NHL knowledge
St Louis-Dallas
St Louis won eight of last ten games with Dallas overall-- home team won six of last eight series games, with seven of last 11 staying under total. Four of last five St Louis wins in series came in OT or SO. Blues won three of last four games overall; over is 5-1-1 in their last seven. Dallas won seven of last 11 games overall; over is 5-1-1 in their last seven games, 3-0-1 in last four on road. Stars are 0-11 on power play in series, St Louis 4-14.
Nashville-San Jose
Home side won all three series games; Sharks lost four of last five visits here; they've won seven of last nine games overall. San Jose won seven of last nine games overall; over is 2-0-2 in their last four games. Predators lost five of last eight games; under is 2-0-2 in their last four home games. Nashville won last four times they scored 3+ goals; they're 1-5 in last six games scoring two or less goals. San Jose is 3-9 on power play in series, Nashville is 3-10. Under is 6-3-2 in last 11 series games. Most of scoring this series has come in third period.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 9-4, Over: 6-2-5
Armadillosports.com
DALLAS (55-25-0-11, 121 pts.) at ST LOUIS (55-28-0-9, 119 pts.) - 5/5/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 29-36 ATS (-15.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 55-37 ATS (+14.6 Units) in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 32-20 ATS (+1.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 25-14 ATS (+7.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ST LOUIS is 20-9 ATS (+8.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ST LOUIS is 30-19 ATS (+5.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 19-10 ATS (+8.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 55-36 ATS (+5.0 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 24-17 ATS (+44.3 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 107-94 ATS (+206.4 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
DALLAS is 16-3 ATS (+11.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
DALLAS is 192-129 ATS (+30.8 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 48-40 ATS (+92.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 15-8 ATS (+26.1 Units) in road 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
ST LOUIS is 11-7-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.3 Units)
SAN JOSE (52-31-0-7, 111 pts.) at NASHVILLE (46-32-0-14, 106 pts.) - 5/5/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 21-6 ATS (+14.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 18-6 ATS (+10.9 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 29-13 ATS (+12.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 12-4 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 46-46 ATS (-11.6 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 9-15 ATS (+24.8 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
NASHVILLE is 18-30 ATS (-17.5 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 22-36 ATS (+59.7 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
NASHVILLE is 7-5 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 7-5-0 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)
DALLAS vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Dallas's last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
SAN JOSE vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Jose's last 12 games on the road
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Nashville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Nashville is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against San Jose
Dallas at St Louis
Dallas: 51-23 SU off a blowout loss by 3 goals or more to a division rival
St Louis: 1-6 SU in home games off a home win by 2 goals or more
San Jose at Nashville
San Jose: 21-6 SU in a road game where where the total is 5 or less
Nashville: 3-7 SU off a home blowout win by 3 goals or more
Thursday's NHL Betting Preview
By Covers.com
Thursday night's Stanley Cup Playoffs betting board features both Western Conference semifinals matchups with the St. Louis Blues hosting the Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks visiting the Nashville Predators.
Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues (A: +125, H: -145, O/U: 5)
The Dallas Stars owned the league's most potent attack during the regular season, but the St. Louis Blues are putting on an offensive show in the second-round series between the Central Division rivals. Coming off a six-goal outburst, the Blues can push the visiting Stars to the brink of elimination in Game 4 on Thursday night.
After salvaging a split in Dallas with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2, St. Louis steamrolled the Stars 6-1 on Tuesday night, but Blues coach Ken Hitchcock sounded a cautionary tone with the media on Wednesday. "We have a 2-1 lead in a playoff series very much up in the air," Hitchcock told reporters. "They (the Stars) get the game tomorrow and they're thinking they have home ice back again." Emotions were high toward the end of Game 3 and there could be a carry-over effect after St. Louis forward Ryan Reaves blew a kiss to the Dallas bench following a fight with Curtis McKenzie. "Our guys were embarrassed last night, and that's stuff you take to heart," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said of the incident. "That's stuff you use."
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Stars - Kari Lehtonen (W/L: 4-1, GAA: 2.70, SAVE %: .906)
Blues - Brian Elliott (W/L: 6-4, GAA: 2.25, SAVE %: .931)
ABOUT THE STARS (55-25-11, 42-49 ATS, 50-39 O/U): Ruff has masterfully alternated goaltenders Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, who each registered 25 wins during the regular season and took turns picking up one another in the postseason before each stumbled in the past two games against St. Louis. Lehtonen was yanked after allowing three goals on five shots in the Game 2 loss before Niemi was pulled after surrendering three goals on 12 shots in Tuesday's rout, giving Ruff a tough decision for Game 4. "It hasn't been a goalie issue, really," Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski told reporters. "We're giving up some big chances at bad times, early in games. ... But losing confidence in our goalies is not an issue. It's our game. It's been that way all season."
ABOUT THE BLUES (55-27-10, 42-50 ATS, 37-42 O/U): St. Louis captain David Backes had a spotty playoff history with only five goals in his previous past five postseasons combined, but he has matched that total with five goals in 10 games against Chicago and Dallas. Three of those have been game-winning tallies for Backes, including a pair in overtime, to join Brett Hull and Scott Young as the only players in franchise history with three in one postseason. "He's stepping up to the plate right now," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told reporters. "I think that's three game-winning goals for us, that's what we need from our leader. He's obviously a big influence in the dressing room every single day, but he's really stepping up to the plate right now."
TRENDS:
* Stars are 4-1 in their last 5 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Blues are 17-7 in their last 24 games following a win.
* Over is 5-0-1 in Stars last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Under is 6-1-1 in Blues last 8 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Stars are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings.
San Jose Sharks at Nashville Predators (A: -105, H: -115, O/U: 5)
The San Jose Sharks will look to rebound from their first road loss of the postseason when they visit the Nashville Predators on Thursday night in Game 4 of their second-round series. The Predators bounced back from a pair of losses in San Jose with a 4-1 victory in Game 3, handing the Sharks their first defeat on the road since March 17.
"You're not going to win every game," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after Tuesday's loss. "It's the Stanley Cup playoffs. This might take seven games." The Sharks posted an NHL-best 28-10-3 record away from home in the regular season and had won all three road games in Los Angeles in the first round. Nashville erupted for its highest output of the postseason by cranking up a power play that was 2-for-31 through nine playoff games before converting on 2-of-5 opportunities in Game 3. "The biggest thing for us is staying out of the box and staying disciplined, but when we do get called upon, we've got to make a difference," Predators captain Shea Weber told reporters.
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 6-2, GAA: 2.36, SAVE %: .917)
Predators - Pekka Rinne (W/L: 5-5, GAA: 2.33, SAVE % .909)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (52-31-7, 42-48 ATS, 45-35 O/U): San Jose has been dominant with the man advantage, scoring eight power-play goals in its first seven playoff games and burning Nashville on 3-of-5 chances in Games 1 and 2 before it failed on four chances in Tuesday's setback. "We had a couple different looks, but it definitely could have been better," said captain Joe Pavelski, who has six goals in the postseason. "They were better on their penalty kill, which we expected, and we need to step up our game." Veteran Patrick Marleau tallied in Game 3, his 11th goal in 13 playoff games versus Nashville.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (46-32-14, 40-52 ATS, 35-36 O/U): One of the huge storylines for Nashville entering Game 3 was coach Peter Laviolette's decision to hold out veteran Mike Ribeiro, who had accounted for only one assist in the playoffs following a 50-point regular season. “He’s been a great player for us the last couple of years, and it’s just a signal for all of us,” Predators goalie Pekka Rinne said of Ribeiro, who sat in favor of rookie Pontus Aberg. “We all have to step up.” One of the players who continues to step up is forward Colin Wilson, who established a franchise record with five goals in a playoff series a year ago and has dimmed the memory of his dismal six-goal regular season with three tallies and five assists in the postseason.
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 1-5 in their last 6 Thursday games.
* Predators are 1-4 in their last 5 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 8-2-2 in Sharks last 12 road games.
* Under is 3-0-2 in Predators last 5 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Sharks are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings in Nashville.