Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Thursday 5/2/19
It’s Game 4 in two series of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday night. Two teams will be looking for a 3-1 edge in their series. The San Jose Sharks lead 2-1 over the Colorado Avalanche, as Colorado will look to tie the series on their home ice. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets will look to go up 3-1 on the Boston Bruins, as Game 4 will be played in Ohio.
Featured Games
Boston Bruins (+105) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets(-125)
Columbus would jump out to a 2-0 lead in this game, thanks to goals by Boone Jenner and Matt Duchene. Boston would cut the lead in half with 40 seconds left in the second period, but they could not get the tiebreaker past Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 36 saves in the game.
Goaltending Matchup:
Tuukka Rask played a great game, allowing just two goals on 34 shots, but he still took the loss. Rask has allowed seven total goals through the first three games in the series. He has a 2.22 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in the playoffs.
Sergei Bobrovsky Has gotten better with each passing game in the series. After allowing three goals in Game 1, he allowed just two in Game 2, and one in Game 3. Bobrovsky has a 1.88 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in the playoffs this season.
Trends to Watch:
The Boston Bruins are…
4-2 in their last six games on the road.
25-13 in their last 38 games.
1-6 in their last seven conference quarterfinals games.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are…
8-1 in their last eight games at home.
13-3 in their last 16 games.
16-5 in their last 21 games against Eastern Conference teams.
Stat Pack: (Playoff Numbers)
Bruins:
Goals For: 2.90
Goals Against: 2.40
Power-Play: 30.8%
Penalty Killing: 77.8%
Blue Jackets:
Goals For: 3.71
Goals Against: 2.00
Power-Play: 38.1%
Penalty Killing: 87.5%
Prediction
Columbus looks to be getting their mojo back, as they have looked is dominant against Boston over the last two games as they did against Tampa Bay in Round 1. They have been dominating at home of late and would love to take a commanding lead in the series. Boston trailed 2-1 in their first-round series against Toronto but battled back to win that series as well. Right now it is about goaltending, which gives the Blue Jackets a small advantage.
The total is set at 5.0 for this contest. After combining for five goals in each of the first two contests of this series, the total was under in Game 3. We expect it to be under here as well, as the Blue Jackets win 3-1.
San Jose Sharks (-104) vs. Colorado Avalanche (+115)
The San Jose Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 3 before Colorado battled back to tie the score. However, Logan Couture would score to third-period goals, completing the hat trick to give San Jose a 4-2 victory over the Avalanche. Timo Meier also had a good game, scoring a goal and adding two assists.
Goaltending Matchup:
Martin Jones stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced. He has allowed just seven goals through the first three games of this series and has a 2.92 goals-against average in the playoffs with a .908 save percentage. Jones has won five of his last six starts.
Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 of 30 shots he faced. He has not been as formidable in this series as he was in Round 1, allowing 10 total goals through the first three games. Grubauer has a 2.43 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in this year’s playoffs.
Trends to Watch:
The San Jose Sharks are…
5-1 in their last six games.
4-1 in their last five games against teams with a losing record.
3-5 in their last eight games on the road.
The Colorado Avalanche are…
5-3 in their last eight games.
8-2 in their last 10 games at home.
3-15 in their last 18 conference semifinals games.
Stat Pack: (Playoff Numbers)
Sharks:
Goals For: 3.50
Goals Against: 3.30
Power-Play: 20.9%
Penalty Killing: 76.3%
Avalanche:
Goals For: 3.13
Goals Against: 2.88
Power-Play: 17.6%
Penalty Killing: 80.6%
Prediction
Colorado likely felt they needed to win that contest, but now Game 4 is a must win. A loss here in this series is over, so expect the Avalanche to come out firing on all cylinders. The problem is that Jones has looked quite good after having a solid but not spectacular season. He has a 2.33 goals-against average through the first three games, and he will likely be the difference in this game as well.
The total went over in the first two games of the series, then was even in Game 3. We look for the under here as San Jose pulls out the win by a goal, 3-2.
Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Preview and Predictions 05-02-2019 in NHL
Frustration is building for the Boston Bruins and it showed when forward Brad Marchand threw a sucker punch to the back of the head of a Columbus Blue Jackets defender late in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round series. While Marchand avoided punishment by the league, the Blue Jackets have a chance to deliver a punishing blow when they host Boston in Game 4 on Thursday night.
After a stunning sweep of Tampa Bay in the opening round, Marchand's antics were the least of the concerns for Columbus, which made it two straight wins since dropping the series opener with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night. "I don't think it's a play that you like to see in hockey, but I'm not going to really worry about it," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. "We've got more important things to worry about. What we did was get the win." The Bruins, who have the highest point total of any team left in the playoffs, erased three separate deficits in their first-round series win over Toronto so there is no sense of panic among the players. "I think we've got to execute better, that's the bottom line," center Patrice Bergeron said. "The plays that we want to make are there in a way, but I think we're forcing a lot of them too. We've just got to go back to taking what's there in front of you."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS, Sportsnet
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Bergeron, Marchand and David Pastrnak combined for 106 goals during the regular season but they have been limited to one point in the first three games versus Columbus, although Pastrnak has been paired on other lines. The trio was reunited on the No. 1 line at Wednesday's practice and there could be another lineup change as coach Bruce Cassidy inserted David Backes on the second unit with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci to provide a "net presence" for the team. "You try to get tips, rebounds and screens and it's really no secret how you score this time of year," said Backes, who hasn't played since Game 5 of the first round. "I want to be part of that."
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: While center Matt Duchene, Columbus' prize acquisition at the trade deadline, has scored in five of the last six games, his superlative play has been overshadowed by the exploits Sergei Bobrovsky in net. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner improved to 6-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in the postseason by turning aside 36 of 37 shots Tuesday. "He's played that well," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "I think if teams find their way in winning games like this, playoff games where the teams so evenly matched, throughout it surges both ways, your goaltender has to be your best player. And he has been."
OVERTIME
1. The Blue Jackets are 3-for-7 on the power play in the past two games.
2. Marchand leads the team with nine points in the playoffs, but he has been held off the scoresheet in four straight games.
3. Columbus has won eight of its last nine at home, but the lone blemish was a 6-2 loss to Boston on April 2.
PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2
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San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview and Predictions 05-02-2019 in NHL
Logan Couture has an NHL-best nine postseason goals, an impressive number to be sure but one that carries little weight in his eyes. Fresh off his first playoff hat trick, Couture looks to help the San Jose Sharks take a commanding lead in their Western Conference second-round series on Thursday when they play Game 4 against the host Colorado Avalanche.
"We haven't won. So I don't care what my numbers get to be," said Couture, who erupted for 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) during San Jose's run to the Stanley Cup in 2016. "I could go this whole playoffs and have zero points, and if we win the Stanley Cup, I'll be the happiest guy in this room." The 30-year-old did flash a toothy grin after his three-goal performance in Tuesday's 4-2 win gave him 43 postseason tallies, one more than Sidney Crosby for the second-best total (Alex Ovechkin, 50) since he entered the league in 2010. Couture isn't the only player riding a hot streak, as Nathan MacKinnon scored late in the second period on Tuesday to extend his point streak to seven games (five goals, seven assists) -- the longest by an Avalanche player since Peter Forsberg's seven-game run in 2004. "He's working. He's got a hunger to his game right now, and he's working at the point of the puck, he's working away from it," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of MacKinnon.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Timo Meier scored a goal and set up two others on Tuesday to become the first 22-year-old member of the Sharks to record a three-point performance in the playoff game since Pat Falloon collected two goals and an assist against Calgary on May 19, 1995. Meier has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past six games while defenseman Brent Burns had that total in his first two contests of this series before being held off the scoresheet in Game 3. The 34-year-old Burns has 11 points to reside one shy of Couture for the team lead, although only one has been recorded on the road.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE: Matt Nieto scored to forge a tie at 2 midway into the third period on Tuesday, giving him goals in back-to-back games against the team with which he spent parts of his first four NHL seasons. The 26-year-old Californian has four goals in eight postseason games, tying him for third on the team while matching his regular-season total set in 64 contests. Nieto's six points are tied for fourth-best with captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has six points in six encounters -- regular season and playoffs -- with San Jose in 2018-19.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose G Martin Jones has yielded 14 goals in his last six starts, going 5-1 in that stretch.
2. Colorado had won eight in a row at home and owned a 13-3-1 mark in a 17-game stretch at the Pepsi Center prior to Tuesday's loss.
3. Couture is the third member of the Sharks to score nine goals in the team's first 10 postseason games, joining Patrick Marleau (2006) and captain Joe Pavelski (2010).
PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Sharks 2
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NHL
Long Sheet
Thursday, May 2
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BOSTON (54-29-0-9, 117 pts.) at COLUMBUS (53-31-0-5, 111 pts.) - 5/2/2019, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 59-63 ATS (-30.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 53-36 ATS (+10.1 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 212-169 ATS (+42.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 10-2 ATS (+7.4 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 6-6-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.4 Units)
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SAN JOSE (52-31-0-9, 113 pts.) at COLORADO (43-33-0-14, 100 pts.) - 5/2/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 8-3 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 8-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.0 Units)
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NHL
Thursday, May 2
Trend Report
Boston Bruins
Boston is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games on the road
Boston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston's last 13 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Columbus is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games
Columbus is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Columbus is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Columbus is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 13 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Boston
Columbus is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
Columbus is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
San Jose is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Jose's last 11 games
San Jose is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games on the road
San Jose is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing Colorado
San Jose is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Colorado is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Colorado is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Colorado is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing San Jose
Colorado is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing at home against San Jose
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NHL
Dunkel
Thursday, May 2
Boston @ Columbus
Game 75-76
May 2, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Boston
12.213
Columbus
13.953
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Columbus
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(-120); Under
San Jose @ Colorado
Game 77-78
May 2, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.323
Colorado
11.346
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-125
6
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-125); Under
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