Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Sunday, April 15, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Preview and Predictions 04-15-2018
14th April 2018 by Gracenote
the philadelphia flyers emphatically flipped the script from a series-opening blowout by posting a lopsided victory of their own, evening the eastern conference first-round set versus the pittsburgh penguins at one win apiece. the flyers aim to set the narrative on sunday afternoon when the keystone state rivals head east to the city of brotherly love for game 3.
"i know this: we just got it down to a five-game series and we introduced ourselves into this series (on friday)," philadelphia coach dave hakstol said following his club's resounding 5-1 victory. sean couturier was instrumental in the triumph, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal and highlighting his two-assist performance with a blind, backhanded between-the-legs feed to rookie nolan patrick for a power-play tally. the 25-year-old logged 27:15 of ice time -- more than nine minutes more than any flyers forward -- and 5:01 of short-handed time, which played a key role in pittsburgh's top-ranked power play failing on all four of its opportunities in game 2 to drop to 1-for-8 in the series. "we worked (on it) today," said center evgeni malkin, who had an nhl third-best 38 power-play points (14 goals, 24 assists). "we understand we have great players on the ice. we need to support each other, win the battles in the corners. we know how we play. shoot the puck a little bit more."
tv: 3 p.m. et, nbc, cbc, tvas
about the penguins: kris letang is expected to play on sunday, one day after receiving what coach mike sullivan deemed a "maintenance day" at practice following a hit from flyers captain claude giroux that left the defenseman with a bloodied left hand. justin schultz set up forward patric hornqvist's goal in the third period, giving the defenseman five assists in his last four outings. fellow blue-liner brian dumoulin also had an assist for his third point of the series, a significant offensive performance considering the 26-year-old had just 18 points during the season.
about the flyers: brian elliott has been taken to task by both the opposition and several audible members of the philadelphia faithful after getting shredded in two of his first three outings following a near-two-month absence following core muscle surgery. the 33-year-old goaltender answered some of his critics following his early hook on wednesday with a 34-save performance in game 2, highlighted by denying pittsburgh superstar captain sidney crosby on a breakaway to preserve a two-goal lead in the second period. "(elliott) played a great game. for all you doubters out there, there ya go," giroux told the courier post.
overtime
1. hornqvist has recorded 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in his last nine contests.
2. philadelphia d ivan provorov notched a pair of assists to give him nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past eight.
3. the penguins are 15-6-2 in their last 23 regular-season games at the wells fargo center.
prediction: penguins 4, flyers 2
Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild Preview and Predictions 04-15-2018
14th April 2018 by Gracenote
the minnesota wild lost only six home games in regulation this season, but need far more than a change in venue to stop the winnipeg jets as the western conference first-round series shifts south of the border for game 3 on sunday. the jets completely dominated minnesota in nearly every aspect of a 4-1 victory in game 2 friday, outshooting the wild 44-17, holding minnesota without a shot on goal for more than 20 minutes and completely exerting their will physically.
"the first game was amazing, a pretty cool experience," winnipeg forward nikolaj ehlers told the media after recording an assist and finishing with a plus-2 rating in helping the jets take a 2-0 series lead. "we played ok, but we took a huge step (friday). now we want more steps." a necessary step for minnesota to try and make this a series is to provide goaltender devin dubnyk some help, as he has faced 84 shots on goal through two games amid relentless pressure from all four winnipeg lines. dubnyk registered 40 saves in game 2 and kept the wild within one goal entering the third period for the second consecutive contest, but the jets blew it open in the final period and outhit minnesota 38-23. "we couldn't answer their momentum," minnesota captain mikko koivu told reporters. "they got the pucks deep and pressured our (defensemen) and we couldn't come with passes and clear the zone like we usually do. that's our strength and we've got to find that."
tv: 7 p.m. et, usa, tva, sportsnet (winnipeg), fs north plus (minnesota)
about the jets: defenseman dustin byfuglien led winnipeg with eight hits, and his jarring smash of koivu early in the second period ignited the jets -- whose flight to minnesota on saturday was diverted to duluth, then sent back to winnipeg due to a snowstorm. the defensive pairing of tyler myers and ben chiarot each finished plus-3 as myers scored the game's opening goal en route to a two-point night and chiarot added an assist with three hits and three blocked shots. with forward mathieu perreault sidelined for game 2 with an upper-body injury suffered in the opener, rookie forward jack roslovic drew into the third line and responded with two assists and a plus-2 rating in 10:24 of ice time.
about the wild: forward zach parise scored for the second time in two games, but lamented the lack of minnesota offense in telling reporters after game 2, "you're not going to win many getting 14 shots, 15 shots, 20 shots. there's just not a lot of room for error." the wild have mustered 37 shots on goal in 120 minutes, with a 12-minute drought in the third period in the opener and a 20:03 drought spanning the end of the second and most of the third period friday. rookie forward jordan greenway played well in his 13:50 of ice time in game 2, and was moved temporarily onto a line with eric staal and mikael granlund in the third period.
overtime
1. wild coach bruce boudreau sat d matt dumba out of saturday's practice, after the 23-year-old averaged 28:31 of ice time in the first two games - nearly five minutes more than his regular-season average.
2. parise's goal friday marked his 13th playoff tally with the wild, surpassing marian gaborik's franchise record, and the power-play marker matches gaborik's franchise mark (five).
3. jets g connor hellebuyck, whose chance at a shutout in his second playoff game was spoiled by parise's goal with 45 seconds left, has stopped 34-of-37 shots in the series.
prediction: jets 4, wild 3
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Washington Capitals Preview and Predictions 04-15-2018
14th April 2018 by Gracenote
the washington capitals have insisted that they have less pressure this postseason than in years past, a lighter weight perhaps as a result of failing to win the presidents' trophy for the first time in three years. after winning 12 of 15 heading into the playoffs, the capitals look to avoid dropping back-to-back tilts on their home ice on sunday when they host the columbus blue jackets in game 2 of their eastern conference first-round series.
defenseman john carlson had three assists in the series opener, but washington let an early two-goal lead evaporate and a third-period advantage go by the boards in thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to columbus. "it's not ideal, but we've been through a lot of different situations here. the most important one is the next one, and we've got to play a lot more detailed and better throughout the game," the 28-year-old carlson said. former calder trophy winner artemi panarin (franchise-record 82 points) scored 6:02 into overtime to cap his three-point performance for columbus, which doesn't intend to rest of its laurels despite posting a gaudy 14-2-2 in its last 18 contests. "just because you win one doesn't make it good enough," blue jackets captain nick foligno said. "you need four in a series. we have a great opportunity in front of us against a team that's going to come out just as hungry and hard, and it's going to be an even harder game than it was in game 1.
tv: 7:30 p.m. et, nbcsn, sportsnet360, tvas2, fs ohio (columbus), nbcs washington
about the blue jackets: foligno will join boone jenner and thomas vanek on the second line in place of alexander wennberg, who has been ruled out of game 2 after sustaining an undisclosed injury on a hit from washington's tom wilson during the series opener. "it's a big loss up the middle, especially for our line," vanek said. "i think we were going pretty well and i thought his game was going well too. ... you're going to lose guys. some other guys have to step up." former first-round pick sonny milano is expected to be inserted into the lineup and skate on the third line with brandon dubinsky and josh anderson.
about the capitals: former vezina trophy winner braden holtby will remain on the proverbial sideline as philipp grubauer has been confirmed to start in game 2. "there was nothing in (thursday's) game that you'd say, 'why didn't you make a change?'" capitals coach barry trotz said of grubauer, who has posted a 2.06 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in his last 31 games. "philipp's been really good, and i thought in that game, we had the game and we kept letting them off the floor." while grubauer will remain in the lineup, fourth-line center jay beagle (upper body) is expected to draw in for the first time since april 1.
overtime
1. columbus g sergei bobrovsky, who is a two-time vezina trophy winner, is 11-1-1 in his last 13 starts.
2. washington f t.j. oshie missed practice with a maintenance day on saturday while d michal kempny expects to play on sunday after sustaining an upper-body injury during the first period of game 1.
3. the blue jackets' 25th-ranked power play scored twice in game 1 to increase its total to nine in its last six contests.
prediction: capitals 3, blue jackets 2
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings Preview and Predictions 04-15-2018
14th April 2018 by Gracenote
what happens in vegas stays in vegas? the los angeles kings certainly hope this is the case. after dropping the first two games of their western conference first-round series to the expansion golden knights, the kings hope a return home will enable them to turn the tables on the pacific division champions and avoid falling into a 3-0 hole on sunday night at the staples center.
vegas held serve in stirring fashion at t-mobile arena, following up a tense 1-0 victory in the series opener with an even more dramtic win in game 2, prevailing 2-1 in double overtime on erik haula's goal. "it's a fun series right now," golden knights coach gerard gallant said. "fun for us because we're up 2-0 obviously. i'm sure they're not too happy right now, but we're going back to their building and we know it's going to be a battle back there." star defenseman drew doughty will return from a one-game suspension for the kings, who are not showing any signs of panic despite losing the longest game in franchise history. "it's not devastating," los angeles coach john stevens said. "we expended a lot of energy but it doesn't matter if you win in regulation or in quadruple overtime, it still counts as one. they won their two home games so we have to go home and get to work."
tv: 10:30 p.m. et, nbcsn, cbc, tvas, at&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (vegas), fs west (los angeles)
about the golden knights: haula scored a combined 29 goals over his previous two seasons with the minnesota wild and matched that in his first campaign with vegas, but nothing could equal the feeling of the double-ot game-winner. "it's one of the best feelings in sports, i think, is finishing the game in that fashion," said haula, the team's second-leading goal scorer. "it was a long game, and we had a lot of guys who played a lot of minutes. it's rewarding to come out on top." alex tuch scored the other goal, the golden knights' first on the power play against the kings this season.
about the kings: los angeles cannot ask for much more from goaltender jonathan quick, who turned aside 81 of 84 shots in las vegas and set a franchise playoff record with 54 saves in game 2, breaking his own mark of 51. "in my opinion, he's the best goalie in the world," said kings defenseman paul ladue, who scored his team's lone goal. "that was unbelievable tonight and you know we've got to work harder to play better for him. he worked way to hard tonight and he saw way too many shots." tyler toffoli, a 24-goal scorer during the regular season, has one assist in his last seven playoff games.
overtime
1. vegas g marc-andre fleury has stopped 59 of 60 shots in the series.
2. doughty collected 35 of his 60 points at home this season.
3. golden knights c david perron (undisclosed) told reporters saturday that he felt better and hopes to play in the series.
prediction: kings 3, golden knights 1
NHL
Sunday, April 15
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Trend Report
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 12 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 14 games
Philadelphia is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games at home
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games
Winnipeg is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 10 games on the road
Winnipeg is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 11 games
Minnesota is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Minnesota is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Columbus is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games
Columbus is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Columbus is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games on the road
Columbus is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Washington
Columbus is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Washington
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Columbus is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Washington is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games at home
Washington is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
Washington is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Vegas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Vegas's last 20 games
Vegas is 17-8 ATS in its last 25 games on the road
Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Vegas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Vegas's last 11 games on the road
Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Vegas
NHL
Long Sheet
Sunday, April 15
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PITTSBURGH (48-30-0-6, 102 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (43-27-0-14, 100 pts.) - 4/15/2018, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 10-16 ATS (-9.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
PITTSBURGH is 2-7 ATS (-7.8 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-19 ATS (+1.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 14-7 ATS (+6.6 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 21-5 ATS (+14.6 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 63-59 ATS (-3.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 21-8 ATS (+10.4 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 116-67 ATS (+16.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 47-25 ATS (+12.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 15-7 ATS (+22.8 Units) in road games when tied in a playoff series since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 25-9 ATS (+10.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
PITTSBURGH is 15-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 254-265 ATS (-18.7 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 10-4 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 10-4-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+8.3 Units)
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WINNIPEG (54-20-0-10, 118 pts.) at MINNESOTA (45-28-0-11, 101 pts.) - 4/15/2018, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 1-7 ATS (-7.1 Units) in road games after a 3 game unbeaten streak this season.
MINNESOTA is 104-64 ATS (+23.3 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 54-31 ATS (+12.0 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 10-0 ATS (+10.0 Units) in April games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 31-14 ATS (+9.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 10-1 ATS (+8.5 Units) on Sunday games this season.
WINNIPEG is 36-21 ATS (+14.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 27-17 ATS (+6.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WINNIPEG is 17-7 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 72-77 ATS (-16.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 10-6 (+5.9 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 10-6-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.8 Units)
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COLUMBUS (46-30-0-7, 99 pts.) at WASHINGTON (49-26-0-8, 106 pts.) - 4/15/2018, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 50-34 ATS (+15.6 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 23-10 ATS (+11.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
WASHINGTON is 20-7 ATS (+9.8 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 26-16 ATS (+9.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
COLUMBUS is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in road games on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 28-13 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 7-11 ATS (-13.1 Units) in home games in April games over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 42-52 ATS (-42.5 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-5 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 9-5-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.6 Units)
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VEGAS (53-24-0-7, 113 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (45-31-0-8, 98 pts.) - 4/15/2018, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VEGAS is 54-31 ATS (+16.5 Units) in all games this season.
VEGAS is 10-1 ATS (+8.6 Units) on Sunday games this season.
VEGAS is 22-9 ATS (+9.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
VEGAS is 27-15 ATS (+11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 84-83 ATS (-15.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 18-23 ATS (-14.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 7-13 ATS (-15.8 Units) in April games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 43-48 ATS (-29.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 13-18 ATS (-10.4 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
LOS ANGELES is 16-27 ATS (-19.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 4-2 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 4-2-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.1 Units)