NHL Knowledge
San Jose-Pittsburgh
Penguins scored GW goal with 2:33 left tn Game 1, after blowing 2-0 lead in second period- they had a 41-26 edge in shots. San Jose won six of last ten games with Pittsburgh; they're 2-3 in last five games here. Five of last 11 series games went OT, four to shootout- four of last five stayed under. Sharks lost four of last six road games; over is 6-4-1 in their last 11 games. Pitt is 3-2 in last five games; four of last six Penguin games went over total. San Jose was 1-2 on power play in Game, 1, Penguins 0-3. Sharks are in Stanley Cup finals for first time; Penguins are in for first time since winning Cup in '09, its third Stanley Cup title.
Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 16-9, Over: 11-5-9
Conference finals-- Home 6-7, Over 7-5-1
Home: 1-0 Over: 0-1
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NHL: Streaks, Tips, Notes
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San Jose at Pittsburgh
Winning the first game of any playoff series, especially in the Finals, is important, but it doesn’t always mean much in the grand scheme of things. The Pittsburgh Penguins got their Stanley Cup Final off to the best possible start with a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 1. That’s all well and good, but they also know that if the Sharks can come out and win Game 2, they will steal home ice advantage as they head back to San Jose for the next 2 games of the series. The Sharks will have arrived in Pittsburgh with the hopes of coming away with the split, so they will still have the opportunity to accomplish that mission on Wednesday night. Given how the opening game of the Final went, this looks as though it’s going to be a close series, so be sure to keep an eye on the live NHL betting odds, as they may change as this one goes along.
Why bet on the San Jose Sharks
The Sharks may a game down in the final, but you can bet that they won’t be sweating it. They lost the first game versus the Blues in the Western Conference Final, and they have gone 5-1 after taking a defeat during this playoff run. They also showed some real grit and determination in the opening game of this series after coming back to tie things up after going 2-0 down. What they cannot do is get in the habit of going behind in games to this Penguins team, as you cannot always count on the big comeback night in and night out, especially against a team that can score for fun. The good news for the Sharks is that they won the special teams battle in Game 1, and continuing that trend will give them a chance to win.
Why bet on the Pittsburgh Penguins
While the Penguins will be pleased with the Game 1 win, they have to be a little concerned about not being able to put the Sharks away when up by a pair of goals. They certainly created enough chances, firing 41 shots on goal, and they will continue to have success as long as they can maintain that high level of offensive intensity. The power play has helped carry the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final this season, and the fact that they went 0-3 is not a real cause for concern right now. Pittsburgh also showed some real determination, as it would have been easy to panic after giving up the 2-goal lead, but a late Nick Bonino goal ensured a winning start to the Final.
Pick and Final Score Prediction
Things could get very interesting if the Sharks can win Game 2 of the series, but I like the Penguins to come out and grab the 2-0 lead. I will also be looking at the OVER for this one when I hit my online betting account.
San Jose Sharks 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 4
NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Betting Preview
Covers.com
San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +115, H: -135, O/U: 5)
The San Jose Sharks are in an unfamiliar position, trailing a series for the only the second time in this postseason as they prepare to square off with the host Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Nick Bonino's goal with 2:33 to play in regulation was the difference as Pittsburgh prevailed 3-2 in the series opener.
San Jose, which also lost Game 1 of the Western Conference finals before rebounding to win in six games, is 5-1 after a loss in the playoffs -- the lone defeat coming in triple overtime at Nashville in the second round. "It reminds me a lot of St. Louis, Game 1. I know we're going to get better," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. "Our execution's got to get better. Part of it was some of the pressure they put on, but part of it was self-inflicted." The Penguins could be without rookie Bryan Rust, who scored both goals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final and netted the opening tally in Game 1 versus the Sharks. Rust is listed as day-to-day after absorbing a check to the head from Patrick Marleau, who will face no additional punishment from the league.
PROBABLE GOALIES:
Sharks - Martin Jones (W/L: 12-7, GAA: 2.17, SAVE %: .918)
Penguins - Matt Murray (W/L: 12-4, GAA: 2.20, SAVE %: .927)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (58-34-9, 51-39 O/U): San Jose had trouble coping with Pittsburgh's speed and was outshot 41-26 -- the first time the Sharks permitted more than 40 shots in regulation since March 7. The bigger concern for San Jose, however, was its own failure to sufficiently pressure Pittsburgh rookie netminder Matt Murray. “It's about getting traffic, getting shots,” Sharks captain Joe Pavelski told reporters. “We need a few more attempts early on, test him, not let him get settled in, the way he was last night. If you can get shots, get free around the net, we got a few rebounds." Speedy forward Matt Nieto, out since he was injury in Game 6 of the second round, could rejoin the lineup for Game 2.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (61-30-10, 45-38 O/U): Bonino entered the Finals with a team-high 12 assists for Pittsburgh, but he enhanced his big-game reputation with his fifth career game-winning goal in the postseason -- the last four of which have come in the last three minutes of regulation or overtime. "He does all the things right," teammate Chris Kunitz said of Bonino. "Any time you're in the slot, get him the puck. It seems like we find a way to win when he scores." If Rust is unable to play, the most likely candidate to take the rookie's place would be veteran Eric Fehr, who played on the line with Evgeni Malkin and Kunitz until Rust replaced him in the Eastern Conference finals. "(Rust is) one of the hottest guys we have going on our team right now," said Fehr, who has two goals in the postseason. "So hopefully he'll be able to regroup."
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 8-1 in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Penguins are 5-1 in their last 6 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Under is 4-0 in Penguins last 4 Stanley Cup Finals games.
* Under is 6-1-1 in the last 8 meetings in Pittsburgh.
* Home team is 13-4 in the last 17 meetings.
CONSENSUS: At the time of publication of this preview, the Pittsburgh Penguins are grabbing 55 percent of the public picks and Over 5 is leading the way in totals wagering at 57 percent.
SAN JOSE (58-35-0-8, 124 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (61-30-0-10, 132 pts.) - 6/1/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-3 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-3-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.4 Units)
SAN JOSE vs. PITTSBURGH
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
San Jose at Pittsburgh
San Jose: 14-5 SU in road games after 1 or more consecutive unders
Pittsburgh: 3-6 SU after allowing 2 goals or less in 3 straight games