a brilliant secondary assist in Game 2. "They're three really good players," coach Mike Sullivan said of the line. "I think they play the game with a lot of courage. They go to the battle areas. They have great hockey sense and they're quick. They're hard to defend."
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Sergei Bobrovsky wasn't much for talking after misplaying a puck behind his net in Game 2, resulting in an easy tap-in goal for Crosby. "I don't want to talk about it," the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner said of the gaffe, per the Columbus Dispatch. "It's a mistake and I take that (one)." Although the 28-year-old Bobrovsky is 0-5-0 with an .879 save percentage in April, captain Nick Foligno was quick to the tell the newspaper that "we have full confidence in Bob that he's going to shut the door."
LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Blue Jackets as -125 favorites for Game 3 and have been faded slightly to -120. The total hit the board at 5.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Penguins - D C. Ruhwedel (Questionable Sunday, upper body), G M. Murray (Doutbful Sunday, lower body), LW C. Kunitz (Out indefinitely, lower body), LW C. Hagelin (Late April, lower body).
Blue Jackets - LW M. Calvert (Out Sunday, suspension), LW L. Sedlak (Out indefintely, upper body), D R. Murray (Late April, hand).
TRENDS:
* Home team is 6-0 in the last six meetings.
* Blue Jackets are 1-8 in their last nine games overall.
* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Under is 8-1-1 in the Blue Jackets last 10 games vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers (-130, 5)
ABOUT THE RANGERS: Friday's morale-sapping defeat aside, a bright spot for New York in the series has been the offensive re-emergence of Michael Grabner, who scored into an empty net in the opener before converting on a breakaway in Game 2, beating Carey Price with a spectacular move. Grabner finished second on the team with 27 goals -- the second-highest total of his career -- due to a late-season season in which he tallied once in the final 23 games. It's a continution of postseason success for Grabner, who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last eight playoff games.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: Tomas Plekanec is coming off a 10-goal season, the least productive campaign since he scored nine as a rookie with Montreal in 2005-06. Yet with the Canadiens in desperation mode and the clock ticking down, coach Claude Julien had Plekanec on the ice and the 34-year-old veteran responded by redirecting a beautiful feed from Radulov to send the game into overtime. While noting Plekanec's defensive skills, Julien defended the move by saying, "So that doesn't mean that at the end he can't be a good offensive player, and that's why we put him out there."
LINE HISTORY: The Rangers hit the board at -125 and have been bet up slightly to -130 for the pivotal Game 3. Meanwhile oddsmakers set the total at 5.
INJURY REPORT:
Canadiens - D A. Emelin (Questionable Sunday, lower body).
Rangers - No injuries to report.
TRENDS:
* Canadiens are 4-0 in the last four meetings in New York.
* Rangers are 2-8 in their last 10 home games.
* Under is 13-3-3 in the Canadiens last 19 road games.
* Under is 5-1-5 in the last 11 meetings in New York.
Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks (-135, 5)
ABOUT THE OILERS: At 20 years, 91 days, Connor McDavid became the youngest member of the franchise to score a playoff goal since Martin Gelinas (19 years, 319 days) in Game 2 of the 1990 Smythe Division Final versus Los Angeles. McDavid is riding a 16-game point streak that began on March 14 and has seen him collect eight goals and 19 assists. Oscar Klefbom, who scored in the series opener, left Game 2 in the third period after being hit in the left leg with a shot but is expected to play Sunday, although Edmonton recalled fellow defenseman Griffin Reinhart from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League as a precaution.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: While it may have learned how to protect a two-goal lead in Game 2, Edmonton continued to spend way too much time in the penalty box - but San Jose failed to cash in. The Sharks have received six power-play opportunities in each of the first two contests but have converted just once. "I think our power play in the second game mimicked our 5-on-5 play - we weren't hungry enough and we got outworked in a lot of areas," coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. "We just have to get back at it. I liked it in Game 1 and I didn't like it in Game 2."
LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Sharks as -133 home favorites for Game 3 and they have been bet up ever so slightly to the current number of -135. The total is on the board at 5.
INJURY REPORT:
Oilers - D O. Klefbom (Questionable Sunday, lower body).
Rangers - C J. Thornton (Questionable Sunday, knee).
TRENDS:
* Oilers are 13-3 in their last 16 games overall.
* Oilers 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Over is 4-0-1 in the Oilers last five road games.
* Under is 10-2-5 in the Sharks last 17 games playing on one days rest.
MINNESOTA (49-26-0-9, 107 pts.) at ST LOUIS (48-29-0-7, 103 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 46-54 ATS (-26.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 5-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 107-79 ATS (+21.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 29-18 ATS (+7.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 55-41 ATS (-0.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 11-7 ATS (+3.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 10-5 ATS (+15.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 0-5 ATS (-6.4 Units) in home games when leading in a playoff series over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 12-10 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 12-10-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-1.0 Units)
PITTSBURGH (52-21-0-11, 115 pts.) at COLUMBUS (50-26-0-8, 108 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 27-38 ATS (-23.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 50-34 ATS (+10.5 Units) in all games this season.
COLUMBUS is 23-13 ATS (+39.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
PITTSBURGH is 73-42 ATS (+11.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 49-24 ATS (+14.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 14-25 ATS (-13.7 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 10-23 ATS (-16.5 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 8-23 ATS (+38.3 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
COLUMBUS is 7-7 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 7-7-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.4 Units)
MONTREAL (48-27-0-9, 105 pts.) at NY RANGERS (49-28-0-7, 105 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 24-11 ATS (+24.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
MONTREAL is 16-8 ATS (+7.1 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 8-13 ATS (-15.7 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 98-134 ATS (-101.2 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 190-225 ATS (-145.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 7-14 ATS (-12.0 Units) in home games 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
MONTREAL is 8-3 (+5.2 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 8-3-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)
EDMONTON (48-26-0-10, 106 pts.) at SAN JOSE (47-30-0-7, 101 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 123-78 ATS (-10.6 Units) in April games since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 28-12 ATS (+11.7 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 44-43 ATS (-16.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 43-42 ATS (-33.9 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 22-23 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 166-143 ATS (-80.8 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 8-8 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 8-8-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.4 Units)
MINNESOTA vs. ST. LOUIS
Minnesota is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Minnesota
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
PITTSBURGH vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games
Columbus is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
Columbus is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
MONTREAL vs. NY RANGERS
Montreal is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
Montreal is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
NY Rangers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games
EDMONTON vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Edmonton's last 10 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Edmonton is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games