CAN’T DISMISS THE PREDATORS FOR STANLEY CUP
Some of us were hoping for Pittsburgh vs. Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Finals. Mainly to watch super-duper stars Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid battle it out.
On Wednesday night, Crosby’s Penguins reached the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-0 Game 7 road win over Washington and McDavid’s Oilers were eliminated with a 2-1 loss at Anaheim in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals.
The four finalists in the always unpredictable NHL playoffs finished send (Pittsburgh), 6th (Anaheim), 12th (Ottawa) and Nashville (tied for 15th) in the regular-season standings.
The conference finals matchups:
East -- Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh – The defending champion Penguins lead the playoffs in scoring (3.42 goals per game) but rank last in shot differential (-7.6 per game). Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are the elite 1-2 punch at center. Top defenseman Chris Letang (season-ending neck surgery) has been missed...The Senators were outscored 214-212 in the regular season and seven of their eight playoff wins were by one goal (including five in overtime). Defenseman Erik Karlsson leafs Ottawa in playoff scoring.
West – Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators – Anaheim has outscored opponents 25-16 at even strength in the playoffs. Specials teams have been a problem in the playoffs. They rank last among the four playoff survivors on the power play and in penalty killing...The Predators are 8-2 in the playoffs and lead the four surviving playoff teams in goals-against percentage (1.40) and goal differential (+14; 28-14). Goalie Pekka Rinne has been phenomenal (1.37 goals-against average; .951 save percentage).
Assorted odds to win the Stanley Cup:
Bleacher Report – Nashville 7-to-3 (bet $3 to win $7)...Anaheim 3-to-1...Pittsburgh 3-to-1..Ottawa 4-to-1
Sportsbook.ag – Pittsburgh 7-to-4...Anaheim 5-to-2...Nashville 11-to-4...Ottawa 9-to-2
WestgateSuperbook – Pittsburgh 8-to-5...Anaheim 5-to-2...Nashville 5-to-2...Ottawa 5-to-1
Bovada – Pittsburgh +160 (bet $1oo to win $160)...Anaheim (+275)...Nashville +275...Ottawa +550.
Bob’s conference finals picks: East – Pittsburgh 4-2 over Ottawa...West – Nashville 4-3 over Anaheim.
CAN THE CELTICS AND WIZARDS GIVE US A CLOSE AND EXCITING GAME?
The Boston Celtics play at the Washington Wizards Friday night in Game 6 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series.
This has been a goofy matchup all season.
The teams have played nine times – four in the regular season and five in the playoffs. The home team is 9-0, straight up and against the Las Vegas point spread. The margins of victory were 25, 9, 25, 8, 212, 10, 27, 19 and 22. The Izards won their four home games by a total of 96 points.
Washington is favored by 4 ½ points for Game 6.
Maybe we’ll get a close and exciting game. But don’t count on it.
This isn’t the only lopsided series in the NBA conference semifinals.
Golden State swept Utah by margins of 12, 29, 6 and 25 points...Cleveland swept Toronto by 4, 22, 21 and 7 points...San Antonio beat Houston 4-2. The six games were decided by 27, 25, 11, 21, 3 and 39 points.
MEANWHILE, IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS...
It is safe to predict that the NHL conference finals and Stanley Cup Final will be highly competitive.
Through 68 games, home teams had a 34-34 record. Home-ice advantage? There has been none.
Of the 68 games, 42 were decided by one goal (including 23 in overtime) and 15 were decided by two goals.
BOVADA LISTS BILLS AT 6 ON THE OVER/UNDER WINS CHART
The New England Patriots are tops on online sportsbook Bovada.lv’s list of over/wins for the 2017 NFL season at 12 ½ (bet $130 to win $100 over and even odds on under 12 ½).
Bovada’s numbers reflect the expected parity in the NFL, with 22 of the 32 teams listed at between 7 and 10 teams.
The Patriots are 12 ½, Pittsburgh 10 ½ and Seattle 10 ½.
The seven teams below 7 wins include the Buffalo Bills at 6 (over 6 bet $130 to win $100) and even odds on under 6.
The six other teams listed under 7 wins are Jacksonville at 6 (over 6 bet $130 to win $100 and even odds on under 6)...Chicago at 5 ½ (over 5 ½ even and under 5 ½ wins $130 to win $100)...Los Angeles Rams at 5 ½...New York Jets at 5...Cleveland at 4 ½ (over 4 ½ even and under 4 ½ bet $130 to win 100)...San Francisco 4 ½ wins (over 4 ½ bet $130 to win $100 and under 4 ½ even).
The other teams: Green Bay 10 (-130 over/even under)... Oakland 10 (-130/even)...Atlanta 9 ½ (-130/even)...Dallas 9 ½ (-150/+120)...Baltimore 9 (even/-130)...Indianapolis 9 )even/-130)...Kansas City 9 (even/-130)...New York Giants 9 (even/-130)...Carolina (-140/+110)...Cincinnati 8 ½ (even/-130)...Denver 8 ½ (even/-130)...Houston 8 ½ (-130/even)...Minnesota 8 ½ (even/-130)...Tampa Bay 8 ½ (even/-130)...Tennessee 8 ½...Arizona 8 (even/-130)...Detroit 8 (even/-130)...New Orleans 8 (-130/even)...Philadelphia 8 (-130/even)...Los Angeles Chargers 7 ½...Miami 7 ½ (-130/even)...Washington 7 ½ (-130/even).
NLL PLAYOFFS ENTER DIVISION FINALS
The National Lacrosse League two-game Division Series begin Saturday night: Georgia Swarm at Toronto Rock in the East and Colorado Mammoth at Saskatchewan Rush in the West.
In last Saturday’s first round, Toronto beat the visiting New England Black Wolves 18-10 and Colorado beat the host Vancouver Stealth 13-12. Attendance was surprisingly sparse: 6,260 in Toronto and 4,011 in Vancouver.
Most fans of the Rochester Knighthawks figure to be rooting against Saskatchewan. The Rush are the two-time defending NLL champions. Rochester is the only team to win the title in three consecutive seasons (2012-2013-2014).
NHL CONFERENCE FINALS STATS AND FACTS
Regular-season – Pittsburgh 50-21-11 record; 111 points; outscored opponents 282-234 (+48); 31-6-4 home and 19-15-7 road...Anaheim 46-23-13 record; 105 points; outscored opponents 223-200 (+23); 29-8-4 home and 17-15-9 road...Ottawa 44-28-10 record; 98 points; outscored by opponents 214-212 (-2); 22-11-8 home and 22-17-2 road...Nashville 41-29-12 record; 94 points; outscored opponents 240-224 (+16); 24-9-8 home and 170-20-4 road.
Record in playoffs – Nashville 8-2...Anaheim 8-3...Pittsburgh 8-4...Ottawa 8-4
Goals scored per game – Pittsburgh 3.42...Anaheim 3.18...Ottawa 2.83...Nashville 2.80
Fewest goals allowed per game – Nashville 1.40...Pittsburgh 2.58...Ottawa 2.75...Anaheim 3.00
Shots for per game – Anaheim 35.8...Ottawa 31.4...Nashville 27.9...Pittsburgh 27.7
Fewest shots against per game – Nashville 28.8...Ottawa 31.7...Anaheim 31.7...Pittsburgh 35.3
Shot differential per game – Anaheim +4.1...Nashville -00.9...Ottawa -00.3...Pittsburgh -7.6
Save percentage – Nashville .951...Pittsburgh .927...Ottawa .913...Anaheim .905
Penalty minutes differential – Anaheim +22...Ottawa +22...Nashville -1...Pittsburgh -45
Power play – Pittsburgh 21.6 (8-for-37)...Nashville 20.0 (5-for-25)...Ottawa 14.6 (6-for-41)...Anaheim 13.9 (5-for-36)
Penalty killing – Ottawa 87.5 (35-for-40)...Nashville 87.5 (21-for-24)...Pittsburgh 80.0 (28-for-35)...Anaheim 69.0 (29-for-42).
SHORT SHOTS
This week’s issue of Sports Illustrated will be a keeper for New York Yankees fans: a giant rookie slugger swinging mightily withy the headline “All Rise! The Yankees Youth Movement Is In Session, The Powerful Aaron Judge Presiding”.
Three-time Hart Trophy winner (NHL MVP) Alexander Ovechkin is under fire in Washington after the Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs again Wednesday night. ESPN hockey guru Barry Melrose said the Capitals should consider trading Ovechkin, who has 558 goals in 921 NHL games. He clearly isn’t the superstar he was for more than a decade, and he’ll turn 32 in September, but he’d sure look good in a Buffalo Sabres uniform at a reasonable price.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, May 12 – Mike Iupati (30)...Lance Lynn (30)...Steve Smith (38)...Chris Snell (46)...Jim Furyk (47)...Mike Weir (47)...Tony Hawk (49)...Rochester-born LPGA player Amy Benz (55)...James Wilder (59)...Lou Whitaker (60)...Bernie Federko (61)...Max Montoya (61)...George Karl (65)...Felipe Alou (82)...Johnny Bucyk (82)...This would’ve been the late Richie Dunn’s 60th birthday.
Saturday, May 13 –Tyrann Mathieu (25)...John Ryan Murphy (26)...Mychal Givens (27)...P.K. Subban (28)...Jaroslav Halak (32)...Barry Zito (39)...Tom Nalen ()46)...Chris Washburn (52)...Sean McDonough (55)...Dennis Rodman (56)...Bobby Valentine (67)...former UR basketball star and briefly a New York Knick Dave Deutsch (72)...Darius Rucker (51), John Kasich (65) and Stevie Wonder (67) are invited to the birthday party.
Sunday, May 14 –Kyle Freeland (24)...Rob Gronkowski (28)...Clay Matthews (31)...Luke Gregorson (33)...Frank Gore (34)...Roy Halladay (40)...Tony Siragusa (50)...Joey Cora (52)...Suzy Kolber (53)...Pat Borders (54)...Mike Quick (58)...Rick Vaive (58)...Dennis Martinez (62)...Danny Gare (63)...Tony Perez (75). Mark Zuckenberg (33) and Cate Blanchett (48) are invited to the birthday party.