Announcement

**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 09:53 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Cavaliers 105, Raptors 101-- Toronto had won 39 games in a row when they led after three quarters.

-- Trailblazers 98, Pistons 86-- Detroit is now an unhealthy 3-19.

-- Braves signed free agent 2B Alberto Callaspo, who isn't any good but it seems like the A's lose a player every day.

-- Pirates re-signed Francisco Liriano for three years, $39M. Good move.

-- Villanova 73, Illinois 59-- Game in NYC was 50-all at one point.

-- Louisville 94, Indiana 74-- Cardinals pulled away once Indiana stopped hitting 3's.

Late Night Update-- Jon Lester gets $155M from the Cubs, for six years.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......

13) I’m guessing Tuesday was a good day to be a White Sox season ticket salesman, with team adding Samardzija/Robertson. Pale Hose are making a run at the playoffs this coming season.

12) Guy in Las Vegas hit a $15 12-team parlay this week that paid him just under $45,000; his last game was Atlanta +12.5. Imagine sitting there with him when the Falcons were down 31-7 at the half?

Had to be kind of exciting in those last few minutes. Would’ve sucked to go 11 for 12 and wind up with bupkus. (Hope he hedged the bet, at least)

11) Cam Newton was in a car accident Tuesday afternoon near Panthers’ stadium; he has a couple breaks in his lower back, is in the hospital and not expected to play Sunday against Tampa Bay. Derek Anderson is the Panthers' backup QB.

10) Not only was it a dismal December day Tuesday, with freezing rain/sleet/icy roads, but I looked at mlbdepthcharts.com and saw they had Ike Davis batting 5th in the A’s prospective lineup for next season. Bleeping fifth. Oy.

9) One of unspoken benefits of the college football playoff: no one talks about the Heisman Trophy anymore; thank the Lord. Before this year, they’d start talking about it in September. Team stuff is always more interesting than individual stuff.

8) There is an NBA ref named Ben Taylor who is only 29 years old; he worked the intense Phoenix-Clipper game Monday night. 29 seems young to be an NBA ref.

7) I don’t give a rat’s ass about the royal family; they could be very nice people for all I know, but what have they done? What do they do? They’re rich/famous for no reason, like reality TV stars. Please go away.

6) UNLV hired a high school coach as its new football coach; Tony Sanchez from Bishop Gorman in Vegas. Keep in mind that Art Briles, Gus Malzahn and Hugh Freeze were all high school coaches at one time, and they’re doing pretty well now. Sanchez needs to recruit some of his Gorman players to make UNLV relevant on the gridiron, one of whom is Cordell Broadus, Snoop Dawg’s son.

5) Tennessee replaced UAB with Bowling Green on next year’s football schedule; UAB dropped football, rifle and bowling last week, for $$$ reasons.

4) Which begs the question, how much does it cost to fund a freakin’ bowling team? Does the bowling coach fly to the northeast to recruit a kid out of a duckpin league in Boston? Does he take a private jet to fly cross country to Vegas to find a kid in Rock ‘n Bowl at Red Rock Casino? Seriously, dropping bowling just seems un-American.

3) NFL record for most receiving yards in a game is Flipper Anderson’s 336, set on a Sunday night in 1989 against the Saints; was looking at some highlights from that season and it turns out when Anderson caught the winning TD in overtime in a playoff game against the Giants later in that ’89 season, the ref was Bob McElwee, who ten years later was also the ref when the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV, the greatest sporting event ever played.

Good man, Bob McElwee.

2) Green Bay Packers are 9-0 on grass, 1-3 on artificial turf, the one win by a FG in Minnesota. Packers play on a short week in Buffalo this week. On turf. Hmmmm

1) RIP actor Ken Weatherwax, 59, who as a child played Puggsley Addams on the Addams Family, one of my favorite shows as a kid. 59 is too young to die, for sure. He’s probably in heaven today blowing up toy trains with Uncle Fester. RIP, sir.

**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 09:53 AM

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Lookahead spot

Northern Iowa has jumped out to an 8-0 (3-3 ATS) start to the season, earning the No. 24 spot in the national polls this week. The Panthers put that ranking to the test this coming weekend with a road game against another mid-major power - the VCU Rams – and face rival Iowa on a neutral court the weekend before Christmas.

However, lurking Wednesday is a climb up the Rocky Mountains to play the Denver Pioneers. Northern Iowa, which has failed to cover in its last two games as a heavy favorite, not only runs the risk of a looking past the Pioneers but could hit the wall in the thin air of Magness Arena. Denver runs an active Princeton offense with plenty of movement and cuts and is a tough out in its own gym, covering the spread in 11 of its last 13 home games against teams with winning records.

Letdown spot

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the band back together. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have returned from early-season injuries, drastically shifting the dynamic of a team that depended on defense to make up for its fallen stars in the first two months of the schedule. The Thunder can make a big statement regarding their place in the NBA title picture against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday.

Oklahoma City will watch the intensity meter go from peak to plop immediately following that showdown with the Cavs. The Thunder will hop on a plane and head to frozen Minnesota that night with the Timberwolves playing hosts Friday. Oklahoma City has been a bad bet on the road – even without this type of letdown spot - bringing a 2-8-1 ATS mark to Minnesota.

Schedule spot

The defending Stanley Cup champs were just starting to sort things out with three wins in their last five games before heading East on an extended road trip, dropping the puck in Buffalo Tuesday. Los Angeles leaves the sun and surf of California for the Canadian cold, with stops in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto – a string of three road games in four days.

The Kings are a crappy 3-4-2-2 outside of the Staples Center and take on the Sens (Thursday), Habs (Friday), and Leafs (Sunday), who boast a combined 25-13-1-3 record on home ice. Los Angeles has given up just 25 total goals in 16 home games, but has watched 31 pucks find the back of the net in just 11 road outings. And the Kings’ power play is among the lowest in the league away from home, with an 11.8 PP percentage. Those three Canadian foes all have home power play success rates of 21.5 or higher.

**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 09:58 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Toronto at Detroit
The Maple Leafs head to Detroit tonight to face a Red Wings team that is 1-7 in its last 8 games versus Atlantic Division opponents. Toronto is the pick (+160) according to Dunkel, which has the Maple Leafs favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+160). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10

Game 51-52: Toronto at Detroit (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 12.469; Detroit 11.578
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-180); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+160); Over

Game 53-54: Edmonton at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Edmonton 9.738; Anaheim 10.612
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-240); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-240); Under

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, December 10

Hot teams
-- Detroit won nine of last eleven games. Maple Leafs won six of their last eight.
-- Ducks won last four games, scoring 17 goals.

Cold teams
-- Edmonton lost 12 of its last 13 games.

Series records
-- Red Wings won four of last five games with Toronto.
-- Ducks won seven of last nine games with Edmonton.

Totals
-- Five of last six Toronto games went over the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Anaheim games.

Back-to-back
-- Toronto is 3-2 when it played the night before.

NHL

Wednesday, December 10

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. DETROIT
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Toronto
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto

10:00 PM
EDMONTON vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Edmonton is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

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**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 10:09 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, December 10

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TORONTO (15-9-0-3, 33 pts.) at DETROIT (17-6-0-5, 39 pts.) - 12/10/2014, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 319-336 ATS (+700.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-2 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-2-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.6 Units)

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EDMONTON (7-16-0-5, 19 pts.) at ANAHEIM (18-6-0-5, 41 pts.) - 12/10/2014, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 7-21 ATS (+36.0 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 7-21 ATS (+36.0 Units) first half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 1-10 ATS (+14.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 1-11 ATS (+16.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 14-42 ATS (+81.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 6-27 ATS (+47.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 79-45 ATS (+148.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 15-2 ATS (+11.5 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 47-24 ATS (+15.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 34-10 ATS (+19.8 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 19-4 ATS (+11.8 Units) in home games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 4-2 (+0.4 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 4-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

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**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 12:05 PM

NHL

Wednesday, December 10

Sharks' Vlasic leaves game with injury

SAN JOSE -- San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic left Tuesday's game against the Edmonton Oilers in the first period with an injury.

Vlasic was hit hard by forechecking Oilers center Tyler Pitlick behind the San Jose net and appeared to sustain an upper-body injury.

The Sharks termed Vlasic's return as questionable for the rest of the game.

Vlasic logged the second-most ice time in the opening period (7:28) spread over seven shifts.

Considered the team's top defenseman, Vlasic has appeared in all 29 of San Jose's games. He has three goals and five assists for eight points and is a plus-12 with 15 penalty minutes.

Blackhawks top Devils for seventh straight win

The Chicago Blackhawks have extended their winning streak to seven games with their 3-2 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks, who closed as -204 road favorites, had to overcome two one-goal deficits before getting the job done in the extra frame.

Chicago travels to Boston to take on the Bruins Thursday night when they try to extended the streak to eight wins in a row.

Oilers yet to prove they're worth longshot

The Edmonton Oilers have yet to win a game this season when they close as underdogs of +170 or higher. The Oilers have been dogs of +175 or more six times this season, going 0-6 and have been outscored 28-12 in those games.

Edmonton is currently +212 when they travel to Anaheim Thursday.

**Udog** · 12-10-2014, 02:00 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, December 10

Toronto at Detroit, 8:05 ET
Toronto: 2-13 SU in road games off 2 consecutive home wins by 2 goals or more
Detroit: 18-10 SU revenging a loss where opponent scored 4 or more goals

Edmonton at Anaheim, 10:05 ET
Edmonton: 1-11 SU after allowing 4 goals or more
Anaheim: 16-2 SU off a road win scoring 4 or more goals

Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/10

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/10

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