Announcement

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:32 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Six of the top minor league prospects of the Cleveland Indians........

1) Francisco Lindnor, SS-- 21-year old hit .273 in partial season in AAA.

2) Bradley Zimmer, OF-- Older brother is pitching prospect with Royals.

4) Justus Sheffield, P-- Turned down chance to pitch at Vandy with his brother.

6) Tyler Naquin, OF-- Hit .319 in pitcher-friendly Eastern League LY.

7) Francisco Mejia, C-- 19-year old hit .282 in NY-Penn League LY.

13) Ty-Cheng Chang, SS/3B-- Hit .346 in rookie ball last season.

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

13) The #1 thing I learned Tuesday: Alex Rodriguez has excellent handwriting, as in, superior cursive writing skills that any parent would love to see their kid come home from school with. Seriously, there were people on Twitter talking about that instead of what he wrote, which I guess was part of the intent.

12) Louisville senior guard Chris Jones is suspended for tonight's game at Syracuse for off-court stuff. Jones plays 31 minutes a game and the suspension is said to be for more than one game, so this is a fairly big deal.

11) Why would a quarterback go to the NFL Combine and not throw footballs, unless he was hurt? What does it prove, other than hint that you're not as competitive person as a team would want its QB to be? It can't possibly help, can it?

10) Notre Dame 88, Wake Forest 75-- Wake's Devin Thomas had 26 in ths game, 24 against Duke, 31 against Louisville.....he also had no points in 28:00 vs Delaware State, 7 vs Nicholls State, 8 vs Bucknell. A very strange resume.

9) Atlantic 14 had five teams in NCAA tournament last March; four lost their first round game, but three of the five games went to OT, including St Joe's blowing a late lead and losing to eventual national champ UConn. Tournament is going to be that wide open again this year, especially if/when Kentucky goes down.

8) ESPN is using the score crawl on the bottom of the screen to promote tomorrow's televised games in addition to giving today's scores; cheesy at best.

7) The movie 50 Shades of Gray made over $90M last weekend; whether or not it is a good movie does not matter. It was profitable, so there will be a sequel.

6) Seton Hall suspended guard Sterling Gibbs two games for slugging a Villanova player while he was on the floor in Monday night's game- seems fair. Pirates' ship is sinking, in what started out as a promising season.

5) Oklahoma 71, Texas 69-- Longhorns are 3-5 in their last eight games, after starting season 14-4; they're forcing 4th-fewest turnovers of any team in America.

4) 16 of 40 guys on the A's 40-man roster were in other organizations last year; in less than a year, they turned over 40% of their roster, dumping six All-Stars.

3) Kentucky 66, Tennessee 48-- Karl-Anthony Towns took one shot in his 16 foul-plagued minutes and the Wildcats still won by 18, despite looking bored for a lot of this game. Looking more and more like the Wildcats will be unbeaten heading into the NCAA tournament. Would help them to get tested more than they have been.

2) Serious question: If Aaron Hernandez is acquitted at his trial, does the NFL have to re-instate him? Can you banish a guy who wasn't convicted of a crime? And if he is acquitted/re-instated, what team would have the onions to sign him?

1) Serious question #2: If you owned the Denver Broncos, are you asking Peyton Manning to take a pay cut to play next season?

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:32 AM

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

Letdown spot

The Duke Blue Devils have been notorious spot bet fodder when it comes time to play their rivals the North Carolina Tar Heels. Whether it’s a lookahead to UNC or a letdown after going toe-to-toe with the Tar Heels, finding value to go against one of college basketball’s most popular programs isn’t too hard when that Tobacco Road rivalry rolls around.

This season is no different. The Blue Devils have a huge showdown inside Cameron Indoor Stadium set for Wednesday night, in a battle between the No. 16 Tar Heels and No. 5 Dukies. Then Duke turns around with a tough game against Clemson in Durham. The Tiger have played the Blue Devils tough in recent meetings, winning 72-59 at home and losing 63-62 in the ACC tournament last season. The Blue Devils could be flat after tangling with their Tobacco Road rivals.

Lookahead spot

Staying in the ACC, the Florida State Seminoles are trying to breathe life into their all-but-dead NCAA tournament chances. The Noles sit at 6-7 in the conference and lack any real resume wins inside ACC play, falling to most of the programs above them in the standings. However, FSU does have a big-time matchup with Virginia this weekend. And a win over the No. 3 Cavaliers would go a long way.

Before the Seminoles can dream of a Sunday upset, the have a home stand against lowly Boston College. The Eagles are in the ACC basement but have been playing much better than their 1-11 conference mark would lead you to believe. Boston College has covered the spread in five of its last eight ACC contests and nearly knocked off Miami in overtime last time out.

Schedule spot

It’s back to work in a big way for the Dallas Mavericks this week. With the NBA returning from its annual All-Star hiatus, the Mavs are in action three of the first four nights back. Dallas kicks off the second half of the season with a road trip to Oklahoma City Thursday, then travels back home overnight to host Houston Friday.

The Mavericks get a day off Saturday before welcoming the Charlotte Hornets to the American Airlines Center. Dallas is expected to return Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler from injury this week, and work newly acquired forward Amar'e Stoudemire into the offense. The lineup will look very different than it did before the break and the Mavs don’t have much down time to iron out the wrinkles in the rotation.

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:37 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, February 18

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MONTREAL (37-15-0-4, 78 pts.) at OTTAWA (22-23-0-10, 54 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 9-7 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 9-7-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.7 Units)

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DETROIT (31-14-0-10, 72 pts.) at CHICAGO (35-18-0-4, 74 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 6-12 ATS (-12.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 21-3 ATS (+15.3 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 21-7 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 14-7 ATS (+21.5 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 12-3 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 39-40 ATS (-23.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-18 ATS (-15.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 22-28 ATS (-27.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 9-5 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 9-5-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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MINNESOTA (28-21-0-7, 63 pts.) at CALGARY (32-22-0-3, 67 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 9-29 ATS (+50.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 32-25 ATS (+57.6 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 32-28 ATS (+63.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 6-3 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 6-3-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (35-18-0-6, 76 pts.) at ANAHEIM (35-15-0-7, 77 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 96-56 ATS (+39.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 186-150 ATS (+14.0 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 193-144 ATS (+33.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 13-5 ATS (+6.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ANAHEIM is 210-200 ATS (+452.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 2-1-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)

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BOSTON (28-20-0-8, 64 pts.) at EDMONTON (16-32-0-10, 42 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 3-0-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (26-18-0-12, 64 pts.) at COLORADO (24-22-0-11, 59 pts.) - 2/18/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 26-30 ATS (-18.5 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 7-17 ATS (-12.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
LOS ANGELES is 5-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) in road games after a non-conference game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 9-12 ATS (-13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLORADO is 79-67 ATS (-33.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 41-29 ATS (+9.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 43-18 ATS (+24.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 19-6 ATS (+11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 124-117 ATS (-41.4 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 4-2 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 4-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:39 AM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, February 18

Hot teams
-- Canadiens won five of their last six games.
-- Chicago won four of its last six games.
-- Minnesota won eight of its last ten games. Flames won 12 of their last 16.
-- Los Angeles won last five games, allowing 11 goals. Colorado won last two games, 4-1/5-2.

Cold teams
-- Ottawa lost five of its last seven games.
-- Detroit lost its last three games, scoring five goals.
-- Anaheim lost four of its last five games. Lightning lost three of last four.
-- Boston lost its last four games, allowing 14 goals. Oilers lost five of last seven games.

Series records
-- Canadiens won four of last five games with Ottawa.
-- Blackhawks won four of last six games with Detroit.
-- Flames lost five of last seven games with Minnesota.
-- Lightning won three of last four games with Anaheim.
-- Bruins won their last six games with Edmonton.
-- Kings won four of last five games with Colorado.

Totals
-- 10 of last 11 Montreal road games stayed under total.
-- Seven of last nine Detroit road games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Calgary home games stayed under.
-- Nine of last twelve Tampa Bay road games went over.
-- Three of last four Boston road games went over total.
-- Under is 7-1-3 in last eleven LA-Colorado games.

Back-to-back
-- None

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:40 AM

NHL

Wednesday, February 18

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. OTTAWA
Montreal is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Ottawa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal

7:30 PM
DETROIT vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Detroit's last 9 games on the road
Detroit is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home

9:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CALGARY
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Minnesota's last 14 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Calgary's last 14 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Calgary is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota

10:00 PM
BOSTON vs. EDMONTON
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 6 games
Edmonton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston

10:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. COLORADO
Los Angeles is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Colorado's last 12 games
Colorado is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home

10:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. ANAHEIM
Tampa Bay is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games at home
Anaheim is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

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**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 08:50 AM

NHL

Wednesday, February 18

Senators' G Robin Lehner, out Wednesday

Lehner left Monday's game with an undisclosed injury following a collision. He will not be available Wednesday against the Canadiens.

Road teams, under, cash for NHL bettors Tuesday night

NHL bettors went home happy if the backed road teams or the over Tuesday night, with teams in the visitors locker room going 5-1-1 and the under going 5-2.

It was a good night for road teams considering they are only cashing at a rate of 44.7 percent this season. Only New Jersey and Nashville were able to secure wins on home ice last night.

Meanwhile the under has been the slightly better total play this season, cashing 52.3 percent of the time.

NHL roundup: Caps win 3rd straight against rival Pens

PITTSBURGH -- Joel Ward scored the game-winning goal on the power play with 4:13 remaining to lift the Washington Capitals to a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a physical game Tuesday.

Ward's goal came on a 5-on-3 advantage for Washington, 32 seconds after Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was called for slashing and 43 seconds after left winger Chris Kunitz was sent off for boarding, and broke a 1-1 tie.

The Capitals' also got a power-play goal from left winger Alex Ovechkin, who scored his NHL-leading 37th. Defenseman John Carlson scored a short-handed, empty-net goal with 12 seconds remaining, his eighth, to close out the scoring.

Washington goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 32 shots for the win. He is 3-0 against the Penguins this season after shutting them out in two previous meetings.

Right winger Steve Downie scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh (32-16-9). Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves after giving up seven goals on 70 shots in the other two games against the Capitals.

Blue Jackets 5, Flyers 2

PHILADELPHIA -- Left winger Matt Calvert scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally midway through the third period, and goaltender Curtis McElhinney made 42 saves to help Columbus beat Philadelphia.

Centers Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Johansen and defenseman James Wisniewski also scored goals for Columbus.

Right winger Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Michael Del Zotto had Philadelphia's goals.

Islanders 4, Hurricanes 1

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Goalie Chad Johnson, playing for the first time in six games, made a season-high 37 saves as the New York Islanders defeated Carolina at PNC Arena.

Center Anders Lee, center Brock Nelson and right winger Michael Grabner scored for the Islanders -- with one goal in each period -- before center John Tavares' empty-net goal came with the 4:19 to play.

Carolina left winger Jiri Tlusty broke up Johnson's shutout bid with a goal with 8:46 remaining while goalie Anton Khudobin made 26 saves.

Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2

TORONTO -- Left winger Jussi Jokinen scored a goal and added an assist as Florida defeated the Toronto.

Center Nick Bjugstad and right winger Jimmy Hayes also scored for the Panthers. Defenseman Brian Campbell picked up two assists to help the Panthers snap a three-game winless streak in the opener of a five-game road trip.

Center Tyler Bozak and right winger Phil Kessel scored for the Maple Leafs, who led briefly in the first period before losing their fourth game in a row.

Goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 14 saves for Toronto while Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo made 27 saves.

Devils 2, Sabres 1 (SO)

NEWARK, N.J. -- Center Scott Gomez scored on the first shot of the shootout and center Jacob Josefson scored on the second, helping New Jersey top Buffalo at the Prudential Center.

Devils goalkeeper Cory Schneider made 24 saves in regulation, then two in the shootout, securing his 20th win of the season while Sabres goalkeeper Michal Neuvirth made a valiant attempt to stop a 10-game losing streak, making 34 saves, including the final 31 shots in regulation, including a penalty shot by Adam Henrique in the closing minutes.

Left winger Patrick Elias scored his 11th goal of the season and the 402nd of his career for the Devils. Sabres center Tyler Ennis scored a goal in the opening minute of the third period to tie the game

Stars 4, Blues 1

ST. LOUIS -- Left winger Jamie Benn scored two of Dallas' three goals in the first period en route to the first hat trick of his NHL career, leading his team over St. Louis.

It was the first hat trick recorded by a Dallas player other than Tyler Seguin since current Blues left winger Steve Ott scored three goals in a game on March 31, 2010.

The three goals increased Benn's season total to 22, marking the fifth time in Benn's career he has reached the 20-goal level, missing only in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

Center Cody Eakin scored his team's other goal while left winger Patrik Berglund scored at 12:30 of the third period for the Blues' only goal.

Predators 5, Sharks 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After suffering a rare shutout loss to San Jose back in December, Nashville displayed a lot more firepower in a victory at Bridgestone Arena.

Center Craig Smith scored twice for Nashville, which leads the NHL with 84 points. Defenseman Shea Weber, left winger James Neal and center Paul Gaustad also scored for the Predators, who improved to 25-3-1 at home. Goalie Pekka Rinne, 15-1-1 in his last 17 games, made 42 saves to earn the win.

Defenseman Matt Irwin scored the only goal for San Jose.

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 11:17 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Los Angeles at Colorado
The Kings travel to Colorado tonight and come into the contest with a 4-1 record in their last 5 games versus the Avalanche. Los Angeles is the pick (-145) according to Dunkel, which has the Kings favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (-145). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Game 51-52: Montreal at Ottawa (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 10.582; Ottawa 11.590
Dunkel Line & Total: Ottawa by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Ottawa (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (-130); Under

Game 53-54: Detroit at Chicago (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 11.834; Chicago 10.576
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-185); 5
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+165); Over

Game 55-56: Minnesota at Calgary (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 10.863; Calgary 12.800
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota (-115); 5
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (-105); Over

Game 57-58: Tampa Bay at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 10.486; Anaheim 11.767
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-125); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-125); Under

Game 59-60: Boston at Edmonton (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 10.089; Edmonton 10.850
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Boston (-190); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Edmonton (+170); Under

Game 61-62: Los Angeles at Colorado (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 12.957; Colorado 11.576
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Lois Angeles (-145); Over

**Udog** · 02-18-2015, 04:44 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, February 18

Montreal at Ottawa, 7:05 ET
Montreal: 13-4 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a division game
Ottawa: 8-18 ATS after playing a home game

Detroit at Chicago, 7:35 ET
Detroit: 12-3 ATS in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game
Chicago: 1-5 in home games revenging a loss where team scored 1 or less goals

Minnesota at Calgary, 9:35 ET
Minnesota: 256-205 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive losses
Calgary: 86-53 UNDER after scoring 3 goals or more in 3 straight games

Tampa Bay at Anaheim, 10:05 ET
Tampa Bay: 8-2 OVER after 3 consecutive non-conference games
Anaheim: 10-2 OVER off a home loss by 2 goals or more

Boston at Edmonton, 10:05 ET
Boston: 15-5 ATS in a road game where where the total is 5.5
Edmonton: 2-19 ATS after playing a game where 7 or more total goals were scored

Los Angeles at Colorado, 10:05 ET
Los Angeles: 5-11 ATS in road games after a non-conference game
Colorado: 47-25 ATS after playing a home

Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/18

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/18

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