Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 4/18/19
There are three games scheduled in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday, April 18, including Game 5 between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets, a series is tied 2-2. In other action, the Vegas Golden Knights look to knock the San Jose Sharks out of the playoffs and the Carolina Hurricanes look to even their series against the Washington Capitals.
Featured Game
Louis Blues (+105) vs. Winnipeg Jets (-125)
This has been an interesting series, as the road team has won all four contests. After losing the first two games at home, the Winnipeg Jets rallied in each of the last two contests, winning on Tuesday night 2-1 in overtime. After neither team was able to score through the first two periods, St. Louis would take the lead just 35 seconds into the final frame. Winnipeg would tie the score 7 minutes later, and Kyle Connor won it a little over six minutes into overtime with his third goal of the playoffs.
Goaltending Matchup:
Jordan Binnington will start for St. Louis. He is 2-2 in this series, allowing 12 total goals. Binnington finished the regular season with a 24-5-1 record and a 1.89 goals-against average. The Blues goaltender had won five of his last six starts in the regular season.
Connor Hellebuyck will start for Winnipeg. He is also 2-2 in the playoffs, allowing 10 total goals in the series. After giving up six goals to the first two games Hellebuyck has allowed just four in the last two, including one in the overtime victory. He finished the regular season with a 34-23-3 record and a 2.90 goals-against average
Trends to Watch:
The St. Louis Blues are…
10-4 in their last 14 games.
7-3 in their last 10 conference quarterfinals games.
5-2 in their last seven games against teams with a winning record.
The Winnipeg Jets are…
3-7 in their last 10 games.
68-31 in their last 99 games at home.
2-5 in their last seven games against teams with a winning record.
Stat Pack:
Blues:
Goals For: 2.98
Goals Against: 2.68
Power-Play: 21.1%
Penalty Killing: 81.5%
Jets:
Goals For: 3.29
Goals Against: 2.96
Power-Play: 24.8%
Penalty Killing: 79.2%
Prediction
The road team has figured out a way to win in each of the first four contests, but it is hard to believe that Winnipeg would lose a pivotal game like this at home. Binnington looked almost unbeatable through the first two games but has given up eight total goals over the last two. Hellebuyck looked incredible in Game 4, so we look for Winnipeg to jump out to the 3-2 series lead.
The total is set at 5.5. Two of these games have gone over and to have gone under, with the last one going under at 2-1. Despite Binnington’s struggles, the goaltending should be a primary factor in this game. Both are exceptional goaltenders and that should keep this game under. Take the Winnipeg Jets to win 3-2.
Two Games to Watch
Washington Capitals (+105) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-125)
The Washington Capitals lead this series 2-1. After losing the first two games in Washington, the Carolina Hurricanes returned home where they absolutely dominated Game 3, 5-0. Warren Foegale scored the first two goals of the game for Carolina, and added an assist later in the contest. Petr Mrazek was brilliant in net, stopping all 18 shots he faced to record the shutout.
Why Washington Wins:
Capitals are 10-1 in their last 11 games on a Thursday.
Capitals are 6-1 in their last seven conference quarterfinals games.
Hurricanes are 2-5 in their last seven games against a team with a winning record.
Capitals are 5-1 in the last six meetings in Carolina.
Braden Holtby had won 7 straight games before suffering the loss in Game 3.
Why Carolina Wins:
Hurricanes are 5-1 in their last six games at home.
Hurricanes are 8-3 in their last 11 conference quarterfinals games.
Home team has won five of the last six meetings between these two teams.
Braden Holtby gave up five goals in his last start for Washington.
Mrazek had a shutout in his last start.
What About the Total?
Go over 6.0, because…
Total has gone over in six of the last eight meetings between these two teams in Carolina.
Washington has gone over in six of their last eight on the road.
Carolina has gone over in four of their last five games when playing on two day’s rest.
These two teams have averaged six goals per game in the series.
Vegas Golden Knights (+100) vs. San Jose Sharks (-120)
The Vegas Golden Knights dominated Game 4, and now lead their series over the San Jose Sharks 3-1 after winning the last three contests. Max Pacioretty gave his team the lead 1:11 into the contest with his third goal of the series. He would add a second goal in the second period to go along with an assist. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots to record the shutout.
Why Vegas Wins:
Golden Knights are 7-1 in their last eight conference quarterfinals games.
Sharks are 3-7 in their last 10 games at home.
Sharks are 4-12 in their last 16 games.
Golden Knights are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Fleury is coming off of a shutout for Vegas.
Why San Jose Wins:
Sharks are 5-2 in their last seven conference quarterfinals games.
Golden Knights are 1-5 in their last six games on the road.
Golden Knights are 3-8 in their last 11 games.
Home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
What About the Total?
Go over 6.0, because…
Both games in San Jose in this series went over.
Fleury allowed seven total goals in the two games in San Jose.
Vegas has gone over in four of their last five games.
Vegas has gone over in eight of their last five games on the road.
San Jose has gone over in each of their last six games at home.
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview and Predictions 04-18-2019 in NHL
The Carolina Hurricanes picked themselves off the mat after losing their first two playoff games in a decade and seeing their prized rookie knocked out to register a decisive victory against the Washington Capitals. With two full days off to recover from the fireworks, the Hurricanes aim to even their Eastern Conference first-round series in Game 4 on Thursday when the Metropolitan Division rivals reconvene in Raleigh, N.C.
"We needed the two days, though," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour told the Raleigh News & Observer. "Part of you says it would be great to go right back at it and play. But there was a huge emotional investment in that game for our guys." Rookie Warren Foegele collected two goals and an assist, defenseman Dougie Hamilton tallied twice and Petr Mrazek made 18 saves as the Hurricanes posted a 5-0 win on Monday in their first home playoff game since 2009. The setback snapped Washington's six-game playoff winning streak dating back to last year's Stanley Cup Final versus Vegas as well as its 6-0-0 mark against Carolina in the regular season and playoffs. "We just stopped playing. We can't play like that if we want to win. We're better than that," said superstar captain Alex Ovechkin, whose first postseason fight ended with Hurricanes rookie Andrei Svechnikov knocked out on the ice.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, TVAS, NBCS Washington, FS Carolinas
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Washington coach Todd Reirden tinkered with his lines in Wednesday's practice, elevating T.J. Oshie to the top unit with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom while rugged forward Tom Wilson joined Jakub Vrana and Evgeny Kutznetsov on the second. "We're a team that's together and I expect that will be part of our response," Reirden said on the heels of the lopsided loss. Former Vezina Trophy recipient Braden Holtby looks to respond from a tough stretch in which he has surrendered eight goals in his last five periods, a staggering occurence considering he had won his previous seven encounters with Carolina before Monday's setback.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES: Svechnikov was enjoying the sterling start to the series with two goals and an assist before finding himself on the wrong end of a few right hands from Ovechkin. "We're going to be real careful. We're certainly not going to rush him back," Brind'Amour said of the 19-year-old Russian, who is expected to sit out Game 4 after being placed in concussion protocol following his release from the hospital. Brind'Amour told reporters on Wednesday that Micheal Ferland is "still a ways away" from returning to action after aggravating an upper-body injury in the first period of Game 3.
OVERTIME
1. Washington is 0-for-10 in the power play since Ovechkin scored with 1:55 remaining in the first period of Game 1.
2. Carolina has scored on three of its last 10 opportunities with the man advantage in the last two contests.
3. The Hurricanes recalled Patrick Brown from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis while fellow F Saku Maenanlanen is expected to return to the lineup.
PREDICTION: Capitals 3, Hurricanes 2
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St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets Preview and Predictions 04-18-2019 in NHL
The Winnipeg Jets desperately needed somebody to step up after losing the first two contests of their Western Conference first-round series against the St. Louis Blues and, thanks to forward Kyle Connor, the Jets return home for Thursday's Game 5 even in the best-of-seven series. Two nights after scoring twice in a Game 3 victory, Connor netted the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Jets to a 2-1 victory Tuesday, a night where Winnipeg's top line combined for six points.
"It's a sense of relief and a lot of excitement," Connor told reporters after he, center Mark Scheifele and forward Blake Wheeler finished with two goals and four assists, giving the trio 10 points in the two games in St. Louis. "They had some pushes. We had some good zone time. We stuck with it and fought the whole game." The Blues were 12-0-4 in one-goal games dating back to Feb. 5 before Tuesday, but this loss hurt after goaltender Jordan Binnington rebounded from an off night in Game 3 to stop 37 shots. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko scored for the second consecutive game on a power-play goal early in the third period, but the Blues were unable to take advantage of a torrid start during which they held the Jets without a shot for the game's first eight minutes. "We knew it was going to be a hard series," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo told the media afterward. "We took two in their building, so regroup and hopefully steal another one in there."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, USA, CBC, Sportsnet360, TVA, FS Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE BLUES: St. Louis took the game's first seven shots but were less aggressive as the game progressed, getting outshot 20-8 from the start of the third period and 39-32 overall. Pietrangelo picked up his fifth assist of the series, and center Ryan O'Reilly earned his second point. After going pointless with three shots in Game 1, Tarasenko has 15 shots and two goals in the past three games.
ABOUT THE JETS: Winnipeg outshot the Blues for the first time in the series and applied steady pressure in the third period and overtime despite having just one power-play opportunity in the game. Connor Hellebuyck has rebounded from a shaky Game 2 in goal, stopping 31-of-32 shots Tuesday and allowing only four goals total in the two games in St. Louis. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien shares the team lead in points (five) with Connor, Scheifele and Wheeler.
OVERTIME
1. Binnington has lost back-to-back games for the first time in his stellar rookie season.
2. Jets F Patrik Laine did not score for the first time in the series in Game 4.
3. Winnipeg has lost six of its past seven home playoff games dating back to last season and the Blues finished 21-13-7 on the road this season.
PREDICTION: Jets 3, Blues 2
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Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks Preview and Predictions 04-18-2019 in NHL
The San Jose Sharks rode the second-best home record in the Western Conference to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division, eight points better than the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks need another strong performance at SAP Center in Game 5 on Thursday if they wish to avoid being eliminated by the Golden Knights for the second consecutive year.
San Jose opened the series with promise, receiving offensive production from several defensemen in a 5-2 win in Game 1 before being outscored 16-6 in three consecutive losses. Beleaguered Martin Jones allowed two goals on seven shots in Tuesday's 5-0 setback before being pulled for the second time in three contests in favor of Aaron Dell, although coach Peter DeBoer said Jones will start in Game 5. Conversely, Marc-Andre Fleury has turned aside 87 of 93 shots in his last three games and all 28 he faced on Tuesday to tie Chris Osgood and Clint Benedict with his 15th postseason shutout. "I think we've just got to go in, focus on our game, focus on the first period, nothing too far ahead, just focus on playing the right way," said the 34-year-old Fleury, who improved his career goals-against average in the postseason to 2.58.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, TVAS, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountains (Vegas), NBCS California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Max Pacioretty recorded a postseason career-high four points after collecting two goals and two assists on Tuesday, boosting the overall point total of Vegas' vaunted second line (Mark Stone, Paul Stastny) to 28 in the series. "You always want to win that next game," the 30-year-old Pacioretty said. "You have to be prepared for whatever's brought at you. They're going to get a ton of energy from their crowd. They're going to play their best game of the series, and we have to be ready for that." Pacioretty's 10 points have him tied for the most in the playoffs with Stone, who was named a Selke Trophy finalist on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: San Jose captain Joe Pavelski told reporters that his team is focused on just the first step of the journey on Thursday as opposed to the daunting uphill task that is required to win the series. "For us, it's take care of home ice right now in that first game," the 34-year-old Pavelski said. "Win a game. We know we can win one game (in Las Vegas). We believe that as a group." The Sharks will welcome the return of veteran Joe Thornton, who served his one-game suspension for his hit to the head of Tomas Nosek in Game 4.
OVERTIME
1. Vegas D Shea Theodore has registered consecutive multi-point performances.
2. Per DeBoer, Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic is "a possibility" to play on Thursday following a two-game absence after he was on the receiving end of a shot from Theodore.
3. Golden Knights D Nate Schmidt has four assists in his last three contests.
PREDICTION: Golden Knights 4, Sharks 1
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51Washington -52 Carolina
WASHINGTON is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent as a road favorite over the last 2 seasons.
53St Louis -54 Winnipeg
ST LOUIS are 17-4 ATS (13.3 Units) against good passing teams - averaging 5 or more assists per game in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.
57Vegas -58 San Jose
VEGAS are 4-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.
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NHL
Long Sheet
Thursday, April 18
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WASHINGTON (50-27-0-8, 108 pts.) at CAROLINA (47-30-0-8, 102 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 31-16 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 116-76 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 54-38 ATS (+97.6 Units) in road games in April games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 68-46 ATS (+2.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 31-14 ATS (+12.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 46-25 ATS (+9.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 9-3 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games after a division game this season.
WASHINGTON is 45-28 ATS (+6.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 24-8 ATS (+12.8 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 63-43 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 39-27 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 24-35 ATS (-19.1 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 32-61 ATS (+117.9 Units) after shutting out their opponent in their previous game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 11-4 (+5.4 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 11-4-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)
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ST LOUIS (47-29-0-10, 104 pts.) at WINNIPEG (49-32-0-5, 103 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 28-9 ATS (+16.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 30-16 ATS (+8.3 Units) in April games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 32-17 ATS (+7.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 5-0 ATS (+5.0 Units) in road games in the first round of the playoffs over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 26-18 ATS (+44.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 14-6 ATS (+20.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 12-5 (+6.7 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 12-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)
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VEGAS (46-33-0-7, 99 pts.) at SAN JOSE (47-30-0-9, 103 pts.) - 4/18/2019, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 46-40 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 49-23 ATS (+15.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 47-24 ATS (+12.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 56-40 ATS (+10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 47-39 ATS (-0.9 Units) in all games this season.
SAN JOSE is 15-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) after a division game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 12-6 (+6.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 12-6-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.6 Units)
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NHL
Thursday, April 18
Trend Report
Washington Capitals
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games on the road
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Carolina
Washington is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing Washington
Carolina is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing at home against Washington
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
St. Louis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games when playing Winnipeg
St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games
Winnipeg is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing St. Louis
Winnipeg is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games
Vegas is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
Vegas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games on the road
Vegas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 2-14 ATS in its last 16 games
San Jose is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas
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