Announcement

**Udog** · 01-28-2015, 11:02 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Bulls 113, Warriors 111 OT-- Golden State's 19-game home winning streak comes to an end.

-- Xavier 66, Georgetown 53-- Musketeers get first Big East road win; Hoyas made four baskets (4-16) in first half. At home.

-- VCU 72, George Washington 48-- Battle for first in A-14 wasn't close.

-- Florida 52, Alabama 50-- Gators scored 17 points in 2nd half of ugly game.

-- Boise State 72, Colorado State 78-- Rams were up 10 at half, got hosed late.

-- UNLV 67, Nevada 62-- Rebels get first Mountain West road win.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Just heard an ESPN commercial with Chris Berman narrating and it dawned on me: I never, ever watch ESPN's pregame show, because I can't stand Berman. His act has grown very tired for me. I'd much rather watch the NFL Network pregame stuff.

12) NBA 3-point shooting contest could be tremendous February 14 in Brooklyn; Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, JJ Redick. Excellent competition.

11) If you put Pete Rose's being eligibile for the Hall of Fame up to a public vote, how much of the vote does Rose get? 60%? 70%? More? No way would he lose.

10) James Shields/Chris Young appear to be the best two starting pitchers who are still free agents. Spring training starts in three weeks; no one wants Shields?

9) Bill Vinovich is the Super Bowl ref; Patriots won four of last five times Vinovich reffed one of their games, Seattle is 7-1 last eight times he worked with them.

8) Another sign I watch too much TV: I have a tremendous urge to play cards with Kenny Rogers, thanks to that Geico commercial.

7) Bob Huggins coached Kansas State for one season, eight years ago; counting that year, K-State is 89-55 in conference games since then. In the five years before Huggins came to the Little Apple, K-State was 28-52. Frank Martin stayed in Manhattan after Huggins went to West Virginia. K-State is not an easy place to win at

6) Bill Haas won the Humana Challenge, jumped from 41st to 23rd in World Golf Ranking. Steve Wheatcroft had a top 10, jumped from #501 to #289.

5) Interesting article in LA Times this week about how some mid-major college hoop teams supplement their coach's income by giving him a percentage of the money they take in for playing non-conference guarantee games.

Long Beach State plays the hardest non-conference schedule in America; their coach Don Monson makes $800,000 a year, $280,000 of which comes from the $380,000 Long Beach took in from playing (losing) five guarantee games this fall.

Its a creative way of keeping a coach you like from bolting for more $$$ elsewhere.

4) Why do TV networks put reporters outside during horrible weather? A woman named Snow was outside in a pile of snow reporting Tuesday morning- it just doesn't seem smart. If the wind is 60 mph, I don't need to see some poor soul outside with a microphone trying like hell not to get blown off his/her feet.

3) Speaking of weather, while I froze my butt off shoveling snow Tuesday, it was 61 degrees in Billings, Montana. Go figure.

2) They opened the first White Castle (little square burgers) in Las Vegas, across the Strip from the Mirage. People were lined up down the sidewalk. I've only had them once, a long time ago; need some intel if they're worth having.

1) Marcus Mariota's brother predictably committed to play football at Oregon, but the young man is a defensive end, not a QB.

**Udog** · 01-28-2015, 11:11 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Pittsburgh at Washington
The Penguins head to Washington tonight to face a Capitals team that is coming off a 4-3 loss in Columbus last night and is 0-5 in its last 5 games when playing with 0 days rest. Pittsburgh is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-110). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28

Game 1-2: Toronto at New Jersey (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 11.122; New Jersey 10.204
Dunkel Line & Total: Toronto by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+110); Under

Game 3-4: Pittsburgh at Washington (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 12.403; Washington 10.912
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-110); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-110); Under

Game 5-6: Chicago at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 12.223; Los Angeles 10.612
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-115); 5
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-115); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, January 28

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TORONTO (22-23-0-3, 47 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (17-22-0-8, 42 pts.) - 1/28/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 4-15 ATS (+22.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
TORONTO is 1-9 ATS (+12.9 Units) in January games this season.
TORONTO is 1-9 ATS (+12.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 7-13 ATS (-9.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TORONTO is 7-18 ATS (-12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 52-77 ATS (-32.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-2 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 5-2-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.8 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (27-12-0-8, 62 pts.) at WASHINGTON (24-14-0-9, 57 pts.) - 1/28/2015, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 7-1 (+5.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-1-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.9 Units)

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CHICAGO (30-15-0-2, 62 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (20-15-0-12, 52 pts.) - 1/28/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 10-14 ATS (-17.2 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 34-35 ATS (-22.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 21-27 ATS (-22.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 277-302 ATS (-134.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 6-11 ATS (-16.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 20-27 ATS (-54.9 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 2-7 ATS (-10.6 Units) in January games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 2-7 ATS (-9.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
LOS ANGELES is 5-10 ATS (-14.1 Units) after a division game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-15 ATS (-10.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 13-6 (+6.1 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 13-6-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
12 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.4 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, January 28

Hot teams
-- None.

Cold teams
-- Toronto lost last six games, scoring five goals. Devils lost 13 of last 19 games.
-- Penguins lost four of last five games. Washington lost its last four, allowing 18 goals.
-- Blackhawks are 3-4 in their last seven games. Kings lost last four games, scoring eight goals.

Series records
-- Toronto won six of last eight vs New Jersey, but lost last two.
-- Penguins won eight of last nine games with Washington.
-- Kings lost three of last four games with Chicago.

Totals
-- Four of last five Toronto road games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Washington home games stayed under.
-- Three of Kings' last four home games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Penguins are 2-6 if they played the night before; Washington is 1-7.

NHL

Wednesday, January 28

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. NEW JERSEY
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing Toronto

8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

10:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. LOS ANGELES
Chicago is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games
Los Angeles is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing Chicago

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NHL

Wednesday, January 28

Penguins' C Sidney Crosby, probable Wednesday

Crosby is dealing with a lower-body injury which caused him to miss Tuesday's game. He is expected to play Wednesday against the Capitals.

Blues acquire C Goc from Penguins

The St. Louis Blues acquired center Marcel Goc from the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Maxim Lapierre, the team announced Tuesday night.

Goc, 31, has two goals and six points in 43 games for the Penguins this season. He has 74 goals and 185 points in 605 regular-season games with the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers and Penguins.

Lapierre, 29, has 65 goals and 137 points in 579 regular-season games with the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and Blues. This season with St. Louis, Lapierre has two goals and nine points in 45 games.

NHL roundup: Pens end skid, top Jets

PITTSBURGH -- David Perron and Brandon Sutter scored power-play goals just under 2 1/2 minutes apart in the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.

Perron tied the game at 3-3 with 15:37 remaining when he scored his sixth goal in nine games for the since being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade. The left winger had just five goals in 38 games with the Oilers.

With 12:08 left, Sutter put the Penguins ahead with 10th goal. The center scored 13 seconds after Jets left winger Adam Lowry was sent off for charging right winger Steve Downie, who was forced to leave the game.

Downie and center Nick Spaling also scored for the Penguins, who snapped their four-game losing streak and beat the Jets for the sixth straight time and the 21st time in the past 24 meetings.

Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Left winger Cam Atkinson snapped a personal 17-game scoring drought with a third-period goal that sent Columbus to a win over Washington.

Center Ryan Johansen, center Mark Letestu and defenseman Fedor Tyutin each added goals for the Blue Jackets, while left winger Nick Foligno had two assists.

Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who will be the club's starter now that Sergei Bobrovsky is out long-term with a groin injury, made 25 saves. Two of the goals he allowed were on close-range deflections.

Islanders 4, Rangers 1

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- New York Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak came within 8.1 seconds of his second consecutive shutout of the New York Rangers.

Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski, left winger Matt Martin, center Ryan Strome and center John Tavares scored a goal apiece.

Halak, who became the first Islanders goalie since 1975 to blank the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in the Islanders' 3-0 win on Jan. 13, stopped 40 shots before Rangers left winger Carl Hagelin scored to cost him his fifth shutout of the season.

Hurricanes 4, Lightning 2

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Center Eric Staal, center Nathan Gerbe, defenseman Justin Faulk and center Jiri Tlusty scored for the Hurricanes, who won their third game in a row.

Carolina goalie Anton Khudobin, starting for the third consecutive game, registered 28 saves. Khudobin has won his last six decisions.

Center Cedric Paquette and center Brian Boyle scored for Tampa Bay, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, who had been 5-0-0 in his career against Carolina, made 18 saves.

Flyers 4, Coyotes 3 (SO)

PHILADELPHIA -- Right winger Wayne Simmonds had the only goal in the shootout, lifting Philadelphia past Arizona.

Flyers goaltender Steve Mason returned from missing time due to the flu and made 22 saves after Ray Emery allowed two goals on the first four shots during the opening 5:50. Mason stopped shots by defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and center Antoine Vermette in the shootout.

Simmonds began the comeback with a power-play goal midway through the first period and then helped the Flyers improve to 2-5 in shootouts on a nifty move. Center R.J. Umberger and defenseman Michael Del Zotto also scored for the Flyers, who won their second straight and third in fourth games.

Red Wings 5, Panthers 4

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Detroit scored four goals in the second period and chased Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo en route to a high-scoring win.

Red Wings left winger Luke Glendening tallied two goals, and Detroit goaltender Petr Mrzaek made 37 saves. Former Panthers center Stephen Weiss added a goal and two assists for Detroit.

Fresh off a start in Sunday's All-Star game in Columbus, Luongo gave up five goals on 17 shots before being pulled with 7:37 left in the second period. Al Montoya finished the game for the Panthers, who didn't get the win but snapped a long power-play scoring drought with three power-play goals. The Red Wings had the league's sixth-best penalty-killing unit going into the game.

Canadiens 3, Stars 2

MONTREAL -- Right winger Brendan Gallagher's power-play goal stood as the game-winner as Montreal topped Dallas.

Defenseman Alexei Emelin and left winger Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens, who extended their winning streak to three games.

Left winger Jamie Benn and right winger Patrick Eaves provided the offense for Dallas, which dropped its second straight.

Predators 4, Avalanche 3 (OT)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After giving up the lead in the final minute of regulation, Nashville added another dramatic home win to its resume. Center Craig Smith scored his 14th goal on a breakaway at 2:46 of overtime.

Smith took a breakout pass from center Mike Ribeiro and beat goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov with a forehand to up the Predators' record to 19-2-1 at Bridgestone Arena. Varlamov kept the Avalanche in the game with 35 saves as the Predators maintained possession most of the night.

Ribeiro finished with three assists, and Predators defenseman Shea Weber had two assists. Nashville goalie Carter Hutton made 21 saves.

Flames 4, Sabres 1

CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary kicked up its game in the final frame and broke it open for victory against last-place Buffalo.

Rookie center Josh Jooris netted the winner, his fourth of the season, just past the nine-minute mark of the period when he pounced on a loose puck. His 10th goal of the season gave the Flames a 2-1 lead.

Right winger Joe Colborne, who had a two-point night, and rookie sensation left winger Johnny Gaudreau potted his second of the game to round out the scoring. Buffalo right winger Chris Steward and Gaudreau scored first-period power-play goals.

Wild 2, Oilers 1

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Minnesota was so concerned about the teams ahead of it in the standings that it almost got mugged by a team miles behind.

The Wild (21-20-6) needed a gift late in the third period to break open a 1-1 tie and post a nail-biting decision over the 29th place Edmonton Oilers.

Charlie Coyle jumped on a terrible turnover by Oilers winger Jordan Eberle at the Minnesota blueline and delivered the winner with a highlight reel goal on the ensuing play to help the Wild avert disaster.

Ducks 4, Canucks 0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Center Rickard Rakell scored a goal and added an assist while goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 17 shots for the shutout as Anaheim beat Vancouver to extend its NHL winning streak to six games.

The shutout was the third of the season for Andersen.

Right winger Kyle Palmieri, on a power play, and left winger Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Left winger Patrick Maroon scored into an empty net in the last minute.

Anaheim leads the NHL with a 32-10-6 record for 70 points. The Ducks are also 11-1-2 in their 14 games against Vancouver.

**Udog** · 01-28-2015, 04:46 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, January 28

Toronto at New Jersey, 7:35 ET
Toronto: 5-1 ATS after allowing 4 goals or more 2 straight games
New Jersey: 2-9 ATS after 3 consecutive non-conference games

Pittsburgh at Washington, 8:05 ET
Pittsburgh: 6-1 UNDER in road games revenging a loss versus opponent
Washington: 102-68 UNDER after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games

Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:35 ET
Chicago: 12-5 UNDER after playing a road game
Los Angeles: 43-25 UNDER in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest

Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/28

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/28

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