NHL Knowledge
St Louis-Dallas
Blues had won six of last seven games with Dallas before Stars' 2-1 win in Game 1; home team won five of last six series games, with seven of last nine staying under total. Last three St Louis series wins all came in OT or SO-- Blues won three of last five games in this building, but they've lost three of last four games overall, with lone win Game 7 vs Chicago in last series. Dallas won sevne of last nine games, including five of last six at home; over is 3-1-1 in their last five games. Stars outshot St Louis 42-32 in Game 1; they were 0-3 on power play, St Louis 0-2. .
Nashville-San Jose
Sharks exploded for five third period goals to win Game 1, after Nashville led 1-0 after second period; San Jose outshot Preds 13-9 in third period, was 2-3 on power play- Nashville was 1-2. Predators lost three of last four games here; they've lost four of last six games overall. San Jose had five extra days to prep after beating LA in five game sin first round; Sharks won eight of last ten games overall- they've lost six of last ten games with Nashville, but won last two. Six of last nine series games stayed under the total.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 4-2, Over: 3-2-1
Armadillosports.com
ST LOUIS (53-28-0-9, 115 pts.) at DALLAS (55-24-0-10, 120 pts.) - 5/1/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 55-34 ATS (+17.2 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 24-12 ATS (+9.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 24-15 ATS (+0.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 27-20 ATS (+49.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 53-37 ATS (+5.2 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-15 ATS (+9.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 17-10 ATS (+6.6 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-14 ATS (+6.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 28-19 ATS (+7.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 9-3 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 29-34 ATS (-7.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-9 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 9-7-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.3 Units)
NASHVILLE (45-31-0-14, 104 pts.) at SAN JOSE (51-30-0-7, 109 pts.) - 5/1/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 45-45 ATS (-15.5 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 10-20 ATS (+31.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 21-35 ATS (+57.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 215-173 ATS (+31.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 9-16 ATS (-13.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 24-28 ATS (-25.7 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 7-11 ATS (-5.9 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 6-4 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 6-4-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)
ST. LOUIS vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Dallas
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
NASHVILLE vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Nashville's last 14 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Nashville's last 8 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing at home against Nashville
San Jose is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Nashville
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Sunday's NHL Betting Preview
By Covers.com
In a pair of Eastern Conference semi finals games Sunday, both road teams look to rebound from disappointing efforts in Game 1. We break down all the action on the ice in our betting preview.
St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars (A: -110, H: -110, O/U: 5)
The Dallas Stars owned the NHL's second-best home record during the regular season and look to continue that dominance when they host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series. The Stars squeezed out a 2-1 victory in Game 1 to improve to 8-0-1 in their last nine at American Airlines Center.
Although the Stars were clearly the better team in the series opener, coach Lindy Ruff understands what awaits his team on Sunday. "This series has just started. Game 1 is a long ways behind us right now," Ruff said. "This is like a Game 7. They don't want to go down 2-0." The Blues won four of five meetings - three beyond regulation - during the regular season and finished two points behind Dallas for the best record in the Western Conference. "We knew it wasn't going to be an easy series," St. Louis netminder Brian Elliott said. "So we're down one and now we've got to respond."
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Blues - B. Elliott (W/L: 4-4, GAA: 2.36, SAVE %: .932)
Stars - K. Lehtonen (W/L: 4-1, GAA: 2.01, SAVE %: .925)
ABOUT THE BLUES (53-27-10, 40-50 ATS, 35-42 O/U): After going toe-to-toe in a hard-hitting seven-game series against reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago, St. Louis couldn't match the speed of Dallas, which poured 42 shots on goal but also enjoyed a surprised 32-26 edge in hits. Star forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who led the Blues with 40 goals during the regular season and scored four times in the first-round series win against the Blackhawks, logged 21:04 of ice time in Game 1 and absorbed seven of those hits. "It's really fun to play against those guys because like (Stars captain) Jamie Benn said, 'They hate us, we hate them.' But it's fun stuff," Tarasenko said Saturday.
ABOUT THE STARS (55-24-10, 42-47 ATS, 48-39 O/U): Rookie center Radek Faksa, a former first-round draft pick who scored five goals in 45 games this season while splitting time between Dallas and the minors, set up one goal before scoring the decisive tally Friday - his second game-winner of the postseason. "He's always in the right spot," teammate Jason Spezza said of Faksa. "You can tell he's been well-coached. He's a big guy down the middle who doesn't cheat, ever. Really good (defensively). When you have a guy who's 6-3 and plays like that, it really helps." With forward Patrick Eaves on crutches Saturday with a foot injury, Ruff said Valeri Nichushkin will play in Game 2.
TRENDS:
* Blues are 0-7 in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Stars are 8-1 in their last 9 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 11-1-4 in Blues last 16 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Over is 13-3 in Stars last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Nashville Predators at San Jose Sharks (A: +145, H: -165, O/U: 5)
Facing a fatigued opponent in the opener of their Western Conference second-round playoff series, the San Jose Sharks kept applying pressure until the Nashville Predators finally wilted. The Sharks look to ride the momentum of a five-goal third-period blitz when they host Nashville in Sunday night's Game 2.
San Jose erased a slim deficit by erupting for five goals in the last 20 minutes for a 5-2 win over the Predators, who had a short turnaround after ousting Anaheim in a Game 7 showdown 48 hours earlier. "As the game went on we got better, and we could feel them on their heels a little bit," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "It was just good to see the guys keep feeding off the crowd, feeding off goals and really pushing for that next one." Nashville, which still trailed by one goal with just under two minutes remaining before giving up a pair of empty-net tallies, opted not to practice Saturday after surrendering a postseason-high 38 shots on net. “There were some good things and some bad things," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We’re capable of playing better.”
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Predators - P. Rinne (W/L: 4-4, GAA: 2.53, SAVE %: .915)
Sharks - M. Jones (W/L: 5-1, GAA: 2.15, SAVE % .917)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (45-31-14, 38-52 ATS, 35-36 O/U): After its power play was muted by Anaheim in the first round, finishing a woeful 1-of-26, Nashville converted on 1-of-2 chances Friday, only to negate it by allowing San Jose to score twice on three attempts with the man advantage. “I think it was just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Predators center Ryan Johansen said. “We turned over the puck a few times, took a couple penalties, and they fed right into that. We just got away from our game plan and our structure a little bit." While Johansen netted one goal and set up another, leading scorer Filip Forsberg was held off the scoresheet for the sixth consecutive game.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (51-30-7, 42-46 ATS, 45-35 O/U): Joel Ward established a clutch reputation with seven goals in 12 playoff games with Nashville in 2010-11 and he wasted no time tormenting his former team by assisting on the tying tally before scoring the go-ahead goal Friday. "You get to this time of year in the NHL and there are eight teams left and 22 sitting home, and there is very little separating the teams talent-wise," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "It's usually will and strength and how hard you are willing to play. I think that is why he thrives, because those are his characteristics." Linemate Logan Couture also was a presence with two goals in Game 1.
TRENDS:
* Predators are 1-6 in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Sharks are 6-1 in their last 7 vs. Western Conference.
* Over is 4-0-1 in Predators last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
* Under is 5-1 in Sharks last 6 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in San Jose.