Announcement

**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 09:46 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

NFL trends to ponder, with Week 15 upon us........

-- Redskins covered 12 of last 17 as a divisional underdog.

-- Houston covered six of its last eight road games.

-- New England covered ten of its last thirteen at home.

-- Buccaneers covered twice in last nine divisional games.

-- Giants are 5-11 in last sixteen games as a divisional favorite.

-- Dolphins are 4-9-1 as a divisional underdog.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random stuff with the weekend here.......

13) Dodgers made lot of moves in last 36 hours, acquiring Rollins/Kendrick as a new double play combination, adding Brandon McCarthy as a #4 starter, dealing Drew Butera to Anaheim; addition of Chris Heisey signals that Matt Kemp is probably on his way out (San Diego??) too.

12) Cubs are now only 12-1 to win the World Series after adding Lester/Hammel and catcher Montero, who is an upgrade behind the plate; could use an OF with some pop, but have to give the owner credit. He’s trying hard to put a winner on the field.

11) Irony Dept: Miami Beach Bowl is being played in a domed stadium (Marlins Park). Hope they at least open the roof for the game. Marlins very seldom open the roof for their games.

10) Texas Rangers added Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson to their 40-man roster so he wouldn’t be eligible to be nabbed in the Rule 5 Draft; why? He hit .220-ish as a minor league 2B in his days as a Colorado farmhand. He’s about to cash in bigtime with the Seahawks; not sure what this baseball stuff is all about.

9) Big night for hoops in South Dakota Tuesday; South Dakota State won at Saint Louis, South Dakota lost in double OT at Creighton. Summit League has some pretty good basketball. Coyotes have UNLV coming to town Saturday, in one of the weirder road trips you’ll see—are there non-stops between Vegas and Vermillion, SD?

8) Michigan lost consecutive games to NJIT and Eastern Michigan, now they visit Arizona next. Oy.

7) Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty got a 6th year of eligibility from the NCAA, great news for the Hilltoppers next season; Doughty has been a highly productive passer for WKU’s prolific offense.

6) Apparently Jeff Fisher is good friends with former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, which may explain why Fisher trolled Washington by sending his six RGIII-related draft picks out for the coin toss Sunday. Things did not end well between Shanahan and the Redskins and they’re not going too well for Washington this year, either.

5) Red Sox started patching up their depleted pitching rotation by adding Wade Miley from Arizona Wednesday night, then added Rick Porcello and Justin Masterson to it Thursday. Detroit gets Yoenis Cespedes as he enters the walk year of his contract- Tigers' lineup is going to be very strong this season.

4) Guy on ESPNews was interviewing Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio Tuesday, only he introduces him as “Mike Dantonio”. First thing that goes thru my head is: “Does Dantonio correct him or not?”

Before I can think too much, Dantonio interjects “Its Mark” with a slight smile. Guy who works for ESPN should not be making that mistake.

3) In the NBA, Western Conference teams are 77-31 against the east, 64-44 vs spread, 25-14 when an underdog.

2) Wisconsin lost football coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas couple years ago, because Badgers wouldn’t pay his assistants enough; now Gary Andersen leaves Madison for Oregon State after two solid (19-7) years in Madison.

Is one thing to lose a coach to the SEC; its quite another for a guy to bolt a top-level Big 14 program for Oregon State. These assistant coaches in college football make a lot of cash and lot of them lead a nomadic existence. Andersen apparently didn’t feel he could keep his staff together in Madison, so he bolted.

1) Cardinals 12, Rams 6-- Les Snead is GM of the St Louis Rams; between now and next summer, he has one job and only one job. Find a bleeping quarterback.

**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 09:47 AM

Where the action is: College football bowl season's biggest line moves

Boca Raton Bowl: Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Northern Illinois Huskies – Open: +11, Move: +10

All the action has been on the underdog for the first annual Boca Raton Bowl, being played at FAU Stadium on Dec. 23. Marshall opened as an 11-point favorite but has been bet down to the key number of -10 with bettors souring on the Herd’s weak finish to the regular season.

“Marshall was a very, very popular bet on team this season, but their last three games have been non covers and the betting market has turned on them, now looking to fade them in their Bowl game versus Northern Illinois,” Childs tells Covers. “Meanwhile, Northern Illinois comes in off of three straight covers and they look like they’ll be a popular bet this bowl season.”

Sun Bowl: Duke Blue Devils vs. Arizona State Sun Devils – Open: 62, Move: 67

The total for this ACC-versus-Pac-12 bowl game has jumped five points, according to Childs. The Blue Devils were one of the better Under plays this season, going 3-8 O/U, but that doesn’t seem to matter against the Sun Devils, who ranked 18th in scoring (37 ppg) and 75th in scoring defense (27.7 ppg).

Needless to say, books are having a “devil” of a time trying to figure out this number, with sharps pounding the Over at the opening number and every stop along the way – 64 and 66 – before setting at 67 points for this Dec. 27 bowl in El Paso, Texas.

“We eventually settled on 67 and no question, our opener here was bad,” admits Childs. “Way too low considering these two offenses. And most weeks this year, we took on Duke Over money. Mistake by us and sharps took advantage, but we’ll live to see another day.”

Cotton Bowl: Michigan State Spartans vs. Baylor Bears – Open: -1, Move: -3

We looked at the movement on this huge bowl matchup earlier in the week, when the early action on Baylor moved the spread to BU -2.5. Since then, more money has come in on the Bears and forced a move to a field goal (Baylor -115). It seems the market is expecting BU to play with a chip on its shoulder after getting snubbed by the College Football Playoff selection committee.

“You have to question Baylor’s mindset here. After playing all season trying to get into the four-team playoff, they have to feel beyond disappointed playing in this game,” says Childs. “That said, if they do bring their A-game, it’s no question they can cover this short price of three points. Very, very interesting game and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.”

Rose Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. Florida State Seminoles – Open: +8, Move: +9.5

College football bettors have been fading Florida State all season and showed little respect for the defending national champs in the Rose Bowl – a semifinal matchup for the College Football Playoff. Wiseguy action on the Ducks has driven this line up 1.5 points, just sitting under the key number of 10 where public money has shown up and bought back the Seminoles at the fatter spread.

“Looks like a classic Joes versus Pros, as the public is on one side while sharp money is playing the other side,” notes Childs. “The only difference this time, the sharps are on the favorite and the public is on the dog.”

Despite the sharp money on Oregon and three weeks to go before this New Year’s Day kickoff – plenty of time for FSU to get in more off-field issues - Childs doesn’t expect this spread to go any higher. Or at least he hopes it doesn’t have to go to the key number of 10.

“Should be a great game for us to book and I doubt we’ll get to 10 so that leaves this game in what I like to call the ‘dead zone’,” he says. “The spread between seven and 10 and all numbers in between – eight and nine - are dead numbers.”

**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 09:55 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Los Angeles at Montreal
The Kings head to Montreal tonight to face a Canadiens team that is coming off a 3-1 win over Vancouver and is 1-4 in its last 5 games after allowing 2 goals or less in the previous game. Los Angeles is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Kings favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+130). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12

Game 51-52: Calgary at Pittsburgh (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 10.948; Pittsburgh 12.632
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-200); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-200); Under

Game 53-54: Los Angeles at Montreal (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 12.482; Montreal 11.024
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+110); Over

Game 55-56: Florida at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 10.191; Detroit 12.563
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 2 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-200); 5
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-200); Over

Game 57-58: Anaheim at Edmonton (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 10.487; Edmonton 11.331
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-170); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+150); Under

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, December 12

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CALGARY (17-11-0-2, 36 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (18-6-0-3, 39 pts.) - 12/12/2014, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 3-9 ATS (-12.6 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 2-0-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (15-9-0-5, 35 pts.) at MONTREAL (18-10-0-2, 38 pts.) - 12/12/2014, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 74-55 ATS (+11.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 37-26 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 2-0 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 2-0-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

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FLORIDA (11-8-0-7, 29 pts.) at DETROIT (17-6-0-6, 40 pts.) - 12/12/2014, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 15-2 ATS (+12.4 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 3-8 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games in December games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 17-22 ATS (-15.6 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 4-9 ATS (-7.4 Units) vs. division opponents this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 4-2 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 4-2-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.1 Units)

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ANAHEIM (19-6-0-5, 43 pts.) at EDMONTON (7-17-0-5, 19 pts.) - 12/12/2014, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 80-45 ATS (+16.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 16-2 ATS (+13.3 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 48-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 7-22 ATS (-31.4 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 45-60 ATS (-31.7 Units) in home games in December games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 7-22 ATS (+41.1 Units) first half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 1-11 ATS (+13.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 4-16 ATS (+28.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
EDMONTON is 14-43 ATS (+72.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 6-28 ATS (+51.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 5-2 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 5-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, December 12

Hot teams
-- Penguins are 5-1 in game following their last six losses.
-- Kings won three of their last four road games.
-- Red Wings won nine of their last twelve games.
-- Ducks won their last five games, scoring 19 goals.

Cold teams
-- Calgary lost last three games, scoring six goals.
-- Canadiens lost six of their last eight games.
-- Panthers lost three of their last four road games.
-- Oilers lost 13 of their last 14 games.

Series records
-- Penguins won their last seven games with Calgary.
-- Kings swept Montreal 6-0/2-1 LY, after losing previous four games with Canadiens.
-- Panthers won four of last six games with Detroit.
-- Ducks won 18 of last 22 games against Edmonton.

Totals
-- Five of last six Calgary road games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Los Angeles games stayed under.
-- Last three Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Anaheim games.

Back-to-back
-- Flames are 3-0 if they played night before.
-- Los Angeles is 2-2 if they played the night before.

NHL

Friday, December 12

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. PITTSBURGH
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Calgary's last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary

7:30 PM
FLORIDA vs. DETROIT
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games at home
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida

7:30 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. MONTREAL
Los Angeles is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Montreal
Los Angeles is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
Montreal is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Los Angeles

9:30 PM
ANAHEIM vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Anaheim's last 9 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Anaheim is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games
Edmonton is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home

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**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 10:11 AM

NHL

Friday, December 12

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Game of the Day: Kings at Canadiens
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Los Angeles Kings at Montreal Canadiens (-129, 5)

The Montreal Canadiens look to post consecutive victories for the first time since Nov. 20-22 as they continue their five-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. Montreal went 1-5-1 since allowing a total of one goal in triumphs over St. Louis and Boston but halted its three-game skid with an emotional 3-1 win over Vancouver in the homestand opener on Tuesday. Max Pacioretty recorded a goal and an assist while Tomas Plekanec snapped a tie late in the third period after the Canadiens held a pregame ceremony to pay tribute to Hall-of-Famer Jean Beliveau, who passed away last week.

Los Angeles improved to 1-1-0 on its five-game road trip with a 5-3 triumph at Ottawa on Thursday. Anze Kopitar broke a 2-2 deadlock with a power-play goal 2:20 into the third period and defenseman Jake Muzzin collected three assists as the Kings halted a two-game slide during which they produced one tally. Los Angeles won both meetings with Montreal last season, outscoring the Canadiens by an 8-1 margin.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, KCOP-13 (Los Angeles), RSN East, RDS (Montreal)

LINE HISTORY: Montreal opened as -125 home faves, but have since shifted to -129 with the total remaining at the opening point of 5.

INJURY REPORT: Kings - N/A Canadiens - D PK Subban (Ques-Flu), D Mike Weaver (Ques-Concussion)

ABOUT THE KINGS (15-9-5 SU, 9-13-7 O/U): Kopitar's goal on Thursday was just his sixth of the season and first in 11 games. The 27-year-old Slovenian had not tallied since Nov. 15 against Anaheim. Los Angeles' offensive output against Ottawa was its largest since recording a 5-2 victory over Florida on Nov. 18.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (18-10-2 SU, 10-15-5 O/U): Sven Andrighetto has made a splash since being recalled from Hamilton of the American Hockey League. The 21-year-old native of Switzerland scored a goal against Dallas in his NHL debut on Saturday and set up Plekanec's winning tally three nights later. "It's hard to compare him with all of the guys I've played with or seen that young on the team, but he's definitely up there," Plekanec told the team's website. "He's off to a really, really impressive start in the NHL."

TRENDS:

*Kings are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings in Montreal.
*Under is 14-6-5 in Canadiens last 25 overall.
*Canadiens are 6-2 in their last 8 home games.
*Under is 4-1-1 in Kings last 6 games playing on 0 days rest.

CONSENSUS: 57.2 percent of users are backing the Canadiens with 63.8 percent taking the under.

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**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 02:38 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, December 12

Calgary at Pittsburgh, 7:05 ET
Calgary: 20-10 SU after a close loss by 1 goal in their previous game
Pittsburgh: 3-9 SU when playing with 3 or more days rest

Los Angeles at Montreal, 7:35 ET
Los Angeles: 6-7 SU in non-conference games
Montreal: 9-1 SU as a home favorite of -200 or less

Florida at Detroit, 7:35 ET
Florida: 5-8 SU after one or more consecutive overs
Detroit: 15-2 SU on Friday nights

Anaheim at Edmonton, 9:35 ET
Anaheim: 16-2 SU in December games
Edmonton: 1-11 SU vs. division opponents

**Udog** · 12-12-2014, 02:44 PM

NHL

Friday, December 12

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles - Out Fri

Quick will not start Friday against the Canadiens as he will get a scheduled rest day.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh - Prob Fri

Crosby did not participate in Thursday's practice due to an illness but is expected to play Friday against the Flames.

Oilers, worst home team, faces off against Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers have a .367 winning percentage at home, which is easily the worst mark in the NHL. To make matters worse for the Oilers, they host the Anaheim Ducks whose .714 road winning percentage is second best in the league.

Edmonton and Anaheim met for the first time this season on Wednesday, with the Ducks winning 2-1.

The Oilers host the Ducks Friday.

Flames unbeaten this season with no days rest

The Calgary Flames have played on back-to-back nights three times this season and are a perfect 3-0 in those games. The Flames have outscored opponents 9-3 in those games.

It's not as if Calgary has been facing bad teams in this situation as they picked up wins against Edmonton, Chicago and San Jose.

Calgary hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday.

Announcement

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/12

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/12

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