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**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:28 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Six of the top minor league prospects of the Colorado Rockies........

1) David Dahl OF-- Three years in minors, hasn't gotten above A ball.

2) Jon Gray P-- Pitchers must puke when they get drafted by Colorado.

4) Eddie Butler-- Gave up 23 hits in 16 big league innings LY.

7) Forrest Wall, 2B-- Took $2M instead of going to North Carolina.

8) Antonio Senzatela, P-- Has 28-9, 2.49 record in 54 minor league starts.

20) Kyle Parker OF/1B-- At one time, was pretty good QB at Clemson.

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Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Random stuff on a winter night........

13) Duke 92, North Carolina 90 OT-- Duke jumped out to a 13-point lead in first half, but then Tar Heels started dominating game inside and led by 10 with 3:20 to go. UNC couldn't finish Duke off, though and lost for 4th time in last five games. Mike Krzyzewski is now 41-38 against the Tar Heels.

12) Quote of the Day, part 2: "I don't feel comfortable with the situation. I don't trust them anymore." Goran Dragic, soon to be an ex-Phoenix Sun

NBA trading deadline is today; should be a decent amount of action.

11) Xavier 59, Cincinnati 57-- Intense inner-city rivalry goes Musketeers' way, with Xavier going 10-17 from the arc, offsetting a -9 (15-6) turnover ratio. Bearcats do not have enough offense to win when other team goes 9-17 from the arc, though they did rally back from a 36-24 halftime deficit and led with a minute to go.

10) Syracuse 69, Louisville 59-- It is February 19; any team that suspends its point guard at this point of the season, especially for non-academic reasons, has problems that might not be fixable. Louisville has now lost three of its last four games, and its point guard is currently suspended.

9) Arizona State 68, UCLA 66-- ASU retired James Harden's number 13 and might've also retired UCLA's chances of going to the NCAAs; Bruins have two Pac-12 road wins, at USC and Stanford- they also lost at Alabama.

8) Arizona State has a player named Bo Barnes; his dad Jake is in the Rodeo Hall of Fame. Rodeo performers are tough humans, for sure.

7) Boise State 53, UNLV 48-- Rebels are down to seven scholarship players and just aren't very good right now; this was Boise's first win at UNLV, not counting neutral court wins in the Mountain West tournament.

6) They dimmed the lights of the Las Vegas Strip for three minutes at 10:30 last night, to honor Jerry Tarkanian; this is something that doesn't happen often; it had been done for passing of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin and George Burns.

5) The inmates are running the asylum in Manhattan, where Carmelo Anthony is done for the year, but not until he played 30 minutes in the All-Star Game Sunday. It should be noted that Anthony sat out regular season home games before the All-Star break, basically giving the finger to Knick ticket holders. He makes around $275,000 a game, would've been nice if he acted that mattered to him.

4) Davidson 65, George Washington 63-- Wildcats are 9-4 in their first season in the A-14, a huge step up from the Southern Conference. Big-time schools missed out by not hiring Bob McKillop as its coach, most notably St John's; he is excellent.

3) Northwestern 72, Minnesota 66-- Rough night for the Pitino family.

2) Iowa State 70, Oklahoma State 65-- Cyclones ended a 4-game road losing streak, as they outscored the Cowboys 9-0 over the last 2:27 to sweep OSU this season.

1) Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks leads the NHL in scoring; no American-born player has ever won the NHL scoring title. Ever.

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:28 AM

Budweiser Duels: NASCAR betting for people who hate NASCAR betting

For a sport that promotes itself on speed, NASCAR betting can seem like one of the slowest options to sports bettors.

There are a handful of betting selections for each week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event – outright odds, matchups, speed rows - but sitting around watching cars turn left for three or four hours is a grueling practice, especially if your bets don’t pan out.

Enter the Budweiser Duels. The pair of preliminary races at Daytona unofficially opens the Sprint Cup betting schedule, with the top drivers in NASCAR revving their engines Thursday night with Duel No. 1 at 7 pm ET and Duel No. 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET (Sprint Cup moved the Duels to a night race last season).

For those not familiar with the duels, they’re basically a condensed version of a regular race. The field is cut in half and split in two 150-mile mad dashes to determine the starting order for this Sunday's Daytona 500.

Drivers and teams don’t have time for methodical fuel-management strategies to play out nor can they afford to sit back in the pack and make adjustments, hoping to find the right groove late in the race. If they want a shot to run up front at Daytona, they have to leave it all on the track Thursday night. There's betting value to be had all over the board.

The top guns carry a heftier price tag, with some elite drivers looking to kick start the season with a win and others just trying to protect their cars in qualifying. Figuring out which guys are going all out or not can stretch your money pretty far. And then you have the live long shots, looking to make a name for themselves and punch a ticket to the "Great American Race". As well, you have your super speedway specialists who consistently dominate the restrictor-plate events on the big tracks.

The Budweiser Duels are racing at its most primal. And that’s why they’re the most exciting wagering options for those who aren’t quite sold on betting NASCAR. It’s basically the closest thing you’ll find to horse racing, but with 800 horsepower instead of one.

But while the Budweiser Duels are some of the most exciting ways to wager on auto racing, they might also be some of the most ignored. According to Ed Salmons, manager at the LVH Superbook in Las Vegas, the Duels draw about 10 percent of the total action that the Daytona 500 does.

“The Duels have historically been a non-event,” Salmons told Covers. “Betting on these races has been much smaller than normal races. Maybe that changes with the night running, but I doubt it.”

Salmons says NASCAR betting overall is growing in popularity every year, and some of the options – like head-to-head driver matchup betting – is outdrawing popular props like PGA golf matchups each week.

Not having the appeal and audience of the Daytona 500 is a blessing in disguise. NASCAR bettors can find Budweiser Duels odds closer to their opening price without the public having their say and sucking all the value out of potential contenders and popular favorites.

So, if you’re on the fence about NASCAR betting or just looking for something different Thursday night, take a gamble: Try gambling on the Budweiser Duels. You’ll quickly see that turning left never felt so right.

Here’s a look at the odds for both Budweiser Duels:

BUDWEISER DUEL 1

Matt Kenseth +600
Dale Earnhardt Jr +600
Kevin Harvick +700
Brad Keselowski +700
Joey Logano +800
Jeff Gordon +1000
Kasey Kahne +1200
Tony Stewart +1200
Kyle Larson +1200
Jamie McMurray +1400
Clint Bowyer +1600
Paul Menard +2200
Trevor Bayne +2500
Aric Almirola +2500
AJ Allmendinger +2800
Ty Dillon +2800
Casey Mears +3300
Michael Annett +4000
Johnny Sauter +5000
JJ Yeley +5000
Michael McDowell +5000
Ron Hornaday +7500
Cole Whitt +7500
Landon Cassill +4000
Justin Marks +10000

BUDWEISER DUEL 2

Kyle Busch +500
Jimmie Johnson +700
Carl Edwards +500
Denny Hamlin +600
Martin Truex Jr +1000
Kurt Busch +1000
Ryan Newman +1500
Greg Biffle +1500
Austin Dillon +1500
Michael Waltrip +2000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2000
Sam Hornish Jr +2500
Ryan Blaney +2500
Danica Patrick +2500
David Ragan +3000
David Gililand +3500
Brian Scott +3500
Justin Allgaier +3500
Jeb Burton +5000
Bobby Labonte +6000
Alex Bowman +7500
Mike Wallace +7500
Reed Sorenson +8000
Josh Wise +8000

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:29 AM

Daytona qualifying format altered for two series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Why have a five-minute qualifying session if no one is going to use the full five minutes?

That was one of the rationales NASCAR considered in streamlining the time trial process for the NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series for events to be held at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

The first round of qualifying for Friday's Nextera Energy Resources 250 NCWTS race (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) and Saturday's Alert Today Florida 300 Xfinity Series race (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) will feature cars divided into four groups, in numbers as equal as possible based on a random draw.

Smaller groups will ease pit road congestion, which was an issue during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. The cars will be staged with their left-side tires just outside an assigned pit box, giving each driver an unimpeded exit from pit road.

And once a car begins to roll, it must continue its progress toward the end of pit road. No more starting and stopping. No more backing up.

Each qualifying session will be reduced to 2.5 minutes as opposed to the five minutes used in the Cup series on Sunday. The 24 fastest cars from the four sessions in the first round combined will advance to the second round, which will feature two 2.5-minute sessions with cars divided into even- and odd-numbered groups based on speeds in the first round.

The fastest 12 cars advance to the final 2.5-minute round, which will determine the pole winner.

Though the new format applies only to the NCWTS and NXS races at Daytona, NASCAR considers this a trial run for possible modifications to the system for other superspeedway races, and perhaps extending to Sprint Cup.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded NASCAR for its willingness to make modifications to the process.

"I'm happy that NASCAR is looking to improve and tweak and learn and to change from single-car to group qualifying," Earnhardt said. "It works really well at all the other racetracks to try to find the right mix of excitement and professionalism and all those good things that you want to have in a show and in a qualifying segment.

"It's going to take a pretty unique set of circumstances and guidelines and rules for group qualifying at the plate tracks. And I'm glad that they're open to making moves and making changes and trying to learn from those changes.”

Earnhardt, who will compete in Saturday's Xfinity Series race, also favored the move to shorter segments, given that most drivers waited until late in the sessions to leave pit road.

"Well, the waiting on pit road feels kind of clunky and unnatural," Earnhardt said. "So we're all kind of waiting. Everybody wants to be last so you can get the best draft. We all understand that.

"So, obviously, it's almost pointless to have the extra time if you're going to wait until the end anyway. So cutting down the segments may work well and just alleviate some of that waiting and anticipation."

PATRICK GOES TO BACKUP CAR

Six minutes into Wednesday's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session, Danica Patrick's No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet sat immobile on the infield grass.

Patrick's car had turned and smacked the outside wall when Denny Hamlin steered to the middle in a three-wide draft, and her team immediately rolled out a backup car to use in Thursday night's Budweiser Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races (7 p.m. on FOX Sports 1).

"I was just riding along and it turned, so it's the nature of pack racing, and that's what makes it challenging, too," Patrick said after exiting the infield care center. "Sometimes there's not much you can do about it. I could have collected more people, and it wouldn't have been anything that they were a part of.

"But that's just group racing at Daytona. That's the gamble that we all face. That's what makes it exciting and very frustrating. So we knew we were going to have to run hard in the Duels no matter what, and that just doesn't change."

Hamlin said he was trying to gauge how his car would react in a three-wide situation.

"People say in practice that you can't make aggressive moves, but we also have to put ourselves in decent positions where we're going to have to figure out what our car is doing," Hamlin said.

"I went through the middle and it was really wide -- it just closed as soon as I had already got inside of her (Patrick) and the lane closed. It knocked me into the 13 (Casey Mears) and we had some attrition after that."

The damage to Hamlin's car wasn’t serious enough to scrap the primary car, but Michael Annett, who also was collected in the crash, will go to a backup No. 46 Chevrolet for the Duels.

NASCAR CLARIFIES CHASE ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, drivers must start each race for which they have qualified, unless the sanctioning body finds reason to waive that requirement.

That change, announced in a bulletin on Wednesday morning, modifies the language of Rule 17.6.2.1.a, which last year required drivers to attempt to qualify for each event to retain Chase eligibility.

Under the current provision, drivers still must attempt to qualify for each race, but they also must start every race for which they qualify successfully, unless NASCAR authorizes otherwise. A driver does not lose Chase eligibility for attempting to qualify for a race and failing to make the field.

The clarified rule would apply in a situation where Kurt Busch, for example, were to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, race in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (as he did last year), but fail to return to Charlotte in time to start the Cup race. In that event, NASCAR would be unlikely to grant a waiver.

On the other hand, NASCAR already has indicated that Brian Vickers, who will miss the first two events of the season while recovering from offseason heart surgery, retains his Chase eligibility because of a medical exception.

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:34 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, February 19

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BUFFALO (16-37-0-4, 36 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (24-23-0-10, 58 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 37-102 ATS (+219.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 12-49 ATS (+101.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 3-25 ATS (+57.1 Units) in road games revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 6-34 ATS (+79.9 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 13-49 ATS (+99.1 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 5-20 ATS (+38.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
BUFFALO is 5-25 ATS (+42.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 6-2 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 6-2-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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VANCOUVER (32-21-0-3, 67 pts.) at NY RANGERS (34-16-0-5, 73 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 24-38 ATS (-19.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 8-24 ATS (+35.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 151-95 ATS (+27.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 174-179 ATS (+394.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 198-196 ATS (-87.6 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 123-123 ATS (-72.4 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 77-87 ATS (-57.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 29-38 ATS (-26.3 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 7-13 ATS (-13.8 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 107-112 ATS (-59.3 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 36-52 ATS (-42.2 Units) in home games after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 162-194 ATS (-166.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 3-0 (+3.3 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 3-0-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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WINNIPEG (30-19-0-10, 70 pts.) at WASHINGTON (31-17-0-10, 72 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 29-20 ATS (+49.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 140-187 ATS (-67.9 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-1 (+5.0 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-1-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.2 Units)

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COLUMBUS (25-27-0-3, 53 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (32-16-0-9, 73 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 37-31 ATS (+70.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 14-8 ATS (+25.0 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 18-20 ATS (-15.0 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 7-14 ATS (-11.3 Units) vs. division opponents this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 9-3 (+4.6 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 9-3-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.1 Units)

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NASHVILLE (39-12-0-6, 84 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (38-19-0-1, 77 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 1-9 ATS (+11.0 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 38-20 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 15-6 ATS (+5.7 Units) after a division game this season.
NASHVILLE is 39-18 ATS (+15.6 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 150-209 ATS (+410.4 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 1-1-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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FLORIDA (25-19-0-12, 62 pts.) at MONTREAL (37-16-0-4, 78 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 13-30 ATS (+49.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 37-20 ATS (+62.4 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 37-22 ATS (+8.9 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 6-2 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 6-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.3 Units)

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SAN JOSE (29-22-0-8, 66 pts.) at DALLAS (27-22-0-8, 62 pts.) - 2/19/2015, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 29-30 ATS (-12.4 Units) in all games this season.
SAN JOSE is 2-7 ATS (-7.6 Units) in February games this season.
SAN JOSE is 8-13 ATS (-10.6 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
SAN JOSE is 10-13 ATS (-11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
SAN JOSE is 40-23 ATS (+15.9 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 6-1 ATS (+7.1 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
DALLAS is 6-14 ATS (-9.0 Units) after a division game this season.
DALLAS is 4-12 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-4 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 4-4-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.7 Units)

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**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:36 AM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, February 19

Hot teams
-- Blue Jackets won four of their last six games.
-- Winnipeg won four of its last five games. Washington won six of last eight.
-- Nashville won its last six games, allowing nine goals. Islanders won six of last eight games.
-- Rangers won seven of their last nine games. Vancouver won three of its last four.
-- Canadiens won five of their last seven games.
-- Dallas Stars won four of their last five games.

Cold teams
-- Penguins are 3-4 in last seven games, scoring two goals in the four losses.
-- Florida lost three of its last four games.
-- Buffalo lost its last four games, last three all by 2-1 scores. Flyers lost three of last four games.
-- San Jose lost seven of its last nine games.

Series records
-- Penguins won seven of last eight games with Columbus.
-- Caps won their last six games with Winnipeg.
-- Islanders lost three of last four games with Nashville.
-- Rangers won their last five games with Vancouver.
-- Canadiens won their last three games with Florida.
-- Flyers won 11 of their last 13 games with Buffalo.
-- Sharks won four of their last five games with Dallas.

Totals
-- Five of last six Columbus games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Washington home games stayed under.
-- Seven of last ten Islander home games went over total.
-- Seven of last ten Vancouver road games stayed under; last four Ranger games went over.
-- Six of last eight Montreal home games stayed under.
-- Eight of last eleven Philly home games stayed under.
-- Three of last four Dallas home games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Montreal is 7-4 when it played the night before.

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:39 AM

NHL

Thursday, February 19

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
COLUMBUS vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus

7:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. NY ISLANDERS
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nashville is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville
NY Islanders are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games

7:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. NY RANGERS
Vancouver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Vancouver is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games
NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games

7:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Winnipeg's last 18 games
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Washington is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home

7:30 PM
FLORIDA vs. MONTREAL
Florida is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Florida
Montreal is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home

8:00 PM
BUFFALO vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Buffalo's last 23 games when playing Philadelphia
Buffalo is 1-15 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Philadelphia's last 13 games at home

8:30 PM
SAN JOSE vs. DALLAS
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 10 of San Jose's last 13 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games at home

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**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 09:46 AM

NHL

Thursday, February 19

NHL roundup: Senators' Hammond earns win in first career start

OTTAWA -- Making his first NHL start, 27-year-old Senators goalie Andrew Hammond turned in a starring performance Wednesday night.

Hammond stopped 42 shots as the Senators upset the Canadiens 3-2 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Senators goals were scored by centers Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kyle Turris and wingers Mark Stone and winger Milan Michalek. Defenseman Erik Karlsson chipped in with two assists. Canadiens goals came from winger Max Pacioretty and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.

Backup Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski also turned in a strong effort with 35 saves.

Red Wings 3, Blackhawks 2 (SO)

CHICAGO -- Left winger Tomas Tatar scored the tiebreaking goal to lift Detroit to a shootout win against Chicago.

Right winger Gustav Nyquist also scored during the shootout round for Detroit, which received goals in regulation from center Darren Helm and Tatar. The Red Wings (32-14-10) won for only the third time in 11 shootout appearances this season.

Center Jonathan Toews scored the lone goal of the shootout round for the Blackhawks. Left wingers Brandon Saad and Kris Versteeg scored during regulation for Chicago (35-18-5), which collected at least one point for the seventh consecutive game.

Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard turned aside 32 of 34 shots to improve to 17-7-8.

Wild 3, Flames 2 (OT)

CALGARY, Alberta -- Mikko Koivu came up with the overtime winner just in time to keep Minnesota climbing back into the playoff picture.

Koivu, the Wild captain and top center, buried a chance off an odd-man rush to make the difference in an overtime victory over Calgary to push even closer to a playoff spot.

The Wild (29-21-7) are winners of nine of 11 games, pulling them within a single point of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference standings.

Minnesota salvaged what could have been a disappointing loss.

Lightning 4, Ducks 1

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A big second period, three emerging stars and four key injuries culminated in a win for Tampa Bay over Anaheim at Honda Center.

The line of center Tyler Johnson, left winger Ondrej Palat and right winger Nikita Kucherov produced the go-ahead goal and an insurance marker as part of a dominant, four-goal second period.

Johnson and Kucherov lit the lamp for Tampa along with center Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman, who also notched an assist. Palat contributed two helpers. Left winger Patrick Maroon scored for Anaheim.

In a battle of U.S.-born netminders, Tampa's Ben Bishop made 24 of 25 saves to Anaheim's John Gibson, who stopped 28 of 32 shots.

Kings 4, Avalanche 1

DENVER -- Goaltender Jonathan quick made 42 saves, center Jeff Carter had two goals and Los Angeles beat Colorado for its sixth straight vicotry.

Center Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist and left winger Dustin Brown also scored the Kings.

Left winger Dwight King had two assists for Los Angeles.

The Kings have jumped back into the playoff picture with their winning streak. The defending champions beat Tampa Bay (twice), Calgary and Washington, all teams holding playoff spots.

Oilers 4, Bruins 3 (SO)

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Defenseman Martin Marincin scored the only goal of the shootout, in the 12th round, to give Edmonton a win over Boston at Rexall Place.

The Oilers hadn't beaten the Bruins at home since Oct. 17, 2000. For the slumping Bruins, it was their fifth loss in a row.

Edmonton jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from Nail Yakupov at 4:29 and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 15:53 as both players continued their hot streaks.

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 10:41 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Nashville at NY Islanders
The Predators head to New York tonight to face the Islanders and come into the contest with an 8-1 record in their last 9 February games. Nashville is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Predators favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+100). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Game 1-2: Buffalo at Philadelphia (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Buffalo 10.865; Philadelphia 9.290
Dunkel Line & Total: Buffalo by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Philadelphia (-260); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Buffalo (+220); Under

Game 3-4: Vancouver at NY Rangers (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 12.056; NY Rangers 13.332
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-150); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (-150); Over

Game 5-6: Winnipeg at Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 12.407; Washington 11.037
Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-160); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+140); Over

Game 7-8: Columbus at Pittsburgh (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 10.617; Pittsburgh 12.062
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-225); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-225); Under

Game 9-10: Nashville at NY Islanders (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 13.089; NY Islanders 11.420
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: NY Islanders (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+100); Over

Game 11-12: Florida at Montreal (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 11.191; Montreal 10.038
Dunkel Line & Total: Floirda by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-160); 5
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+140); Under

Game 13-14: San Jose at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Jose 11.941; Dallas 10.332
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-120); Over

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 10:47 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, February 19

Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:05 ET
Buffalo: 94-94 SU in road games after 2 or more consecutive unders
Philadelphia: 372-253 SU as a home favorite

Vancouver at NY Rangers, 7:05 ET
Vancouver: 9-25 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
NY Rangers: 13-3 SU off a road win

Winnipeg at Washington, 7:05 ET
Winnipeg: 8-2 SU in road games after a home game where both teams score 3 or more goals
Washington: 133-183 SU in non-conference games

Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7:05 ET
Columbus: 25-18 SU after scoring 3 goals or more in 2 straight games
Pittsburgh: 7-14 SU vs. division opponents

Nashville at NY Islanders, 7:05 ET
Nashville: 18-8 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
NY Islanders: 13-32 SU in home games off a road win against a division rival

Florida at Montreal, 7:35 ET
Florida: 3-13 SU in road games after a game where they covered the spread
Montreal: 51-33 SU when playing their 3rd game in 5 days

San Jose at Dallas, 8:35 ET
San Jose: 37-23 SU in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs
Dallas: 5-11 SU in home games after having won 3 of their last 4 games

**Udog** · 02-19-2015, 06:37 PM

NHL

Thursday, February 19

Over booming as Blue Jackets find scoring touch

The over has hit in five of the Columbus Blue Jackets past six games. Bettors can thank a Jackets offense that has averaged 4.3 goals per game and scoring at least three in each during that time.

Currently, there is a total of 5.5 when the Jackets travel to Pittsburgh Thursday.

Sabres anemic offense a boon for under play

The Buffalo Sabres have gone under in their past six contests, thanks to an offense that can't score. In those six games, the Sabres have averaged 1.3 goals per game and have scored more than one goal just twice.

The Sabres will travel to Philadelphia Thursday with a total of 5.5.

Rangers' goal spree cashing the over

The New York Rangers have gone over in their past four games, all of which were on the road, due to their offensive onslaught. The Rangers have scored 22 goals in four games, an average of 5.5 goals per game.

The Rangers host the Vancouver Canucks with a total of 5.5.

Pavelec to start for Jets against Capitals

According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, the Winnipeg Jets will give Ondrej Pavelec the start in net as the team visits the Washington Capitals Thursday evening.

Pavelec began the season as the Jets' No. 1 goaltending option, but made way for Michael Hutchinson after the latter put up some great numbers in leading the Jets into the playoff picture.

The Czech netminder enters the meeting with the Caps owning a 13-12-7 record, 2.55 goals against average and .910 save percentage.

At the time of writing, the Jets were +145 underdogs while the Capitals were -165 favorites.

Price dominant for the Habs against the Panthers

In Carey Price's past four starts against the Florida Panthers, the goaltender has been lights-out. Price is 4-0-0 with a 0.75 goals against average and a .975 save percentage in those starts against the Panthers.

Currently, the Montreal Canadiens are -150 when they host the Panthers Thursday.

Penguins struggle against Metropolitan Division

The Pittsburgh Penguins, currently sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference, have struggled mightily versus teams within the division. The Pens are just 7-10-4 against teams inside the Metropolitan, but a sparkling 25-6-5 versus non-division teams.

The Pens host the Columbus Blue Jackets, fellow Metro Division members, and are presently -240 favorites, while the visitors are +190 underdogs.

The teams have met once before this season, with the Jackets prevailing 4-3 in a shootout back on Dec. 13, 2013.

Announcement

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/19

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/19

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