What bettors need to know: NHL Saturday
By DUSTIN NIELSON
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-140, 5.5)
Battle of the Superstars
This is the most anticipated playoff matchup the NHL has seen in decades as the league’s three premier superstars clash in what should be a run-and-gun series.
The focus of the pre-series talk has been all about Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby but don’t forget about Evgeni Malkin. All Malkin did this year was lead the NHL in scoring and get nominated for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Run and Gun
Anyone who believes playoff hockey should be tight checking and low scoring may be in for a rude awakening. With the amount of talent these two teams possess it would be crazy to think they would sit and wait for a mistake.
In four games this year the Caps and Pens combined for 30 goals and finished over the total every time. The Capitals won the first three games before Pittsburgh squeaked out a 4-3 shootout win in early March.
Varlamov
When Jose Theodore dropped the ball in Game 1 against the Rangers, rookie Simeon Varlamov took over and has played like a seasoned veteran. Varlamov posted a goals against average of 1.17 with two shutouts in Round 1.
The young Russian will certainly be tested more against the Penguins. New York had the 28th ranked offense in the regular season while the Penguins attack was the 6th most effective in the league.
Ready to Go
Ovechkin took practice off on Thursday but it was nothing more than a little extra rest.
"His body gets beat up because he plays so much, and he just plays a lot. He needs a little bit more rest than other guys, so he's just resting today,” explained Capital’s Head Coach Bruce Boudreau.
The human highlight reel averaged close to 23 minutes a game against the Rangers and may be required to play even more against Pittsburgh.
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks (-140, 5)
A Tough Loss
The Chicago Blackhawks almost put together one of the best third period comebacks in NHL playoff history but a rookie mistake helped the Canucks escape Game 1 with a win.
Calder nominated rookie Kris Versteeg turned the puck over just inside the Vancouver blue line which led to an odd-man rush and the game winning goal.
Heating Up
Hawks young star Patrick Kane is starting to find his stride in his first trip to the NHL playoffs. After not scoring in the first two games against the Calgary Flames the pint-sized forward has found the back of the net four times in his last four outings including twice against Luongo and the Canucks.
Kane, who was named second star in Game 1, says the Hawks need to build off an impressive third period and use that momentum to get off to a good start on Saturday.
Super Salo
After scoring just five times in the regular season Canucks defenseman Sami Salo has found the back of the net twice in the playoffs and both goals have been game winners. Salo joined the rush in Game 1 and it paid off as he batted home a rebound past Nikolai Khabibulin. The Finnish d-man was all smiles after scoring the goal but knows the Canucks need to play better.
"It was a wake-up call," he said. "We let them carry the game. If you let that team carry the game, they will take it over. It's a good thing we found a way to win."
Stingy Canucks
The Blackhawks should be pretty happy with their three-goal performance on Thursday night. Prior to Game 1, Luongo and the Canucks had allowed just seven goals in their past seven games.
Bobby Lou had three shutouts over that span and hasn’t surrendered three goals in a game since April 5th against the Colorado Avalanche.
Hockey Today
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, May 2
Pittsburgh at Washington (1 p.m. EDT). Washington stars Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green face Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
STARS
Friday
— Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings, scored two goals—including the winner with 49.1 seconds left—and added an assist in Detroit’s series-opening 3-2 victory over Anaheim.
— Marc Savard, Bruins, scored twice to lift Boston to a 4-1 win against Carolina in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
SENT AWAY
Anaheim Ducks forward Mike Brown was ejected from the team’s 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night for a hit that bloodied Jiri Hudler. Hudler passed the puck and was defenseless when Brown hit him, appearing to land an elbow to the head during the first period. Hudler returned in the second period, but Brown was given a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.
SELECTED
San Jose’s Todd McLellan was named Friday as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach, joining Boston’s Claude Julien and St. Louis’ Andy Murray. The winner will be announced at the NHL’s postseason awards ceremony in Las Vegas next month. McLellan, in his first season as San Jose coach, led the Sharks to the Presidents’ Trophy but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Anaheim.
STEPPING IN
The Red Wings were without standout defenseman Brian Rafalski for Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks. He was replaced in the lineup by 47-year-old Chris Chelios. Chelios, who got into 28 regular-season games, made his playoff debut after being out of the lineup since April 12. After being a healthy scratch in Detroit’s first-round sweep of Columbus, Chelios extended his NHL record by playing in his 261st postseason game.
SPEAKING
“I just get so amazed how he performs out there in a big game like this, in the last minute like that. He’s so calm out there. I guess the experience speaks for itself. I get goose bumps.”—Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson on Detroit teammate Nicklas Lidstrom, who scored two goals—including the winner with 49.1 seconds remaining—and added an assist in a 3-2 win over Anaheim in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.
PITTSBURGH (49-30-0-9, 107 pts.) at WASHINGTON (54-27-0-8, 116 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 23-7 ATS (+13.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 47-29 ATS (+4.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 71-44 ATS (+14.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 19-10 ATS (+7.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 8-4 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-4-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.9 Units)
CHICAGO (50-28-0-11, 111 pts.) at VANCOUVER (50-27-0-10, 110 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 9-4 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 9-4-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Washington's last 11 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
CHICAGO vs. VANCOUVER
Chicago is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
Vancouver is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Chicago
Vancouver is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games when playing Chicago
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
The Penguins battled back from a three-goal deficit to down the Flyers 5-3 at Wachovia Center in Game 6 and eliminate their state rivals 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs.
Pittsburgh won that game as a +105 road underdog while the final score played over the 5.5-goal total.
Sergei Fedorov scored the winner in the third period to lift the Capitals over the Rangers 2-1 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Tuesday night.
Washington won as -270 home favorites as the game played under the 5-goal total listed by sportsbooks.
Team records:
Pittsburgh: 45-28-9
Washington: 50-24-8
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Ottawa are 6-4
After playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After a win are 6-4
Washington most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Calgary are 4-6
After playing NY Rangers are 8-2
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games when playing on the road against Washington
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Washington's last 11 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Next up:
Washington home to Pittsburgh, Monday, May 4
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks blew a three-goal lead before scoring two late goals in a 5-3 win over the Blackhawks in Game 1 of their Western Conference semi-final on Thursday, as -150 favorites. The eight goals sailed OVER the posted over/under (5).
Pavol Demitra, Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Sami Salo and Ryan Johnson scored for the Canucks.
Patrick Kane potted two goals, while Dave Bolland added a single in the loss.
Team records:
Chicago: 46-24-12
Vancouver: 45-27-10
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Edmonton are 7-3
After playing Vancouver are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6
Vancouver most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 2-8
Before playing San Jose are 6-4
After playing Chicago are 7-3
After a win are 9-1
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games
Chicago is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Vancouver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Vancouver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Vancouver is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games at home
Next up:
Vancouver at Chicago, Tuesday, May 5
Pittsburgh at Washington
Pittsburgh:
14-27 SU off a division win
2-11 SU off a road division win
Washington:
23-7 SU revenging a loss as a favorite
7-2 SU at home when the money line is -100 to -150
Chicago at Vancouver
Chicago:
10-3 SU AWAY after playing a game with 7+ total goals
53-34 SU after one or more consecutive overs
Vancouver:
6-13 SU after allowing 2+ goals in the third period
1-6 SU at home after playing a game with 8+ total goals