Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
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StLouis-Chicago (1:0) 02:00 2,30 3,80 2,60
Blackhawks team scope: Chicago will get back defenseman Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and last season's Conn Smythe winner, from a six-game suspension for a high-sticking penalty in the regular season. Keith will likely go back to playing with Niklas Hjalmarsson on the top pair and should ease the load for the rest the defensemen. "He's such a big part of our team and he's definitely missed when he's not in the lineup," said defenseman Brent Seabrook, who played 30:35 in Game 1. "Playing 30 minutes, speaking for myself, I've done it a lot of times in the playoffs in big games. I like playing those kind of minutes and being counted on, but having Duncan back definitely can alleviate that pressure in some areas." Keith's return will likely bump either rookie Erik Gustafsson or rookie Viktor Svedberg out of the lineup. Chicago expects forward Andrew Ladd to play again. Ladd, who played in Game 1, was back in Chicago on Thursday and has been shuttling between there and St. Louis while his wife was waiting to deliver their third child. Goalie Corey Crawford is expected to start.
Blues team scope: St. Louis forward Jaden Schwartz is missing teeth but won't miss Game 2. Schwartz will play after some damage during the shift before Blues captain David Backes scored the game-winning goal at 9:04 of overtime. Schwartz was accidentally hit in the mouth by the blade of teammate Jori Lehtera's stick on a follow-through. "He's good," Hitchcock said of Schwartz. "Missing a couple teeth. Nice new smile. He's good." The Blues held an optional skate at Scottrade Center on Thursday. No major lineup changes are expected, and goalie Brian Elliott will start again after his first playoff shutout. The Blues held a meeting prior to their on-ice work, and one of the main subjects was how to crack Chicago's stifling defense, which allowed 18 shots in Game 1. "They're taking away your time and space pretty good," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "They seem to want to get five guys toward the puck as much as possible, so our goal is to try to get out of that swarm and create offense from that."
Joined: Mar '16
Location: Macedonia, The former Yugoslav Republic of
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 2395
SAD: NHL - Playoff Tampa Bay Lightning - Detroit Red Wings Tip:1 Florida Panthers - New York Islanders Tip:1 St.Louis Blues - Chicago Blackhawks Tip:1 Anaheim Ducks - Nashville Predators Tip:1
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20405
LAKings-San Jose (0:1) 04:30 2,20 3,80 2,70
Sharks team scope: DeBoer made an effort to keep San Jose rested throughout the season, rather than worrying about rust, and he continued that trend Friday, keeping the Sharks off the ice. They made it through Game 1 unscathed, DeBoer said. Top-pair defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (knee) and third-line forward Matt Nieto (broken knuckle) each returned to the lineup for Game 1 after missing the final 12 regular-season games and played well. First-year captain Joe Pavelski led by example in the series opener. He scored two goals, one on a first-period power play and the other when he skated behind the net ahead of Anze Kopitar and beat goalie Jonathan Quick with a wraparound for the game-winner early in the third. The Sharks overcame deficits of 1-0 and 3-2. "Any time we've been down a goal, guys have played hard," goaltender Martin Jones said.
Kings team scope: Forward Marian Gaborik, who missed the final 28 regular-season games with a sprained knee, skated again Friday, but it's not known whether he'll be in the lineup for Game 2. Staying out of the penalty box will be a key for Los Angeles. The Sharks went 1-for-4 on the power play, with Pavelski scoring San Jose's first goal to make it 1-1 in the first period. But Tomas Hertl scored one second after Doughty's hooking penalty expired, tying it 3-3 late in the second period. "Their power play is very good," Doughty said. "It starts with Joe Thornton. He's a very, very good player out there, one of the smartest players in the League, without a doubt. Then he's got guys around him that can shoot the puck and make plays and tip pucks. They're very good at tipping pucks. We've got to stay out of the box. We took way too many penalties last night, and it hurt us."
Joined: Mar '16
Location: Macedonia, The former Yugoslav Republic of
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 2395
Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers tip:over 4,5 Washington Capitals-Philadelphia Flyers tip:1 Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild tip:1 Los Angeles Kings-San Jose Sharks tip:1 good luck
Joined: Sep '11
Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
1 | AH -1.5
Penguins will probably get back Fleury and Malkin and Rust to the lineup tonight. This will give them extra firepower and I can't see how they will not win with more than two goals with the home support.
Los Angeles Kings - San Jose Sharks Tip: San Jose Sharks
Washington Capitals - Philadelphia Flyers Tip: Washington Capitals
Good Luck!!
I was on Washington's hendi (-1.5 at 2.50) all the way through cuz the Flyers was missing key players and thank god it payed off, they've won easily with a 4-1...
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20405
NYIsland-Florida (1:1) 02:00 2,40 3,80 2,50
Panthers team scope: Florida center Vincent Trocheck skated Saturday but will not play in Game 3. But Trocheck did make the trip to New York and could possibly return for Game 4 on Wednesday. Trocheck injured his foot while blocking a shot during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 29. "I wouldn't say yes or no; there's definitely hope but I wouldn't count on that right now," Gallant said. "He's skated the last couple of days and he's doing better." Defenseman Michael Matheson, who replaced Jakub Kindl for Game 2, is expected to play again Sunday. Matheson was plus-1 in 13:28 in Florida's 3-1 win Friday. "We haven't decided on the lineup for [Sunday], but he played a great game [Friday] night," Gallant said. "I was real happy with the way he played. He's like every other player; he made a mistake or two, but overall it was a real good, solid game. He showed he belongs." Florida recalled forward Logan Shaw and sent center Rocco Grimaldi to Portland of the American Hockey League on Saturday.
Islanders team scope: Capuano said he's still deciding on whether he'll make lineup changes for Game 3, but it appears rookie defenseman Ryan Pulock and rookie forward Alan Quine won't be removed. Pulock has shown a willingness to unleash his 100 mph slap shot from the point, and Quine seems to have chemistry at center between Ryan Strome and Shane Prince. "There's a good chance those guys are going to stay in," Capuano said. "For me, there's no reason why those young guys [would come out]. They've played well, they've given us some good minutes. Ryan's definitely a guy on that second-unit power play that is a weapon. If you take him away, it's going to open up something else. We have some tough decisions to make. I think Quine has played great. But things change as a series goes on. Those two in particular for me have played really well."
NHL St. Louis Blues -- Chicago Blackhawks -1.5(2) 1.60 NHL Tampa Bay Lightning -- Detroit Red Wings -1.5 (2) 1.80 NHL Florida Panthers -- New York Islanders -1.5 (2) 1.80 NHL Nashville Predators -- Anaheim Ducks -1.5 (2) 1.61
Joined: Jan '15
Location: Hungary
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Posts: 999
NHL - Stanley Cup Play-off April 19 01:00 Philadelphia Flyers () Washington Capitals ()---------1 02:30 Minnesota Wild () Dallas Stars ()---------1 04:30 San Jose Sharks () Los Angeles Kings ()---------1
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20405
San Jose-L.A.Kings (2:0) 04:30 2,40 3,80 2,50
Kings team scope: The Kings had an optional but high-energy practice at Toyota Sports Center on Sunday afternoon before flying to San Jose. Coach Darryl Sutter, who did not speak to the media, made three lineup changes for Game 2; it's not known whether there will be more changes for Game 3. Top-line forward Marian Gaborik (knee) returned to the lineup after missing the final 28 regular-season games and Game 1 of the series and played a solid game; he finished with four shots on goal in 14:32 of ice time but did not have a point. "I feel pretty good," Gaborik said Sunday. "I did some stuff in the gym and had a good skate." Nick Shore centered the fourth line after being a healthy scratch in Game 1. Forwards Kyle Clifford and Andy Andreoff came out of the lineup in Game 2. Defenseman Jamie McBain made his NHL playoff debut, replacing injured Alec Martinez, who missed the final four regular-season games with an undisclosed injury, returned for Game 1 but left late in the second period after blocking a shot. Martinez did not practice Sunday and will likely miss Game 3, although there has been no official word on his status.
Sharks team scope: One day after beating the Kings, the Sharks had meetings but did not take the ice at their training facility. The Sharks didn't skate on the day after their 4-3 win in Game 1 at Staples Center either. DeBoer's approach throughout much of the season was to have either optional skates or days off between games so his players could recover physically and conserve energy. "I love it," defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "It keeps me fresh and keeps me energized for the game." DeBoer typically sticks with a winning lineup, and that will likely be the case for Game 3. Fourth-line forwards Dainius Zubrus and Micheal Haley, as well as defenseman Dylan DeMelo, are likely to be healthy scratches for the third straight game. Goaltender Martin Jones is 2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in the series against his former team. Jones has played in all seven of the Sharks' games against the Kings this season and will almost certainly start again Monday. He was 3-1-1 against his old team during the regular season.
